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  North Korea 'tests upgraded multiple rocket launcher system' SEOUL, January 28 (AJP) - North Korea has test-fired an upgraded large-caliber multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS), state media reported on Wednesday. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, the test, conducted the previous day, was intended to "verify the effectiveness of a renewed large-caliber multiple rocket launcher system which employed new technology." With its leader Kim Jong-un in attendance, accompanied by key military officials, Tu January 28, 2026
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  HBM4 production nears as Samsung, SK hynix vie for AI chip dominance SEOUL, January 28 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are set to begin mass production of sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM4) as early as next month, intensifying competition in the fast-growing market for artificial intelligence semiconductors. According to industry sources on Wednesday, the two South Korean companies plan to start HBM4 mass production in February, with Samsung operating lines at its Pyeongtaek campus and SK hynix at its Icheon facility. The mov January 28, 2026
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  Remembrance as obligation: where Koreans, Germans and Israelis find common ground SEOUL, January 27 (AJP) - Skeletons dance across the ruins of civilization, fiddling among the wreckage of Western art, science and technology. Human life has vanished into ash and rubble. Only kites drifting overhead retain faint traces of emotion, their faces suspended between innocence and despair. Painted in hiding in Brussels and dated April 18, 1944, Death Triumphant is believed to be the final work of German-Jewish painter Felix Nussbaum. Often described as a modern danse m January 27, 2026
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  Trump's tariff threat jolts Seoul politics but leaves markets largely unruffled SEOUL, January 27 (AJP) - President Donald Trump’s renewed tariff threat against South Korea rattled the political establishment in Seoul but stopped short of derailing financial markets, underscoring investors’ view that the dispute is more political theater than an imminent economic shock. Washington’s displeasure over what it sees as Seoul’s slow follow-through on investment commitments tied to tariff relief had been telegraphed in advance. According to January 27, 2026
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  KOSPI defies Trumpian tantrums to scale record high SEOUL, January 27 (AJP)-Korean Exchange staff beam before an electronic board at the main bourse in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on Monday, as the benchmark KOSPI flashes past the 5,000 mark on a closing basis for the first time. The index ended the session at a historic 5,084.85, jumping 135.26 points, or 2.73 percent, from the previous trading day, shrugging off renewed tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump. The tech-heavy KOSDAQ also advanced, gaining 18.18 points, or 1.71 p January 27, 2026
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  North Korea fires projectiles toward East Sea SEOUL, January 27 (AJP) - North Korea fired what is believed to be ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Tuesday. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected "unidentified projectiles" launched by North Korea later in the day but did not provide further details. The JCS is currently analyzing them. The North's provocation came about a month after it ushered in the New Year with a missile launch on Jan. 4. as South President Lee Jae Myung was set to leave fo January 27, 2026
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  KOSPI, unfazed by Trump's antics, closes above 5,000 points SEOUL, January 27 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark KOSPI closed above 5,000 points on Tuesday, despite U.S. President Donald Trump's sudden threat to raise tariffs again. The index closed at 5,084.85, up 2.73 percent from the previous session, and the junior KOSDAQ also rose 1.71 percent to 1,082.59 after reaching a milestone of 1,000 points the previous day for the first time in about four years. Shares of Samsung Electronics rose 4.87 percent to 159,500 won, while SK hyn January 27, 2026
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  U.S.-first defense strategy pushes Korea toward higher spending and deeper capacity SEOUL, January 27 (AJP) - The main takeaway for South Korea in the U.S. 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS) is blunt: North Korea is increasingly Seoul’s primary responsibility, and that maturity comes with higher defense spending and deeper manufacturing capacity. While the strategy describes North Korea’s expanding nuclear forces as a “clear and present danger” to the U.S. homeland and its regional allies, it also makes explicit that responsibility for con January 27, 2026
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  Korean retail investors ramp up US stock buying despite local rally SEOUL, January 27 (AJP) - South Korea’s stock market has rallied sharply this year, but retail investors are continuing to pour money into U.S. equities, a trend cited by policymakers as a key factor behind recent volatility in the won. Average daily settlement amounts for U.S. stocks by South Korean retail investors reached $261 million over 15 trading sessions from Jan. 2 to Jan. 23, according to data released on Tuesday by the Korea Securities Depository. That figu January 27, 2026
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  South Korean athletes in final tune-up for next month's Winter Olympics in Italy SEOUL, January 27 (AJP) - With this year's Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo and Milan just weeks away, South Korean athletes are gearing up for the quadrennial sporting event on ice and snow with final preparations. South Korea will field 71 athletes in snowboarding, bobsleigh, speed skating, short-track skating, and figure skating. The upcoming Olympics will kick off on Feb. 6 and run until Feb. 22, bringing together around 3,500 athletes from over 90 countries to co January 27, 2026