news highlight

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  Seoul draws Hormuz line as Tokyo weighs mine-clearing role SEOUL, September 18 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung on Friday ruled out any South Korean military deployment that would draw the country into the war involving Iran, while leaving room for a narrowly defined mission to protect Korean vessels, citizens and energy routes around the Strait of Hormuz. The remarks marked Lee’s clearest attempt yet to draw a line between joining a war and contributing to maritime security as Seoul faces sustained U.S. pressure over Hormuz. “There will be September 18, 2026
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  The world of K-beauty, pulled into one Seoul office SEOUL, September 17 (AJP) — K-beauty spent years carrying Seoul to bathroom shelves, beauty counters and social-media feeds around the world. Inside one skincare office in southern Seoul, that current is running the other way: the world has come to work. At Mary&May, a Korean skincare brand sold in more than 60 countries, employees from 15 nationalities sit inside the machinery of K-beauty's global expansion — choosing products, creators, words and images for markets thousan September 17, 2026
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  K-fashion next big K-thing in Japan after K-pop SEOUL, September 15 (AJP) - Takuya Enomoto, a 32-year-old pharmacist in Tokyo, watched his girlfriend's infatuation with South Korea move from SEVENTEEN on her playlist to her clothing collection. She first became a fan of the K-pop group, particularly member Hoshi, before branching out to other Korean acts and then Korean dramas, he said. Following K-pop artists on Instagram brought still more Korean content into her feed. "I think the algorithm exposed her to more and more Korean September 15, 2026
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  Korean Gen Z takes to streets to protest U.S. call for Hormuz support SEOUL, September 12 (AJP) - On most Saturdays, Gwanghwamun Square belongs to tourists, families, street performers and the assortment of political groups that regularly claim a patch of downtown Seoul for their causes. This Saturday brought another one: opposition to President Donald Trump’s repeated demands that South Korea help secure the Strait of Hormuz as the United States confronts Iran. Many in the crowd were not the veteran anti-American or progressive activists familiar from dem September 12, 2026
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  In Korea's delivery republic, gratitude comes without the tip SEOUL, September 11 (AJP) - Any homebody knows the small thrill — the doorbell, footsteps outside and finally the arrival of dinner, groceries or the sneakers you have been waiting weeks for. In South Korea's delivery republic, that moment is woven deeply into everyday life. Increasingly, some customers are finding small ways to acknowledge the people who make it possible, whether through an iced drink, a snack, an extra meal or simply a note saying thank you and ride safely. The ges September 11, 2026
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  BOJ September hike view hardens across major houses SEOUL, September 10 (AJP) — Expectations that the Bank of Japan (BOJ) will raise its policy rate this month have hardened across economists, markets and major financial houses, although some forecasters still favor an October move. A Reuters poll conducted from Sept. 1 to 8 showed 66 of 68 economists, or 97 percent, expecting the BOJ to raise its policy rate to 1.25 percent on Sept. 18. The figure was up sharply from 57 percent in the previous survey. The survey figure does not represent September 10, 2026
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  South Korea takes state-led route in AI race as latecomer SEOUL, September 09 (AJP) - America's biggest technology companies are preparing to pour roughly $725 billion into artificial intelligence infrastructure this year. South Korea cannot come close to matching that private-sector firepower. So Seoul is reaching for something Silicon Valley does not need nearly as much — the state balance sheet. The government's 2027 budget bill submitted to the National Assembly on Sept. 3 lifts spending on AI and three linked mega-projects by 97.2 September 9, 2026
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  How social media is rewriting presidential politics SEOUL, September 8 (AJP) - Donald Trump did not need a podium or a press conference to dominate the political conversation over the U.S. Labor Day weekend. He needed his social media account. The U.S. president posted more than 60 times on Truth Social on Sunday alone, filling his feed with political messages, memes and AI-generated images. Some mocked foreign countries and political opponents, while others depicted Trump in exaggerated or imaginary scenes. An independent archive tracking his September 8, 2026
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  Seoul's Hormuz dilemma puts Tokyo on notice SEOUL, September 07 (AJP) - The heat from Washington is rising on Seoul to contribute to reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and Tokyo is increasingly feeling it too as Japan braces for the possibility that it could be next in line for a U.S. call to act. South Korea has yet to decide whether to send military assets to the strategic waterway, but the Trump administration has become increasingly explicit in demanding support from an ally heavily dependent on Middle Eastern energy. The dilemma is be September 7, 2026