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  South Korea's biggest lenders move to curb home purchase loans SEOUL, November 21 (AJP) - KB Kookmin Bank and Hana Bank, two of South Korea’s largest lenders, said they will suspend new home purchase loans through the end of the year, a move that is expected to be followed by other major banks and could create a year-end “loan cliff” for prospective buyers. According to industry officials, KB Kookmin Bank will stop accepting new mortgage applications for home purchases beginning Nov. 22 on its online platforms and No November 21, 2025
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  Korea's Hanwha and Emirati defense group EDGE upgrade air defense partnership Hanwha Aerospace signs MOU with UAE’s EDGE Group to expand defense AI cooperation SEOUL, November 21 (AJP) - South Korea's defense firm Hanwha Aerospace and Emirati state-owned defense conglomerate EDGE Group on Friday announced they have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to expand joint develpment across advanced air and missile defense, long-range precision strike, unmanned systems, and defense AI. Under the agreement signed during the Dubai Airshow November 21, 2025
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  Polestar CEO touts Busan plant as key export hub for North America SEOUL, November 21 (AJP) - Michael Loscheller, chief executive of Polestar, stressed the strategic value of the company’s new production base in Busan, describing it as a critical link between Asian manufacturing and North American demand. Speaking to reporters in Seoul on Nov. 20, Loscheller said the plant has begun trial production of the Polestar 4 destined for North American markets. The facility, operated by Renault Korea, underwent a major upgrade this year to pre November 21, 2025
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  Asian shares tumble on renewed U.S. tech rout, exposing regional market fragility SEOUL, November 21 (AJP) - Asian markets slid on Friday as a fresh selloff in U.S. tech reignited “AI bubble” fears and laid bare how deeply regional sentiment is tethered to Wall Street’s semiconductor cycle. Overnight, all three major U.S. indexes fell. Nvidia cooled 3.15 percent to $180.64, reversing its brief rebound. AMD plunged 7.84 percent to $206.02, while Micron Technology tumbled 10.87 percent to $201.37, clinging just above the psychologically importan November 21, 2025
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  Coupang reports data breach affecting 4,500 customers SEOUL, November 21 (AJP) - Coupang, South Korea's leading e-commerce giant, said Friday it has detected a data breach affecting 4,500 customers. It informed customers the previous day that unauthorized access to personal information including names, email addresses, and order and delivery details was detected on Tuesday. After discovering the breach, Coupang blocked the access route used by the unknown third party. The company added that there is currently no evidence the s November 21, 2025
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  North Korean leader attends ceremony for new hydropower plant SEOUL, November 21 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended a ceremony marking the completion of a hydropower plant in Kangwon Province, state media reported on Friday. According to the state-run Rodong Sinmun, Kim visited the plant the previous day, the sixth to be built in the region amid the country's chronic electricity shortage. In his speech, Kim described the plant's completion as a significant achievement, praising the collaboration between the militar November 21, 2025
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  Hyundai's Casper Electric wins Germany's Golden Steering Wheel Awards SEOUL, November 21 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor’s Casper Electric has been named the “Best Car Under 25,000 Euros” at the 2025 Golden Steering Wheel Awards, one of Europe’s most influential automotive honors, the company said Friday. The award underscores the model’s rising prominence in Germany’s fiercely competitive small electric vehicle segment. Hyundai has been steadily broadening its EV lineup, building on the success of the Ioniq 5, and the Ca November 21, 2025
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  Firefighters struggle to contain wildfire in Inje SEOUL, November 21 (AJP) - Firefighters are still battling a wildfire in the mountainous areas of Inje, Gangwon Province, with about 60 percent of the flames contained as of early Friday morning. According to the Korea Forest Service, more than 300 rescue officials were mobilized overnight to extinguish the blaze which broke out at around 5:30 p.m. the previous day, but the rugged mountain ranges made the operation difficult. Additional helicopters were also deployed at sunrise November 21, 2025
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  South Korea's halt on state asset sales strains debt-laden public firms SEOUL, November 21 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung’s order to halt the sale of state-owned assets over concerns of potential undervaluation has left major public agencies scrambling for alternatives, despite growing fiscal pressures and the need to offload underperforming holdings. According to industry officials, Korea National Oil Corp. (KNOC) has suspended its long-running effort to sell Harvest, a Canadian oil and gas producer it acquired in 2009. KNOC, which has rem November 21, 2025
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  Korea-Japan joint titles emerge as new streaming sellers SEOUL, November 21 (AJP) - In October, Netflix’s charts delivered an unusual pairing at the top: the Korean film “Good News” and the Korea–Japan co-produced drama “Anonymously Yours”. Despite their different genres, both titles underscore a fast-rising trend — Korean and Japanese creators increasingly joining forces in writing, directing, casting, and financing. “Anonymously Yours,” a romance series adapted from the 2010 French November 21, 2025