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Hanwha Aerospace has apologized for hiring guidelines that restricted experienced-hire applicants based on age and educational background, pledging to discipline those responsible and overhaul its recruitment process to prevent similar incidents. CEO Lee Boo-hwan issued an apology on the company website on Sunday, saying it was unacceptable to restrict applicants’ opportunities based on personal attributes. “There should never have been guidelines that could limit applicants’ opportunities based on personal factors such as education and age, which are unrelated to job performance,” Lee said. The labor ministry launched an inspection on Sept. 16 over allegations that Hanwha Aerospace had prepared and distributed guidelines specifying age ranges and universities for experienced-hire positions to human resources executives and hiring managers. Lee said the guidelines “directly violated” the company’s principles of open hiring and equal opportunity, adding that he took the matter very seriously. “This was a clear failure on our part, as incorrect guidelines were distributed to

Korea’s planned power infrastructure investment in the United States could generate a second wave of orders for Korean battery and power equipment makers, as surging electricity consumption from artificial intelligence (AI) data centers drives demand for energy storage systems (ESS) and grid equipment. Last week, the Korean government announced its first U.S. strategic investment project, part of a $350 billion investment package. The project worth $22.3 billion is centered on building a natural gas-fired power plant in Encinal, Texas, to meet rising electricity demand from semiconductor plants and AI data centers. The project is also expected to create additional demand for equipment needed to store, distribute and stabilize power, enabling relevant system makers to attract more orders from the world’s largest economy. ESS is one of the largest pillar under the project. Korean battery makers — LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI and SK On — identify ESS as their major revenue areas while the electric vehicle industry is stuck in a chasm. ESS can store electricity when demand is low

South Korea's military has conducted a joint on-site investigation with the U.N. Command (UNC) into the cause of a suspected mine blast inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) last week, with further probes planned, officials said Sunday. A survey team comprising some 40 personnel reached the vicinity of the suspected explosion site inside the DMZ but failed to reach the actual site of the incident, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a text message sent to reporters. The joint probe comes just six days after the explosion occurred south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) separating the two Koreas, leaving two officers seriously injured. The survey team — comprising South Korean troops, the UNC's Military Armistice Commission and relevant investigative agencies — inspected the area using mine detectors and conducted route-clearance operations in the DMZ from around 9 a.m. until sundown, according to the JCS. However, the team decided to resume the operation at a later date, citing the high risk posed by the possibility of unidentified land mines in the area and the extreme fatigu

Korea's Marine Corps chief left for the Philippines on Sunday to discuss ways to expand bilateral military and defense industry cooperation, officials said. During the trip, which runs through Wednesday, Lt. Gen. Ju Il-suk will meet with Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Bayani V. Curaming, deputy commandant of the Philippine Marine Corps, according to the Marine Corps. The agenda for talks will include ways to strengthen coordination between the two forces and expand defense industry cooperation. Ju will also visit a Korean War memorial and pay his respects to Philippine soldiers who died fighting alongside South Korean troops in the 1950-53 Korean War.

President Lee Jae Myung returned home Sunday from his two-nation trip that took him to the United States and Mexico. From Monday to Wednesday, Lee visited New York to attend the 81st United Nations General Assembly, where he also held bilateral talks with U.S. President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The president then made a three-day state visit to Mexico, becoming the first Korean president to make a state visit to the country in 16 years. Lee and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum held a summit on Thursday, in which the leaders agreed on an action plan to expand their countries' bilateral cooperation in advanced industries, including AI, digital technology, aerospace and defense. Also on the sidelines of the summit, Korea and Mexico signed a total of 17 memorandums of understanding and documents, including those on economic cooperation, defense, aerospace and AI.

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Hong Kong police are searching for a man who used a key to steal about HK$10,000 (US$1,275) from four claw machines’ deposit boxes at a store on Sunday. The force said that the store owner, a 46-year-old man surnamed Cheung, had filed a police report at around 11.10am after witnessing the theft via surveillance cameras in the shop at 159 Tai Kok Tsui Road. Cheung said he saw a man in his thirties use a key to open deposit boxes in four claw machines and make off with the money. Police are...

Two giant pandas have arrived in Atlanta to take up residency at the southern US city’s zoo. The pandas, male Ping Ping and female Fu Shuang, left Chengdu in China’s southwest on Sunday, within days of Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapping up his three-day state visit to the United States. During the visit, Xi said the pandas would arrive “in a few days”. Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, whose names mean peace and double blessings, arrived at Atlanta International Airport on a chartered flight, state...

Last week, the president of the United States stood at the podium of the United Nations General Assembly and asked aloud whether he should “annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly”. Donald Trump then turned to Venezuela’s oil and declared: “To the victor belong the spoils, you’ve all heard that …” He spoke as the Iran war neared its eighth month, a week after the UN Human Rights Council found “reasonable grounds to believe” that the US had committed war crimes. In the same speech,...

Washington’s proposed military bases and expanded defence presence in Greenland will be akin to a “keep out” sign against potential Arctic military cooperation between Beijing and Moscow, according to analysts. The US, Denmark and Greenland signed a defence deal on Tuesday that allows Washington to build two new military bases on the world’s largest island, while reaffirming Denmark’s sovereignty over it. The deal – which updates and amends a 1951 defence agreement between Denmark and the US –...

At least three hikers fell ill on countryside trails as temperatures in parts of Hong Kong climbed to a sweltering 33 degrees Celsius (91 Fahrenheit) on Sunday. A 25-year-old visitor was suspected of suffering from heatstroke while he hiked with friends on the popular High Island Reservoir East Dam-Po Pin Chau hiking route in Sai Kung at about noon. A government helicopter airlifted him to Ruttonjee Hospital in Wan Chai for treatment. The route is one of Hong Kong’s best-known hiking trails,...

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