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  Trump admin pressures Seoul over "unfulfilled" trade commitments SEOUL, January 28 (AJP) - U.S. Trade Representative Jamison Greer told Fox Business on Tuesday that South Korea had yet to honor commitments made under last summer’s “framework agreement,” including a planned 350-billion-dollar investment in the U.S. over three years and steps to open its market to more American automobiles and agricultural products. “We showed good faith by lowering our tariff rate on Korea from 25 percent to 15 percent,” Greer said. January 28, 2026
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  Kim Keon Hee Says She Accepts Court’s Criticism After 1st Trial Sentence Kim Keon Hee said she would “humbly accept” the court’s stern criticism after she was sentenced to 1 year and 8 months in prison in a first trial on Tuesday. Her legal team said in a notice to reporters that attorneys met with Kim at Nambu Detention Center after the ruling and relayed her statement. “Today, I humbly accept the court’s stern criticism, and I will not take its weight lightly,” Kim said during the meeting. “Once again, I am sorry to everyone for causing concern because of m January 28, 2026
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  SK hynix plans U.S. AI solutions unit to expand role in AI data centers SK hynix said Tuesday it is pushing ahead with plans to set up an AI solutions company in the United States, tentatively named “AI Company,” or AI Co. The company said it aims to move beyond being a memory chip maker and become a key partner in the AI data center ecosystem, building on its competitiveness in AI memory technologies such as high-bandwidth memory, or HBM. It said it will pursue strategic investments and partnerships with companies that have AI capabilities, strengthen its me January 28, 2026
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  South Korean equities log rare double win as decoupling fears grow SEOUL, January 28 (AJP) - South Korean equities are logging a rare double win, with both the main KOSPI and the tech-heavy KOSDAQ hitting historic highs, but the synchronized rally is increasingly stirring anxiety that markets are pulling away from economic reality. The benchmark KOSPI climbed to 5,170.81 on Wednesday, setting a fresh record, while the KOSDAQ advanced to 1,133.52. Both indices are up about 20 percent so far this year, extending last year’s outsized gains of January 28, 2026
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  PPP leader Jang Dong Hyuk says expulsion case against Han Dong Hoon will follow procedure Jang Dong Hyuk, leader of South Korea’s People Power Party, said Tuesday that disciplinary proceedings seeking to expel Han Dong Hoon, the party’s former leader, would move forward “according to procedure,” signaling expulsion remains possible. Speaking to reporters after an on-site meeting on price trends at the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp. (aT) center in Seoul’s Seocho district, Jang avoided a direct answer on Han’s case, saying, “What matters now is people’s lives and l January 28, 2026
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  Assets in ETFs Tracking FnGuide Indexes Top 40 Trillion Won Financial data firm FnGuide said Tuesday that total net assets in exchange-traded funds based on indexes it developed have surpassed 40 trillion won. The total topped 30 trillion won about three months ago. Over that period, net assets in the KODEX AI Semiconductor ETF rose about 310%, to 2.1 trillion won from roughly 500 billion won. TIGER Semiconductor TOP10 climbed about 190%, to about 4.1 trillion won from 1.4 trillion won. FnGuide said the gains reflect concentrated demand for relat January 28, 2026
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  Samsung Welstory 2025 Operating Profit Slips 2.5% to 153 Billion Won on Higher Costs Samsung Welstory posted higher revenue last year, but operating profit edged down as cost pressures increased. According to a filing on the electronic disclosure system on Tuesday, the company’s operating profit totaled 153 billion won, down 2.5% from a year earlier. Its operating margin slipped to 4.7% from 5.0%, a decline of 0.3 percentage points. The company cited higher labor costs and rising food ingredient prices as weighing on profitability. Revenue rose 4.7% to 3.264 trillion won January 28, 2026
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  Cold Wave to Grip Central South Korea; Snow or Rain Expected on Jeju Cold weather will persist Thursday, with the harshest conditions centered on South Korea’s central regions. Morning lows are forecast at minus 15 to 3 degrees Celsius (5 to 37 degrees Fahrenheit), with daytime highs of minus 3 to 7 C (27 to 45 F). That is colder than seasonal averages of minus 12 to 0 C (10 to 32 F) in the morning and 1 to 8 C (34 to 46 F) in the afternoon. Cold wave warnings remain in effect for Gyeonggi Province, inland and mountainous Gangwon Province, inland Chungcheo January 28, 2026
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  South Korea Justice Ministry Holds Public Meeting on 2026 Immigration Policy South Korea’s Justice Ministry said it held a public communication meeting on Jan. 27 to share key directions for its 2026 immigration policy, including managing illegal stays and protecting the rights of foreign nationals. The ministry said the meeting was organized amid calls to better reflect what most citizens want from immigration policy while ensuring the enforcement process does not neglect the human rights of foreign nationals. It shared its 2026 policy direction with civic groups January 28, 2026
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  NAND Flash Supply Tightens as Chipmakers Prioritize HBM, Raising Costs for Businesses and Consumers As the semiconductor industry shifts investment toward high-bandwidth memory, or HBM, and other high-performance DRAM, a deepening shortage of NAND flash is expected to squeeze both corporate buyers and consumers. Industry officials said Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have recently concentrated equipment and staff on expanding HBM and converting to advanced DRAM processes, while keeping new NAND investment and line expansions to a minimum. As a result, global NAND supply growth is expec January 28, 2026