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  Flutist Jihee Han's musical journey: A culmination of heritage and artistry SEOUL, April 04 (AJP) - In the world of classical music, a debut album often serves as an introduction to a young artist's potential. However, flutist Jihee Han’s recently released album under the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon label feels more like a profound culmination of a lifelong dedication to her craft. Han’s artistic foundation was deeply influenced by her family environment. Her late father, Sang-bum Han, a respected senior executive at Korean Air, was kn April 4, 2026
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  S.Korea's diversified LNG supply chain mitigates risks amid Australia's potential export limits SEOUL, April 04 (AJP) - South Korea is facing potential supply chain disruptions for liquefied natural gas (LNG) as Australia, its largest LNG supplier, considers prioritizing domestic demand amid growing global uncertainties driven by the Middle East conflict. While the government expects limited near-term impacts, broader concerns over global energy supply stability remain. In response, proactive measures by South Korean private energy firms, such as SK Innovation E&S and April 4, 2026
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  Korean stocks rebound as Hormuz risks recede, foreign inflows return SEOUL, April 03 (AJP) - Asian markets swung mostly higher Friday as governments from the Middle East to Europe scramble to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The benchmark KOSPI led gains, closing up 2.7 percent at 5,377.3, as foreign and institutional investors returned to net buying. The won strengthened to 1,507.9 per dollar. The move followed reports that Iran is working with Oman on a maritime protocol to manage transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a route that handles roughly April 3, 2026
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  BTS '2.0' MV channels Oldboy noir as cinematic callbacks spark global buzz SEOUL, April 03 (AJP) - A few Korean films have left a deeper imprint on global cinema than Oldboy (2003), the brutal, operatic noir that propelled director Park Chan-wook onto the world stage — with a Cannes Grand Prix and admiration from filmmakers including Quentin Tarantino. Its side-scrolling corridor fight, shot in a single take, has since become one of the most imitated sequences in modern cinema. Now, that visual language has found an unlikely new interpreter: BTS. April 3, 2026
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  Korea's credit market shows crunch signs as demand dries up SEOUL, April 3 (AJP) — Spring has arrived, but South Korea’s debt market remains stuck in a winter chill, especially for sub-investment-grade issuers, as surging bond yields, weak demand and a cheapened won erode the appeal of Korean assets. Government bond yields have climbed back to levels last seen in November 2023, when the benchmark rate stood at 3.50 percent during the post-pandemic tightening cycle — even as the current policy rate has been held at 2.50 pe April 3, 2026
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  Learning to plant green on Arbor Day SEOUL, April 03 (AJP) -Arbor Day may have faded from public attention, but in pockets of Seoul it still lives on — especially for children discovering the simple joy of planting a tree. In Gangnam, that spirit took root along Yangjaecheon on Friday. To mark the 81st Arbor Day on April 5, Gangnam-gu hosted the “Our Neighborhood Green Donation Challenge – Garden Forest of Participation” at Gaepo-dong Neighborhood Park, drawing some 500 participants — April 3, 2026
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  Remembering Jeju April 3 for the 78th time SEOUL, April 03 (AJP) -The Jeju April 3 Incident refers to a period of armed uprising and state suppression on Jeju Island between 1948 and 1954, during which tens of thousands of civilians were killed. The violence began with an uprising on April 3, 1948, rooted in unrest that had been building since March 1, 1947, and continued for years amid a broader ideological conflict in the early Cold War period. Voices of remembrance echoed across the nation on Thursday as South Korea April 3, 2026
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  Korean-French fusion and K-pop flair greet Macron couple in Seoul SEOUL, April 03 (AJP) - Winning over a French palate is no small task — even more so when the guests are the president of France and his wife. South Korea answered with a carefully staged blend of Korean tradition and French culinary technique at a state dinner hosted by President Lee Jae Myung for President Emmanuel Macron and Brigitte Macron on Thursday. Chef Son Jong-won, known for “Culinary Class Wars 2,” was brought in for the occasion, crafting a menu th April 3, 2026
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  Cheap drones reshape Iran war, raising risk of North Korea copycat SEOUL, April 03 (AJP) - Low-cost drones are rapidly redefining modern warfare in the Iran conflict, exposing a growing cost imbalance that could have direct implications for the Korean Peninsula. U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed Washington achieved most of its strategic objectives in the war, likening the 32-day campaign to major 20th-century conflicts. Yet the fighting has dragged on longer than expected, far from the swift outcome suggested in the early hours of the U.S.-Is April 3, 2026
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  Washington expands metal tariffs as weight thresholds trigger new duties SEOUL, April 03 (AJP) - Washington upended the global household appliance market Thursday (local time) by imposing a flat 25 percent tariff on metal-intensive goods, a move that places South Korea’s leading exporters in a defensive crouch just as a separate pharmaceutical trade wall begins to rise. The new policy, anchored in a Section 232 national security justification, targets any finished product where steel, aluminum, or copper accounts for more than 15 percent of the t April 3, 2026