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  US Navy selects South Korea's HJ Shipbuilding for ship repair partnership SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - HJ Shipbuilding & Construction said on Friday it has been selected by the U.S. Navy as a partner for its ship repair program. The decision enables the South Korean shipbuilder to participate fully in maintenance, repair and overhaul work for major U.S. naval vessels. The agreement will run from Jan. 23 through Jan. 22, 2031, the company said. The U.S. Navy program is a framework agreement between the U.S. government and private shipyards that January 16, 2026
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  South Korea's 'sovereign AI' push stumbles as Naver, Kakao step aside SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - Naver Cloud and Kakao, South Korea’s two largest internet platform operators, have decided not to take part in an additional round of bidding for the government’s flagship artificial intelligence project, dealing an early setback to Seoul’s push to build a “sovereign AI” foundation model. The withdrawal by the two companies — long seen as natural contenders given their vast user data, cloud infrastructure and AI researc January 16, 2026
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  KOSPI soars above 4,800 for first time while Nikkei tumbles SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - Asian stock markets opened mixed in early trading on Friday, with South Korea's KOSPI hitting a fresh record high, while Japanese shares retreated on profit-taking. In Seoul, the benchmark index rose 0.95 percent to 4,841.81, surpassing the 4,800 level for the first time on record, while the tech-heavy KOSDAQ lagged, slipping 0.43 percent to 947.06 shortly after the day's trading began. Strong U.S. labor data kept the dollar firm, pushing the exc January 16, 2026
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  Advance train tickets for Lunar New Year now on sale SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - Sales of advance train tickets for the Lunar New Year break began this week. According to railway operator KORAIL, tickets are available online for about a week starting Thursday, about a month in advance, for trains running during the weeklong holiday from Feb. 13 to 18. The first two days of pre-booking will be reserved for senior citizens aged 65 and older, people with disabilities, and recipients of national merit honors. Ordinary citizens can book January 16, 2026
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  Lee to meet residents in Ulsan as part of regional growth initiative SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung will visit Ulsan next week to meet residents and hear about the issues facing the industrial city. Lee, who stressed regional growth in his New Year's address, wrote on Facebook Thursday that he will hold his first town hall-style meeting of the year on Jan. 13, describing the southern city as “the heart of South Korea's industry. "Over the past 60 years, Ulsan has led our manufacturing industries including January 16, 2026
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  Hyundai Motor brings in Tesla veteran to accelerate robotics ambitions SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor Group has recruited Milan Kovac, a former Tesla executive who led development of projects including the humanoid robot Optimus, in a move aimed at strengthening its push for artificial intelligence and robotics. Hyundai said Kovac has been appointed as an adviser to the group and is expected to be named an outside director at Boston Dynamics, a robotics company owned by Hyundai Motor Group. Kovac brings nearly two decades of experience January 16, 2026
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  Fire breaks out in Seoul's last remaining shantytown SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - A fire broke out in a shantytown in southern Seoul early Friday morning, forcing residents to evacuate. The fire occurred at around 5 a.m. in Guryong Village, the last remaining slum of makeshift homes and shoddy tents in Seoul's affluent district of Gangnam. Over 200 firefighters were dispatched shortly after receiving a report that the fire had started in an empty home. Hours later, smoke and flames are still engulfing the area despite efforts to January 16, 2026
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  HMM to deploy AI navigation system on 40 ships in HD Hyundai tie-up SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - HMM said Friday it will deploy an artificial intelligence–based autonomous navigation system across 40 vessels, stepping up efforts to improve efficiency and cut emissions through advanced maritime technology. The South Korean shipping company will introduce the system through a technical partnership with HD Hyundai affiliates HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and Avikus, a developer of autonomous navigation solutions. A contract-si January 16, 2026
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  Impeached president faces first verdict on martial law-related charges SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - Impeached former President Yoon Suk Yeol will be sentenced on Friday for one of several charges related to his botched martial law debacle. In a nationwide televised trial scheduled for 2 p.m., the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul is set to deliver its ruling on whether Yoon obstructed law enforcement by blocking investigators and other officials who attempted to detain him following his abrupt late-night declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, January 16, 2026
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  S. Korea leans on semiconductors as non-IT exports lose ground: BOK SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - South Korea’s exports remain resilient, but the country is steadily losing ground in global competitiveness in some sectors, according to a report released Friday by the Bank of Korea. While headline export figures have held up, shipments of major non-IT goods — excluding semiconductors — have been largely stagnant for years, deepening performance gaps across industries. South Korea’s share of the global export market ha January 16, 2026