'Traditional and innovative' dishes Edward Lee brings to table for APEC gala dinner

President Lee Jae Myung hosted a gala dinner on Friday evening in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, welcoming guests to the Lahan Select Gyeongju Hotel’s grand ballroom. The event brought together representatives from all APEC member economies, including the leaders of Vietnam, the United States, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, Russia, the Philippines, Peru, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Mexico, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China, Chil

Korean Peninsula peace, denuclearization on Lee-Xi summit agenda: Seoul

GYEONGJU, North Gyeongsang Province — The high-stakes summit between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conferences may touch on the matter of peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, according to Lee's office on Friday. "Regarding the exchange of opinions, I heard that (the two sides have) reached a consensus to discuss denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and peace, as part of the livelih

Iconic Gyeongju pastry praised by Xi during APEC visit

In their first encounter Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping shared a lighthearted remark with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, saying he enjoyed Hwangnamppang — a golden, round pastry filled with sweet red bean paste. Lee was hosting Xi for the opening of the APEC summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. Xi is currently on a three-day state visit to South Korea, his first in 11 years. The unexpected topic of the leaders’ conversation was the pastry, an iconic treat from a bakery in

Silicon and spirits: Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, SK’s Chey Tae-won celebrate AI friendship

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and SK Group Chair Chey Tae-won reaffirmed their longstanding business friendship in a separate meeting following the APEC CEO Summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, on Friday, as the two leaders exchanged high-profile gifts and discussed next-generation AI collaborations. Chey, who was unable to attend the previous day’s high-profile "chimaek" gathering — a casual fried chicken and beer dinner with other top Korean conglomerate heads — met with Huang one-on-one a

Anti-Trump protests continue in Seoul

A day after US President Donald Trump left South Korea, protests denouncing the US president continued in Seoul, criticizing his absence from the multilateral APEC summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, and voicing anger at the recently concluded trade deal between Korea and the US. The protest, planned by the organizing committee for the International People’s Response Against APEC 2025 — consisting of 35 liberal civic organizations and political parties — was held Friday after Trump’s

Who is Edward Lee, star chef overseeing APEC dinner?

President Lee Jae Myung is to host a dinner on Friday evening in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, welcoming around 1,000 leaders and ministers from the 21 member economies to the Lahan Select Gyeongju Hotel’s grand ballroom. While the full menu remains under wraps as of Friday afternoon, it has been revealed that the official welcoming dinner is being curated and overseen by Korean American celebrity chef Edward Lee, celebrated for his invent

Lee touts S. Korea's investment appeal to APEC business leaders

GYEONGJU, North Gyeongsang Province — President Lee Jae Myung on Friday touted South Korea's investment appeal in his speech to dozens of business leaders from member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. During a working lunch with members of the APEC Business Advisory Council at the Gyeongju Hwabaek International Convention Center in North Gyeongsang Province, Lee said his administration has pursued “market-oriented pragmatism,” cutting red tape and boosting support for future in

AI power demands revive nuclear energy's fortunes

GYEONGJU, North Gyeongsang Province — With artificial intelligence adding explosive demand to the already surging electricity needs driven by digitalization, electrified transport and industrial transformation, nuclear power is reemerging as a crucial solution, industry leaders said during a panel discussion at the APEC CEO Summit, Friday. “Nuclear energy delivers large-scale, stable electricity without carbon emissions, making it a vital component of a balanced energy mix for AI industries,” sa

First lady introduces Korean culture to companions of APEC leaders

As world leaders met in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province for the APEC summit, first lady Kim Hea Kyung visiting cultural landmarks with family members accompanying Asia-Pacific leaders Friday to showcase Korean culture. On Friday morning, Kim joined the wives of five the leaders of five countries, Canada, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, for a visit to Bulguksa, a Buddhist temple built during the Silla Kingdom (57 BC-AD 935) that is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

LG, Nvidia deepen ties on physical AI, digital twins

LG Electronics said Friday that it is deepening its strategic partnership with US chip giant Nvidia to accelerate the development of next-generation technologies, including physical artificial intelligence and digital twin systems. As part of the expanded collaboration, LG has joined Nvidia’s comprehensive AI platform ecosystem to bolster its robotics capabilities. The company is currently developing its own physical AI model based on Isaac GR00T, Nvidia’s general-purpose humanoid inference mode

SK partners with Nvidia to build AI factory with 50,000 GPUs

SK Group said Friday that it is collaborating with Nvidia to build a large-scale artificial intelligence factory equipped with more than 50,000 of the US chipmaker’s graphics processing units. Leveraging Nvidia’s Omniverse — a real-time 3D collaboration and simulation platform — SK plans to establish a “manufacturing AI cloud” that will reinforce its competitiveness in the manufacturing sector while supporting the growth of related startup ecosystems. The AI factory includes the manufacturing AI

Samsung, Nvidia join hands to build next-gen AI chip factory

Samsung Electronics said Friday that it will create a next-generation artificial intelligence megafactory in partnership with US chip giant Nvidia, aiming to embed AI across its entire global semiconductor production line. The new platform will integrate AI into every phase of the manufacturing flow, from semiconductor design and processing to equipment control and quality assurance, and will run on more than 50,000 Nvidia GPUs. “The Samsung AI Factory goes beyond traditional automation,” a Sams

'Korea and Indonesia can triple trade in a decade': Bakrie

GYEONGJU, North Gyeongsang Province — Anindya Novyan Bakrie, CEO of Indonesia’s Bakrie & Brothers and chair of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said Indonesia is seeking deeper cooperation with Korean companies in energy transition, infrastructure, and digital technology to accelerate the country’s green industrialization. Speaking in an interview on the sidelines of the APEC 2025 CEO Summit in Gyeongju on Wednesday, Bakrie said Korea and Indonesia share “complementary strengths”

LNG to power AI era, serve as catalyst for innovation: SK

GYEONGJU, North Gyeongsang Province — Liquefied natural gas should no longer be seen as a transitional solution, but as a key “partner fuel” powering the energy-intensive artificial intelligence era, said SK Group Executive Vice Chair Chey Jae-won, calling for greater international cooperation to ensure cleaner and more sustainable energy supplies. “AI runs on power, energy,” said Chey during a session titled “Asia Pacific LNG Connect” at the APEC CEO Summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Provinc

Kkanbu Chicken revels in limelight following business moguls' dinner

Kkanbu Chicken, a South Korean fried chicken joint, is suddenly the hottest table in South Korea right now, after Nvidia's Jensen Huang, Samsung Electronics's Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor's Chung Euisun had a much-talked-about "chimaek" get-together at one of its branches in Seoul on Thursday. The three moguls’ casual meeting over chimaek — fried chicken and beer — took place around 7:30 p.m. at a Kkanbu Chicken outlet near Samseong Station in Seoul's Gangnam-gu. The dinner lasted about an hou