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  [AI Analysis] Economy outweighs politics in South Korea, New Year polls show SEOUL, January 01 (AJP) -New Year polls show economic anxiety outweighs political concerns as livelihoods come under strain in South Korea. Across multiple polls released at the turn of the year, voters expressed more anxiety than optimism — not in the form of crisis fear, but as a growing sense of fatigue from prolonged cost pressures and stalled improvement in daily life. Roughly 45–50 percent of respondents said the economy would worsen this year, while only t January 1, 2026
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  South Korea welcomes first babies of 2026 amid signs of fragile fertility recovery SEOUL, January 01 (AJP) - South Korea marked the start of the Year of the Red Horse with the birth of its first newborns at the stroke of midnight on Jan. 1, 2026, as two baby girls were delivered simultaneously at a maternity hospital in Seoul. According to CHA University Gangnam Medical Center, the two girls were born at exactly 12:00 a.m. to mothers aged 37, both in stable condition. One baby, weighing 2.88 kilograms, was delivered by cesarean section, while the other January 1, 2026
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  Samsung Display rolls out 360Hz QD-OLED with new pixel structure as high-end monitor competition intensifies SEOUL, January 01 (AJP) - Samsung Display has begun mass supply of a 34-inch QD-OLED monitor panel featuring a newly designed “V-Stripe” pixel structure, as panel makers race to differentiate performance in the premium gaming and productivity market. The company said it started shipping the panels in December to seven global manufacturers, including ASUS, MSI and Gigabyte. The model supports a 21:9 ultra-wide aspect ratio, a 360Hz refresh rate and peak brightness of 1, January 1, 2026
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  Half of Koreans expect economy to worsen in 2026, inflation tops concern: poll SEOUL, January 01 (AJP) -About half of South Koreans believe economic conditions will deteriorate in 2026, with inflation emerging as the most urgent concern, even as many remain optimistic that the stock market’s rally can extend further, a survey showed Thursday. A poll conducted by Realmeter on behalf of Energy Economy News found that 46.4 percent of respondents expect the economy next year to be “worse than now,” compared with 33.8 percent who believe conditi January 1, 2026
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  Son of Mirae Asset founder moves to core Mirae unit to renew speculation on generational shift SEOUL, January 01 (AJP) -Park Jun-beom, the eldest son of Mirae Asset Chairman Park Hyun-joo, has moved from Mirae Asset Venture Investment to Mirae Asset Securities, the core unit of South Korea's top asset managing conglomerate, renewing speculation about a generational shift under making despite the founder's long-stated opposition to hereditary succession. Mirae Asset Securities said Thursday that Park, previously a senior investment reviewer at Mirae Asset Venture Inve January 1, 2026
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  Kim Jong Un stresses internal unity, honors troops sent to Russia in New Year address SEOUL, January 01 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un used his New Year speech to emphasize domestic cohesion and praise soldiers deployed to Russia, avoiding any direct message toward South Korea or the United States. According to the Korean Central News Agency, Kim delivered the remarks late Wednesday at a large celebration held at Pyongyang’s May Day Stadium. He said North Korea’s drive for “comprehensive socialist development” had successfully passe January 1, 2026
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  South Korean defense minister conducts New Year's Day command flight SEOUL, January 01 (AJP) -South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back conducted a command flight on New Year’s Day under escort by domestically produced fighter jets in a symbolic move to demonstrate military readiness across the Korean Peninsula, the Ministry of National Defense said Thursday. Ahn boarded an Air Force E-737 Peace Eye airborne early warning and control aircraft before dawn for what the ministry described as an “airborne command post” operation. January 1, 2026
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  Korea bets on AI-driven productivity as new engine of growth in 2026 SEOUL, January 01 (AJP) -South Korea is entering 2026 with a renewed push to reset its growth model around artificial intelligence, as the government and corporate leaders converge on AI-led productivity and solution-based innovation as the country’s next economic engine, according to New Year's addresses by key officials from the government and private sector. In his New Year’s address Thursday, President Lee Jae Myung raised urgency on a national transition b January 1, 2026
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  INTERVIEW: Korea confident in AI sovereignty - National AI committee vice chair SEOUL, January 01 (AJP) -“The debate over whether sovereign artificial intelligence is even possible has completely shifted. Now the mood is: we can do it. That change in mindset is the most important development so far,” Lim Moon-young, the vice chairman of the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy Committee, told Aju Business Daily on Dec. 29, 2025. More than 100 days after its launch under President Lee Jae Myung, the National AI Strategy Committee's bi January 1, 2026
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  Korea's exports hit record $709.7 billion in 2025 as chip shipments surge to all-time high SEOUL, January 01 (AJP) - South Korea’s exports hit an all-time high in 2025, surpassing $700 billion for the first time, driven by record semiconductor shipments despite weakening demand in key overseas markets. According to data released Thursday by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, exports rose 3.8 percent from a year earlier to $709.7 billion, topping the previous record set in 2024. Average daily exports also reached a historic high of $2.64 billion. Semico January 1, 2026