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  Olympics Stars: Protégé to pioneer: Choi Gaon's night of courage in Italy SEOUL, February 13 (AJP) -By any measure, it was a night that reshaped Korean snow sports. On a cold, wind-swept slope in northern Italy, 17-year-old Choi Gaon rose from pain, doubt and near withdrawal to seize Olympic gold — not just any gold, but South Korea’s first ever in a snow event — at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. She did it the hard way. The only way that truly lasts. After a frightening crash in her opening run and another failed attempt that February 13, 2026
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  Semiconductor-themed expo underway in southern Seoul with nearly 2,500 booths SEOUL, February 12 (AJP) - Nearly 2,500 booths are displaying various semiconductor materials and related equipment at an expo which kicked off at COEX in southern Seoul earlier this week. Organized by the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI), the three-day expo, dubbed SEMICON Korea runs until Friday, providing an opportunity to share the latest technologies and market trends. This year's expo is the largest ever, bringing about 550 domestic and globa February 12, 2026
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  My Friend Seoul gallery opens at City Hall SEOUL, February 12 (AJP) - Seoul's City Hall underground space, which underwent renovation last year, has completed its full transformation and reopened as a space showcasing Seoul's charm and identity to the world. Seoul city opened the Seoul Gallery, a complex cultural space where visitors can explore the city's competitiveness, future vision, and major policies, on Feb. 5.The Seoul Gallery features a city promotion exhibition hall utilizing cutting-edge media techno February 12, 2026
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  KOSPI lands above another 5,500 milestone SEOUL, February 12 (AJP) —South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI towered over regional peers on Thursday, setting a fresh record above the 5,500 mark on strong foreign and institutional buying. The benchmark index rose 3.1 percent to close at 5,522.3, up 167.8 points on the session. Foreign investors bought a net 3.0013 trillion won ($2.08 billion), while institutions added 1.3668 trillion won. Retail investors sold 4.4474 trillion won, locking in gains after the recent rall February 12, 2026
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  Practice makes perfect ahead of Seollal SEOUL, February 12 (AJP) - Bowing to elders and tossing wooden sticks across a board game mat, children are rehearsing the rituals of Seollal before the holiday even begins. Across South Korea, traditional Lunar New Year experience programs are underway ahead of Seollal, offering young participants the chance to prelearn customs that once passed naturally from one generation to the next. With the nation’s biggest holiday set for next week, cultural centers and heritage ve February 12, 2026
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  Southern Seoul bathed under Lotte Luminarie SEOUL, February 12 (AJP) - The “2026 Lotte Luminarie: Wish Shines On” festival is underway at World Park Plaza of Lotte World Tower in Songpa-gu, southeastern Seoul, bathing the surrounding area in the glow of approximately 270,000 lights. Held under the theme “Wish Shines On,” this year’s event centers on a 17-meter-high illuminated dome, accompanied by a newly installed cross-shaped tunnel measuring 63 meters wide and 25 meters long. The design expa February 12, 2026
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  To keep US troops, Seoul may have too look beyond NK in defense axis SEOUL, February 12 (AJP) - The U.S. National Defense Strategy (NDS), released last month one year into the Trump administration, delivers a message that is clear — take “primary responsibility” for own defense and expect “critical but limited” U.S. support. For South Korea, which has relied on the U.S. deterrence umbrella against North Korea for more than 70 years, the language feels unsettling. But beneath the rhetoric lies a deeper structural shift: W February 12, 2026
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  Samsung Electronics starts mass shipments of HBM4, targets next-gen AI demand SEOUL, February 12 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics has begun mass shipments of the industry's first HBM4 high-bandwidth memory chips, the South Korean tech giant said on Thursday, looking to secure an early lead in the next-generation AI memory market. The new chip utilizes Samsung's advanced 10-nanometer class (1c) DRAM and its proprietary 4-nanometer foundry process for the base die. It delivers stable transfer speeds of 11.7 gigabits per second (Gbps) and hits a maximum of February 12, 2026
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  Ex-interior minister sentenced to 7 years in prison in martial law case SEOUL, February 12 (AJP) - Former Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min was sentenced to seven years in prison on Thursday for his role in disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law debacle. In a trial broadcast nationwide, the Seoul Central District Court ruled that he was guilty of aiding Yoon's declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, by instructing police and fire agencies to cut off power and water to media outlets on Yoon's orders. The court February 12, 2026
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  Seoul embarks on massive cleanup of penny stocks while market is hot SEOUL, Feb 12 (AJP) - Hoping to keep alive the sizzling momentum in the Korean stock market, now ranked among the world’s top 10 by valuation, Seoul has toughened rules to clean out zombie stock names. According to a new set of delisting requirements unveiled Thursday by the Financial Services Commission (FSC), members of the KOSPI will face stronger market capitalization and financial health standards, similar to those applied to the smaller KOSDAQ. As of September 2024, February 12, 2026