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  Samsung contains brief smoke incident at Hwaseong plant; no injuries, no production impact SEOUL, December 24 (AJP) - A brief smoke incident was quickly contained at Samsung Electronics’ Hwaseong plant on Wednesday, with no injuries or impact on production, the company said. Local fire authorities received a report at 10:01 a.m. that smoke was detected in a research building, caused by carbonization in a pump unit. Samsung’s onsite emergency team extinguished the source within about 10 minutes before firefighters arrived. Around 120 employees evacuated in December 24, 2025
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  Seoul offers tax incentives to induce capital "reshoring" to prop up local won SEOUL, December 24 (AJP) - South Koreans who shift funds from overseas stocks back into domestic equities over the next year will be exempted from capital-gains taxes, under a new government initiative aimed at correcting capital outflows that have contributed to the structurally weak won. The tax incentive, unveiled Wednesday by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, offers a full exemption on capital gains from overseas stock sales if the proceeds are converted into won and reinve December 24, 2025
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  Children's choir lights candles for Christmas SEOUL, December 24 (AJP) - As the year-end Christmas season arrives, choirs across the country are spreading holiday joy and cheer. Among them, a children's choir at Light and Salt Church in northern Seoul lit candles last week, about a week ahead of Christmas. Through their carols, they prayed that small lights might come together to overcome the darkness, and that their small voices could swell into a thunderous chorus, bringing warmth to the cold winter night. December 24, 2025
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  Korea's Hyundai Motor elevates engineers to C-suite SEOUL, December 24 (AJP) - South Korea's Hyundai Motor Group on Wednesday carried out a reshuffle underlying its renewed focus and command over software-defined mobility capabilities. Jin Eun-sook, Vice President of the ICT Division, was promoted to President to become the first female president in the history of Hyundai Motor Company and the third female leader within the broader group, joining the ranks of top executives at Hyundai Commercial and Innocean. Jin, h December 24, 2025
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  Namyang Dairy heiress arrested for alleged drug use after fleeing abroad SEOUL, December 24 (AJP) - Hwang Ha-na, the granddaughter of the founder of Namyang Dairy Products has been arrested after fleeing abroad, police said on Wednesday. According to police in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Hwang, 37, arrived at Incheon International Airport earlier in the morning and is currently being questioned over drug-related allegations. She is suspected of having used methamphetamine with two acquaintances in southern Seoul in 2023, again coming under investigation December 24, 2025
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  Customs watchdog releases list of agricultural products exempt from US tariffs SEOUL, December 24 (AJP) - South Koreans will be able to check which goods are exempt from the country's recently concluded reciprocal tariffs with the U.S., the Korea Customs Service (KCS) said on Wednesday. The KCS said it compiled the list of some 248 agricultural products including coffee, tea, and fruits, which have been exempt from the reciprocal tariffs after the White House issued an executive order exempting them effective from Nov. 13. Those exempt also include seas December 24, 2025
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  Korea and US agree to work on a separate pact on nuclear-power submarine project SEOUL, December 24 (AJP) -South Korea and the United States will start working-level talks early next to write out a separate bilateral agreement on cooperation on nuclear-powered submarines, said Seoul’s national security adviser said Wednesday. In a televised briefing on his back-to-back visits to the United States, Canada, and Japan, Wi Sung-lac specified the reasons for the need for a separate pact on the submarine program, which is linked to broader security commitmen December 24, 2025
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  S. Korea's new regional carrier SUM Air to take off next year SEOUL, December 24 (AJP) - SUM Air, South Korea's new regional air mobility (RAM) carrier, is set to take off from France to Seoul on the last day of this year. Founded in 2022, the carrier plans to operate domestic routes as well as short-haul international routes to nearby destinations such as Japan and China within two hours of flight time. SUM means "island" in Korean, and the carrier plans to connect cities and islands, including Ulleung, Heuksan, and Baengnyeo December 24, 2025
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  Korea's consumer confidence dips as weak won fuels inflation fears SEOUL, December 24 (AJP) - South Korea’s consumer confidence fell in December as inflationary expectations rose amid persistent weakness in the won, survey data showed Wednesday. The composite consumer sentiment index (CCSI) for December dropped 2.5 points from November to 109.9, according to the Bank of Korea. While a reading above 100 indicates that optimism outweighs pessimism, several subindices pointed to growing household anxiety over economic con December 24, 2025
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  Asian shares opens higher as Christmas Eve boosts sentiment SEOUL, December 24 (AJP) - South Korean and Japanese stocks opened higher on Wednesday, buoyed by the Christmas Eve spirit, while markets in China and Hong Kong stayed flat. In Seoul, the benchmark KOSPI rose 0.3 percent to 4,129.06 and tech-heavy KOSDAQ added 0.31 points to 919.87. Samsung Electronics fell 50 Korean won to 111,450 won ($76.2), while SK hynix gained 0.9 percent to 589,500 won. LG Energy Solution rose 0.6 percent to 390,500 won. Samsung Biologics declined 1.2 perc December 24, 2025