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  Asian stocks slide as AI bubble talk resurfaces SEOUL, December 15 (AJP) - Asian markets fell broadly on Monday following a retreat on Wall Street last Friday, as renewed concerns about an “AI bubble” weighed on sentiment after Broadcom shares tumbled 13 percent. South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI was down 1.5 percent at 4,104.44, while the tech-heavy KOSDAQ slipped 0.2 percent to 935.61 as of 10 a.m. Only seven of the 30 largest companies by market capitalization on the main board posted gains. Samsung Electronic December 15, 2025
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  [UPDATE] Police Sweep Kakao building following bomb threat; No explosives found SEOUL, December 15 (AJP) - Authorities in South Korea on Monday conducted a large-scale search operation at tech giant Kakao's office building in Pangyo, south of Seoul, following a bomb threat report, but no explosive devices were discovered. Police said a joint team of approximately 70 officials — including police officers, firefighters, and military personnel — was deployed to the site, but no unusual or suspicious findings were reported during the operation December 15, 2025
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  Korea's ex-president brooded on martial law scheme more than a year before acting out SEOUL, December 15 (AJP) -Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol brooded over a scheme to invoke martial law to “eliminate political opponents and consolidate power” before October 2023, more than a year before the stunning decree was declared in December 2024, a special counsel investigation claimed Monday. The finding was detailed by Special Counsel Cho Eun-suk, who led a 180-day probe into allegations of insurrection and foreign collusion surrounding the Decem December 15, 2025
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  HOT STOCK: Korea Zinc soars on reports of $6.8 bn US smelter investment SEOUL, December 15 (AJP) - Shares of Korea Zinc Co., currently under a hostile takeover bid, jumped more than 11 percent Monday amid reports that the company is considering a 10 trillion won ($6.77 billion) investment to build a smelter in the United States. Korea Zinc shares rose as high as 1,914,000 won and closed at 1,592,000 won, up 4.9 percent from previous finish. Korea Zinc, the world's largest non-ferrous smelting company, is holding a board meeting and is expected to December 15, 2025
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  Nearly 90% of South Koreans use streaming services SEOUL, December 15 (AJP) - Nearly 90 percent of South Koreans use online streaming services and platforms, with an average of 2.1 subscriptions per person, according to a survey by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency. The survey, based on face-to-face interviews with 6,554 people conducted over three months starting in July, found that 54.2 percent of subscribers were paid users. YouTube led with 85.4 percent of users, followed by Netfli December 15, 2025
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  Korea Zinc weighs US strategic mineral smelter: reports SEOUL, December 15 (AJP) - Korea Zinc is considering building a strategic mineral smelter in the southeastern United States, according to media reports, on Monday. The world’s largest non-ferrous metal smelting company convened an emergency board meeting at its Seoul headquarters to discuss the potential project, which could involve investment from the U.S. Department of Defense and local defense-related investors, according to industry sources. The proposed smelter wou December 15, 2025
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  PHOTOS: Korean-born diplomat represents Ghana SEOUL, December 15 (AJP) - Ghana's newly appointed Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, Kojo Choi, officially commenced his diplomatic mission on Dec. 11, presenting his credentials to President Lee Jae Myung. Ambassador Choi, whose birth name is reported as Choi Seung Eub, is a naturalized Ghanaian citizen and a successful businessman, marking a significant first as the first Korean-born diplomat to serve as an African nation's ambassador to South Korea. The ambassado December 15, 2025
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  Doosan Enerbility signs steam turbine supply deal for Qatar plant SEOUL, December 15 (AJP) - Doosan Enerbility said on Monday it has signed a contract with Samsung C&T to supply key equipment for a power plant in Qatar, in a deal valued at about 1 trillion won ($730 million). The project involves the construction of a 2,400-megawatt gas-fired power plant located around 10 kilometers southeast of Doha. Under the agreement, Doosan Enerbility will supply two 430-megawatt steam turbines, generators and related auxiliary equipment, with deliver December 15, 2025
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  Korean AI models score poorly in college exam math vs global rivals: study SEOUL, December 15 (AJP) -South Korea's homegrown artificial intelligence language models significantly underperformed compared with leading international counterparts in solving college entrance exam–level math problems, according to a study by a research team led by Professor Kim Jong-rak at Sogang University. The study tested five major Korean-language AI models against five global models, including ChatGPT, using math and essay questions drawn from university entran December 15, 2025
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  South Korea's HJ Shipbuilding secures first US Navy MRO contract SEOUL, December 15 (AJP) - South Korea's HJ Shipbuilding has signed its first maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) contract with the U.S. Navy, marking its entry into the shipbuilding cooperation project between South Korea and the United States, the company said on Monday. The contract covers mid-level maintenance of the USNS Amelia Earhart, a 40,000-ton dry cargo and ammunition ship operated under the U.S. Navy’s Naval Supply Systems Command and Military Sealift Co December 15, 2025