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  A2Z CEO Han Ji-hyeong says fully driverless tech is inevitable, pushes exports to Japan and Middle East "To achieve 100% driverless autonomous driving, we have the full lineup of technologies needed — from software to vehicle hardware, control systems and external infrastructure. Based on that, we will expand exports to Japan, the Middle East and beyond and reach our goal of 30 billion won in annual revenue," Han Ji-hyeong, CEO of Autonomous A2Z, said in an interview on Tuesday at the company’s research center in Anyang. Han said autonomous driving can reshape urban transportati March 19, 2026
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  South Korea women routed 4-1 by Japan in AFC Asian Cup semifinals South Korea’s first bid to reach the top of Asia ended against Japan. The South Korea women’s national team, coached by Shin Sang-woo, lost 4-1 to Japan on March 18 in the 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Asian Cup semifinal at Stadium Australia in Sydney, despite a goal by Kang Chae-rim of Montreal. South Korea’s best finish at the tournament remains runner-up at the 2022 edition in India. Japan, ranked No. 8 in the world by FIFA and the highest-ranked team in Asia, outcl March 18, 2026
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  KAI Names Kim Jong-chul CEO as Export Push and Leadership Scrutiny Grow Kim Jong-chul, former head of the Defense Technology Protection Bureau at South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration, has been confirmed as the new CEO of Korea Aerospace Industries. Attention is focused on whether he can overcome recurring criticism over military-linked appointments and deliver on urgent tasks, including expanding exports of key weapons systems such as the domestically developed KF-21 supersonic fighter.  KAI said it held an extraordinary shareholders meetin March 18, 2026
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  Woori Bank Expands AI Banker, Turns Unstructured Data Into Usable Assets Woori Financial Group is accelerating its push to embed artificial intelligence across management and operations as part of its AI transformation, known as AX. Woori Bank said it is the first in South Korea’s financial sector to pursue “assetization” of unstructured data. The bank holds large volumes of unstructured information — including financial product materials, work rules, official notices and reports — that has been difficult to use systematically. By collecting, refining and stru March 18, 2026
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  Hana Bank Automates Marketing and FX Reviews to Boost Efficiency Hana Bank said it is expanding the use of artificial intelligence across operations, from branch sales to customer service. To raise marketing productivity for branch staff, the bank introduced an AutoML (Auto Machine Learning)-based service that recommends marketing targets. It goes beyond product suggestions by analyzing each customer’s preferences and financial usage patterns to propose the most effective marketing approach. The bank is also applying AI to foreign exchange work. It March 18, 2026
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  IBK Industrial Bank Expands AI Use, Automates Guaranteed-Loan Reviews IBK Industrial Bank of Korea is expanding its use of artificial intelligence by rolling out an in-house system across frontline operations. The bank said it built an AI model called ‘IBK GenAI’ to boost efficiency and productivity across the organization and is applying it broadly to day-to-day work. IBK GenAI is an internal large language model trained on the bank’s own data. It provides tailored AI environments by department and can instantly search and answer from 12 March 18, 2026
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  NH NongHyup Bank Launches AI Service to Automatically Request Loan Rate Cuts NH NongHyup Bank said it has launched and is operating an artificial intelligence-based service that automatically applies for loan rate reductions on behalf of customers, allowing financial consumers to exercise their right to request a lower rate without a separate application process. The bank said its "AI Loan Rate Care" service uses AI to submit requests to cut interest rates for customers who hold loans. The right to request a rate cut allows borrowers to ask for a lower loan rate March 18, 2026
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  Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun’s 2025 Pay Totaled 17.46 Billion Won, Up 51.6% Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun received total compensation of 17.461 billion won last year, the company disclosed.  According to Hyundai Motor’s annual business report filed on Tuesday, Chung received 9.001 billion won from Hyundai Motor, including 4.5 billion won in salary and 4.501 billion won in bonuses and other income. That was up 1.914 billion won, or 27.0%, from 7.087 billion won a year earlier. Chung also received 5.4 billion won from affiliate Kia and 3.06 billion won March 18, 2026
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  Korea Zinc Expands Ultra-Pure Sulfuric Acid Output for Semiconductors, Eyes U.S. Hub Korea Zinc said March 18 it is producing ultra-high-purity, semiconductor-grade sulfuric acid by refining sulfur dioxide (SO₂) generated in its zinc and lead smelting process, and plans to expand annual capacity to 320,000 tons starting in the second half of this year. The company also said it will build a production line in the United States. After Chairman Choi Yun-beom took office, the company has pursued efficiency improvements and investment to expand production lines. It now operate March 18, 2026
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  CDMO Market Heats Up as Drugmakers Compete on Development Know-How, Not Just Capacity Contract development and manufacturing organizations, or CDMOs, are expanding rapidly beyond contract manufacturing into research and development, but industry officials say adding facilities alone is unlikely to secure an edge. They note that competition for orders is shifting from simple production pricing to development capabilities, and that as the market grows, specialization is increasingly determining winners and losers. Industry officials said March 18 that CDMOs provide a high-ba March 18, 2026