Japan's Ishiba defends snap election call in first parliamentary debate

SEOUL, October 8 (AJP) - Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Monday defended his decision to call a snap election just over a week after his inauguration. Ishiba, who took office on Oct. 1, plans to dissolve the lower house on Wednesday for an Oct. 27 election. During his first parliamentary debate with the opposition, Ishiba said he needed a fresh mandate to restore public trust following his Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) political funds scandal. "To restore

October 8, 2024

PHOTOS: 'Culinary Class Wars' contenders meet press ahead of finale

SEOUL, October 07 (AJP) - The top eight contestants and producers of Netflix's hit show “Culinary Class Wars” held a news conference in Seoul on Monday, one day before the final round airs. The show, which pits 80 unknown chefs against 20 celebrity chefs in a culinary competition, has been the most-watched non-English series on the platform for two weeks since its release on Sept. 17. Judged by restaurateur Paik Jong-won and Michelin-starred chef Ahn Sung-jae, the series wi

October 7, 2024

Toy market for adults surges as 'kidults' seek childhood nostalgia

SEOUL, October 7 (AJP) - Kim Geun-tae, a 27-year-old chip industry employee, recently found himself drawn to Loopy, a pink beaver character from the children's TV series “Pororo.” "I was so captivated by Loopy's expressive emojis on KakaoTalk that I ended up purchasing every series available," Kim said. Upon learning of a Loopy-themed pop-up store in Seoul, he made the hours-long trip from his home in Daejeon, just to buy a plushie and a figurine of

October 7, 2024

Two dozen minors earn millions annually in Korea

SEOUL, October 7 (AJP) - About two dozen minors in Korea have earned over 100 million Korean won annually over the past five years, according to data released by the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) on Monday. Data also showed that there were 360 business owners who are teenagers or under, as of August this year. Among them, 20 earned over 100 million won, 41 between 50 million and 100 million won, and the rest below 50 million won. One of these young high-earners was under

October 7, 2024

Korean regulator to investigate TikTok's potential privacy law violations

SEOUL, October 7 (AJP) - Korea's media regulator plans to investigate TikTok for potential violations of information and data protection rules, industry sources said Monday. The Korea Communications Commission (KCC) is examining the social video platform's policy, which automatically requires users to consent to receiving marketing and advertising materials during sign-up, while such consent should be optional under the nation's information act. The KCC plans to inves

October 7, 2024

Surge in unpaid wages for foreign workers in Korea amid economic downturn

SEOUL, October 7 (AJP) - An increasing number of foreign workers in Korea have faced issues with receiving their wages or experiencing delays in receiving their wages. According to a report by People Power Party (PPP) lawmaker Kim So-hee based on data from the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service on Monday, government payouts to cover these unpaid wages have nearly doubled over the past four years. In 2022, about 79.1 billion Korean won (US$58.8 million) in back wa

October 7, 2024

DeepBrain AI showcases deepfake detection technology at US industry show

SEOUL, October 7 (AJP) – Korean artificial intelligence firm DeepBrain AI presented its deepfake detection solution at a U.S. industry exhibition last month, the company announced on Monday. DeepBrain AI showcased its four key products at the LG NOVA InnoFest 2024, held in San Francisco, California, from Sept. 25-26. The technology detects manipulated content by analyzing pixel differences and has already been commercialized for government agencies in Korea. The company

October 7, 2024

North Korea continues to send trash-filled balloons toward South Korea

SEOUL, October 7 (AJP) - North Korea sent more trash-filled balloons toward the South, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) on Monday. The isolated country resumed this bizarre campaign just three days after a similar launch occurred late last week. Since late May, North Korea has sent thousands of these balloons in retaliation for leaflets sent across the border by North Korean defectors and activists here. The JCS warned that these balloons could drift into Gyeonggi

October 7, 2024

Samsung chairman visits Philippine plant

SEOUL, October 07 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong visited the Samsung Electro-Mechanics production facility in Calamba, Philippines, on Sunday. The visit focused on reviewing the Multi-Layer Ceramic Capacitor (MLCC) business strategy and encouraging employees. Lee emphasized the importance of seizing opportunities in expanding markets such as AI, robotics, and electric vehicles. The Calamba plant, established in 1997, has been producing IT-focused MLCCs and inducto

October 7, 2024

South Korea lags behind global competition in semiconductor, battery subsidies

SEOUL, October 07 (AJP) - Korea is falling behind in providing subsidies for semiconductor and battery industries compared to its global competitors, according to a report released on Monday by the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI). The United States, China and Japan are investing billions of dollars in these sectors, while Korea has yet to offer any subsidies in the sectors, the group representing large companies said. For example, China aims to increase its chip self-suffic

October 7, 2024