Evening News on TV32 - Oct 19

RTHK - Oct 19, 2026

Top stories for Monday, Oct 19, 2026 - Paul Chan says he's ready to show visiting Apec finance ministers what Hong Kong has to offer. - The mainland posts stronger-than-expected growth in the third quarter. - Curfews are ordered in France after a weekend of rioting and looting.

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Is China building a fleet of drone motherships to extend its naval reach?

A second unusual Chinese vessel suspected of being designed to launch and recover large underwater drones has appeared in Guangzhou, raising questions over whether Beijing is developing a fleet of specialised motherships to extend its undersea operations beyond coastal waters. The smaller vessel, seen under tow on the Pearl River in images circulating online, resembles a ship about 200 metres long seen at a Shanghai shipyard last month that has since been launched. Both feature conspicuous...

Is China building a fleet of drone motherships to extend its naval reach?

Hong Kong police arrest woman after dog allegedly thrown into sea

A woman has been arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty after allegedly throwing a dog into the sea in Hong Kong. The incident occurred at about 1pm on Thursday, when the woman was reportedly seen throwing a dog from the waterfront near 29 Tai On Street in Sai Wan Ho into the water. She then retrieved the animal and left the scene. A passer-by who witnessed the incident alerted police. Following an investigation, officers arrested a 59-year-old local woman on Saturday near the junction of Tai...

Hong Kong police arrest woman after dog allegedly thrown into sea

APR expands US retail presence as Medicube hits Costco shelves

Korean beauty company APR said Monday that its flagship skin care brand, Medicube, is now sold in about 400 Costco stores in the United States. The move expands the brand’s presence in physical stores in North America. Medicube products went on sale at Costco’s U.S. stores this month, and the company plans to expand to all of the warehouse club’s U.S. locations. This month it also finished rolling out to every Costco store in Korea. It plans to enter Costco in Canada and Europe as well. For the launch, APR made a Costco-only package of its Zero Pore Pad, one of Medicube’s best-selling products. The company said the toner pad has ranked first in Amazon’s U.S. facial toners and astringents category since February 2025. APR plans to add products from its popular PDRN line to its Costco lineup. The line features an ingredient made from salmon DNA. The Costco deal is the latest in a series of U.S. retail expansions. Medicube entered about 1,400 Ulta Beauty stores in August last year, more than 1,500 Target stores in April and about 3,000 Walmart stores in June. It is also set to en

APR expands US retail presence as Medicube hits Costco shelves

A Twosome Place makes US debut in Virginia, drawing all-day crowds

Korean dessert cafe chain A Twosome Place has opened its first U.S. store, in Alexandria, Virginia, the company said Monday. Customers lined up from opening to closing on the first day. The store opened Saturday, local time, at 404 King Street, the main street of Alexandria’s historic Old Town district. People started lining up before it opened at 7 a.m., and the line lasted until it closed at 8 p.m. Some customers came from as far away as New York and Baltimore. A Twosome Place has more than 1,700 outlets in Korea and is known for its cakes. Global investment firm Carlyle Group owns the company outright. On the first day, the best sellers included spoonable versions of its icebox cake and of its signature strawberry chocolate cream cake. The top drinks were a black sesame latte and the Dalgona Cream Top, a drink topped with whipped coffee cream. The company said deli items such as a brioche “K-toast” and a Seoul spicy chicken panini also sold well. The store covers about 240 square meters. It has 78 seats, including an outdoor terrace, and Korean design touches. The menu has about

A Twosome Place makes US debut in Virginia, drawing all-day crowds

Samjin Foods opens Shanghai store, targets China expansion

Samjin Foods is taking its Korean fish cake brand deeper into China, opening its first store in Shanghai’s central shopping district as it looks to turn early sales momentum into a broader retail presence. The Busan-based company said Monday that Samjin Fish Cake opened its first store in eastern China, Friday, at New World Dawan Department Store on Nanjing East Road in Shanghai’s Huangpu district. The shop sits near Nanjing Road, one of Shanghai’s best-known shopping streets, and the Bund, a major tourist destination. Unlike the company’s direct-run stores in Korea, the Shanghai outlet offers freshly cooked fish cakes on-site. Its menu includes fish cake croquettes and fish cake bars, along with two varieties of spicy fish cake rice cakes, one fish cake soup dish and two beverages. The company is highlighting cheese-filled croquettes and rosé-sauce fish cake rice cakes, which combine familiar local flavors with Korean street food offerings. Samjin Foods said the store’s preopening period showed promising demand, with daily sales meeting targets from the early days and reaching

Samjin Foods opens Shanghai store, targets China expansion

HD Hyundai demonstrates autonomous USV technology in US

HD Hyundai has become the first Korean company to successfully demonstrate unmanned surface vessel (USV) technology in the United States, the company said Monday. The shipbuilding group said it recently conducted a joint demonstration of autonomous navigation technology with U.S. defense artificial intelligence (AI) company Anduril Industries off the coast of Long Beach, California. About 40 officials from Korea and the U.S. attended the event, including representatives from the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, the American Bureau of Shipping, the Republic of Korea Navy and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. The two companies demonstrated the vessel's capabilities in various maritime scenarios, including autonomous navigation, mission changes, formation sailing and emergency responses to engine failures. The three-and-a-half-hour demonstration was relayed through a shore-based control center, allowing attendees to monitor the vessel's operations in real time. The vessel was a 368-ton test ship formerly operated by the U.S. Navy and converted for unmanned operations. It was equipped

HD Hyundai demonstrates autonomous USV technology in US

LG CNS earns global recognition for AI-powered workplace services

LG CNS has earned international recognition for its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered workplace services, becoming the first Korean company named a “Major Player” in IDC’s 2026 assessment of the global digital workplace services market. The IT services company said Monday that it was included in the evaluation alongside 18 global technology companies, including Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, NTT DATA, Cognizant, Dell and HP. IDC MarketScape evaluates technology vendors based on their business capabilities, future strategies, products, services, customer references and real-world client experiences. LG CNS attributed its recognition to its agentic AI platform, a:xink, which is designed to move beyond information retrieval and routine assistance to execute workplace tasks autonomously. The platform offers services including enterprise portals and groupware, mobile workplace tools, personal AI agents, AI-powered translation and meeting support, and automated document creation. IDC highlighted LG CNS’ AI-native platform capabilities, expertise in regulated industries and secur

LG CNS earns global recognition for AI-powered workplace services

Auto exports fall 5.5% in Sept. amid Mideast tensions

Korea's automobile exports fell 5.5 percent in September from a year earlier due to persistent tensions in the Middle East and a decline in used-car shipments, government data showed Monday. The value of automobile exports fell to $6.05 billion last month from $6.4 billion a year earlier, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources said in a press release. "Escalating tensions in the Middle East and a decline in used-car shipments due to tighter regulations in major export markets weighed on exports," the ministry said. By region, exports to North America and the European Union increased 9.2 percent and 15.3 percent, respectively, to $3.07 billion and $1.11 billion. Shipments to Asia and the Middle East on the other hand plunged 60 percent and 7.1 percent, respectively, to $330 million and $350 million. Exports of eco-friendly vehicles, including battery electric and gasoline hybrid models, meanwhile, rose 5.9 percent to $2.89 billion. Domestic vehicle sales fell 14.3 percent to 135,000 units last month due to fewer working days driven by the Chuseok holiday. The number of locally produce

Auto exports fall 5.5% in Sept. amid Mideast tensions

Hanwha to distribute 2027 braille calendar to mark 100th anniv. of Korean braille system

Hanwha Group said Monday it will produce and distribute 40,000 copies of its 2027 Braille calendar for visually impaired people. Hanwha Group has been producing braille calendars every year since 2000, when Chairman Kim Seung-youn received a letter from a visually impaired person and launched the project with the belief that people with visual impairments should also be able to share in the joy of welcoming the new year. Starting with 5,000 copies in the first year, the group has distributed about 1 million calendars through last year. The 2027 calendar features braille alongside printed text, allowing both visually impaired and sighted people to use it. Users can check essential information in braille, including dates, days of the week, lunar calendar dates, seasonal markers and public holidays. The calendar also reflected visually impaired users’ feedback to adjust text size and contrast to improve readability. Social enterprise Braille Publishing participated in producing the calendar. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the introduction of “Hunmaengjeongeum,” the Korean bra

Hanwha to distribute 2027 braille calendar to mark 100th anniv. of Korean braille system

SK hynix, gov't to provide $1.5 bil. in loan guarantees to semiconductor suppliers

Korean chip giant SK hynix said Monday it will partner with the government and major banks to provide 2 trillion won ($1.5 billion) in loan guarantees to local semiconductor suppliers to strengthen the domestic chip supply chain. SK hynix and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources signed an agreement to launch the program at the chipmaker's semiconductor cluster promotion center in Yongin, south of Seoul. Under the agreement, SK hynix and four major banks will contribute a combined 100 billion won to support the program, while the state-run Korea Trade Insurance Corp. (K-SURE) will provide up to 2 trillion won in loan guarantees to semiconductor materials, parts and equipment suppliers. Suppliers recommended by SK hynix will benefit from higher loan limits, interest rate cuts of up to 2.5 percentage points and a guarantee period extended from one to three years. The initiative is part of the government's broader push to strengthen export supply chains by improving access to financing for smaller companies working with major manufacturers. The government previously pledged 2.4 trill

SK hynix, gov't to provide $1.5 bil. in loan guarantees to semiconductor suppliers

Hyundai Rotem Q3 net down 10.3% to $133.9 mil

Hyundai Rotem, the defense and railway subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Group, said Monday its third-quarter net profit fell about 10 percent from a year earlier. Net profit for the July-September period decreased 10.3 percent to 177.98 billion won ($133.9 million), the company said in a regulatory filing. Operating profit also declined 11 percent on-year to 247.1 billion won, while sales inched up 0.1 percent to 1.62 trillion won. For the first nine months of the year, cumulative sales rose 11.2 percent on-year to 4.68 trillion won, while operating profit fell 4.7 percent to 703.7 billion won. The company's order backlog stood at 29.14 trillion won at the end of September, down 1.26 trillion won from three months earlier. Separately, Hyundai Rotem said it plans to acquire Hyundai Wia's defense business for 358.4 billion won to bolster its weapons production capabilities, a move expected to help boost overseas sales of its flagship K2 tanks.

Hyundai Rotem Q3 net down 10.3% to $133.9 mil

Fathers take on more, but mothers still bear heavier domestic workload

For a 33-year-old bank employee surnamed Jung raising a 3-year-old son in Seoul’s Yeongdeungpo District, coming home from work feels like starting a second shift. She uses a reduced working hours program for parents to leave work an hour or two early. Once her mother-in-law, who looks after the child while the couple are at work, heads home, Jung handles child care alone until her husband returns. “As soon as I get home, I feed my son dinner, bathe him and play with him. By then, my husband is home,” she said. “While he plays with our son, I finally get to shower, wash the dishes and tidy up. Then it’s time to put our son to bed.” Jung gets her first chance to sit down on the sofa after her son falls asleep, past 10 p.m. “Even though I leave work early, it feels like I work overtime every day,” she said. “My husband does quite a lot of child care, but our son tends to seek me out more, and I feel that a larger share of the housework naturally falls to me.” Government figures released Monday show that an uneven division of domestic duties persists among young working pa

Fathers take on more, but mothers still bear heavier domestic workload

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