southwest

South Korea plans to develop a new semiconductor production base in the country’s southwestern region through 800 trillion won (US$517.9 billion) in corporate investments that will create four memory chip fabrication plants, Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said Monday.

Kim unveiled the investment plan to transform the Gwangju and Jeolla regions into the nation’s second major semiconductor cluster, alongside the existing hub in the Seoul metropolitan area, during a national investment briefing chaired by President Lee Jae Myung at Cheong Wa Dae.

“Relying on a single production base in the Seoul metropolitan area is no longer sufficient to meet surging semiconductor demand,” Kim said, noting that constraints on power and water resources limit further expansion under existing plans.

The semiconductor investment is part of the government’s “three mega projects” initiative, which calls for large-scale investments by chip giants Samsung Electronics Co. and SK hynix Inc., as well as other companies, in semiconductors, physical artificial intelligence (AI) and AI data centers.

Kim said the Chungcheong region will be developed into an advanced semiconductor packaging hub through 81 trillion won in investment to meet growing packaging demand as chip production expands, while the Daegu and North Gyeongsang regions will be fostered as innovation hubs for semiconductor materials, components and equipment.

He added that the government will help companies accelerate semiconductor investment by bringing forward the construction schedule for new fabrication plants by as much as 12 years, from the mid-to-late 2040s to the mid-2030s.

To support the expansion, the government vowed to streamline permits and construction procedures while investing in critical infrastructure, including electricity and industrial water supplies.

At the meeting, attended by Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Kim outlined a government-industry plan to invest 30 trillion won over the next 15 years to support the entire semiconductor value chain, from research and development and chip design to testing and manufacturing.

The ambitious industrial blueprint is aimed at transforming the country from a global manufacturing powerhouse into a leader in the artificial intelligence era, anchoring its strategy on semiconductors, AI infrastructure and physical AI.

For the robotics sector, Kim said the government will foster an AI-powered robotics industry to strengthen South Korea’s manufacturing competitiveness in the intensifying global competition.

Kim warned that China has already begun mass-producing humanoid robots through regional manufacturing hubs, underscoring the need for South Korea to accelerate the commercialization and mass production of its own humanoid robots.

“We must accelerate the foundation for mass production,” Kim said, adding that the government plans to create early domestic demand by procuring humanoid robots for education, defense and disaster response.

The initiative aims to raise South Korea’s share of the global humanoid robot market from just 1 percent last year to 20 percent over the long term.

As the third pillar of the strategy, Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon outlined a plan to expand the nation’s AI data center infrastructure, emphasizing that ample data is important for South Korea to secure a leading position in the global physical AI race.

“The next three years will be the golden time to become No. 1 in the area of physical AI,” Bae said. “The government will lead the physical AI sector, by designating it as a national strategic industry.”

Under the plan, an initial investment of 550 trillion won will be spent to build 8.4 gigawatts (GW) of AI data centers by 2029. The ministry will gradually expand the infrastructure by 10 GW until 2035, Bae said.

To support the initiative, the government pledged to ensure adequate supplies of electricity and industrial water, and strengthen power infrastructure around existing semiconductor clusters.

Once the data infrastructure is in place, the science ministry plans to develop a general-purpose foundation model for physical AI in the next three years, based on a world model, or AI tools that understand the dynamics of the real world.

Copyright (c) Yonhap News Agency prohibits its content from being redistributed or reprinted without consent, and forbids the content from being learned and used by artificial intelligence systems.

June 26 (UPI) — The National Weather Service on Friday evening issued its first Dangerous Situation Red Flag Warning in the history of Salt Lake City, Utah, based on concerns about rapid growth of wildfires in the state.

NWS issued warnings for an area in southwest Utah that it considers to be in significant danger based on ongoing wildfires and weather conditions, the agency said in a series of posts on X.

NWS has predicted low humidity levels — less than 10% — and wind gusts of at least 50 miles per hour, which could help to grow the Cottonwood Fire, which has already burned nearly 72,000 acres, KSL-TV reported.

The fire started Monday near Beaver, Utah, before spreading to cover more than 70,000 acres as gusty winds and dry conditions helped the flames to spread, NBC News reported.

“This is the first formal PDS Red Flag Warning we’ve issued since it was formalized by NWS,” the agency said in a post on X.

“This is the first time we’ve reached the Weather Risk Outlook level of ‘Extreme,'” NWS said of the language it has not used in a notification since 2021. “In short, this combinaton of high winds, low humidity, very dry fuels and a large fire is a rare and dangerous situation!”

Utah this year experienced its lowest-ever snowpack and a heatwave that started in March prompted Utah Gov. Spencer Cox to sign an executive order limiting fireworks celebrations throughout the state through July 5.

Utah meteorologist Jason Stroud told The Washington Post that the warning, which has been in place for the last few days, that the danger from fires in the area could be devastating and potentially life-threatening.

“This shows that the combination of weather effects that are coming in the next 48 hours are extremely concerning,” Stroud said, reiterating that the fact that Salt Lake City’s NWS office has never issued the type of warning that is currently in effect.

The airline may now have to walk back its recently revised policy after significant backlash from some customers – it has been a point of contention for passengers online

An airline that faced significant backlash for its controversial “customers of size” policy may now be forced to walk back on recent changes regarding plus-sized passengers.American commercial carrier Southwest Airlines changed its Customer of Size policy in January, when the airline moved to assigned seating. The updated guidelines require travellers who were unable to fit between lowered armrests to buy a second seat ahead of their journey. Passengers arriving without a prior reservation for an extra seat faced being rebooked if the flight reached capacity, or they were compelled to pay high same-day prices for the additional space.

But on Tuesday (May 26), one TikTok user reported to have been told “the best news ever” by a Southwest gate agent.

In the short social media clip, the traveller claimed Southwest is “rescinding at least part of their new customer of size policy” that went into effect at the start of year. January. “They will be changing back to the original policy, at least in some form, where you can come into the airport and get an additional seat booked for you at no cost,” the woman in the video claimed. “You will no longer have to pre-purchase the seat.”But, as per a statement shared with Newsweek, the airline recently said: “On flights where seats are available, our agents at the airport are empowered to provide an additional seat at no extra cost to customers who require one.”

The statement added: “If another seat is not available., we will work to accommodate the customer on a later flight. We continue to encourage customers who need an additional seat to book it in advance to help alleviate any last-minute inconvenience at the airport.” The statement to Newsweek left several questions unanswered, specifically regarding the timeline for these implementations and whether passengers who choose to pre-purchase an additional seat would remain eligible for refunds.

Authorities in Cauca region demand ‘decisive’ government action after deadly explosion on Pan-American Highway.

At least seven people were killed, and 20 were wounded following a suspected explosive attack in the southwestern province of Cauca, Colombia, according to regional authorities.

Governor Octavio Guzman said that an explosive was detonated on the Pan-American Highway in the El Tunel sector of Cajibio on Saturday. He condemned what he called an “indiscriminate attack” against the civilian population.

“There are not sufficient words for the pain we feel,” Guzman said in a social media post, demanding a “decisive, sustained” response from the government against the “terrorist escalation”.

A video shared by the governor appeared to show the aftermath of the bombing, with ambulances on site and mangled vehicles and debris covering the road.

“Cauca cannot continue facing this barbarity alone,” he added, stating that other actions had also been carried out in El Tambo, Caloto, Popayan, Guachene, Mercaderes, and Miranda.

The deadly incident comes after a series of attacks on Friday, attributed to criminal groups formed by dissident members of the FARC rebel group, who split with the group following a landmark peace agreement with the government in 2016.

On Saturday, Minister of Defence Pedro Sanchez was convening a security council in Cali to assess the regional security situation when the latest attack occurred.

President Gustavo Petro responded to the deadly explosion by saying that powerful criminal groups are seeking to control the population through fear.

While details of the attack are still emerging, Petro appeared to blame a drug trafficker and FARC dissident leader known by the alias Ivan Mordisco.

“I want the maximum worldwide pursuit against this narco-terrorist group,” Petro said.

April 20 (UPI) — A Southwest Airlines flight arriving at Nashville International Airport over the weekend was directed into the path of another Southwest flight that was taking off, causing them to pass within 500 vertical feet of each other.

A flight arriving from Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Saturday evening initiated a go-around before landing because it was facing “gusty winds” during it’s approach, but air traffic controllers directed the crew into the path of another flight, USA Today, WSMV and WTVF reported.

The other flight was departing NIA on a parallel runway, which caused the close call, and “both flight crews responded to onboard alerts” because the two aircraft were 500 feet apart, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

Five hundred feet is equivalent to 1 2/3 football fields, including the end zones, or two Boeing 747s lined up nose-to-tail, which is half the 1,000-foot distance the FAA requires aircraft to maintain.

The air traffic controller who gave the errant order recognized the mistake and corrected himself with both flight crews, who had already responded to alerts from their Traffic Collision Avoidance System, devices that are standard on all commercial aircraft.

“We are engaged with the FAA as part of the investigation,” Southwest said in a statement.

“Southwest appreciates the professionalism of its Pilots and Flights Crews in responding to the event,” the company said. “Nothing is more importing to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees.”