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  Seoul eases a set of FX liquidity rules to prop up the won SEOUL, December 18 (AJP) -The South Korean government has decided to broadly ease foreign-exchange stability rules for banks, exporters and foreign investors to improve FX supply and demand conditions in latest efforts to prop up the won hovering stubbornly at crisis-era levels without direct market intervention. The move was decided during another emergency meeting among the heads of the finance ministry, financial regulator, and the central bank Thursday morning after December 18, 2025
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  Louis Vuitton trademark case goes public at Korea's Supreme Court SEOUL, December 18 (AJP) -South Korea’s Supreme Court will hold a public hearing later this month to decide whether remodeling luxury handbags into entirely new products constitutes trademark infringement, a case expected to set the court’s first clear benchmark on the legal limits of the so-called “reform” or upcycling business. According to the Supreme Court on Thursday, its Second Division, presided over by Justice Kwon Young-joon, will hear public December 18, 2025
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  CJ CheilJedang brings Bibigo brand to Netflix's Culinary Class Wars Season 2 SEOUL, December 18 (AJP) - CJ CheilJedang said Thursday it has supplied a branded pantry stocked with Korean food products for Netflix's cooking competition series Culinary Class Wars Season 2 expanding its global marketing push following a similar tie-up with Squid Game Season 2. The food giant provided a dedicated Bibigo-branded pantry that appeared in episodes released on Dec. 16, featuring ingredients ranging from basic condiments to signature ready-to-eat products for compe December 18, 2025
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  Asian markets subdued by Wall Street slide, BOJ rate anticipation SEOUL, December 18 (AJP) - Asian markets opened subdued on Thursday, taking cues from two key drivers — an overnight sell-off on Wall Street and anticipation ahead of the Bank of Japan’s rate decision. In New York, renewed concerns over an “AI bubble” resurfaced after a major financier reportedly withdrew from an Oracle-led AI data-center project. The gloom was partially offset by Micron Technology’s strong earnings and upbeat guidance, which sent its December 18, 2025
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  Seoul ranked 6th among world's most competitive cities SEOUL, December 18 (AJP) - Seoul was ranked as the sixth most competitive city in the world, according to a recent survey by Japanese think tank Mori Memorial Foundation released on Thursday. Seoul maintained its ranking in the foundation's annual Global Power City Index (GPCI) from the previous year, but its overall score rose sharply, narrowing the gap with fifth-ranked Singapore. The index, based on six functions such as "economy, research and development, cultural in December 18, 2025
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  Hyundai Motor Group to expand plug-and-charge EV network in South Korea SEOUL, December 18 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor Group said on Thursday it will begin a large-scale expansion of its plug-and-charge (PnC) electric vehicle charging network next year, aiming to make EV charging more convenient and secure for drivers. Plug-and-charge is an international standard that automatically manages user authentication, charging and payment when a vehicle is connected to a charger, the automaker said. Unlike conventional EV charging systems that require drivers December 18, 2025
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  OPINION: Cooperation between Türkiye and Republic of Korea in building fair international order SEOUL, December 18 (AJP) - At a time when power balances are being reshaped, the conventional international order is entering a phase of disintegration, and normative values are being eroded, the global system has been drawn into a multi-layered environment of uncertainty. In this age of uncertainty, multidimensional issues, such as intensifyin December 18, 2025
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  HOT STOCK: Ford's EV retreat delivers 10% blow to LG Energy Solution SEOUL, December 18 (AJP) -Shares of South Korea’s top battery maker LG Energy Solution have fallen more than 10 percent over the past week after Ford Motor announced it was withdrawing several electric-vehicle models amid changing market conditions. The move triggered the cancellation of a long-term battery supply agreement with LG Energy Solution valued at 9.6 trillion won ($6.5 billion). Shares of LG Energy Solution — the third-largest stock on the KOSPI by market ca December 18, 2025
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  K-Sure provides $1.7 billion financing for Verizon's purchase of Samsung devices SEOUL, December 18 (AJP) - Korea Trade Insurance Corp. (K-Sure) said on Thursday it will provide $1.7 billion in financing for a project under which Verizon Communications Inc., the largest telecommunications operator in the United States, will purchase mobile devices from Samsung Electronics. Verizon, which K-Sure said has about 150 million subscribers and the largest share of the U.S. telecom market, will use the entire amount to buy Samsung-made communications devices, includ December 18, 2025
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  US Senate approves defense bill prohibiting unilateral USFK troop cuts SEOUL, December 18 (AJP) - The U.S. Senate on Wednesday passed a defense bill that includes a provision prohibiting a unilateral reduction of U.S. troops stationed in South Korea. The annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which sets defense policy, allocates funding priorities, and provides guidance on key security matters, was approved by the Senate in a decisive 77-20 vote, following its passage in the House of Representatives last week. The bill, which allocates a December 18, 2025