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  Fractured NewJeans as Danielle and ADOR head toward legal standoff SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) - The future of NewJeans as a full five-member act has been thrown into doubt after agency ADOR unilaterally notified member Danielle of the termination of her exclusive contract, raising concerns that the group could remain divided amid ongoing uncertainty over another member's return. With Danielle effectively ruled out of future activities under ADOR and Minji's status still undecided, prospects for NewJeans resuming activities as a complete lineu December 30, 2025
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  South Korean business sentiment improves for second month, but services outlook slips SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) - South Korean companies reported improved business conditions for a second consecutive month in December, supported by year-end seasonal factors, the central bank said on Tuesday. However, sentiment for the coming month weakened sharply in the nonmanufacturing sector as the seasonal boost is expected to fade. According to the Bank of Korea’s December business survey and Economic Sentiment Index, the all-industry Corporate Business Sentime December 30, 2025
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  DP floor leader resigns amid snowballing bribery allegations SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) - Kim Byung-ki, floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), resigned from his post on Tuesday amid various bribery allegations and other misconduct. "Being at the center of snowballing allegations every day, I have become an obstacle to the party and the Lee Jae-myung administration, so I have decided to step down," he said. "I'm deeply sorry and apologize to the people," he said, adding, "My actions fell far short o December 30, 2025
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  Naver's new AI model ranks second among Korean models in global benchmark SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) - Korea's largest internet company Naver's new high-performance reasoning AI model has been listed on a global AI evaluation index for the first time, ranking second among domestic models. Naver Cloud's HyperCLOVA X SEED Think (32B) reasoning model scored 44 points Tuesday on the Intelligence Index compiled by Artificial Analysis (AA), a global AI performance evaluation organization. The language models are tested by AA through 10 evaluation d December 30, 2025
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  UPDATE: Korea's factory output rebounds on chips, domestic front remains slack *Updated with additional information and market response SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) - South Korea’s factory output rebounded in November after two consecutive monthly contractions, supported by a sharp pickup in semiconductor production and increased facility investment linked to AI-driven chip demand, government data showed Tuesday. Mining and manufacturing output rose 0.6 percent from the previous month, reversing declines of 4.2 percent in October and 1.0 percent in Sept December 30, 2025
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  DP, PPP at odds over probe into Unification Church-related allegations SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) - The ruling Democratic Party (DP) and the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) remain at odds over the scope of a proposed probe by independent prosecutors into bribery allegations involving the Unification Church, also known as the Moonies. Their talks were further bogged down by the DP's demand to include suspicions involving another dubious religious sect Shincheonji, despite the party's initial opposition to the probe. DP leader Jung December 30, 2025
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  Samsung Electronics taps AI startup Nota for next Exynos mobile chip SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) - South Korean artificial intelligence software firm Nota has signed a contract with Samsung Electronics to embed its AI model optimization technology in the latter's next mobile application processor, the Exynos 2600. The deal, announced Tuesday, follows an earlier agreement covering the Exynos 2500, extending a partnership aimed at boosting on-device AI performance in Samsung’s flagship chipsets. Nota, led by Chief Executive Chae Myung-soo, December 30, 2025
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  Nota to supply AI optimization tech for Samsung's next-gen Exynos 2600 chip SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) - Korean AI model optimization firm Nota AI said Tuesday it has signed an agreement with Samsung Electronics to supply AI optimization platform technology for the tech giant's next-generation mobile application processor, the Exynos 2600. The deal marks a consecutive contract for Nota, following its previous partnership for the Exynos 2500. Under the agreement, Nota will participate in developing the next version of Samsung's proprietary toolchain, E December 30, 2025
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  Coupang falls under pan-government scrutiny in Seoul despite remedy program SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) -The South Korean government maintained that it will press ahead with a sweeping investigation into Coupang despite the e-commerce giant’s announcement of a large-scale compensation plan, vowing to leave “not a single suspicion” unresolved over a massive data breach affecting nearly all of its 34 million users. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon, who chairs a pan-government task force on the case, on Mon December 30, 2025
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  Korea's Hanwha Aerospace signs $4 bn third-stage Chunmoo deal with Poland SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) -South Korean defense company Hanwha Aerospace has signed a third-stage contract for its multiple rocket launcher system with Poland’s arms procurement authority, enabling the European country to domestically produce guided rockets under a joint manufacturing framework. The 5.6 trillion won ($4 billion) agreement, covering 80-kilometer-range guided missiles, was signed Monday at the Warsaw Military Museum between Hanwha WB Advanced Systems &mdash December 30, 2025