news highlight

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  AJP Focus: The perils of chip boom SEOUL, May 28 (AJP) -The world is at the threshold of the artificial-intelligence revolution, and at the heart of that revolution sits the semiconductor — with Korea at the heart of the semiconductor. Only a few years ago memory prices had collapsed, inventories had swollen, and Samsung Electronics and SK hynix were enduring a brutal downturn alongside the rest of the slowing global economy. Then the AI era rewrote the board almost overnight. The generative-AI surge that followed ChatGPT May 28, 2026
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  AJP Focus: Seoul's nuclear submarine push raises broader regional security questions SEOUL, May 27 (AJP) - South Korea's new "Jangbogo N" nuclear-powered submarine program is raising questions over whether the project is designed primarily to deter North Korea or whether it could eventually become part of a broader U.S.-led effort to counter China. Officials have described the submarine as a symbol of Seoul's determination to take greater responsibility for its own security. But the move comes after the commander of U.S. Forces Korea recently described South K May 27, 2026
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  AJP Watch: Samsung puts on charm offensive after avoiding strike despite internal rift SEOUL, May 27 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics went on a multitrillion-won spending blitz Wednesday, pledging 5 trillion won ($3.6 billion) over the next five years to nurture talent and support suppliers on the very day it averted a historic strike by agreeing to hand out over 40 trillion won in rewards tied to this year’s blockbuster earnings and soaring share prices. Management and labor formally signed the 2026 wage agreement after union members approved the deal by 73.7 percent, with tur May 27, 2026
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  AJP Focus: 1,500 won per USD holds as capital outflows outweigh C/A surplus SEOUL, May 26 (AJP) - The South Korean won continues to hover near the 1,500-per-dollar mark despite solid economic indicators that would traditionally lift the currency, underscoring what analysts describe as a structural shift in the country's foreign exchange dynamics. The won closed at 1,504 against the dollar on Tuesday, holding sharply weaker than at the start of the year despite bullish readings on the current account, exports, and equities that have more than offset the inflationary May 26, 2026
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  OPINION: Starbucks, memory wars and South Korea's new political taboos SEOUL, May 26 (AJP) - There are taboos in South Korea that never fully fade with time. They remain politically radioactive, emotionally unresolved and socially unforgiving. Japanese colonial rule is one. The democratization movement is another. For decades, anti-communism and North Korea defined the country’s ideological fault lines. But modern South Korea has undergone a profound political inversion. Under the dominance of liberal President Lee Jae Myung and the ruling Democratic Party May 26, 2026
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  AJP Focus: Uncertain weekend for Iran deal that leaves much to be desired SEOUL, May 25 (AJP) - President Donald Trump’s warning on Sunday that U.S. negotiators should “not rush into a deal” with Iran underscored growing doubts over an emerging framework agreement that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz while leaving many of the Middle East conflict’s most dangerous questions unresolved. The remarks came soon after Washington officials said a deal with Tehran had been “largely negotiated” aimed at ending the war that erupted in late May 25, 2026