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  Celimax serum tops Amazon Australia beauty bestseller rankings SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - South Korean dermacosmetic brand Celimax's flagship product, the Retinal Shot Tightening Booster, ranked first overall on Amazon Australia’s beauty bestseller list, the company said on Monday. The product initially climbed to the top spot in the facial serums category during Amazon Australia’s International Brand Pavilion promotion before rising to No. 1 across the broader beauty category, which includes products from major global bran December 22, 2025
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  OPINION: Are museum admission fees worth it? SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - Debate is intensifying over whether the National Museum of Korea should start charging admission fees. Proponents of free entry argue that public museums exist to serve everyone, while opponents point to chronic budget shortfalls that leave few viable alternatives. But this debate often fixates on price, overlooking a more fundamental issue: what, exactly, would visitors be paying for, and is the experience worth charging for? That question becomes clearer December 22, 2025
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  OPINION: A decade that changed US-China economic power SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - The year 2025 is likely to stand as a watershed in U.S.-China relations. After nearly a decade of confrontation, the Trump administration has effectively acknowledged the limits of its strategy to contain China — a campaign pursued in earnest since 2017. The contrast between two tariff battles tells the story. In the trade war launched in 2018, President Donald Trump pressured President Xi Jinping and extracted a Phase One trade deal in early 2020. December 22, 2025
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  Samsung closes in on HBM race after winning top marks from Nvidia SEOUL, December 21 (AJP) -South Korea's Samsung Electronics is rapidly closing the gap with local rival SK hynix in the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) race after securing top marks from AI chip frontrunner Nvidia, signaling a potential shift in the balance of power in next-generation memory supply. According Industry sources Sunday, Samsung Electronics recently received the strongest evaluation among memory makers in Nvidia’s HBM4 System-in-Package (SiP) testing, delivering s December 21, 2025
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  S. Korea's consumer watchdog orders compensation for SK Telecom data breach victims SEOUL, December 21 (AJP) - The Korea Consumer Agency has ordered SK Telecom to compensate victims of a data breach earlier this year with 100,000 won ($67.5) per person, a move that could result in total payouts of up to 2.3 trillion won if applied to all affected users. The Consumer Dispute Settlement Commission under the Korea Consumer Agency said Sunday that it reached the decision at a dispute meeting held on Dec. 18. "Based on the findings of a joint public-private inve December 21, 2025
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  Shinsegae Chairman Chung steps up US outreach, meets Trump Jr., AI and media leaders SEOUL, December 21 (AJP) - Chung Yong-jin, chairman of Shinsegae Group, has met with a series of high-profile political and business figures in the U.S. as part of efforts to strengthen the group's overseas network and explore new growth opportunities. According to Shinsegae Group on Sunday, Chung attended a Christmas dinner hosted by U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and went on to meet key figures in Florida and Los Angeles from Dec. 16 to 18, including Donald Trump Jr., Misha La December 21, 2025
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  Coupang hit with shareholder class action in US over data breach response SEOUL, December 21 (AJP) - U.S.-listed Coupang Inc. is facing a shareholder class action lawsuit in California over its handling of disclosures related to a massive data breach. According to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on Friday, Coupang shareholder Joseph Berry filed a class action suit against the company, its Executive Chairman Bom Kim, and Chief Financial Officer Gaurav Anand. In the complaint, plaintiffs' attorney Lawrence Rosen allege December 21, 2025
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  G-Dragon sweeps three grand prizes at Melon Music Awards 2025 SEOUL, December 21 (AJP) - K-pop singer G-Dragon dominated the Melon Music Awards 2025 on Saturday, winning three grand prizes and a total of seven awards to emerge as the biggest winner of the night. The artist claimed the top honors of Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Song of the Year at the 17th annual awards ceremony, held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. He also took home trophies for Top 10, Millions Top 10, Best Male Solo Artist and Best Songwriter. His third full-l December 21, 2025
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  S. Korea, US to begin talks next year on nuclear submarines, other nuclear issues SEOUL, December 21 (AJP) - South Korea and the U.S. have agreed to begin talks next year on nuclear submarines and other nuclear-related issues to implement agreements reached at summits between the two countries. "From next year, we agreed to begin discussions in all areas, including nuclear submarines, along with the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel and uranium enrichment," National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac said on Saturday after visiting Canada following a trip to December 21, 2025
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  South Korea, U.S. to launch parallel talks on nuclear submarine, fuel cycle issues SEOUL, December 21 (AJP) -South Korea and the United States plan to begin simultaneous, issue-by-issue consultations next year to implement leaders’ agreements on Seoul’s nuclear-powered submarine program, civilian uranium enrichment and the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, South Korea’s national security adviser said Sunday. Wi Sung-lac said the two sides agreed to “launch consultations all at once” starting next year as follow-up measures to agr December 21, 2025