INTERVIEW: US strikes on Iranian nuke sites may spur North Korea's nuclear buildup, Iranian envoy warns

SEOUL, July 4 (AJP) - Last month's U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, which came shortly after Israel's sudden attack on Tehran, have ignited a cycle of escalating military tensions and retaliatory attacks across the Middle East. These developments could have "perilous" global repercussions with far-reaching consequences for further hostilities, potentially emboldening nuclear-armed countries including North Korea to reassess their military capabilities a

July 4, 2025

NZ envoy says clean tech offers major opportunity for South Korea–New Zealand ties

SEOUL, July 04 (AJP) - New Zealand Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Dawn Bennet says clean technology and renewable energy are among the most promising areas for expanding cooperation between the two countries. Speaking in an interview with Aju Press on Thursday, she pointed to the potential for joint growth in industries that are increasingly shaping the global economy. "There is a great opportunity for New Zealand and South Korea to work more closely together in the clean

July 4, 2025

HYBE founder Bang Si-hyuk grilled by regulators over alleged IPO fraud

SEOUL, July 3 (AJP) - South Korean financial regulators have summoned Bang Si-hyuk, the founder and chairman of HYBE, for questioning over allegations of fraudulent trading practices linked to the firm's initial public offering. Bang, the influential music executive who oversaw HYBE’s transformation into a global entertainment powerhouse, appeared before the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) late last month to address accusations that he misled investors in the run-up to

July 3, 2025

Aespa to drop collaboration song with PUBG: Battlegrounds

SEOUL, July 3 (AJP) - K-pop girl group aespa will release a collaborative song titled “Dark Arts” with the popular online game PUBG: Battlegrounds on July 15, SM Entertainment said Thursday. The song conveys a strong will to achieve victory in a survival battle, featuring intense rhythms and fast-paced guitar sounds. The upcoming release follows aespa’s recent single “Dirty Work,” which dropped last Friday and topped most South Korean music charts.

July 3, 2025

French AI firm Dataiku courts Korean enterprises

SEOUL, July 03 (AJP) - Dataiku, a French artificial intelligence platform company, unveiled its strategy to support South Korean businesses in adopting AI and accelerating digital transformation, during a press briefing in Seoul on Thursday. The company emphasized its growing partnerships with major Korean firms such as LG Chem and Nepes, highlighting its integrated platform’s flexibility and enterprise-grade security. The firm's co-founder and Chief Technology Office

July 3, 2025

Korean power equipment makers expand in Europe

SEOUL, July 03 (AJP) - South Korean manufacturers of power infrastructure equipment are accelerating their push into European markets, seizing on surging demand for data center power systems and aging grid replacement across the continent. The expansion comes amid growing European concerns over energy security and infrastructure resilience. A series of recent power disruptions — including major blackouts in Spain and Portugal in April — coupled with intensifying summer

July 3, 2025

LG Electronics sharpens focus on AI, robotics under CEO William Cho

SEOUL, July 03 (AJP) - LG Electronics is undergoing one of the most ambitious transformations in its corporate history, shifting its focus away from traditional consumer hardware toward emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, and business-to-business solutions. Now in his fourth year at the helm, CEO William Cho — also known by his Korean name, Cho Joo-wan — is steering LG with a long-term vision centered on “structural competitiveness,&rdqu

July 3, 2025

Republicans press Trump administration to challenge Korea's online platform regulation

SEOUL, July 3 (AJP) - A group of 43 House Republicans is urging the Trump administration to confront South Korea over a proposed law regulating online platforms, warning that the measure could become a flashpoint in ongoing trade talks between the two countries. In a letter sent to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, the lawmakers called the proposed regulation a discriminatory barrier that unfairly target

July 3, 2025

Coupang enters cloud services market with AI-focused platform

SEOUL, July 03 (AJP) - E-commerce platform Coupang has entered the competitive cloud services arena with the launch of Coupang Intelligent Cloud, or CIC, a rebranded version of the company’s internal artificial intelligence computing infrastructure. The move signals Coupang’s ambitions to expand beyond retail and logistics by positioning itself as a serious player in South Korea’s rapidly growing cloud service sector — a space long dominated by global heavy

July 3, 2025

Korea seeks to address China's export controls on key materials

SEOUL, July 3 (AJP) - South Korea and China held a new round of bilateral supply chain talks in Seoul on Thursday, as the two countries grapple with growing disruptions stemming from Beijing’s tightening export controls on key industrial materials. The meeting brought together senior officials including Kim Jong-chul, director-general for international trade relations at South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and Wang Liping, his counterpart from China&rsq

July 3, 2025