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  "Materialist"-style exclusive matchmaking flourishes among Gangnam's upper class SEOUL, November 19 (AJP) - In the American film "Materialist", New York–based matchmaker Lucy (Dakota Johnson) explains the formula behind a “quality” match that leads to a stable marriage: “similar upbringings, similar levels of education, similar family structures, similar incomes.” That bourgeois logic is now driving a quiet boom in exclusive matchmaking services in Seoul’s wealthiest districts, particularly in Gangnam, where housing November 19, 2025
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  Two more dead, bringing death toll to four in truck crash in Bucheon SEOUL, November 19 (AJP) - Two more people have died from a deadly crash at an open-air market in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province last week, bringing the death toll to four. According to police on Wednesday, a man in his 20s and a woman in her 80s, who were seriously injured last Thursday when a pickup truck plowed through the market, died earlier this week. Two women in their 60s and 70s died at the scene, and a number of injured people have since been receiving treatment. The d November 19, 2025
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  Tax delinquents named and shamed online SEOUL, November 19 (AJP) - The identities and personal details of some 1,577 individuals and companies caught dodging taxes have been posted online, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said on Wednesday. The list includes those with outstanding taxes of over 10 million Korean won (about US$6,800) as of January this year and other perpetual delinquents who have failed to pay for more than a year. They are 1,078 individuals with a combined 73.6 billion won in unpaid taxes and 499 c November 19, 2025
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  South Korea, UAE agree to deepen partnership in AI and nuclear energy SEOUL, November 19 (AJP) - President Lee Jae-myung agreed with United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to expand bilateral cooperation with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI) and healthcare, while deepening collaboration in the defense and energy sectors during their talks in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, according to the presidential office. In a joint declaration after the summit, they pledged to pursue a "new leap forward for another 100 years of part November 19, 2025
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  Kimchi-making costs expected to drop slightly SEOUL, November 18 (AJP) - The cost of making kimchi, the country's staple side dish, for a family of four is estimated to decrease by 5.6 percent from last year to 201,151 Korean won, according to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT). The estimate came after a survey of prices for about a dozen key ingredients at about 17 farmers' markets and 36 large retailers. Despite more and more households opting to buy kimchi these days, many South Koreans s November 18, 2025
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  Lee seeks to expand cooperation in high-tech industries with UAE SEOUL, November 18 (AJP) - South Korea aims to lay the foundation for a new phase in bilateral relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by expanding cooperation in high-tech and future industries including healthcare, artificial intelligence (AI), and other advanced technologies, President Lee Jae Myung said in an interview with the UAE's English-language newspaper Aletihad. Lee, who is currently in Abu Dhabi before attending the Group of 20 (G20) summit in South Africa lat November 18, 2025
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  No hostile intention toward North Korea, South Korea says SEOUL, November 18 (AJP) - South Korea has "no hostile or confrontational intent toward North Korea," the presidential office said on Tuesday, suggesting that it will continue to pursue rapprochement with the North. "We have no hostile or confrontational intent toward the North," said spokesperson Kang Yu-jung. She added, "We will continue working to ease inter-Korean tensions and restore trust between the two Koreas." The remarks came just hours a November 18, 2025
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  Choo Shin-soo becomes first South Korean nominated for MLB Hall of Fame SEOUL, November 18 (AJP) - Slugger Choo Shin-soo has become the first South Korean baseball player nominated for the Major League Baseball (MLB)'s Hall of Fame. According to a list released by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) on Monday, Choo is among 27 candidates, 15 holdovers and 12 newcomers, being considered for induction in July next year. To be eligible, candidates must have played in MLB for at least 10 years and have been retired for more tha November 18, 2025
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  Seoul shivers in season's first subzero temperatures SEOUL, November 18 (AJP) - Subzero temperatures swept across the country on Tuesday, with the mercury in Seoul dropping to -2 degree Celsius. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, morning lows plummeted about five to ten degrees colder than the previous day as a cold air front descended from the north overnight. Most inland regions and eastern Gangwon areas were also gripped by subzero temperatures, with Goseong at -12.1 degrees, Yeoncheon at -8.2 degrees, and P November 18, 2025
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  Half of high-ranking officials own multiple homes SEOUL, November 18 (AJP) - Nearly half of high-ranking government officials including lawmakers own two or more homes, a recent analysis shows. The analysis of some 2,581 senior officials, released by corporate tracker Leaders Index on Tuesday, found that 48.8 percent hold multiple homes, with 17.8 percent owning at least three. Real estate accounts for 58.7 percent of their total assets estimated at 5.71 trillion won. Apartments make up 58.9 percent, followed by sprawling pr November 18, 2025