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  EXCLUSIVE: Brazil looks beyond 'traditional trade' from K-beauty to AI in state visit SEOUL, February 20 (AJP) - Brazil is looking beyond "traditional trade" through the Feb. 22–24 visit to South Korea, tapping fields from K-beauty to biosimilars, artificial intelligence and space cooperation in pursuit of "productive integration," its ambassador to Seoul said. "The main issue is reinvigorating a relationship that has evolved on just 'okay' in the past several years and is in need of a big jump," Ambassador Marcia Donner February 20, 2026
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  North Korea kicks off key party congress SEOUL, February 20 (AJP) - North Korea has kicked off its massive party gathering, state media reported on Friday. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, the ninth congress of the Workers' Party "opened with splendour" in Pyongyang the previous day. In his opening address, its leader Kim Jong-un said he is "full of optimism and confidence about the future," comparing this year's gathering with the previous one five years ago February 20, 2026
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  Seoul ready to push economic ties with New Delhi to new level - trade minister SEOUL, February 20 (AJP) -A deeper economic cooperation with India has become more important than ever for South Korea as the global trade environment undergoes rapid change, Seoul's Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo said Thursday. Speaking at the Korea-India Economic Cooperation Conference at Lotte Hotel Seoul, Yeo described India as “a central country” in South Korea’s New Southern Policy and “a leader of the Global South.” He said there is signific February 20, 2026
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  Iran and US reach preliminary agreement on negotiation principles in Geneva SEOUL, February 19 (AJP) - Iran and the United States have reached a comprehensive agreement on the basic principles for future negotiations following indirect talks held at the Omani Embassy in Geneva, the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in South Korea said Thursday. Seyed Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian Foreign Minister, described this second round of discussions as more serious than previous sessions, noting they took place within a constructive and practical atmosphere. Th February 19, 2026
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  Samsung's historic surge lifts KOSPI to record close SEOUL, February 19 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark KOSPI set a fresh record on Thursday as trading resumed following the Lunar New Year break, led by Samsung Electronics' historic close above 190,000 won. A buy-side sidecar was triggered on the KOSDAQ at 10:41 a.m. amid an aggressive rally in mid- and small-cap shares. The KOSPI jumped 3.1 percent to close at 5,677.3 points, marking a fresh all-time high after hitting an intraday peak of 5,681.7. The strong upward momentu February 19, 2026
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  When Seoul becomes the screen: From neon signs to BTS's digital stage SEOUL, February 19 (AJP) - On March 21, Gwanghwamun will not need to be transformed into a concert venue. It already is one. Along the 12-lane, 512-meter boulevard leading to the historic gate, walls of massive digital displays are permanently embedded into the cityscape. Office towers, commercial buildings and transit hubs double as screens. When BTS stages its comeback there, livestreamed on Netflix, the infrastructure will simply shift mode — from advertising an February 19, 2026
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  BTS Comeback D-30: J-Hope, a messenger of hope through lyrics, rap, and giving *Editor’s Note — As BTS prepares to return as a full seven-member act with a new album set for March 20 and an open-stage performance at Gwanghwamun on March 21, following a near four-year hiatus for rotational military service, AJP revisits the group’s 13-year trajectory. This series reexamines BTS’s history, music, performance identity and enduring appeal. The fourth installment traces the roots and growth of J-Hope. SEOUL, February 19 (AJP) - By the ti February 19, 2026
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  Déjà vu on housing as Seoul launches another real estate war SEOUL, Feb 19 (AJP) - Seoul has once again taken a hard-line approach to real estate policy — deploying higher taxes, stricter lending caps and strong-worded warnings from the president. Yet instead of cooling the market, the measures have fueled another surge in housing prices and rents in the capital. Sound familiar? Koreans have witnessed this cycle under almost every progressive government over the past two decades. The pattern is repeated: authorities crack down o February 19, 2026
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  Lingering chill gives way to spring SEOUL, February 19 (AJP) - Morning temperatures still remained low across most parts of the country on Thursday, which marks "Woosoo" on the lunar calendar, a seasonal term that literally means the time when snow melts and turns to rain. Despite the lingering winter chill, the first harbingers of spring have begun to appear on the southern resort island of Jeju, with canola flowers coming into bloom. The sweeping fields of canola in Seogwipo are heralding the arrival of February 19, 2026
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  KOSPI's star winners show why Seoul market shines in the AI transition SEOUL, February 19 (AJP) — South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI has emerged as the world’s best-performing major equity index so far in 2026, extending a record-breaking rally and decisively shaking off the long-standing “Korea discount.” The index has more than doubled since the end of 2024, rising nearly 34 percent this year alone after a 75.6 percent surge in 2025. No other major global benchmark has matched its year-to-date performance, reflecting a st February 19, 2026