Xi urges advanced manufacturing in modernisation drive

RTHK - Sep 17, 2026

President Xi Jinping has urged sustained efforts to expand and strengthen advanced manufacturing to provide strong support for advancing Chinese modernisation. He made the remarks in a recent instruction, which was conveyed at a national conference on advanced manufacturing held in Beijing on Wednesday and Thursday. Efforts should be made to ensure both high-quality development and greater security, pursue smart, green and integrated development, and make the country's industrial chains more self-supporting and risk-resilient, Xi stressed. The nation will "continue making advanced manufacturing ⁠bigger and stronger, enhance the ⁠autonomy and controllability of industrial chains", Xi said in remarks delivered at ⁠the National Advanced Manufacturing Conference in Beijing. He emphasised the need to accelerate the development of a modernised industrial system with advanced manufacturing as the backbone and reinforce the foundations of the real economy. Premier Li Qiang said the nation should focus on next-generation intelligent manufacturing, accelerate digital and AI-driven industrial upgrades, and strengthen its push for homegrown high-end technologies. (Xinhua) Edited by Aaron Tam

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Sep 17, 2026

Sales of Galaxy Z Fold 8 increase following unveiling of Apple's 1st foldable smartphone

Domestic sales of Samsung Electronics' new Galaxy Z foldable smartphone have increased following the unveiling of Apple's first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, industry sources said Thursday. Sales of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 in Korea rose about 10 percent in the week following the unveiling of the iPhone Duo from the previous week, according to the telecommunications industry. The increase is believed to have been driven in part by consumers who had delayed their purchases while waiting for Apple's new product and subsequently opted for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 instead. The iPhone Duo's price and hardware specifications are also considered factors in Korean consumers' purchasing decisions, they said. The iPhone Duo is priced at 3.29 million won ($2,380) for the 256-gigabyte model in Korea, more than 1 million won above the 2.28 million won price of the 256GB Galaxy Z Fold 8. The 2-terabyte iPhone Duo model is priced at 5.09 million won. The price gap in Korea is relatively wide compared with the United States, where the 256GB models of the two smartphones differ by about $100 in price.

Sep 17, 2026

Condoleezza Rice, Lee Kyung-chul receive inaugural Lee Hong-koo Diplomacy Award

Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Lee Kyung-chul, special representative for Middle East peace at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, have been named the inaugural recipients of the Lee Hong-koo Diplomacy Award. The Seoul Forum for International Affairs (SFIA), a private diplomatic think tank, announced it has rebranded its Youngsan Diplomat Award, which recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to Korean diplomacy, in honor of former Prime Minister Lee Hong-koo. Lee Hong-koo, who died in May at the age of 91, served as the founding chairman of SFIA. The awards were presented Wednesday at FKI Tower in Seoul’s Yeongdeungpo District during an event marking SFIA’s 40th anniversary. About 100 guests from Korea and abroad attended, including former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Rice served as national security advisor under former U.S. President George W. Bush before becoming U.S. secretary of state from 2005 to 2009. She is now director of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Lee was appointed Korea's special representative for Middle Ea

Sep 17, 2026

Korean, US troops conduct annual explosive ordnance disposal drills

Korean and U.S. troops have conducted joint explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) drills designed to improve interoperability and strengthen cooperation among relevant agencies, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Thursday. The EOD drills took place at the Army's I Corps and 9th Infantry Division in Goyang, just north of Seoul, from Wednesday to Thursday, according to the JCS. Some 200 personnel, including officials from each branch of the military, the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division and the Korea Airports Corp., participated in the drills. During the drills, EOD teams trained under simulated scenarios involving explosives planted in an urban area, with Korean and U.S. troops conducting joint operations to achieve a shared objective. The troops also took part in a seminar to share information on explosives and discuss ways to improve the EOD teams' operational capabilities in peacetime and wartime. Officials said the drills were not related to recent security developments, including the reportedly ongoing review on the possible deployment of Korean troops to the Strait of Hormuz, noting they hav

Sep 17, 2026

Lee faces no-win dilemma as justice minister nominee row threatens prosecution reform

President Lee Jae Myung is facing a high-stakes dilemma over his justice minister nominee: push forward with Kim Seung-won's appointment at the cost of further eroding his approval ratings or withdraw the nomination and lose momentum on his flagship prosecution reform agenda. Political insiders suggest Lee will press ahead regardless. Analysts say he is likely to frame the standoff as a defining battle for prosecutorial reform — a direct confrontation with what his camp describes as political prosecutors resistant to change. “The (ruling) Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) appears poised to push forward with the appointment, while opposition parties are expected to gauge public sentiment following President Lee’s press conference scheduled on Friday before deciding whether to launch full-fledged street protests,” Seo Yang-ho, a political commentator and former mayor of Seoul’s Jung District, was quoted saying on a TV news program. “At its core, Kim Seung-won's nomination is not simply a Cabinet appointment; it represents a fundamental clash between forces driving President Lee

Sep 17, 2026

Assembly passes confirmation motion for Supreme Court justice nominee

The National Assembly on Thursday passed the confirmation motion for Supreme Court Justice nominee Kim Sung-soo. During a plenary session, the Assembly endorsed the confirmation motion for Kim in a 227-28 vote, with 13 abstentions. Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae last month recommended Kim to President Lee Jae Myung for appointment as the successor to former Supreme Court Justice Lee Heung-ku. Kim's parliamentary confirmation hearing took place Monday and rival parties adopted his confirmation hearing report Wednesday. Kim will become the first Supreme Court justice to take office since the launch of the Lee administration if the president approves his appointment.

Sep 17, 2026

Korea plans abortion pill rollout as doctors, women's groups clash over access

As Korea prepares to introduce abortion pills, women’s rights groups and doctors are welcoming the move but remain divided over how broadly the drugs should be made available. Women's rights advocates are calling for wider eligibility and eased prescription rules, while doctors are urging tighter medical oversight, reflecting a broader debate over how to balance reproductive autonomy with patient safety. The government on Wednesday announced a plan to allow the use of abortion pills for pregnancies of nine weeks or less, as early as the first quarter of next year. The move follows a prolonged legislative vacuum since the Constitutional Court ruled in 2019 that the criminalization of abortion was unconstitutional. Lawmakers have remained gridlocked over the deeply divisive issue, leaving follow-up legislation on matters such as permissible gestational limits stalled for years. Amid that vacuum, abortion pills have circulated illicitly, fueling calls for their formal introduction. President Lee Jae Myung instructed officials to discuss allowing Mifegyne during a Cabinet meeting in July. M

Sep 17, 2026

POSCO Group accelerates resource strategy as global competition shifts

POSCO Group Chairman Chang In-hwa is bringing together the group’s senior executives to map out the next phase of its three-pronged growth strategy, as geopolitical shifts and technological change reshape global competition for resources. The group’s annual POSCO Forum began Thursday and will run for two days in Incheon. The event brings together senior executives to discuss future growth and innovation while hearing from outside experts. This year’s forum will focus on turning the strategy announced in July into concrete action plans. Chang's three-part strategy centers on areas of industrial resources such as steel; strategic resources including lithium, cathode and anode materials and rare earths; and energy resources such as liquefied natural gas and renewable energy. “The ability to execute quickly is the key to survival at a time of major change, as geopolitics and technological paradigms are shifting,” Chang said. “To successfully implement the strategy and expand our businesses around resources, we need to anticipate the direction of change and find clear answers on w

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