China’s factories leaping straight into agentic AI and taking it global: Black Lake CEO

As a venture capitalist based in Silicon Valley, I work with frontier technologies and the teams building them around the world. On a recent trip to Korea, I saw a surge in the number of companies and investors looking to engage with the U.S. technology ecosystem. The conversations were distinctly different from the ones I had five years ago. The question was no longer whether to engage, but how. That shift is promising, but Korea needs to move faster. The country has spent decades building world-class capabilities in semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, defense technology and data center infrastructure. It has the technical talent, industrial expertise and resources to become a leader in this technology cycle. What it does not yet have is influence within the U.S. innovation ecosystem that matches those capabilities. That matters more now than ever. Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping nearly every major industry, and no one knows exactly where the technology will create the greatest value. The companies, investors and institutions closest to the people building it will have an

The government has been working to develop a national artificial intelligence (AI) foundation model, while planning to launch a separate effort to develop frontier models. This two-track strategy is raising questions: Why is the government pushing the new project and how will it draw the line between the two programs? The Ministry of Science and ICT confirmed that the ongoing AI foundation model project will proceed with a third-stage evaluation, with two finalists expected to be selected in February. Separately, the government plans to allocate 4.7 trillion won ($3.5 billion) for a frontier AI program set to begin in March 2027. The split reflects the government's growing concern that the rapid advances in global AI have made the foundation model project's original goals harder to achieve, while abandoning the project could undermine the ecosystem and capabilities built up over the past year. Deputy Prime Minister and Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon has repeatedly rejected speculations that the foundation model project is being scrapped. “The national AI foundation model project has b

Incheon International Airport Corp. (IIAC) said Sunday it will host the 2026 Incheon Airport Sky Festival on Nov. 7 and 8 at Inspire Arena near the airport, featuring K-pop performances and hands-on cultural activities. Marking its 21st edition, the event is billed as the world's only airport-based cultural festival. Under the theme “K-Vibe Starts at Incheon Airport,” it will offer visitors a chance to experience Korean culture through music, fashion, beauty, food and tourism. The Korea Tourism Organization, Incheon Tourism Organization and Korea Heritage Agency will offer hands-on programs showcasing Korean culture and tourism. The two-day concert will feature popular K-pop acts spanning various genres and generations. Epik High, BIBI, TNX, KickFlip and H//PE Princess will perform on Nov. 7, followed by PSY, Zion.T, Kim Na-young, Forestella, xikers, hrtz.wav and OURBIRTHDAY on Nov. 8. A 300-seat viewing area will also be set up near Inspire Arena, allowing visitors to watch live broadcasts of the concerts outside the main venue. Inspire Ballroom will host about 20 booths offering hand

Starbucks Korea reclaimed its lead among coffee chains in September, five months after a marketing controversy sparked consumer backlash. According to data from market tracker IGAWorks on Sunday, the coffee chain recorded 121.08 billion won ($90.1 million) in estimated credit and debit card spending last month, up 4.3 percent from August, overtaking rival Twosome Place to reclaim the top spot. Starbucks trailed its rival for four consecutive months as its estimated card spending dropped by 13.13 billion won to 121.19 billion won from April to May, before bottoming out at 100.39 billion won in June. The coffee chain's estimated card spending then rose for three consecutive months, reaching 110.06 billion won in July, 116.12 billion won in August and climbing back above 120 billion won in September for the first time since the downturn. Twosome's estimated card spending fell 6.4 percent from August to 110.5 billion won in September, about 10.58 billion won below Starbucks. The recovery follows nationwide backlash over a Starbucks promotion that dubbed May 18, the anniversary of the 1980 Gwa

Cyberattacks are becoming a more consequential credit risk for financial firms, as the damage can extend beyond data theft to operational disruptions and higher funding costs. Korea Ratings is considering more objective ways to measure firms’ exposure to cyber threats, industry officials said Sunday. In a recent report, the ratings agency said cyber risk can weaken both a financial institution’s business prospects and its financial health. International rating agencies have already downgraded companies after cyberattacks disrupted operations or exposed weaknesses in internal controls. In 2019, S&P Global Ratings cut Bank of Valletta’s rating to BBB- from BBB following a cyberattack, citing operational risks and governance weaknesses that hurt its creditworthiness. Korea Ratings has also recently incorporated cyber-related concerns into its assessment of a domestic financial firm. In March, it lowered Lotte Card’s score for the “risk management” factor in its regular credit assessment. Lotte Card disclosed a data breach in August last year that exposed information belonging t

A wave of recent data breaches at major Korean banks is putting pressure on both customer confidence and the industry’s defenses, with deposits at these lenders declining by more than 20 trillion won ($15 billion) in just 11 days, according to industry officials, Sunday. They are now stepping up security spending and hiring specialists to keep pace with increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI)-driven attacks. Demand deposits at the country’s five largest lenders — KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana, Woori and NH NongHyup — totaled 675.5 trillion won on Sept. 30, but dropped to 655.4 trillion won as of Sunday. Fixed-term deposits, which had risen for five consecutive months, also fell by more than 2.7 trillion won to slightly more than 1 quadrillion won. On Oct. 1, Shinhan Bank first reported that about 25,000 customers were affected, with names, phone numbers, annual income and loan limits exposed. The following day, KB Kookmin reported 119 affected customers, while Hana Bank said personal information belonging to 89 customers was exposed. Lenders are responding with bigge

The event will show just how serious Apple is about making a push into the smart home market.

Anthropic’s artificial intelligence model submitted a false homicide tip to the Philadelphia Police Department in July, the company disclosed Friday.  The AI firm said its Claude Haiku 4.5 model filled out a form on a website page soliciting the public's help to gather more information about unsolved homicide on July 18. The model submitted a...

CEBU, Philippines — Does the Marcos family have something against video games? I ask simply because the father and the son seem to have a knack for banning them during their respective presidential terms. The Philippine government has been mulling over banning certain video games and related platforms. Why? That’s because they have been cited

The Korea Post will issue commemorative stamps honoring esports player Lee Sang-hyeok, better known as Faker, on Oct. 23, celebrating his career and contributions to Korean esports. The state-run postal service under the Ministry of Science and ICT said on Saturday it will release 140,000 stamp sheets alongside stamp albums and other commemorative products. The stamps depict milestones in Lee’s career, including portraits of him celebrating at award ceremonies. Lee, who debuted in 2013, has won six League of Legends World Championships, 10 League of Legends Champions Korea titles and two Mid-Season Invitational titles, according to the authority. He also won gold at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, defending the title he won at the 2023 Hangzhou Games. In 2024, he became the first player inducted into the game's Hall of Legends. In January, Lee became the first esports player to receive the Cheongryong Medal, the highest honor of Korea’s Order of Sport Merit. To mark the release, Korea Post opened a special exhibition dedicated to Faker at its stamp museum inside Seoul Central Post

One thing Shin Jeong-ok, a team leader at a McDonald’s restaurant in Seoul’s Seongbuk District, enjoys about her job is being looked up to by friends and acquaintances in their 60s and older. In Korea, where the population is rapidly aging, seniors face increasingly fierce competition for employment as they outnumber younger job seekers. As of this year, more than 11 million people in Korea, or 21.6 percent of the population, are aged 60 or older. Many are baby boomers born between 1955 and 1963, a generation larger than those that came before them. Now entering retirement, they are increasingly seeking jobs, but age-related health issues and physical limitations restrict their employment options. Fortunately for Shin, her current job title is a hard-earned position she began in her early 50s. Now, the 63-year-old says she cannot imagine a life without working five times a week at McDonald’s Jongam SK branch in northern Seoul. “When I tell my neighbors or friends that I work at McDonald’s, I see the envy in their eyes. Being able to say that I have a job and seeing their admira

MANILA, Philippines — Games are turning chores and repetitive tasks into something players willingly return to, offering the satisfaction of cleaning a surface, stocking shelves or completing a routine without the pressure that comes with doing the same work in real life. Ask people how they like to spend a free evening, and few will