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South Korea and the United States kicked off a joint cybersecurity exercise Monday to strengthen their combined readiness posture against potential cybersecurity threats from enemies.The Cyber Alliance drills, slated to run through Friday, will take place at a training facility in Maryland, aimed at better bracing for future cyberwarfare, according to South Korea's defense ministry.The training will involve swiftly sharing intelligence on a potential cybersecurity threat under a simulated cyberattack scenario.It marks the second such drills since it was conducted in South Korea's Cyber Operation Command last year, according to Yonhap News Agency.Seoul and Washington will continue to expand cooperation in not only cyber alliance training, but also intelligence sharing for cyberthreats, joint participation in multinational cybersecurity drills and more, the ministry said.

His Excellency the Minister of State for Energy Affairs Saad bin Sherida al-Kaabi met with Kim Min-seok, Prime Minister of South Korea in Seoul Wednesday. Discussions during the meeting dealt with energy relations and co-operation between Qatar and Korea and means to enhance them.

North Korea's defence minister vows 'more offensive action' a day after missile testSouth Korea's defence ministry denounces North Korea's missile testNorth Korea criticises US-South Korea security talks, US carrier visit to BusanUS says missile launch highlights North's destabilising effectNorth Korea’s defence minister No Kwang-chol threatened Saturday to take “more offensive action” as he condemned US security talks with Seoul and the arrival of a US aircraft carrier in South Korea.A day earlier, North Korea fired a ballistic missile towards the sea off its east coast, after denouncing on Thursday fresh US sanctions against North Korean individuals and entities that Washington said were involved in cyber-related money-laundering schemes.South Korea’s defence ministry Saturday condemned the missile launch, while saying the North’s criticism of the US-South Korea meeting was regrettable.No criticised a recent visit by US and South Korean defence chiefs to the border between North and South Korea, as well as their subsequent security talks in Seoul, alleging they were conspiring to step up deterrence efforts towards the North and to integrate their nuclear and conventional forces.“This is a stark revelation and an unveiled intentional expression of their hostile nature to stand against the DPRK to the end,” No said, referring to the country’s formal name - the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday the core of the alliance with Seoul will remain focused on deterring North Korea, although Washington will look at flexibility for US troops stationed in South Korea to operate against regional threats.No also said the visit of the US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier George Washington to South Korea’s southeastern port city of Busan this week following US-South Korean joint air drills with Seoul had escalated tensions on the peninsula.“We will show more offensive action against the enemies’ threat on the principle of ensuring security and defending peace by dint of powerful strength,” No said, according to North Korean state media KCNA.South Korea’s navy said the carrier’s visit was to replenish supplies and grant leave for the crew.While visiting South Korea last week, US President Donald Trump repeated his willingness to sit down with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. No meeting took place, but Trump said he was willing to return to the region to meet Kim.Last week, North Korea also test-fired cruise missiles to the west of the Korean peninsula just as Trump and other leaders were set to gather in South Korea for regional meetings. Regarding the latest missile launch, the US Indo-Pacific Command said on Saturday that it “does not pose an immediate threat to US personnel or territory, or to our allies”. “The missile launch highlights the destabilising impact” of North Korea’s actions, it added.

The South Korean government on Thursday unveiled its proposal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent by 2035 from the 2018 level.In a public hearing, the government unveiled two proposals for the nationally determined contribution (NDC) by 2035, one of which will be submitted to the United Nations, according to (Yonhap) news agency.The first option would require the country to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by a minimum 50 percent and a maximum 60 percent, while the second option calls for a slightly more ambitious goal of reducing emissions by a minimum 53 percent and a maximum 60 percent by the target year, according to the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment.In 2018, South Korea's greenhouse gas emissions reached 742.3 million tons. To decrease emissions by 50 percent from the 2018 level, the country would have to only emit 371.2 million tons in 2035.Last year, Korea's greenhouse gas emissions were estimated at 691.6 million tons, far above the minimum target for 2035.To achieve the 2035 target, the government said it will work to expand the use of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, while establishing a nationwide next-generation power grid.The government plans to provide emission reduction incentives to private companies to help them manufacture low-carbon products and install emission reduction facilities.Seoul submitted its nationally determined contribution (NDC) for 2030 to the UN in 2021, vowing to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent from the 2018 level.

South Korea's EnergyX, a global leader in end-to-end energy optimisation for buildings and infrastructure, has relocated its global command centre to Qatar as it plans to shift the international headquarters here.The company, which already has made Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) its home, is planning a robotic smart-factory in Qatar as well as a high profile plus-energy building in Qatar that achieves multiple top-tier certifications, as it aims to make the country the global hub from where it invents, manufactures, integrates, and manages its global fleet.An announcement in this regard was made at the Korea-Qatar AI (Artificial Intelligence) Forum hosted by the Korean Embassy in Qatar, KOTRA (Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency), and Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Qatar.The move formalises a re-architecture of the business with EnergyX consolidating command, engineering, and production into a single hub designed to compress product cycles and co-ordinate deployments from Doha to Asia, Europe, and beyond."Qatar isn’t a testing ground; it’s the centre of operations from which EnergyX will steer the next era of AI or artificial intelligence-defined, net-positive infrastructure," said founder and chief executive officer Sean Park, who along with core command team, relocated to Doha.The Middle East and North Africa chief executive officer and Global Chief Strategy Officer, Jean-Jacques Dandrieux has been based in Doha for the past two years.On the proposed smart robotic factory in Qatar; Park said a DFMA (Design for Manufacture and Assembly)-enabled line with autonomous handling and tightly instrumented quality gates will scale in deliberate phases, prioritising reliability and repeatability over headline throughput."The company’s establishment under the QFC and its ongoing engagement with national stakeholders provide the operating clarity needed to relocate the headquarters and centralise integrations, manufacturing, and service management, he said.By putting Qatar at the centre of its worldwide operations, systems integrations, manufacturing, and R&D; he said it will expand local hiring, deepen collaborations with universities and research institutes, and broaden its intellectual-property portfolio from Doha — positioning Qatar as the origin point for technologies that enable energy-sovereign buildings and districts worldwide."Qatar’s RDI agenda aligns with our deep-tech mandate: an R&D-led programme in AI-powered energy optimisation, geospatial analytics, and robotics-enabled, free-form DFMA manufacturing — so invention, prototyping, and production run on one clock in one place," according to Park.Highlighting that Qatar enables EnergyX to co-locate AI, software, hardware engineering, and manufacturing under a single command structure; he said that removes handoffs and lets the company co-ordinate global rollouts, reliability, and product evolution from a single operating rhythm.The Qatar base is structured to manufacture custom energy systems and ship them globally — with planned logistics via air and sea — and to manage worldwide deployments of EnergyX Zero from a single command centre, according to him.EnergyX will build high-skill teams and collaborate with government, leading Qatari business groups, universities, and research institutes to accelerate technology transfer, specialised training, and workforce development tied directly to the factory and research centre, according to Park.

Electric vehicle (EV) sales in South Korea soared nearly 50% year-on-year during the first eight months of 2025, fueled by the introduction of new models.According to data released by the Korea Automobile & Mobility Association, a total of 142,456 EVs were sold between January and August, a sharp increase from 95,988 units during the same period last year.Electric vehicles made up 12.7% of all new car registrations, up from 8.9% a year earlier a rise of 3.8 percentage points.Domestic manufacturers led the charge, with sales of locally produced EVs climbing 48.2% to 86,777 units, accounting for 60.9% of the total EV market.Imported EVs also posted strong growth, with sales jumping 48.6% to 55,679 units. Notably, over 42,000 of those imported vehicles were made in China, underscoring the growing influence of Chinese automakers in the South Korean market.