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  SK hynix Q1 profit nearly doubles from last best Q4 to record $25 bn SEOUL, April 23 (AJP) - SK hynix, a front-runner in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips designed for AI accelerators, delivered its best-yet quarter ended March with its three-month operating profit nearly doubled from the previous best and its top-line also at a record high. According to its disclosure Thursday, SK hynix’s quarterly operating profit of 37.61 trillion won ($25.4 billion) came in well above the market consensus of 34.9 trillion won compiled by FnGuide, nearly do April 23, 2026
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  Korea's consumer confidence turns negative from energy concerns SEOUL, April 23 (AJP) -South Korea's consumer confidence turned negative for the first time in a year, weighed down by worries over supply-side repercussions on inflation and economic performance from a Gulf-triggered energy shock, data showed Thursday. According to the Bank of Korea (BOK), the consumer sentiment index for April dipped 7.8 points to 99.2, the first time below the 100 threshold in a year. A reading below 100 indicates pessimism outweighs optimism compared with April 23, 2026
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  Cash-strapped artists recount struggles with red tape at forum in Seoul SEOUL, April 22 (AJP) - A forum to improve the rights of artists and entertainers alike was held at the National Assembly in Seoul on Wednesday. At the forum hosted by lawmaker Son Sol of the minor far-left Progressive Party, participants discussed various measures to improve their legal rights, address workplace mistreatment, and strengthen support measures. Many of them, hired on independent freelance-based contracts and struggling to make ends meet, are unable to access state- April 22, 2026
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  Rome pivots to Seoul as lunar race demands global alliance SEOUL, April 22 (AJP) - Italy and South Korea are formalizing a strategic aerospace corridor as the technical and economic pressures of the second lunar age render national isolation obsolete. During the 2026 Italian Space Day in the South Korean capital on Wednesday, Teodoro Valente, the president of the Italian Space Agency, told a delegation of industry leaders that the era of the solo spacefaring nation has ended. As the global community readies for a permanent human presen April 22, 2026
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  KOSPI, Nikkei hit fresh record highs despite US-Iran talks on hold SEOUL, April 22 (AJP) - Asian markets mostly closed higher on Wednesday, with South Korea's benchmark KOSPI closing above the 6,400 mark for the first time, despite fresh uncertainties over the prolonged conflict in the Middle East after another round of talks between the U.S. and Iran was postponed indefinitely. The KOSPI rose 0.46 percent to close at a record 6,417.93 points, while the junior KOSDAQ gained 0.18 percent to finish at 1,181.12. Among large-cap tech shares, S April 22, 2026
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  How a single remark exposed deeper fault lines in U.S.–South Korea relation SEOUL, April 22 (AJP) - When South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young told lawmakers in March that North Korea was operating uranium enrichment facilities in Yongbyon, Kangson and Kusong, he intended to highlight the growing sophistication of its nuclear program. Instead, his remarks triggered an intelligence dispute with Washington and a controversy within the highly divisive Korean society. At the heart of the dispute is Kusong, a location that Washington claims had April 22, 2026
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  Polarization deepens as two chip giants dominate KOSPI SEOUL, April 22 (AJP) -South Korea's main bourse is flying to new heights and exports remain resilient despite Gulf shocks, but the momentum is increasingly powered by a single engine — chips. Memory giants Samsung Electronics and SK hynix now account for about 67 percent, or 137.3 trillion won ($XX billion), of total first-quarter operating profits among South Korean companies, according to financial data provider FnGuide. That is more than double last year’s sha April 22, 2026
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  Prosecutors seek 15-year prison sentence for ex-interior minister in appeals case SEOUL, April 22 (AJP) - Prosecutors on Wednesday again sought a 15-year prison term for former Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min in his appeals trial over allegations related to disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law debacle in December 2024. Lee was sentenced to seven years in prison in his first trial in February this year. During a hearing at the Seoul High Court, prosecutors said Lee played a key role in carrying out Yoon's botched declaratio April 22, 2026
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  Korea's birth rate crawls near 1 in February on record births in the month SEOUL, April 22 (AJP) -South Korea's fertility rate edged closer to the 1.0 threshold in February as births grew at a record pace, lifting the monthly tally to its highest level in seven years. According to the Ministry of Data and Statistics Wednesday, the number of births reached 22,898 in February, up 2,747, or 13.6 percent, from a year earlier — marking the highest February figure in seven years since 2019. The increase was the third-largest on record in absolute April 22, 2026
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  Samsung Biologics posts record Q1 but faces first-ever strike threat SEOUL, April 22 (AJP) - Samsung Biologics, the world's largest biopharmaceutical contract manufacturer, delivered its strongest-ever quarterly results on Tuesday but faces a looming walkout by its union, casting a shadow over an otherwise buoyant earnings report. Regulatory filings released Wednesday reported that operating profit surged 35 percent year-on-year to 580.8 billion won ($392.7 million), while revenue climbed 26 percent to 1.26 trillion won from the year-earlier qua April 22, 2026