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  Samcheok City Council Reviews 2026 Work Plans, Seeks Solutions on Local Issues Samcheok’s City Council on Tuesday held the fifth plenary session of its 269th extraordinary meeting, receiving 2026 major work-plan briefings from six departments, including the economy division, and debating local issues and development priorities. Council members offered proposals on boosting the local economy, youth policy, tourism infrastructure, traditional-market revitalization and improvements to the education environment. Council member Kim Hee Chang called for measu January 28, 2026
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  Prosecutor criticizes acquittal in Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case Kim Tae Hoon, chief prosecutor of the Daejeon High Prosecutors Office who led the investigation into the Deutsche Motors stock manipulation case under the Moon Jae-in government, criticized a trial court ruling that acquitted first lady Kim Keon Hee of violating capital markets law, calling it an “unfair decision.” Kim posted his statement Tuesday on the prosecution’s internal network, e-Pros, under the title, “As a member of the first Deutsche Motors investigation team, I share my view o January 28, 2026
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  Samsung Electro-Mechanics sets 2025 profit-sharing bonus at 5%-6% of salary as Samsung affiliates finalize payouts Samsung Electro-Mechanics has decided to pay an excess profit incentive (OPI) worth 5% to 6% of annual salary based on last year’s results, effectively wrapping up performance-bonus decisions across major Samsung electronics affiliates, including Samsung Electronics. According to the industry on Tuesday, Samsung Electro-Mechanics announced its 2025 OPI payout rates in an internal notice. The Component Business Division, which leads the multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) business, will January 28, 2026
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  South Korea says Trump tariff remarks tied to delay in U.S.-investment bill Cheong Wa Dae said it views President Donald Trump’s remarks about raising tariffs as stemming from U.S. dissatisfaction over delays in passing a “special act for strategic investment management” with the United States, and said it will explain to Washington that parliamentary procedures are required. Kim Yong Bum, Cheong Wa Dae’s senior presidential secretary for policy, told a briefing at Chunchugwan on Monday that Trump’s comments could be interpreted as frustration that implementatio January 28, 2026
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  VC Funding Shifts to Pre-IPO Mega-Rounds as Early-Stage Deals Slide Global venture capital investment is increasingly flowing to proven companies in a winner-take-most pattern, and the concentration is expected to sharpen this year around mega-rounds for firms nearing an initial public offering. According to VC analytics firm THE VC, investment in unlisted startups and small and midsize companies at the seed-to-Series A stage totaled 1.919 trillion won last year, down 41.17% from a year earlier. The number of deals fell even more sharply, down January 28, 2026
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  SK hynix to set up U.S. AI solutions unit, overhaul Solidigm to merge NAND and AI SK hynix plans to establish a U.S.-based artificial intelligence solutions company tentatively named “AI Company,” while significantly restructuring its local NAND business. The company will reposition its subsidiary Solidigm as a holding entity for AI solutions and create a new “AI NAND solutions” operating unit under Solidigm to run NAND operations jointly with SK hynix. SK hynix said in a statement posted to its newsroom on Tuesday that it is pursuing a plan to reorganize Solidigm — wh January 28, 2026
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  South Korea Launches Public-Private Task Force to Draft K-GX Green Transition Strategy The South Korean government on Tuesday launched a public-private task force to draft its K-GX (green transition) strategy, bringing together relevant ministries and major industry associations at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The task force was formed to steer policy discussions as South Korea works to implement its 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution, or NDC, and to turn those efforts into growth opportunities while strengthening coordination between the public and priv January 28, 2026
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  Trump admin pressures Seoul over "unfulfilled" trade commitments SEOUL, January 28 (AJP) - U.S. Trade Representative Jamison Greer told Fox Business on Tuesday that South Korea had yet to honor commitments made under last summer’s “framework agreement,” including a planned 350-billion-dollar investment in the U.S. over three years and steps to open its market to more American automobiles and agricultural products. “We showed good faith by lowering our tariff rate on Korea from 25 percent to 15 percent,” Greer said. January 28, 2026
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  Kim Keon Hee Says She Accepts Court’s Criticism After 1st Trial Sentence Kim Keon Hee said she would “humbly accept” the court’s stern criticism after she was sentenced to 1 year and 8 months in prison in a first trial on Tuesday. Her legal team said in a notice to reporters that attorneys met with Kim at Nambu Detention Center after the ruling and relayed her statement. “Today, I humbly accept the court’s stern criticism, and I will not take its weight lightly,” Kim said during the meeting. “Once again, I am sorry to everyone for causing concern because of m January 28, 2026
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  SK hynix plans U.S. AI solutions unit to expand role in AI data centers SK hynix said Tuesday it is pushing ahead with plans to set up an AI solutions company in the United States, tentatively named “AI Company,” or AI Co. The company said it aims to move beyond being a memory chip maker and become a key partner in the AI data center ecosystem, building on its competitiveness in AI memory technologies such as high-bandwidth memory, or HBM. It said it will pursue strategic investments and partnerships with companies that have AI capabilities, strengthen its me January 28, 2026