OPINION: Canada's tariff strategy on Chinese EVs- A misstep in trade and climate policy

KARACHI, October 23 (AJP) - Canada’s decision to impose 100 percent tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, with 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum to follow, reflects a critical moment in Sino-Canadian relations. From Beijing’s perspective, these measures are not merely economic sanctions - they represent a broader alignment of Canadian policies with those of the United States. Historically, Canada had pursued a more diversified trade policy, leveraging China&rs

October 23, 2024

Korea to raise industrial power rates by 9.7%

SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - South Korea will raise electricity rates for industrial users by 9.7 percent on average while freezing household and commercial rates, the government said Wednesday. Starting Thursday, power costs will increase by 10.2 percent for high-volume industrial users and 5.2 percent for smaller companies, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and Korea Electric Power Corp. “We raised industrial use rates, considering that large ex

October 23, 2024

OPINION: North Korea and Russia - Alliance of the weak

KENOSHA, October 23 (AJP) - Considerable media attention is directed to reports that North Korea is supplying troops to aid Russia’s war in Ukraine along with workers. In reality, this is simply the latest step closer between two already-close but weak partners. Both struggle today. Moscow’s assumption that Ukraine would be an easy conquest has proven disastrously wrong. As the war grinds on, significant numbers of young men are fleeing Russia rather than being drafted i

October 23, 2024

Ex-president Lee Myung-bak's elder brother dies at 89

SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - Lee Sang-deuk, the elder brother of former President Lee Myung-bak, died on Wednesday after a prolonged battle with age-related illnesses. He was 89. Lee senior had been receiving treatment at Seoul National University Hospital, according to his close aides. First elected to the National Assembly in 1988, the six-term lawmaker served as its vice speaker from 2006 to 2008. Once a prominent political figure during his younger brother's presidency, t

October 23, 2024

Korea's largest robotics show opens with focus on AI

SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - Robotworld 2024, South Korea's largest robotics industry exhibition, opened Wednesday at KINTEX in Goyang, west of Seoul. A record 291 companies and institutions are showcasing AI-integrated intelligent robots, including humanoids and service robots, during the four-day event organized by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. South Korea's leading robotics firm Robotis Co. demonstrated an indoor delivery robot capable of autonomously o

October 23, 2024

Hyundai Rotem developing hydrogen-powered tank

SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - SEOUL (AJP) — Hyundai Rotem said Wednesday it is developing what would be the world's first hydrogen-fueled battle tank. The Korean company, affiliated with Hyundai Motor Group, is collaborating with the Agency for Defense Development and the Korea Research Institute for Defense Technology Planning and Advancement to develop a hydrogen-powered version of the K2 tank, the Army's main battle tank, a company official told AJP. The next-generat

October 23, 2024

Samsung SDI unveils next-generation mobility batteries at expo

SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - SEOUL (AJP) — Samsung SDI showcased its lineup of mobility batteries at the Future Auto & Mobility Expo 2024 in the southeastern Korean city of Daegu, the company said Wednesday. The Korean battery maker displayed several next-generation products, including cathode-free solid-state batteries, which began sample deliveries to clients in late 2023, and 46-phi cylindrical batteries scheduled for micro-mobility production in early 2025. The company

October 23, 2024

First batch of North Korean troops 'set to arrive in Russia's Kursk'

SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - The first batch of North Korean troops allegedly dispatched to Russia is likely to be deployed in Kursk, a Russian territory occupied by Ukraine, as early as this week, a Ukrainian military leader claimed on Tuesday. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Directorate made the claim, in an interview with American military magazine The War Zone, also known as TWZ. "We are waiting for the first units tomorrow in the

October 23, 2024

Philippine court sentences 17 Abu Sayyaf militants to life over 2000 resort raid

SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - A Philippine court handed life sentences to 17 members of the Islamic State-linked Abu Sayyaf group for kidnapping 21 people from Malaysia's Sipadan resort in 2000, according to AP and AFP news agencies on Monday. The militants were ordered to pay 300,000 pesos ($5,300) in damages to each victim. The armed group stormed the diving resort on speedboats, taking tourists from Germany, France, Finland, South Africa, and Lebanon, along with Malaysian and Fil

October 23, 2024

KAIST team develops brain-inspired AI learning system

SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - Scientists at Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST) have developed artificial intelligence technology that mimics the brain's neural network, potentially solving computational limits of artificial neural networks, the institute said Wednesday. A research team led by Professor Paik Se-bum at KAIST's Cognitive Intelligence Laboratory demonstrated that pre-training neural networks with random noise, similar to biological brains,

October 23, 2024