INTERVIEW: Female business leader urges women entrepreneurs to tap global markets

SEOUL, September 20 (AJP) - The chief of the Korean Women Entrepreneurs Association (KWEA) called for greater efforts to encourage women-owned businesses to venture into international markets, emphasizing overseas expansion is crucial for their long-term growth and survival. Lee Jeong-han, president of the nation's leading female business lobby, observed many women entrepreneurs remain focused on domestic markets, with only a small fraction expanding abroad. "As of 2022,

September 20, 2024

INTERVIEW: Seoul City will boost walkability with new initiative

SEOUL, September 20 (AJP) - Seoul is expected to become a more walkable and livelier city with neighborhoods offering a variety of amenities within a short walking distance, according to plans envisioned by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. This will allow Seoulites to easily walk to work, dine, shop, and enjoy leisure activities within a 30-minute radius of their homes. The key aspects of the plans in the offing focus on enhancing accessibility and connectivity within the city to

September 20, 2024

INTERVIEW: Norwegian researcher says technology alone can't solve aging crisis

SEOUL, September 16 (AJP) - Technology often feels like the magic bullet for society’s biggest challenges, but J. Artur Serrano, a prominent researcher from Norway, insists it’s just one piece of a larger puzzle. "Technology is a tool," Serrano, a professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, told AJP. "But real change starts with us—our mindsets, our policies, and our willingness to embrace responsibility." Serrano, an expe

September 16, 2024

INTERVIEW: Startup harnesses AI for dementia diagnosis, elderly healthcare

SEOUL, Sept. 4 (AJP) - Leben Grida, a Korean tech venture, is preparing to launch a mobile dementia diagnosis app in November, leveraging artificial intelligence technology to improve the health and well-being of elderly people. Kang Hyun-joo, CEO of the Busan-based social enterprise, said the new program will demonstrate AI's expanding role in addressing the challenges faced by aging societies worldwide. The program, Brain Up, analyzes speech patterns and linguistic behavior

September 4, 2024

INTERVIEW: Entrepreneur calls for greater efforts to attract foreign talent

SEOUL, August 22 (AJP) – South Korea should reform its restrictive immigration policies and conservative business culture to attract more international workers, which is key to addressing looming labor shortages in the rapidly aging country, a study abroad entrepreneur said. Kim Jong-min, CEO of HeyKorea Ventures Inc., said that many Korean companies are employing foreign workers primarily to cut costs or for appearances of diversity, rather than integrating their cont

August 22, 2024

Comedian tries to break Korean's wall of Confucian 'uptightness' through standup gigs

SEOUL, August 7 (AJU PRESS) - Unlike slapstick-based TV shows, which have dominated Korea's comedy scene for half a century, standup comedy is just beginning to gain traction. The slow development of standup gigs is primarily due to the genre's often taboo topics -- sex, drugs, racism, and religion -- in the conservative country often associated with Confucian values. Danny Cho, a 42-year-old Korean-American comedian, is a key figure in Korea's emerging standup comedy

August 7, 2024

Writer challenges public's unforgiving attitude toward influencers

SEOUL, August 6 (AJU PRESS) - Seol Min-seok was arguably one of Korea's most beloved history storytellers. The former private institute lecturer frequently appeared on TV programs and authored numerous bestselling books. In December 2020, he became embroiled in a scandal involving alleged plagiarism in his master's thesis and inaccuracies in his lectures, which led to his disappearance from the public eye. On July 19, he made his comeback on an MBC lecture show. During his a

August 6, 2024

Budding filmmaker hopes to take off with her new comedy 'Pilot'

SEOUL, August 2 (AJU PRESS) - Filmmaker Kim Han-gyeol's latest comedy "Pilot" hit local theaters early this week. The light-hearted comedy is Kim's second feature after her directorial debut with romantic comedy "Crazy Romance" released in 2019. "Pilot" is a remake of the 2012 Swedish film, "Cockpit" and the Korean adaptation revolves around a pilot who disguises himself as a woman to hide his identity and return to the cockpit after

August 2, 2024

Real estate consultancy RSQUARE sets sights on global expansion

SEOUL, August 01 (AJU PRESS) - Commercial real estate firm RSQUARE is planning to expand into the global market, starting with Southeast Asia. CEO Johnwoo Lee shared this ambitious vision in an interview with Aju Press on Tuesday, highlighting the firm's unique database-driven services. Established in 2009, RSQUARE began as a commercial real estate brokerage service provider. It has since broadened its offerings to include real estate information, consulting, design, and const

August 1, 2024