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  S. Korean AI firm Upstage acquires web portal Daum to bolster sovereign AI race SEOUL, May 07 (AJP) - In a bid to build South Korea's sovereign AI foundation model, Upstage, one of the country's artificial intelligence powerhouses, has finalized the acquisition of web service portal Daum for an undisclosed amount, the AI company said Thursday. Daum is South Korea's iconic web service that was launched in 1995 as an arts and entertainment service portal. The service gradually upgraded to add other services such as web search, email, online magazin May 7, 2026
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  South Korea, Japan hold first vice ministerial '2+2' talks in Seoul SEOUL, May 7 (AJP) - South Korean and Japanese foreign and defense officials met in Seoul on Thursday to discuss ways to strengthen security cooperation. In the format of their first "2+2" vice ministerial meeting, South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo and Vice Defense Minister Lee Doo-hee met with their respective counterparts Takehiro Funakoshi and Koji Kano. Thursday's meeting, which came after the previous one in Tokyo in November 2024, w May 7, 2026
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  How AI is erasing entry-level career path in Korea SEOUL, May 7 (AJP) - Near midnight in Seoul's Gangnam district, the lights inside law offices still burn long after neighboring buildings have gone dark. But for many junior lawyers, the exhaustion no longer comes from endless paperwork alone. Artificial intelligence has sharply shortened the time needed for much of the grunt work that once consumed young associates' nights — document reviews, precedent searches and first-pass drafting. Yet the workload itself has no May 7, 2026
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  Tesla extends lead over BMW to top imported car market for third consecutive month SEOUL, May 7 (AJP) - American electric vehicle maker Tesla continued its dominance in South Korea's imported car market in April, selling more than 10,000 vehicles to retain the top spot for a third consecutive month after overtaking Germany's BMW for the first time in February. According to the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA), Tesla led with 13,190 registrations, followed by BMW with 6,658 and Mercedes-Benz with 4,796. China's BYD ranke May 7, 2026
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  ​​​​​​​HOT STOCK: Hyosung Heavy takes breather after 50% near-nonstop rally SEOUL, May 07 (AJP) - Hyosung Heavy Industries, a Seoul-based transformer and switchgear maker, has emerged as one of the KOSPI’s standout AI infrastructure plays outside chip behemoths, with its shares soaring more than eightfold from a year earlier. The stock rose as high as 4,742,000 won ($3,267) on Thursday before easing to 4,558,000 won as of 2 p.m. Hyosung Heavy has gained nearly 50 percent in just two weeks from 2,990,000 won on April 16, and more than eightfold from 5 May 7, 2026
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  SK Telecom turns to AI infrastructure as core mobile business weakens SEOUL, May 7 (AJP) - South Korea's largest mobile carrier SK Telecom is increasingly turning to artificial intelligence (AI)-driven infrastructure as its new growth engine. According to its first-quarter earnings report released on Thursday, SK Telecom posted an operating profit of 537.6 billion Korean won (US$393 million) in the first three months of this year, down 5.3 percent from a year earlier, reflecting a slump in its core telecom business. Revenue also fell 1. May 7, 2026
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  Former PM's jail term reduced to 15 years on appeal over martial law involvement SEOUL, May 7 (AJP) - Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo received a reduced sentence on appeal on Thursday for his involvement in disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law debacle in December 2024. In a nationally televised ruling, the Seoul High Court sentenced Han to 15 years in prison on insurrection charges related to Yoon's Dec. 3 declaration of martial law, which led to his ouster from office. Han was found guilty on most of the main charges incl May 7, 2026
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  North Korea 'not bound by NPT,' UN envoy says SEOUL, May 7 (AJP) - North Korea is "not bound" by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), its representative to the United Nations (UN) said in a statement released by state media on Thursday. Kim Song, North Korea's permanent representative to the United Nations, who is currently attending the monthlong NPT review conference in New York, said that the country is "not bound by the NPT in any case," according to state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) May 7, 2026
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  Korea weighs Louisiana LNG project for $200 bln US investment package SEOUL, May 07 (AJP) - South Korea has begun reviewing a liquefied natural gas export terminal project in Louisiana as a potential first project under its $200 billion strategic investment package with the U.S., officials and industry sources said Thursday. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy recently selected a consortium of Samil PwC and Kim & Chang to advise on the Louisiana LNG project, part of the Korea-U.S. strategic investment package agreed last year. Industry w May 7, 2026
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  Kakao posts record first-quarter earnings as AI fuels Korea's platform giants SEOUL, May 07 (AJP) - South Korea's platform giants are converting an artificial intelligence investment cycle into top-line momentum, with Kakao joining rival Naver in delivering AI-revved first-quarter earnings. According to regulatory filings on Thursday, Kakao's consolidated operating profit jumped around 65.9 percent from a year earlier to 211.4 billion won ($145.7 million) on an adjusted basis, while revenue climbed 11.1 percent to 1.94 trillion won — both first May 7, 2026