Trump could announce Korea's investment projects as early as Wednesday: report

The Korea Times - Sep 30, 2026

WASHINGTO — U.S. President Donald Trump could announce Korea's investment projects in the United States, including a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Alaska, under last year's bilateral trade agreement, as early as Wednesday, according to a news report. Reuters reported Tuesday that Trump could announce his administration's plans to use Korea's strategic investment fund for several major projects, including approximately $54 billion for the Alaska LNG project. It cited two people familiar with the discussions. Seoul and Washington have been in coordination to announce the investment projects under the trade agreement that committed the Asian country to investing $300 billion in the U.S. in return for lower U.S. tariffs on Korean goods. Last week, Seoul's industry ministry reported to the National Assembly that the two countries have chosen the construction of a large-scale gas-fired power plant in Texas as the first investment project, according to sources in Seoul. As for the second and third projects, the ministry reported plans for the construction of eight large-scale nuclear

Read full article

More News

Chief financial regulators from Korea, Japan agree on further cooperation

Chief financial regulators from Korea, Japan agree on further cooperation

Chief financial regulators from South Korea and Japan agreed Tuesday to further cooperate on capital market policies. Lee Eog-weon, chairman of the Financial Services Commission (FSC), held a meeting with Japan's Financial Services Agency Commissioner Yutaka Ito earlier in the day. They exchanged views on the financial situation and agreed to work together to further boost financial cooperation, according to the FSC.

N. Korea runs alleged secret prison at Beijing embassy: report

N. Korea runs alleged secret prison at Beijing embassy: report

North Korea allegedly runs a secret detention facility in its embassy in China to interrogate and repatriate its nationals deemed threats to the regime, a report said Tuesday. The claim was made in a report titled "North Korea's Transnational Repression: China" released Tuesday by the Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG), a Seoul-based human rights group. Based on interviews with multiple sources, including a former North Korean diplomat, the report claimed North Korea operates the facility in the basement of its embassy in Beijing, where surveillance, pursuit and arrest, detention and interrogation, and forced repatriation take place. The secret operation is overseen by a "security representative" who holds a consular post but is reportedly a North Korean intelligence agency officer on a temporary assignment. Cases are reported to Pyongyang within 12-24 hours, according to the report. The report details the account of North Korean hacker Pae Yong-ju, who was arrested by Chinese authorities in Inner Mongolia while trying to flee to South Korea. After being interrogated by Chinese aut

Taemin postpones North American tour two weeks before launch over US visa delays

Taemin postpones North American tour two weeks before launch over US visa delays

SHINee member Taemin has postponed the North American leg of his world tour due to issues involving U.S. visas and related administrative procedures. A notice posted on Taemin's official social media accounts Tuesday announced the postponement of the North American dates of his 2026-27 world tour, "LiMiNaL." According to the notice, Taemin's team decided to postpone the scheduled concerts due to uncertainty surrounding U.S. visas and related administrative procedures affecting key tour and production personnel. "A significant number of essential staff members required for the North American shows are still awaiting their visas, and there is no clear timeline for when they will be issued," the notice said. The team said it determined that proceeding with the tour as scheduled would pose significant operational and production risks and instead plans to hold the North American concerts on a rescheduled itinerary. New dates and venues are currently being arranged and will be announced at a later date. Refunds for the North American concerts are available through the original point of purchase

Jeonbuk National University offers AI training for Lotte Energy Materials employees

Jeonbuk National University offers AI training for Lotte Energy Materials employees

Jeonbuk National University is providing customized artificial intelligence (AI) training for Lotte Energy Materials to support its digital transformation and strengthen employees’ AI capabilities. The university said Monday that its Regional Innovation System and Education (RISE) Project Group has been conducting a four-session AI training program for employees at the company’s plant in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, from Sept. 11 to Oct. 13. The program is designed to improve employees’ ability to use AI in the workplace. Lotte Energy Materials is one of the largest companies with operations in the province. The company, a subsidiary of Lotte Group, produces copper foil for rechargeable batteries. “This training is an example of cooperation among regional government, industry and academia in which the university’s expertise is closely aligned with the needs of the region and industry,” said Jang Tae-il, director of the university’s RISE Project Group. “Building on our cooperation with Lotte Energy Materials, we will further develop specific plans for industry-academia-res

From 6th grade to high school, new data shows teen health declining in Korea

From 6th grade to high school, new data shows teen health declining in Korea

In a nation where academic pressure intensifies sharply as children grow older, a groundbreaking multiyear study is revealing how the physical and mental health of teenagers deteriorates over time. As students trade play for cram schools, public health officials are uncovering the long-term toll of childhood in one of the world's most competitive societies. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency released raw data Tuesday from its sixth annual Youth Health Panel Survey. The initiative tracks a single cohort of 5,051 students who entered the study in 2019 as sixth-graders through their high school graduation in 2028. The latest dataset follows 4,141 of these students — an 82 percent retention rate — through their second year of high school in 2024. The 2024 dataset introduces 29 core health indicators spanning five major domains: diet, physical activity, tobacco use, alcohol consumption and general illness. Crucially, the survey added specific metrics measuring screen addiction and high-caffeine energy drink consumption, capturing how teenagers cope with grueling academic sch

Korean studios take helm in animating homegrown webtoons

Korean studios take helm in animating homegrown webtoons

Korean animation studios are expanding their strategy to adapt homegrown webtoons into feature films, adding full in-house production alongside global partnerships. When a hit Korean webtoon got the animation treatment in the past, the actual production usually happened overseas. "Solo Leveling," based on the hit Korean web novel and webtoon, became the most-watched series on record on animation streaming service Crunchyroll. It was brought to the screen through a multinational effort involving Japanese studio and Korean companies. This model combines Korean intellectual property with Japan's decades of production infrastructure. At the same time, a broader movement has been building across the industry, with Korean studios producing theatrical animation domestically from start to finish based on local webtoon stories. "Guardians of the Video Game," based on Gasfard's Naver Webtoon, is one such project. The animated feature, scheduled to hit theaters on Oct. 14, is produced entirely by Seoul-based studio Locus. It follows the studio's previous film "Exorcism Chronicles: The Beginning," an

BIGBANG takes over London with world tour marking 20th anniversary

BIGBANG takes over London with world tour marking 20th anniversary

BIGBANG held its first solo concert in London in nearly 14 years as part of its ongoing world tour marking the iconic K-pop act's 20th debut anniversary, the group's agency said Tuesday. The "XX: Cosmos" concert took place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Saturday, marking BIGBANG's first solo tour in the British capital since 2012, according to YG Entertainment. The gig opened with the group's megahit "Fantastic Baby" and included tracks such as "Haru Haru" and "Lies." At the concert, members of BIGBANG — G-Dragon, Taeyang and Daesung — thanked fans for their unwavering support and noted that celebrating the group's 20th debut anniversary feels like a "miracle," YG Entertainment said. The world tour, which began in South Korea last month, will continue across North America, Europe, Oceania and Asia through February next year.

Cabinet passes special bill on introduction, operation of nuclear-powered subs

Cabinet passes special bill on introduction, operation of nuclear-powered subs

The government on Tuesday passed a special bill outlining measures to introduce and operate nuclear-powered submarines as part of a national strategic project. The bill was passed during a Cabinet meeting led by President Lee Jae Myung and will be submitted to the National Assembly for deliberations. It is aimed at helping the systematic running of nuclear-powered submarine projects and promoting sustainable economic growth through the establishment of national security based on self-reliant defense, the maintenance of international peace and the development of the defense industry. In particular, it outlines special provisions for the introduction and operation of nuclear subs, as well as regulations concerning the safe management of nuclear power, as the project is the country's first case combining weapons systems with nuclear energy. The government has said it aims to enact the special law before the end of the year to launch the lead ship in the mid-2030s and field the homegrown nuclear-powered submarine in the late 2030s.

DMZ mine blast puts Seoul's NK outreach at risk

DMZ mine blast puts Seoul's NK outreach at risk

President Lee Jae Myung ordered the military on Tuesday to determine the cause of a land mine explosion near the inter-Korean border and take necessary measures, raising questions about how his administration, which has been pursuing dialogue with Pyongyang, might respond if North Korea is found responsible. Possible responses range from resuming propaganda broadcasts along the border to adjusting military operations inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and seeking action through the United Nations Command (UNC). The government has yet to announce any specific measures. “The military must work closely with the UNC to conduct a swift and thorough investigation and establish the facts transparently,” Lee said during a Cabinet meeting. “Necessary measures will then be taken based on the findings.” His remarks followed an interim military investigation that found a very high likelihood that North Korean mines caused the Sept. 21 explosions, which injured three South Korean soldiers. Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul and the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) have pledged corresponding measures

Korea turns to AI to modernize TOPIK national language exam

Korea turns to AI to modernize TOPIK national language exam

Korea’s national Korean language proficiency exam is preparing for a major digital overhaul, introducing artificial intelligence (AI) to draft test questions and grade essays as global demand to learn the language surges. The Ministry of Education and the National Institute for International Education unveiled a comprehensive strategy Tuesday to modernize the Test of Proficiency in Korean, widely known as TOPIK. The overhaul aims to transition the traditional paper-heavy exam into an AI-driven digital testing platform by 2029, catering to an expanding pool of foreign students, job seekers and workers aiming to establish careers in Korea. Since its launch in 1997 with fewer than 3,000 test-takers across four countries, TOPIK has grown into a crucial gateway for foreign nationals seeking university admission, corporate employment or residency visas in Korea. Annual applicants soared from roughly 329,000 in 2018 to more than 566,000 in 2025, spanning 94 countries. By September, registration had already reached 564,606 — up 10 percent from the same period last year — putting the exam

Cornell disputes light-punishment claims in drugging, assault case

Cornell disputes light-punishment claims in drugging, assault case

Cornell University has disputed claims that students named in a sexual assault lawsuit were allowed to mitigate their punishment simply by submitting essays, calling the characterization false and warning it could deter survivors from coming forward. When asked about the disciplinary action against the accused students, the Ivy League university said that any suggestion that the university did not impose consequential punishments for those involved is false. “A continuation of the false narrative that there were minimal consequences in this case is irresponsible, will make survivors feel less safe and supported, and will perpetuate the underreporting of sexual assault,” the university said in a statement on Monday (local time), which it sent to The Korea Times in response to the newspaper's inquiry. The response came after a former Cornell student, identified as Jane Doe, filed a lawsuit in New York this month alleging that seven members of the school's Chi Phi fraternity drugged and sexually assaulted her in October 2024, according to The Cornell Daily Sun. The university said the

College student jailed for attempting to join ISIS

College student jailed for attempting to join ISIS

CHEONGJU — A college student was jailed Tuesday for pledging allegiance to the extremist militant group ISIS while in high school, officials said. The Cheongju District Court sentenced the 18-year-old male student to an indeterminate prison term of one to 1 1/2 years after finding him guilty of violating the anti-terrorism law. The student, whose identity was withheld, was charged with attempting to join ISIS after watching various propaganda materials at an encrypted online platform operated by an ISIS-affiliated group between November 2024 and February this year, and swearing allegiance to ISIS. He was also suspected of obtaining bomb-making instructions from an ISIS contact, forming a bomb attack scheme against the government forces of Mozambique and requesting an ISIS evaluation for his attack plan, according to court officials.

Recommended

Asia Viral News

Asia Viral News features the latest and most trending news from Asia. Get ready to immerse yourself in the daily engaging topics with share-worthy news only in Asia Viral News.

ABOUT US
Newsletter

Copyright © 2015 - 2026 Asia Viral News. All Rights Reserved.