• Seoul launches AI agent project for military maintenance SEOUL, November 04 (AJP) - South Korea has launched a 30 billion won project to develop an AI system that predicts maintenance needs for military equipment, officials said Wednesday.
• China's BYD makes rapid strides in Korean ride-hailing market SEOUL, November 4 (AJP) - Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD has rapidly expanded its presence in South Korea's commercial taxi market.
• North Korea fires unidentified projectile toward East Sea SEOUL, November 04 (AJP) - North Korea launched an unidentified projectile toward the East Sea, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Wednesday.
• Korea's FX reserves hit four-year high in October amid chip boom SEOUL, November 04 (AJP) -South Korea's foreign exchange reserves rose to their highest level in more than four years in October amid a ballooning trade surplus driven by record chip export revenue, central bank data showed Wednesday.
• Europe prepares Ukraine force as peace talks near ZURICH, November 04 (AJP) -Europe is stepping up preparations for a possible postwar deployment to Ukraine as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy seeks stronger military backing ahead of U.S.-mediated talks with Russia next week.
• Hackers turn up heat on Europe's supermarket freezers ZURICH, November 03 (AJP) -Hackers have turned supermarket refrigeration systems against the food they were built to protect, forcing stores across Europe to discard spoiled goods after temperatures were reportedly raised to as high as 50 degrees Celsius.

AJP Briefing>

• KOSPI slides as US midterms cloud outlook for chipmakers SEOUL, November 4 (AJP) - South Korean stocks reversed sharp opening gains on Wednesday morning as uncertainty over the U.S. midterm elections weighed on investor sentiment. The benchmark KOSPI fell 1.5 percent to 5,564.34 as of around 10:45 a.m., after trading between 5,546.89 and 5,828.13. Foreign investors sold a net 695 billion won worth of shares, while retail investors bought 372.2 billion won ($277 Million) and institutions followed with purchase of 196.9 billion won. The index had ope
• KOSPI tumbles over 3% as foreign sell-off continues on AI concerns SEOUL, November 3 (AJP) - South Korean stocks plunged more than 3 percent on Tuesday as concerns over returns on massive artificial intelligence (AI)-led spending triggered heavy foreign selling, dragging semiconductor shares lower and wiping out the previous session's gains. The benchmark KOSPI fell 3.59 percent or 210.29 points to close at 5,648.79. Foreign investors sold 1.52 trillion won (US$1.13 billion) worth of shares, while institutions unloaded 511.3 billion won. Retail investors

AJP ScaleUP

• South Korean space firm Innospace joins defense offset list SEOUL, November 04 (AJP) - South Korean space company Innospace has become the first domestic firm to have its satellite launch service selected for a government program that encourages foreign defense contractors to use Korean products and services, the company said Tuesday. The selection means foreign companies selling weapons to South Korea could potentially use Innospace's launch service to meet their defense offset obligations. Under such arrangements, foreign defense suppliers are re
• Aei Robot sounds China alarm after Robot World win SEOUL, November 02 (AJP) - South Korean humanoid developer Aei Robot won a top prize at Robot World 2026 for its Alice 5 robot and warned that Chinese machines already hold more than 95 percent of the global humanoid market, the company said Monday. Alice 5 was named one of 10 Vanguard winners, the award's highest tier, at the exhibition running Wednesday to Friday at KINTEX in Goyang, just outside Seoul. Judges weighed technical innovation, readiness for industrial use and originality, an

ASIA Insight

• AJP On-site: Life in a border village where even lunch requires military clearance PAJU, South Korea, November 3 (AJP) — Getting a table at a restaurant in this South Korean village takes more than a reservation. You must first submit your name, the names of everyone traveling with you and your car's license plate number for military clearance. Only after the restaurant confirms that the information has been submitted can the journey begin. Google Maps is of little help. The restaurant sends its own directions because the navigation service does not provide routes by Kim Hee-su and Joonha Yoo
• AI necessity draws Korean chipmakers closer to Japan SEOUL, November 02 (AJP) - History has often intruded on business between South Korea and Japan, two of Asia’s technology powerhouses. In 2019, a dispute over compensation for wartime forced labor spilled into semiconductor supply chains. Japan tightened export controls on critical chipmaking materials, and the two countries removed each other from lists of preferred trading partners. Since then, Korean manufacturers accelerated efforts to replace Japanese supplies with domestic products by Candice Kim

AJP Watch

• South Korea gets new supercomputer to get back in race amid global AI boom SEOUL, November 3 (AJP) - The rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is often told as a story of chips and data centers, but underneath both lies a race for raw computing power that South Korea has just rejoined. Hangang, the country's sixth supercomputer, was switched on Monday at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) in Daejeon. Its theoretical peak of 614 quadrillion calculations per second is 24 times that of Nurion, the 2018 machine it replaces. That f
• Seoul stocks stumble as record chip earnings fail to lift sentiment SEOUL, October 29 (AJP) - South Korea's stock market has turned bullish again, with renewed foreign buying and more than 90 trillion won (US$67.33 billion) in cash held in brokerage accounts raising hopes for a recovery. Yet the KOSPI slipped back below 6,000 on Thursday as retail investors remained wary of taking on more risk after last month's sharp selloff. The benchmark KOSPI closed 1.24 percent lower at 5,937.66 points on Thursday, a day after surging 6.63 percent to 6,012.44. The

AJP Focus

• Korea's factory recovery broadens beyond chips – albeit uneven SEOUL, November 3 (AJP) — The AI revolution is moving at a speed that could make the Industrial Revolution look glacial. In South Korea, its shock waves are beginning to reach factory floors beyond the semiconductor cleanrooms that have long powered the country's industrial growth. Chips remain a pillar of Korean manufacturing and exports, but the AI investment boom is beginning to lift production in other industries. The spillover is becoming more visible, although the recovery remai
• South Korean, Canadian experts discuss AI safety amid cyber threats SEOUL, November 3 (AJP) - South Korea's push for stronger oversight of artificial intelligence (AI) gained fresh urgency on Tuesday as President Lee Jae Myung called for the establishment of a government-wide cybersecurity agency, while South Korean and Canadian experts gathered at the National Assembly to discuss international cooperation on AI safety and governance. A forum titled "Who Shapes the Future of AI?" was held in Seoul, bringing together academics, cybersecurity expert