Latest news with #Korea-specific
India Gazette
25-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
All-Party Indian delegation in Seoul highlights zero tolerance for terrorism
Seoul (South Korea), May 25 (ANI): Group 3 of India's all-party parliamentary delegation, led by JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, held a meeting with Ambassador of India to the Republic of Korea, Amit Kumar, at the Indian Embassy in Seoul. The delegation also includes Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, CPI(M) MP John Brittas, BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi, BJP MP Brij Lal, BJP MP Pradan Baruah, Ambassador Mohan Kumar, and BJP MP Hemang Joshi. The visit marks a continuation of Operation Sindoor, India's diplomatic outreach following the recent terror attacks in Pahalgam. The Embassy of India in Seoul posted on X: 'The All-Party Parliamentary Delegation, led by Hon'ble MP Mr. Sanjay Kumar Jha, began their engagements on Operation Sindoor with a briefing by Ambassador Amit Kumar. He highlighted the Korea-specific approach to scheduled engagements, setting the context for a strong messaging of India's stance of zero tolerance against terrorism.' Arriving in Seoul after completing its visit to Japan, the delegation was welcomed by the Indian Embassy as part of India's ongoing campaign to highlight its unified front against terrorism. Earlier on Saturday, in a post on X, the Embassy stated, 'The All-Party Parliamentary Delegation, led by Hon'ble MP Mr. Sanjay Kumar Jha, arrived in Seoul as part of India's diplomatic outreach on Operation Sindoor. India stands committed to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.' Prior to their arrival in Seoul, the delegation had paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and Rash Behari Bose in Tokyo, marking the birth anniversary of the freedom fighter. The Embassy noted, 'Hon'ble Member of Parliament Shri Sanjay Kumar Jha, Head of the All Party Parliamentary delegation paid floral tributes to freedom fighter Rash Behari Bose at Tama Cemetery, Tokyo, on the eve of his birth anniversary. The delegation's visit to Japan began with tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and concluded by paying tributes to Rash Behari Bose. Drawing inspiration from the unwavering courage of our freedom fighters, India today stands united with a resolve to combat terrorism in all its forms. Never Forget Never Forgive.' The Embassy also described interactions between the delegation and Indian diaspora members in Japan, where the delegation discussed the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, Operation Sindoor, and India's zero tolerance stance on terrorism. According to the Embassy, 'The delegation presented a unified front of India, clearly explained the role of Pakistan in the gruesome terror attacks in Pahalgam on April 22 and how India, through Operation Sindoor, destroyed the terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. They emphasized India's zero tolerance to Terrorism and conveyed the message that terror and talks cannot go together; blood and water cannot flow together,' the statement said. (ANI)
Korea Herald
29-04-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
AmCham seminar explores ways to improve Korea's regulatory landscape
The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea announced that it held a seminar focused on Korea's business regulatory landscape, seeking ways to strengthen business partnerships between Korea and the US and foster closer ties between the two countries. The seminar, titled Shaping the Regulatory Environment for Sustainable Trade, was held at the Conrad Seoul Hotel in Seoul on Tuesday. It aimed to explore strategies to enhance Korea's appeal as an investment destination, according to AmCham. AmCham stated that discussions centered on regulatory innovation, the expansion of sustainable investment, and stronger collaboration between the public and private sectors to improve Korea's global competitiveness. Special attention was given to regulatory hurdles facing key industries such as biopharmaceuticals, the digital economy, energy and chemicals during the seminar. 'As we mark 100 days into President Trump's administration and prepare for Korea's presidential election, the US-Korea economic partnership stands at a critical juncture,' said AmCham Chair James Kim in his opening remarks. 'To sustain and deepen our cooperation, it is more important than ever to address Korea-specific regulatory challenges and create a more sustainable, transparent environment.' The event brought together a broad range of trade-related figures from politics, government, diplomacy and business, including Korean Trade Minister Cheong In-kyo; Rep. Kim Won-i, vice chair of the National Assembly's Trade, Industry and Energy and Small and Medium Venture Business Committee; Joy Sakurai, deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Seoul; and Park Il-joon, executive vice chair of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry. While business leaders shared their views on driving innovation in Korea during the seminar, the trade minister pledged to foster a more predictable and sustainable investment environment. 'As the Chair of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation ministers responsible for trade meeting, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy is fully committed to defending a free and fair trade system and enhancing Korea's investment attractiveness through regulatory reform and improvements to the business environment,' said Minister Cheong. 'We will continue to engage closely with AmCham and the global business community to deepen the economic partnership between Korea and the US.'
Korea Herald
25-03-2025
- Climate
- Korea Herald
Not just climate, but local factors contribute to Korea's wildfire crisis
Korean forests' high concentration of pine trees cited as one factor behind ongoing wildfire crisis Following a wave of megafires worldwide, South Korea's ongoing battle against massive forest fires seems to serve as another evidence of wildfire risks linked to climate change. But local experts say that there are Korea-specific issues in addition to global climate factors: the very dry spring weather and high concentration of pine trees in Korean forests. According to the Korea Forest Service, nearly 30 wildfires broke out mostly in southeastern regions of South Korea in the past few days, with a major blaze starting in Sancheong, South Gyeongsang Province, on Friday, followed by additional fires in Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province and Ulju, Yeongnam. Despite firefighting efforts, the flames area continuing to spread across the mountainous terrain. The government said the fires are being prolonged by unusually dry spring weather, lower-than-average precipitation, high temperatures and strong winds. In Uiseong, average rainfall in January is typically 15.5 millimeters, but this year it received just 7.4 millimeters. February saw an even more drastic decline, with just 4.8 millimeters of precipitation, compared to a historical average of 22.6 millimeters. A dry weather advisory has been in effect for days across both North and South Gyeongsang Provinces. Uiseong recorded unseasonably high temperatures — 25.2 degrees Celsius on Saturday and 26.4 degrees the following day — more typical of early summer than spring. Gusts reaching up to 17.9 meters per second further intensified the spread of the fires. Another contributing factor is the aging and overgrown state of the nation's forests. While past reforestation projects have made mountains lush again, experts say the lack of thinning has left them vulnerable, essentially turning them into tinderboxes. Korean forests are predominantly made up of pine trees, which burn more easily than hardwood. These coniferous trees tend to ignite easily and facilitate crown fires, where flames jump from treetop to treetop. Firebrands — burning embers carried by the wind — also spread more easily in such conditions. Won Myung-soo, head of the state-run National Forest Satellite Information Utilization Center, explained that the resin contained in pine needles can intensify the flames. 'When it comes into contact with flames, it makes the fire more aggressive and stronger,' he told YTN, adding that the forest agency has been working to convert pine tree forests into mixed forests, which are more resistant to wildfires. Experts have called for more aggressive efforts to make Korea's forests, which cover nearly 70 percent of the country's territory, more fire-resistant by planting more broad-leaved trees. Choi Byung-sung, executive director of the Climate Disaster Research Institute, told Kukinews that Japan and China — which share similar climates with Korea — have seen a decline in large-scale wildfires due to long-standing efforts to plant hardwood forests. 'In contrast, Korea's forests are still dominated by highly flammable conifers like pine, which is a key reason for these destructive fires,' Choi said.
Korea Herald
13-03-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
KT enters Palantir's ecosystem, expanding AI transformation capabilities
Following its strategic partnership with Microsoft in September, KT Corp. is continuing its aggressive global expansion by forging a new alliance with Palantir Technologies, a constituent of the S&P 500 index. The telecom carrier said Thursday it has signed a strategic partnership agreement with artificial intelligence platform company Palantir to accelerate AI transformation, or AX, initiatives. Palantir is a software platform developer specializing in large-scale data integration and analysis that aids government and corporate decision-making. The company provides AI-powered platforms to the US Department of Defense and collaborates with intelligence agencies such as the CIA and FBI. Its solutions are widely applied in security, defense and cybersecurity sectors. As a result of the recent partnership, KT becomes the first Korean company to join Palantir's Worldwide Partner Ecosystem, a global network of business and technology experts. The collaboration will focus on launching joint ventures in Korea's AX market, particularly within the financial sector. By integrating KT's cloud and network infrastructure with Palantir's key AI solutions, the two companies aim to deliver tailored services that enhance security and regulatory compliance in industries where such factors are critical. The two companies will also cooperate on the development of KT's secure public cloud, set for commercialization in the second quarter of this year. KT SPC is a cloud platform designed to facilitate AX by offering a packaged infrastructure and customized AI services. Through the partnership, customers using KT SPC will gain access to Palantir's solutions within a highly secure environment. Palantir's mission to streamline operations through data integration aligns with KT SPC's strategy to implement AX across public, defense and industrial sectors, making the partnership a natural fit. Additionally, the two firms will co-develop a Korea-specific AI platform education program, dubbed AIP Bootcamp, and provide AI and data competency training for KT employees. AIP Bootcamp, which was conducted about 1,300 times in the US last year, will be adapted to the Korean market to enhance customer understanding and use of Palantir solutions. For KT employees, the partnership will provide opportunities for collaborative projects with Palantir's global engineers. The US software company will also train KT workers on its proprietary solutions and services. KT plans to integrate Palantir's software internally to enhance business quality and optimize operational processes. KT's pursuit of global collaboration stems from its urgency to generate tangible results as its AI and ICT enterprise. While Korean telecom companies have declared AI-driven transformations, none have yet realized substantial monetization. By partnering with leading global firms, KT aims to develop competitive solutions that generate revenue. Earlier this month, KT CEO Kim Young-shub reaffirmed this commitment at Mobile World Congress 2025, in Barcelona, Spain, stating, 'We will accelerate efforts to achieve visible outcomes with Microsoft this year.' KT anticipates that the commercialization of its Korean-adapted AI, based on GPT-4o, and KT SPC in the second quarter will mark a critical turning point for monetization. 'By collaborating with Palantir, we will position ourselves as Korea's leading AX accelerator with overwhelming competitive strength in domestic and international markets,' the telecom carrier chief said.
Korea Herald
10-03-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
LG Uplus, AWS team up to boost Korea's AI cloud ecosystem
LG Uplus said Monday it will jointly promote an artificial intelligence transformation alliance strategy with Amazon Web Services to foster the domestic AI cloud ecosystem. At Mobile World Congress 2025, held in Barcelona, Spain, the two companies pledged to collaborate on developing a Korea-specific sovereign cloud, AI platforms and solutions, and AI consulting services. A sovereign cloud is a cloud service that ensures data sovereignty by storing, processing and managing data within a specific country in compliance with its laws and regulations. LG Uplus said that the joint development of a Korea-specific sovereign cloud will enhance data control and autonomy for domestic businesses. Additionally, LG Uplus and AWS will optimize the telecom carrier's smaller, telecom-specific language model, ixi-GEN, along with AWS' large language model, Nova. The two companies will also jointly develop Work Agent, an AI service designed to help companies integrate AI into their operations. This collaboration will enable Korean businesses, even those lacking AI expertise, to adopt AI services rapidly. LG Uplus plans to enhance its AI-powered customer service center with an advanced customer agent by integrating AI-based recommendation algorithms and the AWS platform. Under the agreement, LG Uplus will also join AWS' generative AI innovation center as a specialized domestic consulting partner. Moving beyond AI partnerships, the company aims to establish itself as a leading consulting partner specializing in sovereign cloud security and data protection. 'Through collaboration with AWS, we will address the pain points of domestic enterprises struggling with AI transformation. We will continue working with global leading partners to strengthen our (AI transformation) capabilities,' said Kwon Yong-hyun, executive vice president and head of corporate devision at LG Uplus.
