• 'The Assassin(s)' reopens an old fault line in Korea's history SEOUL, October 04 (AJP) - For an octogenarian South Korean like Kim Yoo-jeong, who lived through the Korean War and the country’s rags-to-riches transformation under President Park Chung-hee, the controversy surrounding The Assassin(s) cuts close to the bone.
• Parliamentary audit season packed from DMZ minees to skin boosters SEOUL, October 04 (AJP) - South Korea’s National Assembly will open its annual state audit on Tuesday, setting the stage for three weeks of clashes over everything from housing and North Korea to a massive semiconductor project, nuclear exports and an unlikely new health-policy controversy involving skin injections made from donated human tissue.
• N. Korea calls UN human rights report fabrication SEOUL, October 03 (AJP) - North Korea rejected the United Nations' latest report on its human rights record on Saturday. It also warned that it would not tolerate the same treatment under the next secretary-general.
• Trump touts Kim ties, cites '112 nuclear missiles' SEOUL, October 04 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump again touted his relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday, saying it was beneficial to get along with leaders who command large nuclear arsenals and making an unexplained reference to “112 nuclear missiles.”
• Prime Minister Han pledges inclusive 'AI Basic Society' SEOUL, October 03 (AJP) - South Korea's prime minister pledged Saturday to build what the government calls an "AI Basic Society," presenting the country's rapid adoption of artificial intelligence as a modern way to honor the ideal on which the nation was founded. The government has put money behind that goal. The Ministry of Science and ICT has proposed spending 9.4 trillion won ($6.96 bi
• N. Korea fires missile after Seoul demands DMZ mine apology SEOUL, October 03 (AJP) - North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the East Sea on Saturday. The launch came three days after South Korea demanded an apology for a land mine blast that injured three of its soldiers inside the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected the missile at around 6:30 a.m. after it was launched from the Wonsan area on the North's

AJP Briefing>

• Seoul stocks reclaim 7,000 as foreigners sell sixth day SEOUL, October 02 (AJP) - South Korea's main stock index closed back above 7,000 on Friday for the first time since before the Chuseok holiday even as foreign investors sold for a sixth straight session. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 32.4 points, or 0.5 percent, to 7,003.7. Individuals sold a net 1.72 trillion won ($1.27 billion) and foreigners 143.8 billion won ($106.5 million). Institutional investors bought 381.4 billion won ($282.4 million). The group includes pens
• Seoul stocks stall as Samsung Electronics buyback winds down SEOUL, Oct. 2 (AJP) — The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) crawled toward 7,000 on Friday despite collective selling by foreign, institutional and retail investors. The market's floor now rests on corporate buying that Samsung Electronics has nearly finished. The main index in Seoul rose 11.7 points, or 0.2 percent, to 6,983.0. Foreign investors net sold 216.1 billion won ($159.0 million), putting them on course for a sixth straight session of selling. Samsung Electronics ha

AJP ScaleUP

• Humanoid maker Aei Robot moves to mass production SEOUL, September 30 (AJP) - Aei Robot will spend 40 billion won ($29.5 million) on its first plant for mass-producing humanoid robots, the Ansan city government said. The company signs the agreement Wednesday at Hanyang University's ERICA campus in Ansan, south of Seoul, with the Gyeonggi Free Economic Zone Authority, the university and the city government. Construction of the three-story building, which will span about 10,000 square meters, begins in November and is due to finish in Octob
• NEX-I files for KOSDAQ IPO to raise up to 65 billion won SEOUL, September 28 (AJP) - South Korean cancer drug developer NEX-I has submitted a regulatory filing for a KOSDAQ listing, seeking to raise up to 65 billion won ($47.8 million) through an initial public offering (IPO). The company plans to offer 5 million shares at a proposed price range of 10,500 won to 13,000 won apiece, putting the total offering at between 52.5 billion won and 65 billion won. Korea Investment & Securities is the lead underwriter. Founded in 2021, NEX-I develops antib

ASIA Insight

• South Korea seeks military sovereignty, but still needs Uncle Sam SEOUL, October 02 (AJP) - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung was unequivocal on Armed Forces Day - Seoul should reclaim wartime operational control of its military, a goal he wants to achieve before his five-year term ends in 2030. “There is no country in the world that relies on another person or another country for its military command authority,” Lee said at a luncheon following the ceremony marking the 78th Armed Forces Day, in a country that maintains roughly 450,000 active-d by Lee Jung-woo
• Won slips out of comfort zone as Korea moves on U.S. investment deal SEOUL, October 01 (AJP) - Just when the won appeared to be stabilizing around 1,350 against the U.S. dollar, its year-end outlook has grown less certain as South Korea prepares to pay up to $10 billion toward U.S. nuclear reactor projects before December ends. The dollar-won exchange rate rose to 1,362.6 on Thursday as Seoul and Washington unveiled energy projects under their strategic investment framework. The commitments fall under Korea’s $200 billion investment pledge outside shipbui by Kim Yeon-jae

AJP Watch

• Energy-poor, tech-rich Korea must link renewables with storage: IRENA chief SEOUL, October 02 (AJP) - South Korea, an energy-poor but high-tech powerhouse, must pair renewables and hydrogen with storage technology to power its advanced manufacturing economy, a senior international energy expert said. “Korea has strong technological and industrial capabilities to advance its energy transition,” Francesco La Camera, director-general of the International Renewable Energy Agency, said in an email interview with AJP. “The priority is to mobilize those capa
• G-Star goes global by chance as Korean publishers lose home ground SEOUL, September 30 (AJP) - South Korean game publishers are losing the battle for attention at home as short-form videos and streaming lure players away from marathon gaming sessions. Their retreat has a floor plan. Foreign publishers are filling the gaps at G-Star, the country's flagship game show in Busan this November, while Korean heavyweights chase audiences abroad. A floor plan released Tuesday for the Nov. 19–22 show in Busan lists Krafton and mid-sized Webzen as the only maj

AJP Focus

• Korean investors turn to Japan on weak yen and AI boom SEOUL, October 2 (AJP) — South Korean retail investors are increasingly looking across the Korea Strait as a stalling market at home and volatile U.S. bond prices turn their attention to Japan’s weak yen and expanding opportunities in the AI supply chain. South Korean investors bought $4.65 billion worth of Japanese stocks in the first nine months of 2026, up 94 percent from $2.40 billion a year earlier, according to the Korea Securities Depository (KSD). Purchases of U.S. shares r
• Drone pratfalls expose gap in Korea's battlefield testing SEOUL, October 02 (AJP) - South Korea builds machines that patrol the depths, fly faster than sound and power entire cities. Yet at its military showcases, drones have lately struggled with something more basic: staying in the air. In just over five weeks, two loitering munitions plunged into the sea after launch from a Navy warship, six of 17 demonstrations faltered at a Defense Ministry technology showcase, and a small target drone fell from the sky during a nationally televised Armed Forces