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  Naver, Krafton, Mirae Asset unveil India-focused tech fund during presidential visit SEOUL, April 21 (AJP) - South Korean internet giant Naver joined forces with gaming company Krafton and financial services firm Mirae Asset to hold a briefing in New Delhi on Tuesday to promote the Unicorn Growth Fund, a jointly established investment vehicle targeting up to 1 trillion won ($681 million) in high-growth technology companies across Asia with India at its core. The briefing was held on the sidelines of President Lee Jae Myung's three-day state visit to India, the f April 21, 2026
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  "Fight Club" goes digital in Korea, dragging teenage violence into the spotlight SEOUL, April 21 (AJP) - In the 1999 American cult classic Fight Club, members of an underground brawling group follow one defining rule: never talk about it. In today’s viral digital landscape in South Korea, violence is no longer hidden — it is performed, filmed and monetized in plain sight. Across YouTube, Telegram and livestreaming platforms, a burgeoning genre of “fight content” is blurring the line between sport and exploitation, drawing millions of v April 21, 2026
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  Lee heads to Hanoi after wrapping up visit to India SEOUL, April 21 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung is heading to Hanoi on Tuesday, after wrapping up his trip to India earlier in the week. Lee is scheduled to hold talks on Wednesday with Vietnamese President Tô Lâm, who also serves as general secretary of the Communist Party. Lee's trip is a reciprocal visit, coming about eight months after Lâm visited Seoul in August last year. As the first leg of his itinerary in Viet Nam, Lee will meet with South Ko April 21, 2026
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  TWICE Nayeon sports new identity in "Wear Yourself" campaign with GROVE SEOUL, April 21 (AJP) - Nayeon of South Korean girl group TWICE under JYP Entertainment joined fashion brand GROVE in its third campaign. The “Wear Yourself” campaign is built around the idea of dressing in a way that reflects one’s true self, offering a message of personal expression through fashion. The brand presented styles completed in individual ways by combining timeless basics with statement pieces. Nayeon, who serves as Grove’s am April 21, 2026
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  Severance University Hospital reaches 50,000 robotic surgeries, setting global milestone SEOUL, April 21 (AJP) - Severance University Hospital said Tuesday it has performed 50,000 robot-assisted surgeries, becoming the first single institution in the world to reach the milestone. It comes about 28 months after it hit 40,000 cases, having reached 10,000 in 2013, 20,000 in 2018, and 30,000 in 2021 since pioneering robotic surgery in South Korea in 2005. According to the hospital in Seoul, 12 surgical robots and two training robots are in use, five of which are single April 21, 2026
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  KOSPI hits fresh record as chip rally lifts market ahead of looming US-Iran talks SEOUL, April 21 (AJP) - Asian markets mostly opened higher on Tuesday amid growing expectations ahead of looming talks between the United States and Iran to end the prolonged conflict in the Middle East. In Seoul, the benchmark KOSPI hit an all-time high of 6,355.39 during morning trading, breaking the previous intraday record set on Feb. 27, while the junior KOSDAQ edged down 0.03 percent to 1,174.52. Shareholder returns are gaining momentum. Total cash dividends by KOSPI-listed April 21, 2026
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  South Korea posts record exports in April as semiconductor shipments soar SEOUL, April 21 (AJP) - South Korea's exports jumped sharply in the first 20 days of this month, driven largely by strong global demand for semiconductors, according to figures released by the Korea Customs Service on Tuesday. Outbound shipments surged to US$50.4 billion between April 1 and 20, up 49.4 percent from a year earlier, the highest level ever recorded for the period and surpassing the previous record of $36.4 billion in 2022. Imports also increased 17.7 percent dur April 21, 2026
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  Hanwha partners US firm to build unmanned surface vessels for Pentagon SEOUL, April 21 (AJP) - Hanwha Group has partnered with U.S.-based Magnet Defense to jointly develop and produce unmanned surface vessels (USVs) for the U.S. military, the company said. Hanwha Defense USA announced on Monday that it signed a strategic partnership with Magnet Defense at the 2026 Sea-Air-Space exposition held in National Harbor, Maryland. The agreement covers multiple projects, including the joint construction of a 38-meter medium unmanned surface vessel (MUSV) known April 21, 2026
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  New Bank of Korea chief stresses "discretion" as oil shock weighs prices and growth SEOUL, April 21 (AJP) —New Bank of Korea Governor Shin Hyun-song underlined “discretion” and “flexibility” in steering monetary policy as Middle East-driven supply disruptions stoke inflation while weighing on growth. “Upward pressure on prices and downward pressure on the economy have simultaneously increased due to rising international oil prices following the Middle East conflict,” Shin said in his inauguration address Tuesday, as he April 21, 2026
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  Trump rules out further extension of Iran ceasefire as deadline approaches SEOUL, April 21 (AJP) - The U.S. is unlikely to extend its two-week ceasefire with Iran, which expires this week, U.S. President Donald Trump told Bloomberg on Monday, downplaying the chances of another extension. During a phone interview, Trump said the ceasefire would end "Wednesday evening Washington time" - a deadline extended by a day from an initially expected Tuesday expiry, after he announced the temporary truce on April 7 following threats to strike Iranian faci April 21, 2026