Latest news with #Ahn
Korea Herald
6 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
‘Captain America' Yoon supporter gets 1 1/2 years for embassy break-in attempt
A 'Captain America' cosplayer, surnamed Ahn, has been sentenced to 1 1/2 years in prison for attempting to break into the Chinese Embassy in mid-February. The Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday handed down the sentence on account of the attempted trespassing, destruction of public property and defamation. The 42-year-old defendant, a supporter of the former President Yoon Suk Yeol, was also convicted of breaking the glass gate of the Seoul Namdaemun Police Station, swearing at a police officer and creating a fake US military ID. 'The defendant has admitted to all charges. Based on the evidence presented, the court finds all charges to be proven guilty,' the court said in its verdict on Wednesday. 'The defendant committed the offenses with the intent of drawing public attention in order to achieve personal and political objectives. A stern punishment is inevitable to uphold respect for public authority.' The court also stated that it recognized the fact that the defendant acknowledged responsibility for the criminal offenses, deposited 1 million won for the victimized police officer and personally paid for the damage he caused at the police station. Ahn was arrested and detained on Feb. 22. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office referred Ahn to criminal trial in March. While Ahn pleaded for leniency in sentencing by explaining that the embassy break-in attempt was a performance to deliver a political message and not to cause damage or harm to individuals, the prosecutors asked for a three-year prison sentence.
Vogue
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue
How Modern Korean Brides Are Upholding This Traditional Joseon-Era Beauty Look
'Oftentimes, my Korean brides will ask me to do a more Western beauty look for their Western ceremony, then when it's time for the paebaek later in the day, we will change up the beauty look entirely,' Ahn says. 'We'll adjust the makeup into something more traditional.' That starts with creating even, bright skin. Anybody who has even a passing interest in K-beauty is unlikely to be surprised that it all starts with a sheet mask. 'Koreans are obsessed with skin care,' she says, with a laugh. 'Having porcelain-like skin is something that has been valued since the Joseon era.' From there, a small amount of blush is applied across the cheeks before the most striking part of the beauty look is added: the red spots. 'Traditionally, the red spots are meant to ward off evil spirits,' Ahn says, cheekily adding that she uses Avery stickers applied directly to the cheeks on her brides. 'But for us modern Korean women, having the red dots on the cheeks more represents a youthfulness and playfulness. It embodies the excitement of the moment, seen through our beauty.'
Korea Herald
22-05-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
SK hynix unveils world's highest 321-layer NAND chips
South Korean chipmaker SK hynix said Thursday it had developed a universal flash storage chip integrating the world's highest 321-layer 1 terabit NAND flash technology, providing enhanced speed and power efficiency for mobile devices with on-device AI. The UFS 4.1 product was developed in response to growing demand for NAND solutions that combine high performance with low power consumption to support reliable operation of AI-powered mobile devices, the company explained. 'Through UFS 4.1, which is optimized for AI workloads, we will strengthen our leadership in the smartphone memory market," the firm said in a statement. The UFS 4.1 solution is 7 percent more power efficient than the previous model, which used 238-layer NAND, according to the company. The chip is also slimmer at 0.85 millimeters thick, down from 1 mm in the previous model, making it more suitable for ultra-slim devices. Key performance improvements include a sequential read speed of 4,300 megabytes per second, the fastest among fourth-generation UFS products. Random read and write speeds, key metrics for multitasking in mobile devices, have improved by 15 percent and 40 percent, respectively, compared to the previous generation. The company said the improved performance is expected to deliver data for on-device AI operations without delay, while allowing faster and more responsive app launches to enhance overall user experience. SK hynix said it would send sample shipments of the product, which comes in 512-gigabyte and 1-terabyte capacities, to customers within this year. Mass production is expected to begin in the first quarter of next year. Ahn Hyun, chief development officer at SK hynix, said the company planned to complete development of both consumer and data center solid-state drives based on 321-layer 4D NAND within this year. "We are on track to expand our position as a full-stack AI memory provider in the NAND space by building a product portfolio with an AI technological edge," said Ahn.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Calligraphy created by executed assassin breaking auction records
Calligraphy by a South Korean independence hero, created while awaiting execution for assassinating a Japanese leader, is breaking new auction records in Seoul, as the country's ultra-rich seek to bring historic artwork home. Revered in the South for his efforts to defend the country against Japanese encroachment, Ahn Jung-geun is best known for his dramatic, high-stakes assassination of Japan's first prime minister, Ito Hirobumi, in 1909 at a train station in Harbin. Ahn shouted "Hurrah for Korea!" as he was arrested, according to the Association for Asian Studies based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was hanged for the killing by Japanese authorities in 1910, just months before Tokyo formally annexed the Korean Peninsula, ushering in a brutal period of occupation that lasted until the end of World War II. Now, more than a century after his death, the calligraphy Ahn created in his prison cell during his final days — typically at the request of Japanese officials — is drawing fresh attention in Seoul's glitzy art scene. In South Korea, Ahn's life has long inspired artists across generations, giving rise to a highly celebrated musical, multiple novels, and films — including one starring "Crash Landing on You" actor Hyun Bin. Ahn was held in his prison cell in China for about 40 days leading up to his execution and he kept himself busy writing an autobiography and making hundreds of calligraphy pieces, including one requested by his own prison guard. "The court and prison officials, saying they wanted to keep my calligraphy as a memento, brought me hundreds of sheets of silk and paper and asked me to create for them," Ahn wrote in his autobiography. "I ended up spending several hours each day doing calligraphy, even though I wasn't particularly skilled in it." Even though Ahn had assassinated their top official Ito, the Japanese who took his calligraphy preserved them with care, and some of their descendants have donated them to the South Korean government, which subsequently designated them as national treasures. Now, more of the calligraphies are surfacing in the private art market, with the latest being auctioned last month in Seoul for 940 million won ($674,098) — more than three times its opening bid. The piece, which says "green bamboo" — a traditional symbol of integrity — had been owned by a Japanese individual who did not wish to be identified, and they had done an impeccable job preserving it, said Kim Jun-seon, art valuation specialist at Seoul Auction. "It wasn't even mounted and was still rolled up, but when we opened the case, the scent of ink still lingered in the air," she told AFP. "Misguided but principled idealist" Japan said Ahn was a criminal and terrorist and refused to hand over his remains. They have never been located. Moves to honor Ahn by Seoul and Beijing have previously strained ties with Tokyo, even briefly sparking a diplomatic row in 2013. In 2014, Japan criticized a memorial built in China to commemorate Ahn, BBC News reported. A Japanese government spokesman branded him a terrorist after the Chinese-Korean memorial hall opened in China's Harbin city, where Ito was shot. The fact that his Japanese captors preserved his calligraphy "reflects the cultural and political contradictions of early 20th century East Asia," said Eugene Y. Park, a history professor at University of Nevada, Reno. At his trial, Ahn identified himself as a soldier for Korea, defined his assassination of Ito as a military operation, and envisioned a united East Asia — comprising Korea, China and Japan — somewhat akin to today's European Union. "Some Japanese may have seen him as a misguided but principled idealist," Park told AFP. His calligraphy, which focused on values such as peace and ethics, "resonated culturally, even if he opposed them politically," he said. "At a time when Japan's own imperial identity was unsettled, preserving his works revealed deeper tensions between respect for moral courage and the pursuit of colonial domination." In 2023, the Global Sae-A Group, a South Korean conglomerate, purchased one of Ahn's calligraphies for a record-breaking 1.95 billion won (nearly $1.4 million). The piece "Green Bamboo" was sold at auction last month to the family of South Korea's LS Group. "We expressed our intention to bring the piece back to Korea and share it with the public," Joung Tae-hee at Seoul Auction said, adding that the Japanese owner agreed to sell after hearing their proposal. Lee Sang-hyun, of the LS Group family, told AFP that his mother "hopes many citizens will be able to see this piece and that it will also be studied," and they are considering donating it to a national institution. Ahn became a Catholic as a teenager and ends his autobiography with the words of Nicolas Joseph Marie Wilhelm, a French priest and missionary stationed in Korea, who traveled to his prison to see the activist and give him confession. The priest — who had also baptized Ahn and was a longtime friend — was disciplined for his trip, and was later forced to return to France. "The gracious lord will never abandon you," Wilhelm told Ahn. "He will surely take you in, so rest your heart and go in peace." Texas mom accused of buying ammunition for son who officials say planned school attack Hearing on Kilmar Abrego Garcia case; DHS wants National Guard troops to help with deportations These Republicans voted against the reconciliation bill in House Budget Committee
HKFP
16-05-2025
- Business
- HKFP
APEC says ‘concerned' over challenges to global trade as ministers meet in South Korea amid US tariff woes
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group said Friday that it was 'concerned' over the challenges to global trade, as ministers from APEC countries met in South Korea in the shadow of growing woes from US tariffs. Trade ministers from the top economies that make up APEC are meeting on South Korea's Jeju Island amid concerns for the global trading system since US President Donald Trump unveiled bombshell levies on most partners. The United States is a key APEC member and was represented by Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who held a series of bilateral meetings with nations eager to soften the blow of Washington's tariffs. 'We are concerned with the fundamental challenges faced by the global trading system,' trade ministers from the 21-member group, which includes China, said in a joint statement. They urged greater cooperation, saying they 'remain committed' to APEC as a means of 'bringing us together to address the economic challenges facing our region'. South Korea's Minister for Trade, Cheong In-kyo, said the joint statement was hard-won, with 'significant differences' in positions clear early on in the talks. But at the last minute, the countries 'dramatically' reached an agreement, he said, with the APEC emphasising the importance of global trading mechanisms such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO), as well as sustainable supply chains. This 'sends a highly positive signal to global markets', he said, adding that 'APEC members can work together to navigate the current highly uncertain global trade environment effectively'. No joint response to US Cheong said there had been no discussion of 'joint responses' to US tariffs, saying it was not possible as 'each country faces significantly different circumstances'. South Korea recorded a US$66 billion trade surplus with the United States last year — behind only Vietnam, Taiwan, and Japan — making it a key target of Trump's trade tirade. Highly dependent on exports, the country has been hit hard by the 25 percent tariffs on automobiles imposed by Trump in early April. Greer also met South Korea's trade, industry and energy minister, Ahn Duk-geun, later in the day. Ahn said in a press conference that the two sides agreed to hold a 'second round of technical consultations'. The South Korean delegation will fly to Washington next week to discuss issues such as trade and economic security. Ahn said he emphasised to Greer that South Korea has a free trade agreement with the United States. 'I made it clear that, against this backdrop of strong industrial cooperation, the current tariff issue has become a significant concern.' Trump announced additional 'reciprocal' tariffs of up to 25 percent on South Korean exports last month, but later suspended them until early July. 'Our objective is to finalise an agreement before that date, and we are making every effort to meet this timeline,' said Ahn. 'I believe other countries are in a similar situation, and the United States has no reason to delay either.' Seoul aims to leverage the talks with commitments to purchase more US liquefied natural gas (LNG) and offer support in shipbuilding, a sector in which South Korea is a leader, after China. Earlier on Friday, Greer met Chung Ki-sun, the vice chairman of HD Hyundai, which owns South Korea's largest shipbuilding company. HD Hyundai said in a statement that discussions covered cooperation with US shipmaker Huntington Ingalls Industries. Greer also met the CEO of South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean, which provides maintenance, repair and overhaul services for US Navy vessels. Shares of Hanwha Ocean rose nearly three percent on Friday morning, while HD Hyundai Heavy Industries gained as much as 3.6 percent.
