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  Firefighters bring major blaze at Gwangju Kumho Tire plant under control SEOUL, May 18 (AJP) - A large fire at Kumho Tire’s Gwangju plant is nearing containment, prompting fire authorities to consider scaling back the emergency response level as of Sunday. The National Fire Agency said that as of the morning of May 18, the blaze was about 80 percent contained. A total of 462 firefighters and 168 pieces of equipment have been deployed in an ongoing effort to fully extinguish the flames. The fire broke out around 7:11 a.m. Saturday in the mixing May 18, 2025
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  Tajik State Pedagogical University deepens partnership with Jeonbuk National University SEOUL, May 17 (AJP) - A meeting to strengthen educational cooperation between a Tajik university and a university in southwestern South Korea took place last week. The event was attended by representatives from both institutions, including Rector of the Tajik State Pedagogical University named after Sadriddin Ayni and President of Jeonbuk National University Yang O-Bong. The representatives expressed their commitment to expanding academic exchanges, including student and fac May 17, 2025
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  Tajikistan and S.Korea expand partnership in geoscience cooperation SEOUL, May 17 (AJP) - An agreement to strengthen geological cooperation between Tajikistan and South Korea was signed in Seoul during the International Forum on Important Minerals (INFOCM 2025) last week. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed by Tajikistan’s Main Department of Geology and the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources. The two countries agreed to collaborate on geological mapping, exploration of strategic minerals, and assessment of geolog May 17, 2025
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  Massive blaze at tire factory in Gwangju might last one week SEOUL, May 17 (AJP) - A fire broke out at a tire manufacturing factory in a southwestern city on Saturday morning and could take a week to fully extinguish. The blaze began at a facility mixing raw rubber and chemicals at the Kumho Tire plant in Gwangju. Early investigations suggest an unknown spark ignited nearby flammable materials, quickly spreading the fire to adjacent buildings. About 400 employees immediately evacuated, but a worker in his 20s sustained a leg fracture a May 17, 2025
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  Former S. Korean President Yoon exits ruling party PPP SEOUL, May 17 (AJP) - Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said his resignation from the ruling People Power Party (PPP) on Saturday, a decision that comes just weeks before the upcoming snap presidential election. Yoon joined the PPP in July 2021, becoming its presidential nominee and securing the presidency under the party's banner. Despite his impeachment over his botched martial law debacle last year, he remained with the party until Saturday’s decision. May 17, 2025
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  Pyongyang criticizes US counterterrorism non-cooperation listing SEOUL, May 17 (AJP) -North Korea criticized the United States on Saturday for a "political provocation" after being re-designated as an "uncooperative state in combating terrorism," warning this would escalate "irreconcilable hostility" between the two countries. North Korea's state-run news media, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), reported that North Korea's Foreign Ministry described the annual designation as a "unilateral and ma May 17, 2025
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  Presidential candidates to face off in first televised debate this weekend SEOUL, May 16 (AJP) - With just a few weeks remaining until next month's presidential election, four presidential hopefuls are set to face off in a televised debate scheduled for this weekend. In their first debate hosted by election watchdog National Election Commission slated for Sunday, Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) and Kim Moon-soo, the presidential candidate of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) will present their vi May 16, 2025
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  Lotte Mart enters Singapore market through FairPrice partnership SEOUL, May 16 (AJP) - Lotte Mart has entered the Singapore market through a strategic partnership with FairPrice, the city state’s largest retailer. The company opened its first store in the country this week, adopting a shop-in-shop format within the FairPrice Extra outlet at VivoCity, one of Singapore’s largest shopping malls. The launch marks Lotte Mart’s first expansion into a new Southeast Asian market in 17 years, following its entry into Vietnam and Ind May 16, 2025
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  PHOTOS: Remembering King Sejong the Great SEOUL, May 16 (AJP) - King Sejong the Great, the fourth monarch of the Joseon Dynasty, whose reign saw the creation of Hangeul, the nation’s indigenous alphabet, and significant advancements across economic, social, cultural, and military spheres, was honored on Thursday in the first national commemoration of his birthday. May 15 was designated a national commemorative day last November. King Sejong is widely revered by South Koreans today, often mentioned alongside the famed Admiral May 16, 2025
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  Korea's top companies see 17% increase in first quarter operating profits SEOUL, May 16 (AJP) - South Korea’s largest corporations reported a sharp rise in operating profits in the first quarter of 2025, buoyed by a resurgence in the IT electronics sector, according to data released Friday by corporate tracker CEO Score. Among the nation’s top 500 companies, operating profits rose 17.1 percent year-over-year, climbing to 60.96 trillion won (approximately $44.6 billion) from 52.07 trillion won during the same period in 2024. The findings a May 16, 2025