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  Seoul's presidential office returns to Cheong Wa Dae Monday SEOUL, December 25 (AJP) - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will formerly begin work at the Cheong Wa Dae on Monday, making the end of the presidential office's temporary operation in Yongsan-gu. The official name of the president’s office will change from the Office of the President to Cheong Wa Dae on the same day. At midnight, the phoenix flag symbolizing the head of state will be lowered at the Yongsan presidential office to be raised at Cheong Wa Dae. Forme December 26, 2025
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  Korean won revisits 1,430 versus dollar for the first time since Nov SEOUL, December 26 (AJP) -The Korean won strengthened more than 1 percent on Friday, extending its 1.3 percent jump in the previous session on Wednesday, as the U.S. dollar broadly weakened against major East Asian currencies, including the Japanese yen and the Chinese yuan. The dollar opened at 1,449.9 won after the Christmas break and slid as low as 1,429.5, marking its first dip below the 1,430 level since Nov. 4 — a move that signaled a possible shift in market positioni December 26, 2025
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  Samsung to showcase unified AI vision in standalone CES 2026 exhibit SEOUL, December 26 (AJP) - For the first time in its CES history, Samsung Electronics will operate a fully standalone exhibition space, breaking away from its long-established practice of presenting its products in the Las Vegas Convention Center’s Central Hall. The move underscores Samsung’s push to position itself as a leader in connected AI ecosystems ahead of next year’s show. Samsung has secured a 4,628-square-meter venue at the Wynn Las Vegas hotel, separat December 26, 2025
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  Homeless left outdoors in Seoul's deep freeze SEOUL, December 26 (AJP) -A bitter cold settled over Seoul as temperatures fell below zero, pushing the wind chill near minus 17.6 degrees Celsius (0.3 degrees Fahrenheit). Beneath Seoul Station, some homeless people lay on the floor wrapped in cardboard and thin sleeping bags, sheltering under fluorescent lights that never go out. Outside, they huddle inside fragile tents as Arctic air cuts through. The city issued its first freeze warning of the winter and activated round-th December 26, 2025
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  PHOTOS: Seoul art show opens in Coex SEOUL, December 26 (AJP) - The 2025 Seoul Art Show, an exhibition offering a comprehensive look at the latest trends in contemporary art, opened December 24 at Coex in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and runs through December 28. Now in its 14th year, the Seoul Art Show is held annually during the Christmas season and has become a fixture of the city's year-end cultural calendar. The event serves as a barometer for the Korean art market and a primary point of contact between the public and December 26, 2025
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  Special counsel seeks 10-year jail term for ex-President Yoon over martial law case SEOUL, December 26 (AJP) -A special counsel team on Friday asked a Seoul court to sentence former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 10 years in prison on charges including obstruction of justice and abuse of power related to his short-lived martial-law declaration in December last year. It is the first request for sentencing on the disgraced president whose term was cut short in the wake of his Dec. 3 martial-law stunt. During the final hearing of Yoon’s obstruction-of-justice December 26, 2025
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  Asian stocks rise following record close for S&P 500 SEOUL, December 26 (AJP) - Asian stock markets climbed on Friday, following a rally on Wall Street after U.S. economic data showed stronger-than-expected third-quarter growth earlier in the week. In Seoul, the benchmark KOSPI rose 0.6 percent to 4,132.65 as of 10:14 a.m., and the KOSDAQ gained 0.2 percent to 916.70. The regional advance followed a Wednesday close in which the S&P 500 rose 0.3 percent to an all-time high of 6,932.05. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.6 December 26, 2025
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  Cold wave grips South Korea SEOUL, December 26 (AJP) - Bitter Artic air gripped South Korea Friday, sending temperatures in Seoul and elsewhere well below freezing and triggering widespread weather alerts. The mercury fell to as low as minus 17.6 degrees Celsius (0.3 degrees Fahrenheit) as of 5 a.m. and will stay subzero for most of the day. December 26, 2025
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  Seoul to decide whether to lift ban on North Korean state media access The South Korean government is weighing whether to allow public access to North Korea's state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun and, more broadly, to ease restrictions on North Korean websites, as part of a policy review led by the National Intelligence Service (NIS). The issue will be discussed at a Cabinet-level meeting on Friday involving officials from the NIS, the Ministry of Unification, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Scie December 26, 2025
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  Samsung moves to develop in-house GPU for next-generation AI devices SEOUL, December 26 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics plans to introduce its first fully in-house graphics processing unit (GPU) as part of a new Exynos application processor scheduled for release in 2027, marking a major step in the company’s efforts to strengthen control over on-device AI performance. According to industry sources on Thursday, Samsung’s System LSI division is developing a proprietary GPU architecture to be integrated into the tentatively named Exynos 2800. December 26, 2025