[K-Tech] SK hynix posts record earnings on surging AI memory demand

SEOUL, July 24 (AJP) - SK hynix reported its strongest-ever quarterly results on Thursday, fueled by surging demand for high-performance memory chips used in artificial intelligence applications. The South Korean chipmaker posted second-quarter revenue of 22.23 trillion won (about $16.3 billion), with operating profit reaching 9.21 trillion won ($6.8 billion) and net income rising to 6.99 trillion won ($5.1 billion), eclipsing its previous record set in the final quarter of 2024.

July 24, 2025

[K-Tech] Kakao releases its own open-source AI models

SEOUL, July 24 (AJP) - Kakao has released two new open-source artificial intelligence models, including Korea’s first publicly available mixture-of-experts (MoE) model and a lightweight multimodal model. The company announced on Thursday that both models — Kanana-1.5-v-3b, a compact multimodal language model, and Kanana-1.5-15.7b-a3b, an MoE model designed for efficient inference — are now available on Hugging Face, a leading platform for open-source AI tools.

July 24, 2025

Ex-Naver chief eager to bring tech-savvy vision to small business policy as minister

SEOUL, July 24 (AJP) - Han Seong-sook, the former CEO of Naver and one of South Korea’s most prominent tech executives, is set to lead the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. Her appointment marks a decisive shift toward digital transformation in the country’s small business policy. Best known for steering Naver from 2017 to 2022 and being named to Fortune’s “Most Powerful Women International” list for four consecutive years, Han brings deep experience

July 24, 2025

China's BYD edges out Tesla, reshaping global auto order

Editor's Note: This article is the 28th installment in our series on Asia's top 100 companies, exploring the strategies, challenges, and innovations driving the region's most influential corporations. SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - BYD, the Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer that began as a modest battery startup three decades ago, reported record revenue of 777.1 billion yuan ($107 billion) for 2024, overtaking Tesla’s $97.7 billion. The milestone comes as BYD sold

July 24, 2025

S. Korea sees 11th straight monthly rise in births, but population still declines

SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - South Korea’s birth rate rose for an 11th consecutive month in May, offering a rare glimmer of hope for the world’s fastest-aging society. According to data released Wednesday by Statistics Korea, 20,309 babies were born in May, up 3.8 percent from the same month a year earlier. It was the highest growth rate for May since 2011 — and the strongest monthly increase since the agency began compiling such data in 1981. From January through M

July 23, 2025

S. Korea's AI job coach is getting people hired — fast

SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - In the not-so-distant past, landing a job in South Korea meant printing resumes, navigating job boards, and endlessly refreshing inboxes. But today, tens of thousands are finding employment with a very different kind of help — an artificial intelligence system that knows what they’re good at, what they want, and where they’re likely to succeed. According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the number of successful job placements thr

July 23, 2025

[K-tech] SK hynix could find opportunities as Nvidia faces supply bottleneck for China-bound AI chips

SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - Despite receiving a green light from Washington to apply for export licenses for its H20 artificial intelligence chip, Nvidia is grappling with production constraints that could sharply limit shipments to China. The H20, a lower-spec AI chip tailored to comply with U.S. export controls, was expected to re-enter the Chinese market following a recent regulatory shift. Chinese technology giants including ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent are eager to acquire t

July 23, 2025

Korea's lending clampdown leaves door wide open for foreign buyers

SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - Foreign property acquisitions in Seoul have surged in the wake of South Korea’s tightened mortgage lending rules for domestic buyers, according to newly released court registry data. The new regulations, which took effect on June 27, cap mortgage loans at 600 million won (about $435,000) for most buyers. In the weeks that followed, domestic transactions plummeted. Between July 1 and July 18, purchases of apartments and officetels — mixed-use bui

July 23, 2025

Samsung's grip on foldable phone market expected to slip this year

SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics is expected to see its global market share in foldable smartphones drop by roughly 10 percentage points this year, as rival brands gain ground in the rapidly evolving segment, according to a report by Taiwan-based research firm TrendForce. The firm projects global shipments of foldable phones will reach 19.8 million units in 2025. Samsung’s share is forecast to decline from 45.2 percent last year to 35.4 percent in 2025, reflecting

July 23, 2025

[K-Tech] Hanwha's US shipyard to build LNG carrier in $250 million deal

SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - Hanwha Ocean has signed a 348 billion won (approximately $250 million) contract with its American affiliate, Hanwha Philly Shipyard, to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier. The agreement includes an option for a second vessel and highlights Hanwha Group’s broader strategy to position itself at the forefront of U.S. regulatory changes requiring domestically built LNG carriers for American gas exports starting in 2029. The move comes amid a re

July 23, 2025