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  • In South Korea, campaigns move indoors SEOUL, May 29 (AJP) -The streets used to shake. Candidate trucks blaring jingles, jackets every color of the rainbow, rallies spilling across every intersection. Growing up, elections were the noisiest thing Korea did. You knew one was coming before you checked the calendar — you could hear it. That was then. Now, with 4,227 seats on the line &
    In South Korea, campaigns move indoors
  • Early voting for local elections gets off to strong start SEOUL, May 29 (AJP) - Early voting for the June 3 local elections began across the country on Friday, with turnout already surpassing levels seen in previous elections, as President Lee Jae Myung and other prominent figures cast their ballots. According to the National Election Commission (NEC), voter turnout stood at 7.02 percent as of 2 p.m. on the first day of early voting, up 0.96 percentage points from 6.06 p
    Early voting for local elections gets off to strong start
  • Korea's memory giants hit new ceiling ahead of visit by their biggest client SEOUL, May 29 (AJP) - South Korea's memory-chip giants climbed to fresh records Friday as investors turned euphoric ahead of next week's visit by their biggest customer, Nvidia Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang, fueling hopes of deeper AI partnerships and new orders for next-generation memory chips. The world's most valuable company's CEO Jensen Huang is set to visit South Korea next week
    Koreas memory giants hit new ceiling ahead of visit by their biggest client
  • NPS delivers 4.4% return Q1 to outperform others on 22% return from Korean equities
    NPS delivers 4.4% return Q1 to outperform others on 22% return from Korean equities SEOUL, May 29 (AJP) — South Korea's National Pension Service (NPS) posted a solid 4.42 percent return in the first quarter thanks to stellar performance of local shares despite the outbreak of the U.S.-Iran war. NPS, one of the world's largest institutional investors with assets under management swelling to 1,526 trillion won ($1.14 trillion), said Friday its assets increased by 68 trillion w
  • UPDATE: Koreas April factory output and spending retreat on Gulf energy shocks
    UPDATE: Korea's April factory output and spending retreat on Gulf energy shocks SEOUL, May 29 (AJP) — The energy shocks from a months-long disruption of the Strait of Hormuz arising from Middle East conflicts have landed on South Korean shores, battering industrial activity, corporate investment, and consumer spending in April, official data showed Friday. Factory output fell 0.7 percent month-on-month, marking the firs
  • Samsung Electronics ships industrys first 12-layer HBM4E memory samples
    Samsung Electronics ships industry's first 12-layer HBM4E memory samples SEOUL, May 29 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics has begun shipping samples of its 12-layer HBM4E memory chips to global customers. According to the company on Friday, this is the semiconductor industry's first 12-layer HBM4E sample to be shipped. The new memory component delivers a stable pin speed of 14 gigabits-per-second (Gbps) and is capable of scaling up to 16 Gbps.
  • HD Hyundai Heavy strengthens Davie ties in push for Canada submarine deal
    HD Hyundai Heavy strengthens Davie ties in push for Canada submarine deal SEOUL, May 29 (AJP) - HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is stepping up its campaign to win Canada’s submarine procurement project by strengthening ties with Davie Shipbuilding, Canada’s largest shipyard. The company said Thursday that its executives met with senior officials from Davie Shipbuilding at the Canadian shipbuilder’s Ottawa office on May 26 to discuss ways to strengthen strategic cooper
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To young Jeju islanders, life does not give tangerines SEOUL, May 29 (AJP) - "Jeju's wind is harsh, but people learn to bend instead of break." The line from the hit Netflix drama When Life Gives You Tangerines celebrates the resilience of people on South Korea's southern island. In reality, however, the wind has become harsh enough to drive many young Jeju residents away altogether. As Jeju recorded a second consecutive year of net population loss, young islanders told AJP that a lack of quality jobs, limited career opportunitie by Lee Jung-woo
To young Jeju islanders, life does not give tangerines
ASIA INSIGHT: What Xis possible visit to Pyongyang would mean for Korean Peninsula ASIA INSIGHT: What Xi's possible visit to Pyongyang would mean for Korean Peninsula SEOUL, May 27 (AJP) - Speculation emerged last week that Chinese President Xi Jinping has been preparing to visit Pyongyang to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, possibly before the end of this month or early next month. It comes after Xi hosted U.S. President Donald Trump in Beijing earlier this month, where the two leaders reaffirmed their shared goal of North Korea's denuclearization. Then, barely a week later, Russian President Vladimir Putin also arrived in Beijing. Now Xi is repor

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Stock leverage, not typical housing as BOK's policy headache SEOUL, May 29 (AJP) — More than 60 trillion won ($39.9 billion) of leverage tied to South Korea’s stock market frenzy is emerging as a risk factor for both equities and the foreign-exchange market after the central bank all but signaled at least one rate hike in the second half. “While demand curves typically slope downward, heavy debt-fueled investment could reverse that pattern, as forced liquidations are triggered and funds are withdrawn when prices decline,” Bank of
Stock leverage, not typical housing as BOKs policy headache
A siren song from the BOK: the leverage party is over A siren song from the BOK: the leverage party is over SEOUL, May 28 (AJP) -For a full year, the Bank of Korea sat motionless on a 2.50 percent benchmark while the KOSPI staged the most spectacular rally on the planet — up more than 93 percent since year-end, briefly flirting with 8,450 before Wednesday's close. On Thursday, the central bank's new governor finally said out loud what the bond market had been bracing for: the only questions left are when, how fast, and how far rates rise. A plain-spoken siren to the leverage crowd. Ne

Industry>

Hyundai Motors HTWO Guangzhou named hydrogen industry leader in China Hyundai Motor's HTWO Guangzhou named hydrogen industry leader in China

Market>

Stock leverage, not typical housing as BOKs policy headache Stock leverage, not typical housing as BOK's policy headache

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North Korea snubs Quads call for denuclearization North Korea snubs Quad's call for denuclearization

Opinion>

Spiritual Asia: Encountering Korean peoples spirit of heaven in era of AI Spiritual Asia: Encountering Korean people's spirit of heaven in era of AI

AJP Vids

Technology>

South Korean researchers develop virtual simulator for AI servers South Korean researchers develop virtual simulator for AI servers

National>

AI wealth gap reaches city halls as Koreas chip hubs reap tax windfall AI wealth gap reaches city halls as Korea's chip hubs reap tax windfall

Lifestyle>

To young Jeju islanders, life does not give tangerines To young Jeju islanders, life does not give tangerines

World>

Weak Iranian missiles — not ship armor — explain limited damage to HMM Namu: experts Weak Iranian missiles — not ship armor — explain limited damage to HMM Namu: experts
Entertainment Ahn Hyo-seop teams up with Khalid for debut single 'Something Special' SEOUL, May 29 (AJP) - South Korean actor Ahn Hyo-seop has released his debut solo single "Something Special," a collaboration with Grammy-nominated American R&B artist Khalid. The single was released through FANDOM on major streaming platforms on Friday, with Musicow planning to unveil an official music video in June. Musicow is a music equity platform that lets fans co-own royalty revenue from their favorite artists' songs, and FANDOM is its debut project &md
Ahn Hyo-seop teams up with Khalid for debut single Something Special