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Cheap currencies bring two neighbors closer than ever
SEOUL, August 04 (AJP) - Cheap currencies, short flights and a growing fascination with each other's culture are bringing South Koreans and Japanese closer than at any time in decades, quietly reshaping one of Asia's most complicated relationships one weekend trip at a time.
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AI windfall splits One-Samsung as DX workers plan protest rally
SEOUL, August 04 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics' record first-half earnings have exposed an unusual corporate paradox: the semiconductor division generated almost all of the company's profits, but in doing so widened an internal pay gap that is now splintering the company's long-held "One Samsung" culture.
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Korea's property tax overhaul outline jolts Gangnam
SEOUL, August 04 (AJP) - Gangnam's luxury apartment owners were left scrambling over whether to sell, move back into their homes or brace for sharply higher tax bills after the government unveiled a sweeping property tax overhaul that many residents described as bombshell.
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US Ambassador Steel presents credentials, formally begins mission in Seoul
SEOUL, August 04 (AJP) - The United States Embassy in Seoul has a full ambassador again for the first time in a year and a half after the new envoy Michelle Steel submitted a copy of her credentials to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday afternoon and paid a courtesy call on Foreign Minister Cho Hyun.
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ROK Navy appoints first woman to command major naval vessel
SEOUL, August 04 (AJP) - The Republic of Korea Navy has appointed Capt. Bae Sun-young as commanding officer of ROKS Dokdo, making her the first woman to command one of the service’s major vessels. Bae will formally take command of the ship on Wednesday.
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Japan calls South Korea partner, claims Dokdo again
SEOUL, August 04 (AJP) - Japan's annual defense white paper describes South Korea as an important neighbor and a partner it should work with on shared international challenges. The same document, published Tuesday, again calls Dokdo.
From princesses to students, conscription makes a global comeback
SEOUL, August 04 (AJP) - Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, together with growing doubts about U.S. security guarantees, are driving a global revival of military conscription as governments conclude that technology alone cannot supply enough soldiers for a prolonged conflict. Royalty is no exception. Princess Isabella, second in line to the Danish throne, made international headlines on Monday when she reported to a military barracks in Slagelse to begin 11 months of military service, joinin
by Kim Hee-su
US-Japan yen rescue puts 1,400 won back in play, bonds shrug
SEOUL, August 03 (AJP) - The blunt yen-defense campaign jointly mounted by Washington and Tokyo has fundamentally shifted the outlook for the Korean won, putting the psychologically important 1,400-per-dollar level back within reach after the currency spent much of the first half trading around 1,500. The same intervention, however, has offered little relief to Korea's sovereign bond market, where heavy government issuance and a hawkish Bank of Korea continue to outweigh improving global con
Odds of Korea's back-to-back rate hike fall on softer headline inflation
SEOUL, Aug. 4 (AJP) — The surprising stall in South Korea's inflationary run in July has lowered expectations for a back-to-back interest-rate increase by the Bank of Korea this month, although policymakers remain wary of persistent underlying price pressures. Consumer prices rose 2.8 percent from a year earlier in July, slowing from 3.2 percent in June and falling below the 3 percent mark for the first time in three months. Core inflation, which Bank of Korea Gov. Shin Hyun-song has
HBM war enters new phase as Samsung chases SK hynix
SEOUL, August 03 (AJP) - SK hynix remained the clear leader in the game-changing high-bandwidth memory (HBM) market through the first half, but the second half could mark the beginning of a new phase as Samsung Electronics pushes aggressively to close the gap with next-generation HBM4. The rivalry came into sharper focus following the two companies' second-quarter earnings calls on July 29 and July 30, when South Korea's two memory giants used their outlook presentations to lay out comp
Seoul targets Central Asia minerals at first summit
SK hynix and SanDisk unveil HBF Blueprint for AI terabyte era
