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  Opinion: Snap elections in France: political scientist lays out what's at stake SEOUL, June 11 (AJU PRESS) - Speaking at a surprise address to the nation on Sunday evening, French president Emmanuel Macron told French citizens he had "decided to give back the choice of our parliamentary future through the vote." These words, pronounced in reaction to the historic surge of the far-right National Rally at the European elections, triggered the dissolution of France's parliament and snap elections on June 30 and July 7. Clea Chakraverty of Th June 11, 2024
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  PHOTOS: Gwanghwamun Square turns into outdoor library SEOUL, June 11 (AJU PRESS) - Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul is transformed into a huge outdoor library on weekends. It is part of the Seoul Outdoor Library event organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Library at three locations near City Hall. Bookshelves, beanbags and tents are installed in the square for the event, which takes place every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from April 18 to Nov. 10. June 11, 2024
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  Korea, U.S. hold third Nuclear Consultative Group meeting in Seoul SEOUL, June 10 (AJU PRESS) - South Korea and the U.S. held their third Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) meeting in Seoul on Monday. Defense and security officials from both sides gathered to bolster the bilateral alliance and discuss various security issues including the latest developments regarding nuclear deterrence. In a joint statement after the meeting, the two sides said they finalized reviewing the scope of mutual guidelines for the alliance's principles and operationa June 10, 2024
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  PHOTOS: Korea marks 1987 democratic uprising SEOUL, June 10 (AJU PRESS) - Korea on Monday marked the 37th anniversary of the landmark 1987 pro-democracy movement known as the June Democratic Uprising with a commemoration ceremony attended by top officials and prominent figures. Around 300 people, including Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and prominent former democracy activists, gathered at Seoul City Hall to commemorate the historic demonstrations that paved the June 10, 2024
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  Korea braces for medical service crisis as full-scale doctors' strike looms SEOUL, June 10 (AJU PRESS) - Korea faces a high possibility of an unprecedented medical service vacuum as private clinic doctors have announced they will go on strike next week, along with university hospital doctors who have been in protest against the government's decision to increase the admission quota of medical school students. The Korea Medical Association (KMA), an association of doctors in Korea, announced Sunday that the KMA committee of regional medical representati June 10, 2024
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  Korea supports smaller firms' transition to smart factory systems SEOUL, June 10 (AJU PRESS) - The Korea Federation of SMEs (KBIZ) is accepting applications from companies eager to participate in this year's smart factory establishment support project. The application period runs from June 1 to 17. In collaboration with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and steelmaker POSCO, KBIZ aims to enhance the manufacturing capabilities of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through the integration of advanced digital technologies. The project has June 10, 2024
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  Yoon embarks on trip to Central Asia SEOUL, June 10 (AJU PRESS) - President Yoon Suk Yeol embarked on his weeklong trip to Central Asia on Monday. He will begin his trip with a summit with Turkmenistan President Serdar Berdimuhamedow in the afternoon and attend a business forum the following day where Yoon will deliver a keynote speech. Then he will move to Kazakhstan, where he will meet ethic Koreans before having a summit with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Wednesday. As the last leg of his itinerary, June 10, 2024
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  Girl band aespa to meet fans in metaverse K-pop fan community SEOUL, June 10 (AJU PRESS) - Girl band aespa will interact with global fans at a virtual K-pop hotel created on "Ifland," a metaverse platform developed by SK Telecom (SKT), starting on Monday. The Korean telecom operator announced the launch of the metaverse fan community titled "K-pop Hotel." This virtual fan community incorporates the unique features of K-pop artists using three-dimensional (3D) and extended reality (XR) technologies. The hotel spans 99 flo June 10, 2024
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  Samsung offers smartphone translation service at department stores SEOUL, June 10 (AJU PRESS) - Samsung Electronics Co. said on Monday it will offer an artificial intelligence-powered translation service for non-Korean speakers using its Galaxy S24 smartphones at Lotte Department Store branches. The service will be available from June 11 to July 10 at three department store branches and three outlets in Seoul, Busan, and Euwang, south of the capital. The Galaxy S24 series supports translation in 16 languages, including English, Chinese, Japane June 10, 2024
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  AI reshaping newsrooms as publishers race to adapt The World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) issued its annual report “Innovation in News Media World Report 2024-25" in late May, highlighting major challenges faced by the global news industry. The following is the first in a four-part series summarizing key insights from the report. This first installment focuses on AI-powered newsrooms. – Ed. SEOUL, June 10 (AJU PRESS) - Newsrooms around the world are being upended by artificial intelligence (AI) at June 10, 2024