South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and other officials observe the Hyunmoo-5 missile at an undisclosed test site in South Korea on Thursday. Seoul - South Korea test-fired its first homegrown hypersonic weapon on Thursday, the presidential office said, days after Pyongyang announced the AI-assisted launch of an intermediate-range hypersonic missile. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung "observed the first test launch of a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) -- currently under research and development using domestic technology," the presidential Blue House said in a statement. Hypersonic glide vehicles are sent into the upper atmosphere via rocket boosters or on ballistic missiles, then glide towards their target at five times the speed of sound or greater. Hailing a "key strategic asset capable of changing the course of the battlefield," the South Korean statement said that the missiles' "unpredictable flight trajectories and overwhelming speed enable them to strike key strategic targets." The test was aimed at verifying "the performance of ultra-high-temperature heat-resistant materials -- a core technology for glide vehicles -- as well as guidance and control capabilities and the ability to fly irregularly at low altitudes under hypersonic flight conditions," it added.

North Korea will'never' get nuclear recognition, EU and South Korea say European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen shakes hands with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung next to European Council President Antonio Costa on the day of an EU-South Korea summit in Brussels on Wednesday. South Korea and the European Union have said that North Korea will "never" be recognized as a nuclear-weapon state, reaffirming their commitment to denuclearization days after China and North Korea pledged closer ties at a summit that made no public mention of the issue. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung held talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa on Wednesday in Brussels, where they agreed to step up defense ties, including efforts to facilitate the exchange of classified information. "The DPRK will never be accepted as a nuclear-weapon state," the EU and South Korea said in a joint statement, referring to North Korea's formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son meets with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday in Seoul. SEOUL - SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son met with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday to discuss cooperation in the fields of artificial intelligence and semiconductors, as well as infrastructure investment. Cooperation between South Korea and Japan in the field of AI is very important, Lee said, expressing his hope that the Japanese technology investor will play the role of a bridge between the two nations. The Lee administration has launched an initiative to make South Korea one of the world's top three AI powers. Building an "AI expressway," in which AI infrastructure and data are expanded and connected as a network, is a national project for the administration. At the meeting held at the presidential office in Seoul, Lee said that AI can be used as infrastructure, like water supply systems and roads, while expressing his gratitude to Son for providing considerable support and advice to South Korea for its tariff negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration.

DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence startup, has temporarily paused downloads of its chatbot apps in South Korea while it works with local authorities to address privacy concerns, according to South Korean officials on Monday. South Korea's Personal Information Protection Commission said DeepSeek's apps were removed from the local versions of Apple's App Store and Google Play on Saturday evening and that the company agreed to work with the agency to strengthen privacy protections before relaunching the apps. Read More: Is the DeepSeek Panic Overblown? The action does not affect users who have already downloaded DeepSeek on their phones or use it on personal computers. Nam Seok, director of the South Korean commission's investigation division, advised South Korean users of DeepSeek to delete the app from their devices or avoid entering personal information into the tool until the issues are resolved.

At least 100 North Korean troops deployed to Russia have been killed, with another 1,000 injured in combat against Ukrainian forces in intense fighting in the Kursk region, a South Korean lawmaker said on Thursday citing the country's spy agency. The heavy losses are attributed to the lack of experience by North Korean troops in drone warfare and unfamiliarity with the open terrain where they are taking part in the battle, a member of parliament Lee Seong-kweun told reporters. Lee was speaking after a closed-door briefing by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) to parliament.

A laser beam downs drones by heating up and "frying" their electronics – each invisible, soundless "shot" is more precise and less costly than an air defence missile. Hanwha Aerospace, a South Korean defence company, has fire-tested and is about to start mass-producing the world's first-ever optical fibre laser weapon. And Hanwha is ready to supply it to Ukraine if Seoul lifts a ban on the export of lethal weapons to Kyiv "in light of North Korean military activities", South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said in late October. His statement followed North Korea's deployment of about 10,000 soldiers to western Russia, becoming the first foreign power to step into the Russia-Ukrainian war. However, the US president-elect may stand in the way.

The South Korean police began investigating messaging app Telegram for the first time for its alleged negligence over deepfake-related sex crimes, Yonhap News reported, citing a briefing from the head of National Office of Investigation. The probe was launched by the Seoul Metropolitan Police and like in other countries, Telegram has been uncooperative in sharing materials with the authorities, investigation office head Woo Jong-soo said, according to Yonhap on Monday. South Korea is doing its best to deploy its own investigating tools to extract the materials, Yonhap said, citing Woo. The investigation comes less than a week after the South Korean government asked Telegram and other social media companies to delete deepfake images from their platforms after an increase in such content. President Yoon Suk-yeol last week described deepfake as a "clear crime" and ordered officials to take stern actions to counter it.

The AI Fringe returned for a second year on 5 June. The event was designed to complement the AI Seoul Summit which was co-hosted by the UK and South Korea governments. The goals of the AI Fringe are 1) to bring together the views of industry, civil society and academia on safe and beneficial AI, 2) to provide a platform for all communities to engage in the discussion, 3) to enhance understanding of AI and its impacts so organisations can harness its benefits. This year, the Fringe comprised a half-day event with the key elements being two panel discussions. The first addressed AI safety, and the panel reflected on progress over the last 12 months.

Sixteen companies at the forefront of developing artificial intelligence (AI) pledged on Tuesday at a global meeting to develop the technology safely at a time when regulators are scrambling to keep up with rapid innovation and emerging risks. The companies included U.S. leaders Google, Meta, Microsoft and OpenAI, as well as firms from China, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates. They were backed by a broader declaration from the Group of Seven (G7) major economies, the EU, Singapore, Australia and South Korea at a virtual meeting hosted by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Monday called fake news and disinformation based on AI and digital technology threats to democracy, as some officials attending a global summit accused Russia and China of conducting malicious propaganda campaigns. Speaking at the opening of the Summit for Democracy being held in Seoul, Yoon said countries had a duty to share experiences and wisdom so that artificial intelligence and technology could be employed to promote democracy. "Fake news and disinformation based on artificial intelligence and digital technology not only violates individual freedom and human rights but also threatens democratic systems," Yoon said.