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  OPINION: New Uzbekistan and the Search for Global Social Justice SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - The Second World Summit for Social Development, held in Doha from November 4 to 6, brought the international community back to a question that has shaped global cooperation for thirty years: how to ensure that every person can live with dignity, opportunity, and security. The world has entered a period of inten November 26, 2025
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  OPINION: Workplace safety policies fail to address the most vulnerable SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - Workplace fatalities in South Korea are on the rise again. According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor's third-quarter report, 457 people have died from industrial accidents this year, an increase from last year. Despite heightened safety measures and relevant regulations implemented over the past three years, deaths remain concentrated in small businesses and construction sites, where enforcement proves difficult. While large companies have improved safety m November 26, 2025
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  K-Food diplomacy: strengthening South Korea-Middle East ties The Middle East, historically a hub of the ancient Silk Road, is now witnessing a surge in K-food popularity, broadening cooperation between South Korea and the region. As of October, K-food exports to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) rose 23.2% from the previous year, reaching $275 million. The South Korean government views the Middle East as a strategic market for diversifying K-food exports. Efforts include easing halal certification burdens, supporting local store entries, November 26, 2025
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  OPINION: Azerbaijan's Path to Peace and Progress SEOUL, November 25 (AJP) - Although geographically distant, Korea and Azerbaijan have come closer thanks to a series of meaningful events. One such moment unfolded when the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Seoul hosted a special ceremony on Nov. 6 to commemorate Victory Day, observed annually on Nov. 8. The event brought together dignitaries, forei November 25, 2025
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  OPINION: Nvidia, Bitcoin and emergence of new economic order Global markets are increasingly dancing to the movements of Nvidia and Bitcoin. A surge in Nvidia’s share price now lifts trading floors from New York to Tokyo, Seoul, London and Frankfurt. When the chipmaker disappoints, the backlash ricochets across continents. Bitcoin produces similar tremors, swinging sharply on news of regulatory shifts or ETF flows. The pattern points to a deeper shift in modern capitalism: economic gravity is clustering around a small November 25, 2025
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  OPINION: Rising drunk-driving incidents spark calls for tougher laws in South Korea SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - Recent incidents involving drunk driving in South Korea have drawn international attention, particularly after a Japanese tourist died in a crash. This tragedy, along with a similar incident involving a Canadian a week earlier, has highlighted the country's lenient penalties for drunk driving. Despite the 2018 law allowing life sentences for fatal drunk driving cases, actual sentences range from two to eight years, much lower than Japan's 20-year sentences. November 24, 2025
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  South Korea's Strategic Edge in AI Amid Potential Bubble Nvidia announced record earnings on Nov. 19, with third-quarter revenue reaching $57 billion, a 62% increase from the previous year. Despite a net profit margin of 53% and net income of $31.9 billion, its stock fell 6.8% the next day. Wall Street attributes this to extended collection periods for big tech companies like Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon, indicating uncertain returns on AI investments. OpenAI faces more severe challenges. Microsoft, its parent company, has inves November 24, 2025
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  The ancient Korean ideal that could heal a polarized world The world today is being torn apart by widening polarization. Few places illustrate this more vividly than the United States. President Donald Trump’s “MAGA (Make America Great Again)” agenda—centered on reviving American manufacturing, cutting taxes, and tightening border controls—did produce short-term economic gains and job growth. Yet it also deepened the divides between the wealthy and the working poor, between regions, and across racial and cu November 22, 2025
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  OPINION: South Korea's youth losing faith in job market South Korea is wrestling with a quiet crisis: the steady erosion of job prospects for its young people. The National Data Office’s latest employment report, released on Nov. 12, paints a stark picture. The employment rate for people ages 15 to 29 has been negative for a year and a half. The number of unemployed 30-somethings has climbed to 310,000 — a 22-year high — while roughly 400,000 people in their 20s are also out of work. In total, more than 700,000 November 21, 2025
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  Putin's obsession with empire must end History occasionally presents moments when the world can see, with exceptional clarity, who is pushing it toward chaos and who is pulling it back from the brink. Today, that contrast is unmistakable. Donald Trump—despite the controversies surrounding him, despite the anger his tariff wars still provoke—has stunned the world by helping open a path toward a calmer Middle East. His aggressive pressure on Iran’s proxies and his unflinching stance against Hamas ha November 20, 2025