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  Kim Jong-un inspects missile base, citing growing US nuclear threat SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected a missile base for intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), state media said on Wednesday. "The U.S. strategic nuclear means pose ever-increasing threat to the security environment of more definitely bolster its war deterrence and take a thorough and strict counteraction posture of the nuclear forces," Pyongyang's Korea Cent October 23, 2024
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  CJ Olive Young expands rapidly growing live-streaming commerce SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - CJ Olive Young, a South Korean health and beauty retailer, is expanding its mobile live-streaming commerce business by opening a dedicated studio and offering production support for partner brands. The company said Wednesday Olive Live, its streaming platform launched in October 2019, has seen viewer numbers jump 142 percent and order value rise 33 percent in the first half of 2024 compared to the previous year. Popular programs include "Beauty Expe October 23, 2024
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  OPINION: Canada's tariff strategy on Chinese EVs- A misstep in trade and climate policy KARACHI, October 23 (AJP) - Canada’s decision to impose 100 percent tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, with 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum to follow, reflects a critical moment in Sino-Canadian relations. From Beijing’s perspective, these measures are not merely economic sanctions - they represent a broader alignment of Canadian policies with those of the United States. Historically, Canada had pursued a more diversified trade policy, leveraging China&rs October 23, 2024
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  Korea to raise industrial power rates by 9.7% SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - South Korea will raise electricity rates for industrial users by 9.7 percent on average while freezing household and commercial rates, the government said Wednesday. Starting Thursday, power costs will increase by 10.2 percent for high-volume industrial users and 5.2 percent for smaller companies, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and Korea Electric Power Corp. “We raised industrial use rates, considering that large ex October 23, 2024
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  OPINION: North Korea and Russia - Alliance of the weak KENOSHA, October 23 (AJP) - Considerable media attention is directed to reports that North Korea is supplying troops to aid Russia’s war in Ukraine along with workers. In reality, this is simply the latest step closer between two already-close but weak partners. Both struggle today. Moscow’s assumption that Ukraine would be an easy conquest has proven disastrously wrong. As the war grinds on, significant numbers of young men are fleeing Russia rather than being drafted i October 23, 2024
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  Ex-president Lee Myung-bak's elder brother dies at 89 SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - Lee Sang-deuk, the elder brother of former President Lee Myung-bak, died on Wednesday after a prolonged battle with age-related illnesses. He was 89. Lee senior had been receiving treatment at Seoul National University Hospital, according to his close aides. First elected to the National Assembly in 1988, the six-term lawmaker served as its vice speaker from 2006 to 2008. Once a prominent political figure during his younger brother's presidency, t October 23, 2024
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  Korea's largest robotics show opens with focus on AI SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - Robotworld 2024, South Korea's largest robotics industry exhibition, opened Wednesday at KINTEX in Goyang, west of Seoul. A record 291 companies and institutions are showcasing AI-integrated intelligent robots, including humanoids and service robots, during the four-day event organized by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. South Korea's leading robotics firm Robotis Co. demonstrated an indoor delivery robot capable of autonomously o October 23, 2024
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  Hyundai Rotem developing hydrogen-powered tank SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - SEOUL (AJP) — Hyundai Rotem said Wednesday it is developing what would be the world's first hydrogen-fueled battle tank. The Korean company, affiliated with Hyundai Motor Group, is collaborating with the Agency for Defense Development and the Korea Research Institute for Defense Technology Planning and Advancement to develop a hydrogen-powered version of the K2 tank, the Army's main battle tank, a company official told AJP. The next-generat October 23, 2024
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  Samsung SDI unveils next-generation mobility batteries at expo SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - SEOUL (AJP) — Samsung SDI showcased its lineup of mobility batteries at the Future Auto & Mobility Expo 2024 in the southeastern Korean city of Daegu, the company said Wednesday. The Korean battery maker displayed several next-generation products, including cathode-free solid-state batteries, which began sample deliveries to clients in late 2023, and 46-phi cylindrical batteries scheduled for micro-mobility production in early 2025. The company October 23, 2024
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  First batch of North Korean troops 'set to arrive in Russia's Kursk' SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - The first batch of North Korean troops allegedly dispatched to Russia is likely to be deployed in Kursk, a Russian territory occupied by Ukraine, as early as this week, a Ukrainian military leader claimed on Tuesday. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Directorate made the claim, in an interview with American military magazine The War Zone, also known as TWZ. "We are waiting for the first units tomorrow in the October 23, 2024