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The Korea Times

September 2026

Seoul, Washington pick Texas power plant as 1st project under strategic investment

The investment will comprise $150 billion for shipbuilding cooperation and $200 billion for projects in various strategic sectors

The U.S. side has said it intends to maintain the tariff rate at around 15 percent, whether under Section 301 of the Trade Act or in any other form,
Kim Jung-kwanindustry Minister
As taxpayers' money will be injected into the initiative, we have placed top priority on the commercial viability of the projects and the national interest to ensure that not a penny goes to waste,
Through Project Star, the two countries will jointly address growing energy demand in the U.S. amid the expansion of the AI data center industry. The project will create a new model for economic security cooperation in strategic areas such as AI and energy infrastructure,
The latest projects are not merely about implementing last year's tariff agreement,

Pentagon creates 'Autowarcom' to expand AI and drone capabilities

Pete HegsethuS Defense Secretary
The pace of war is changing faster than the process to support it,
Pete HegsethuS Defense Secretary
Today we need both quality and quantity,
Pete HegsethuS Defense Secretary
Cheap compute, superintelligence, and advanced commercial manufacturing have enabled the proliferation of low-cost, high-precision strike,

2 US lawmakers welcome Trump's efforts to restart dialogue with N. Korea's Kim

These actions would lay the groundwork for a productive and successful summit between President Trump and Kim Jong-un and advancement of U.S. interests,
We sincerely hope that President Trump will direct the State Department to take steps to lay a foundation for successful, meaningful discussions with North Korea,

Judo Olympic medalists go for 1st Asian Games titles; taekwondo competition to begin

Lee is the 2024 Olympic bronze medalist in his weight class, while Huh, a Japanese native and a descendant of a Korean independence fighter, got silver in her division at the same Olympics

Korea, US unveil 3 investments in energy projects

Even if the project has strategic benefits, we have agreed with the U.S. side not to proceed if it is not commercially reasonable,
We are looking at whether we can recover the principal and interest within the period of the investment,
For Westinghouse, this is a good opportunity to bring its reactor technology to the U.S. market and reduce the risk of cost overruns,
While the (previous) memorandum of understanding was vague about risk pooling, we specified it this time,

Joy mixed with fear as US forces quit Iraq leaving potential security vacuum

Mohammed al-Jubouriiraqi Army General
The most important question now is whether Iraq's security institutions have prepared a viable Plan B for the post-coalition phase,
The lesson from the past two decades is that security vacuums can be extremely dangerous,
Zaidiiraqi Prime Minister
The end of the international coalition’s mission does not mean the end of our battle against terrorism, but rather Iraq’s transition to a phase in which it assumes full responsibility for its security and stability,
Militias still operate outside the state's control and (Islamic State) still has not disappeared,

US military says its withdrawal of troops from Iraq is complete

The last U.S. troops left an air base in northern Iraq under a deal between Baghdad and Washington

The expulsion of the occupation forces, defeated, from the land of Iraq is the beginning of full sovereignty,
The departure of the United States from the Kurdistan Region under these complex regional circumstances, without the provision of a defense system, is a matter of concern,
This milestone reflects the success of a 12-year campaign that defeated ISIS as an organized military threat in Iraq and across the region,

US inflation rises below expectations in August; consumer spending robust

Another rate hike this year, however, remains on the table as the report from the Commerce Department on Wednesday showed consumer spending surging last month

The less-than-feared price data for August may buy the Fed time to await more data and pass on October 28, but still-elevated inflation and a resilient consumer and economy point to another rate hike by year-end,
James Knightleypeerage person ID=235816
The middle- and lower-income households, for whom income is so critical to spending power given the lack of financial assets, have been under less financial pressure than feared,

Trump to unveil $200 billion investment in US projects by S. Korea, White House says

Taylor Rogerswhite House spokeswoman
Today, President Trump will announce major energy infrastructure investments that deliver on his day one promises to unleash American energy, unlock Alaska’s extraordinary resource potential, and accelerate America’s nuclear energy renaissance,
Before considering political needs or diplomatic demands, however, it was necessary to thoroughly verify the commercial rationale and viability of any investment that put a tremendous burden on the public,

[ASIAN GAMES] S. Korea's Jang Se-yun wins silver in women's judo

I'm so disappointed with the result and myself. It's already happened, and I can't do anything more,
I didn't take it easy because she is strong and has won many medals at international competitions,
I beat a player that I hadn't beaten before today, while I lost to the player that I hadn't lost to,

[ASIAN GAMES] S. Korea reach men's football final

Lee Sze Winghong Kong cyclist
I expected a difficult match, and our players persevered,
Lee Sze Winghong Kong cyclist
Something like that can happen in a match, and our job is to make sure we don't repeat the same mistake."
Lee Sze Winghong Kong cyclist
Physically, I am trying to get better,
I had not been happy with the way I had been playing, and I am glad I finally scored one,
Lee Sze Winghong Kong cyclist
But the fact that I am scoring goals means I am in pretty good form right now. "... I am 100 percent confident we will win the gold medal. This is not the time to say anything negative,
No matter how important a competition is, our priority is to protect players if they are not 100 percent healthy,

NK soldiers intrude across MDL around 50 times in Aug.-Sept. period: lawmaker

In response to the North Korean soldiers' incursion, the South Korean military issued warning broadcasts and fired warning shots, prompting them to retreat

ECCK calls for easing EV regulation, predictability in defense trade

Francois Pioletdefense Committee Chair
The ECCK calls for greater predictability and transparency in Korea’s offset system, including clearer evaluation criteria for advanced technology projects in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and quantum,
Hongjoongthe paper, ECCK Passenger Vehicle Committee Chair
We recommend improvements to electric vehicle certification and assessment procedures, as well as greater harmonization with and mutual recognition of international standards for advanced automotive technologies,