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  LG CNS strikes strategic partnership with Palantir to accelerate AI transformation push SEOUL, March 12 (AJP) - LG CNS, the IT services arm of South Korea's LG Group, signed a strategic partnership with U.S. artificial intelligence software firm Palantir Technologies, as the company moves to broaden its enterprise AI platform business. The agreement was signed ahead of Palantir's AIPCon event in the United States. LG CNS President and CEO Hyun Shin-gyoon and Palantir co-founder and CEO Alex Karp were among senior executives present at the signing ceremony on We March 12, 2026
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  U.S. targets Korea and 15 others for Section 301 trade probe after tariff setback SEOUL, March 12 (AJP) -The United States has opened a trade investigation into South Korea and 15 other economies over alleged structural overcapacity in manufacturing sectors, a move that could eventually lead to new tariffs as the Trump administration rebuilds its trade policy after a recent Supreme Court setback. The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) said Wednesday it had initiated investigations under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 into the “act March 12, 2026
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  South Korea releasing 22.46 million barrels of oil reserves in IEA joint action SEOUL, March 12 (AJP) -South Korea will release 22.46 million barrels of oil from its strategic reserves as part of the International Energy Agency’s largest-ever coordinated emergency action to stabilize global energy markets shaken by the war in Iran. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Wednesday the decision follows an emergency meeting of the International Energy Agency (IEA), where its 32 member countries agreed to release a combined 400 million barrels from e March 12, 2026
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  Miyeon, NOWZ set to perform at fashion-themed festival in Tokyo SEOUL, March 11 (AJP) - Miyeon of K-pop girl group i-dle and rookie boy band NOWZ will perform at Japan's "Tokyo Girls Collection," the island country's largest fashion-themed festival, according to their agency Cube Entertainment. Miyeon, along with five-member boy band NOWZ consisting of Hyunbin, Yoon, Yeonwoo, Jinhyuk, and Siyun will appear at the festival, which celebrates its 42nd year, scheduled for Thursday at Yoyogi National Stadium in Tokyo. The festiva March 11, 2026
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  Iran's 'Drones vs Patriots': If U.S. forces shift, who guards South Korea's skies? SEOUL, March 11 (AJP) - As U.S. air-defense assets are increasingly drawn into the widening war with Iran, South Korea faces an uncomfortable question: how much of its own air and missile defense can it sustain without American cover. Seoul has quietly acknowledged it cannot prevent U.S. tactical assets from being redeployed if Washington needs them elsewhere. The concern is not abstract. North Korea’s missile and drone tactics bear striking similarities to those now being tes March 11, 2026
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  Samsung strike risk rises as 60 percent of union members cast ballots SEOUL, March 11 (AJP) - The likelihood of a strike at Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest memory chipmaker supplying about a quarter of global DRAM, is rising as more than 60 percent of its unionized workers have cast ballots on collective action over disputes about employee bonuses. A joint strike committee representing three Samsung labor unions said Wednesday that over 60 percent of their roughly 90,000 members had participated in the vote since balloting began Mond March 11, 2026
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  BTS Comeback D-10 South Korea flags 1,800 resale listings for BTS concerts SEOUL, March 11 (AJP) - Korea’s culture ministry said Wednesday it had referred four suspected ticket-scalping cases involving 105 BTS concert tickets to police after identifying more than 1,800 resale listings online. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said it found 1,868 online posts offering BTS concert tickets for resale, including duplicate listings, while monitoring major Korean secondhand trading platforms such as Joonggonara, Ticketbay, Karrot Market and Bun March 11, 2026
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  Korean stocks rise on chip gains as Taiwan leads Asian rally SEOUL, March 11 (AJP) - Asian stocks were mostly higher Wednesday, with Taiwan leading regional gains as semiconductor shares rallied across the region, while Korean equities advanced on institutional buying and corporate shareholder-return announcements. Taiwan’s benchmark TAIEX surged 4.1 percent to 34,114.2, marking the strongest performance among major Asian markets. The rally was driven by chipmaker TSMC, which climbed 4.86 percent to 1,940 TWD ($ 61.1) in active trading March 11, 2026
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  AI reshapes entry-level jobs as Korea nears '20,000 Ph.D. era' SEOUL, March 11 (AJP) - As artificial intelligence reshapes white-collar work, more South Koreans are staying in school longer — and earning Ph.D.s in record numbers. Universities awarded 19,831 doctoral degrees in 2025, according to data released Tuesday by the Korean Educational Development Institute, the highest since records began in 1999 and a 51.6 percent increase over the past decade. The milestone places the country on the brink of what policymakers call the “ March 11, 2026
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  Activists rally in Seoul to mark 15th anniversary of Fukushima disaster SEOUL, March 11 (AJP) - Activists held a rally in central Seoul on Wednesday to mark the 15th anniversary of Japan's Fukushima disaster in 2011. The protesters, wearing boards shaped like nuclear reactors, were members of an anti-nuclear civic group. They gathered in front of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Gwanghwamun, reading a declaration to urge remembrance of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, oppose the construction of additional nuclear power plants, and advocate March 11, 2026