South Korea

Joongang Ilbo | English | News | Jan. 23, 2026 | Natural Disasters

A wildfire broke out on January 21, 2026, in the Mount Baegun area of Gwangyang, South Jeolla, leading fire authorities to escalate their response and issue evacuation orders for nearby residents. The fire was fueled by dry weather and strong gusty winds, with wind speeds averaging 3.6 meters per second at the time of reporting.

Forestry and fire officials deployed 19 helicopters and 31 fire engines to combat the blaze. Despite these efforts, dry conditions and sustained winds continued to challenge firefighting operations. The emergency response level was raised from Level 1 to Level 2 at 4:31 p.m., which applies when a wildfire is expected to impact 50 to 100 hectares and is forecasted to be controlled within 48 hours.

Residents near the affected area were instructed to evacuate to village community centers and other designated safe locations via emergency text alerts. This wildfire represents a serious incident amid ongoing dry weather conditions in the region.

Hankyoreh - E | English | News | Jan. 23, 2026 | UndeterminedPolitical Policy Resistance

President Lee Jae Myung publicly acknowledged “overwhelming public support” for nuclear power during a recent Cabinet meeting, signaling a potential shift from his previous preference for renewable energy policies. While he did not explicitly direct the construction of new nuclear plants, his call for “reasonable discussion free from ideology” and the collection of public feedback suggests a possible tacit approval for expanding nuclear energy.

Previously, Lee had emphasized the rapid supply benefits of renewable energy, citing concerns that nuclear plants take 15 years to build and may not meet immediate energy demands. However, industry pressures, particularly from sectors like AI and semiconductors that require large electricity supplies, appear to have influenced this change. Comments from SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son highlighting energy as a critical bottleneck in Korea’s AI industry were noted as a potential turning point.

Public opinion polls have shown strong support for nuclear power expansion, with a recent Gallup Korea survey indicating 54% of respondents favor building more nuclear plants compared to 25% opposition. This shift in the political landscape, along with an upcoming local election in June, may also be driving the administration's reconsideration of nuclear energy policy.

Energy experts view President Lee’s comments as guidelines for energy policymakers working on the country’s 12th master plan for energy supply. Civic groups suggest that the renewed focus on nuclear power is partly a strategic response to electoral considerations.

정지훈 파트너 "CES 2026, AI 유틸리티 시대 서막"

ZD Net Korea | Local Language | News | Jan. 23, 2026 | UndeterminedTech Development/Adoption

At CES 2026, Jihun Jung, founding partner of Asia2G Capital and adjunct professor at DGIST, declared the start of the "AI utility era," marking a shift from AI's flashy performance to practical AI applications that create value. He emphasized that this year’s CES was more focused on B2B rather than consumer markets, noting key exhibition areas such as Hyundai Motor’s presence in the West Hall and humanoid robots in the North Hall, while the traditionally prominent Central Hall saw less attention. Samsung notably opted out of the main exhibition hall and held separate events instead.

Jung identified four major battlegrounds for AI development after 2025: a new computing stack, human-AI interfaces, AI’s expansion into the physical world, and enterprise adoption challenges. He highlighted the growing importance of edge semiconductors amid the transition from inference centered on companies like NVIDIA to broader AI infrastructure. He noted that NVIDIA’s large energy consumption remains problematic compared to Qualcomm and startups like HyperExcel, in which Asia2G has invested.

Regarding future computing devices, Jung pointed to glasses-type devices becoming mainstream around 2029–2030, requiring new operating system and software stacks, with Qualcomm likely providing the standard chips. He critiqued China’s weak OS and software capabilities and predicted Microsoft is at risk due to increasing cloud-based tool adoption, with Google’s ecosystem gaining more prominence among younger users.

Jung observed that AI is extending into physical realms, with autonomous vehicle technology showcased prominently, exemplified by companies such as John Deere in agriculture, Caterpillar in construction, and Brunswick in marine yachts. He noted significant growth in AI and robotics innovation award winners at CES 2025 and 2026. Tesla was described as the "Apple of the physical AI era," with its end-to-end control both a strength and a weakness, while NVIDIA compensates for lacking hardware through partnerships, notably with Hyundai Motor.

The presentation also underscored a strong Hyundai-NVIDIA collaboration, likening it to the Google-Samsung smartphone alliance. Hyundai’s recruitment of former NVIDIA executive Park Min-woo as president overseeing autonomous driving signals deepening ties. Jung downplayed concerns over China’s robotics advances, noting their robots’ limited load capacity compared to Hyundai and Tesla.

Finally, Jung forecasted that AI, semiconductors, robotics, energy, and wearables will converge and drive the metaverse revolution over the next two decades, emphasizing that this multi-technology integration, not any single innovation, will spark transformative change occurring once every 10–20 years.