Journalist
Candice Kim김혜준
candicekim1121@ajupress.com
ReporterSamsung Electronics, SK hynix, LG Electronics, Olive Young, Musinsa & Semiconductor, K-Beauty
Candice Kim is a dedicated business and technology reporter specializing in the intersection of high-tech innovation and fast-paced consumer trends. Her core beats span the semiconductor, IT, cosmetics, and retail sectors, where she provides in-depth coverage of industry titans including Samsung Electronics, SK hynix, and LG Electronics, alongside leading consumer brands like Olive Young and Musinsa. Whether analyzing complex silicon supply chains or tracking the latest shifts in beauty and fashion retail, Candice is committed to delivering sharp, accurate reporting that keeps readers informed on the forces shaping today's most dynamic markets.
"Connecting the dots from silicon chips to consumer shifts."
Latest by Candice Kim
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Samsung, SK hynix target Chungcheong as AI supply chain hub SEOUL, July 02 (AJP) -Chip giants Samsung Group and SK hynix on Thursday unveiled a combined 240 trillion won ($173 billion) investment plan for South Korea's Chungcheong region to position the location just south of the capital area as the epicenter for the supply chain underpinning the country's industrial shift toward artificial intelligence. The announcements were made during the government's "Chungcheong Advanced Industry Development Vision" event at Samsung Display's Asan campus, where Lee said the region's concentration of semiconductors, displays, batteries and biotechnology gives it unique advantages to become a global innovation center in the AI era. Lee also praised Samsung Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee's latest investment decision, comparing it with founder Lee Byung-chull's landmark decision to enter the semiconductor business in 1983. "Just as that visionary decision made Korea a semiconductor powerhouse, I am confident Chairman Jay Y. Lee's decision will lead a new leap forward for the country's advanced industries," the president said. Samsung said it plans to invest about 140 trillion won across Chungcheong to expand next-generation display, high-bandwidth memory (HBM), battery and advanced packaging capabilities, aiming to establish the region as a global materials and components manufacturing base while creating about 250,000 jobs. A centerpiece of the plan is Samsung Electronics' investment in new HBM fabrication facilities at its Onyang campus, where the company plans to build five HBM production lines, while expanding and modernizing HBM-related manufacturing equipment in Cheonan to support next-generation AI memory production. Samsung Display will expand OLED production lines in Asan for smartphones, information technology devices, extended reality, automotive applications, humanoid robots and wearable devices as it seeks to complete a next-generation display cluster. Samsung SDI will establish a new battery mother line in Cheonan to validate next-generation battery technologies before transferring them to global production bases, while Samsung Electro-Mechanics will expand AI server package substrate production in Sejong alongside additional research and development investment. Separately, SK hynix announced plans to invest 100 trillion won in Cheongju, citing rapidly growing demand for NAND flash storage driven by AI services and the need to expand production capacity beyond its existing facilities. The world's second-largest memory chipmaker said 80 trillion won will be invested in constructing its M17 NAND fabrication plant, while another 20 trillion won will be allocated to P&T7, an advanced packaging facility scheduled for completion by the end of 2027. Construction of the M17 fab is expected to begin next year, with operations targeted for the first half of 2029. Chief Executive Kwak Noh-jung said enterprise solid-state drives and NAND flash demand are expected to rise sharply as agentic AI and physical AI become more widely deployed, requiring additional manufacturing capacity. "Cheongju is the most efficient location for rapidly building new NAND production capacity because it already has the land, electricity and industrial water infrastructure needed for expansion," Kwak said. The company also plans to build a 1-gigawatt AI data center in Chungcheong as part of SK Group's broader strategy to develop up to 15 GW of AI data center capacity nationwide, integrating semiconductor manufacturing with AI computing infrastructure. The Chungcheong investment blueprint follows the government's announcement earlier this week of large-scale advanced industry projects for the Honam region, underscoring Lee's broader strategy of dispersing semiconductor and AI infrastructure beyond the Seoul metropolitan area through region-specific industrial clusters. 2026-07-02 14:18:57 -
SK hynix details upcoming U.S. listing, adds antitrust suit risk in SEC filing SEOUL, July 01 (AJP) - South Korean memory chipmaker SK hynix has amended its registration statement for a planned U.S. Nasdaq listing, detailing a fresh legal challenge while leaving its core offering terms blank, a U.S. regulatory filing showed. According to its amended Form F-1/A filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Wednesday, the company added a newly initiated antitrust class action to its "Risk Factors." The lawsuit, filed on June 25 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California by indirect purchasers of commodity DRAM products, alleges that SK hynix, along with Samsung Electronics and Micron, conspired to restrict supply and inflate prices beginning around October 2022. The plaintiffs, comprising 14 U.S. consumers and three PC manufacturers, claim this alleged collusion directly led to higher consumer prices for IT products like MacBooks and iPads. The revised prospectus maintained that the final offering price and the number of American Depositary Shares (ADS) to be issued will be determined through negotiations with underwriters, factoring in recent trading prices and market conditions. SK hynix reiterated its plan to use the proceeds to fund its domestic production facility expansion and the acquisition of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment. The company plans to invest approximately 11.9 trillion won ($8.6 billion) in EUV equipment deliveries expected by the end of 2027. The chipmaker also disclosed its market position based on first-quarter data from research firm IDC, citing a 56.4 percnet global market share in High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) and a 29.1 percent share in the broader DRAM market. 2026-07-01 16:25:03 -
South Korea denies reports of order to scrap chipmakers' bonus schemes SEOUL, July 01 (AJP) - South Korea's labor and industry ministries on Wednesday denied online reports claiming the government had instructed Samsung Electronics and SK hynix to scrap existing employee bonus agreements as part of a proposed semiconductor profit-sharing scheme. The Ministry of Employment and Labor described the reports as "completely groundless" and said it had never sent an official document to either company regarding changes to their performance-based compensation systems. The denial came after posts circulated on online forums claiming the government had ordered the two memory chipmakers to review their current bonus agreements and redesign employee compensation in line with a government-led excess profit-sharing policy beginning next year. The labor ministry warned it would take strong action, including referring cases to investigative authorities, against those found to be maliciously spreading false information. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy also dismissed reports that the government had sent official documents to Samsung Electronics and SK hynix regarding the establishment of a government-led think tank or other measures related to an excess profit-sharing scheme, calling the claims entirely false. It said it would likewise pursue legal action against the malicious distribution of misinformation. Separately, the labor ministry said it plans to hold a policy forum later this month to discuss semiconductor industry profit-sharing, with the agenda and timing still being finalized. 2026-07-01 14:16:22 -
South Korea's Lee vows to oversee Yongin, southwest chip projects SEOUL, July 01 (AJP) - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Tuesday he would personally oversee the simultaneous development of the country's Yongin and proposed southwest semiconductor clusters, pledging government support to ensure the projects proceed without delay. Speaking at a public briefing on the southwest advanced industry development vision in Gwangju, Lee said the government would take direct responsibility for advancing the projects as part of its recently announced "Three Mega Projects" initiative. Lee said Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won had originally planned to complete the Yongin semiconductor cluster before moving to another large-scale investment project, but the government encouraged the companies to pursue both simultaneously to meet rapidly growing semiconductor demand. "I suggested that the two projects move forward at the same time because demand for semiconductors is increasing so rapidly," Lee said. The president said the southwest project was driven by commercial considerations rather than government pressure, citing constraints on water and electricity supply in the Seoul metropolitan area, as well as lower land costs, ample development sites and infrastructure support offered by local governments in the southwest region. Lee said the government's role was to create conditions that would allow companies to make economically viable investment decisions while ensuring they could operate competitively outside the capital region. The president also pledged full government backing for the project, including the timely provision of industrial land, electricity and water infrastructure, regulatory reviews and fiscal and tax incentives for investors. He said a special committee on semiconductor industry competitiveness, scheduled to launch alongside the implementation of the Semiconductor Special Act in August, would serve as the project's control tower, with Lee himself chairing the body. A dedicated presidential task force will also be established to prevent delays in project execution, he added. Lee said balanced development between the capital region and other parts of the country would be essential to strengthening South Korea's semiconductor industry, adding that he aims to make the southwest region a new base for the country's artificial intelligence-driven industrial growth. 2026-07-01 10:15:25 -
Samsung, SK hynix unveil combined 825 tln won investment plans for southwest Korea SEOUL, June 30 (AJP) - Samsung Group and SK hynix on Tuesday announced plans to invest a combined 825 trillion won ($595 billion) in southwest Korea, outlining new semiconductor manufacturing, artificial intelligence data center and energy projects as part of the government's regional industrial development initiative. The announcements were made during the government's "Southwestern Advanced Industry Development Vision" event held in Gwangju. Samsung said it plans to invest 425 trillion won in the Honam region, with about 400 trillion won allocated to building two new semiconductor fabrication plants in Gwangju. The company said the project is intended to establish an additional chip manufacturing cluster beyond its existing operations in Giheung, Hwaseong, Pyeongtaek and the Yongin National Industrial Complex. Samsung also said its IT services unit Samsung SDS plans to build a 210-megawatt AI data center in Solaseado, Haenam, with construction scheduled to begin in the second half of 2026 and initial operations targeted for 2028. In addition, Samsung C&T plans investments in carbon-free energy projects, while Samsung Electronics will expand manufacturing and logistics facilities in Gwangju and Gochang. Separately, SK hynix said it plans to invest 400 trillion won to develop a new semiconductor cluster in southwest Korea, citing expectations that future demand for memory chips will exceed the production capacity of its Yongin cluster. The company also announced plans to build a 1-gigawatt AI data center in the region as part of SK Group's broader strategy to establish up to 15 GW of AI data center capacity nationwide. SK hynix Chief Executive Kwak Noh-jung said demand for AI memory is expected to continue growing as artificial intelligence services become more widely deployed, requiring additional manufacturing capacity beyond existing facilities. The announcements follow the government's push to expand advanced manufacturing and AI infrastructure outside the Seoul metropolitan area by encouraging large-scale private-sector investment. 2026-06-30 17:03:29 -
Samsung Elec Q2 to raise the bar on blockbuster earnings SEOUL, June 30 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics is widely expected to deliver another blockbuster quarter when it issues preliminary second-quarter earnings guidance next week, reflecting a 60 to 70 percent surge in mass-market memory prices and explosive demand for lucrative high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips used in artificial intelligence. According to market consensus compiled by FnGuide, Samsung is projected to post second-quarter revenue of 166.76 trillion won ($120.3 billion) and operating profit of 86.17 trillion won. Samsung reported 57.23 trillion won in operating profit for the January-March period, up 756 percent from a year earlier, on revenue of 133.87 trillion won. The outlook for an even stronger April-June performance gained further momentum after U.S. memory rival Micron Technology reported more than doubling quarterly profit, underscoring the strength of the global AI-driven memory cycle. The world's largest memory chipmaker is expected to release preliminary second-quarter earnings guidance next week before announcing its full financial results later in July. Market expectations have continued to climb over the past month, with consensus operating profit estimates rising about 6.5 percent and revenue forecasts increasing roughly 4.3 percent, reflecting stronger-than-expected memory pricing. Kiwoom Securities recently lowered its second-quarter operating profit forecast to 89 trillion won from 100 trillion won, while maintaining its revenue estimate at 183 trillion won, citing larger-than-expected employee bonus provisions rather than weaker memory fundamentals. TrendForce forecasts second-quarter DRAM contract prices to have risen 58 to 63 percent quarter on quarter, while NAND flash contract prices are expected to have jumped 70 to 75 percent, highlighting the strength of the memory market. Analysts said continued investment in AI infrastructure by hyperscale cloud service providers is supporting demand for advanced memory products, particularly high-bandwidth memory (HBM), a critical component in AI accelerators. Investors are also expected to focus on Samsung's HBM business for updates on customer qualification of its latest products by major AI chipmakers, as the company seeks to strengthen its position in the rapidly expanding AI memory market. The breakdown of Samsung's semiconductor earnings will be disclosed with its full results later this month. The Device Solutions division, which houses Samsung's semiconductor business, is expected to account for the overwhelming majority of the company's earnings, while its consumer electronics businesses, including smartphones and home appliances, continue to face pressure from rising component costs—ironically driven by the same memory price boom enriching the chip division. Samsung Electronics is projected to generate about 363 trillion won in operating profit this year, more than enough to fund its planned 38.1 trillion won employee incentive program and 110 trillion won in capital expenditures. The earnings outlook comes as Samsung joined SK hynix and the government on Monday in unveiling an ambitious expansion of South Korea's semiconductor industry. The company pledged 625 trillion won in investment over the next decade to build a second semiconductor manufacturing cluster in Gwangju, adding to the roughly 2,000 trillion won already committed to its Pyeongtaek campus and the Yongin semiconductor cluster. 2026-06-30 16:31:05 -
Samsung Electronics' largest union votes to retain chief SEOUL, June 30 (AJP) - The Samsung Electronics chapter of Samsung Group's Super Enterprise Labor Union (SELU), the company's largest labor union, has reaffirmed confidence in its head Choi Seung-ho after he brokered record compensation package for chipmaking employees, the union said Monday. According to the union, 33,550 of 38,336 participating members, or 87.52 percent, voted in favor of retaining Choi as chairman. The vote was held from June 24 to June 30, with 38,336 of 54,165 eligible voters casting ballots, representing a turnout of 70.78 percent. Ahead of the vote, Choi pledged to establish a bargaining structure centered on Samsung Electronics' Device Solutions (DS) division if re-elected, signaling a possible reorganization of the union's negotiating framework. The union currently has about 55,200 members but has lost its status as the majority union at Samsung Electronics. 2026-06-30 11:06:54 -
Samsung, SK bet over $650 billion on Korea's second memory hub SEOUL, June 29 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are joining forces to build a second memory semiconductor hub along South Korea's southwestern coast, committing more than 1,000 trillion won ($650 billion) in what would become one of the world's largest semiconductor expansion projects as the country races to preserve its leadership in AI-era memory chips. The initiative, unveiled during President Lee Jae Myung's "Three Mega Projects" briefing at the presidential office, signals a strategic shift in South Korea's semiconductor policy: expanding beyond the Seoul metropolitan area as existing production centers around Pyeongtaek and Yongin approach practical limits in land, electricity and industrial water. Calling artificial intelligence the defining industrial battleground of the coming decades, Lee pledged to personally oversee the project while directing government ministries to accelerate approvals for electricity, industrial water and transport infrastructure needed to support the new semiconductor corridor. "The government will leave no innovation undone to ensure these projects are completed," Lee said. Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Jay Y. Lee unveiled a new 625 trillion won investment roadmap, including 425 trillion won earmarked for the Honam region on top of more than 2,000 trillion won already committed to the company's Pyeongtaek campus and Yongin semiconductor cluster. Lee said Gwangju has emerged as the leading candidate for Samsung's next fabrication complex because of its abundant electricity, industrial water, skilled workforce and government support. "The investment schedule for Yongin has already been accelerated, and preparations for another semiconductor complex need to begin sooner than originally planned," he said. Samsung also plans to concentrate high-bandwidth memory (HBM) production in Cheonan and Onyang, where it is expanding advanced chip stacking and packaging technologies essential for AI memory. "HBM, which powers AI training and inference, requires cutting-edge stacking technology and manufacturing processes comparable to front-end fabrication plants," Lee said. Beyond semiconductors, Samsung outlined a nationwide investment blueprint that includes a digital twin innovation hub in Gwangju, Physical AI projects in Gumi, next-generation battery production in Ulsan, advanced shipbuilding in Geoje, semiconductor package substrates in Busan and biotechnology in Songdo. SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won presented an equally ambitious vision centered on AI infrastructure, arguing that South Korea should move beyond manufacturing semiconductors to exporting intelligence itself. "The question is not why Korea should pursue AI, but what Korea wants AI to accomplish," Chey said. He pledged to build AI data centers totaling 15 gigawatts by 2035, beginning with an initial 5-GW phase before expanding nationwide. "We should become a country that manufactures and exports intelligence," he said, describing hyperscale data centers as "AI factories." To support the surge in AI computing demand, SK hynix will accelerate construction of its previously announced 600 trillion won Yongin semiconductor complex and a separate 100 trillion won expansion in Cheongju, advancing completion by roughly 12 years to 2033. SK will also invest 400 trillion won to establish a new semiconductor production base in Honam, arguing that the country's existing manufacturing belt can no longer accommodate future AI demand. "Even after these investments, demand will continue to outstrip supply," Chey said. "That is why we need an entirely new production base." Industry specialists welcomed the strategy of expanding semiconductor manufacturing beyond the capital region but cautioned that execution—not investment size—will ultimately determine its success. "The critical question is not where the cluster is built but whether Korea can expand semiconductor production quickly enough to keep pace with exploding AI demand," Lee Jong-hwan, professor of system semiconductor engineering at Sangmyung University, told AJP. He said Honam's abundant renewable energy resources and proximity to the Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant provide a favorable combination of stable baseload electricity and clean energy—two increasingly valuable assets for semiconductor manufacturing. "The bigger challenge may ultimately be talent," Lee said. "Samsung Electronics and SK hynix will probably have little difficulty attracting engineers. The real challenge will be persuading smaller materials, parts and equipment suppliers to relocate." He urged regional universities to establish semiconductor-focused contract departments and strengthen partnerships with industry before large-scale production begins. Power specialists likewise stressed that electricity infrastructure could become the project's defining constraint. "Locating electricity-intensive industries where surplus renewable generation already exists is a positive direction," Park Woo-young, head of power policy research at the Korea Energy Economics Institute, told AJP. "But success will ultimately depend on reinforcing the transmission grid, deploying sufficient energy storage systems and implementing detailed power infrastructure plans." Park said it remains too early to judge whether the planned electricity network will be sufficient because detailed demand projections have yet to be released. If completed as envisioned, the Honam development would create South Korea's second semiconductor belt alongside the existing Gyeonggi-based K-Chip Belt, fundamentally reshaping the country's industrial geography after decades of concentrating advanced manufacturing around the capital region. 2026-06-29 17:04:38 -
LG AI Research secures ISO 27001 certification for entire AI lifecycle SEOUL, June 29 (AJP) - LG AI Research has obtained the ISO 27001 certification for its entire artificial intelligence operations, seeking to accelerate its push into highly regulated sectors, the company said on Monday. The ISO 27001 is a leading international standard for information security management systems. The newly acquired certification covers the research center's full AI lifecycle, ranging from planning large language models and processing training data to deploying final solutions. Last year, the LG unit secured the same certification for its enterprise AI agent, 'ChatEXAONE'. By expanding the security standard company-wide, LG AI Research aims to strengthen its presence in "expert AI" fields—such as the medical, financial, and public sectors—which require stringent data protection and reliability. "We will build an expert AI ecosystem that anyone can safely adopt based on a systematic security infrastructure and responsible AI principles," said Lim Woo-hyung, head of LG AI Research. 2026-06-29 09:39:40 -
Micron's blowout Q3 and contracts harbinger for extended memory heyday * Updated with additional information SEOUL, June 25 (AJP) - Micron Technology Inc. delivered a stunning 74 percent revenue jump for the quarter ended May and projected the AI-driven memory boom to extend well into 2027, setting the stage for another stretch of red-hot earnings for its larger South Korean peers in the memory market powering the AI age from datacenters to smart devices. The U.S. chipmaker posted fiscal third-quarter revenue of $41.46 billion, a 74 percent jump from $23.86 billion in the previous quarter. The blockbuster results sent Micron shares soaring 15.78 percent in extended trading on Thursday (KST), reaching $1,213.96. Looking ahead, Micron forecast fiscal fourth-quarter revenue of about $50.0 billion, with Chief Executive Officer Sanjay Mehrotra expecting tight supply-demand conditions for both DRAM and NAND to persist beyond calendar 2027. Beyond the upbeat outlook, Micron unveiled what may prove a more consequential shift for the memory industry. The company said it has signed 16 long-term Strategic Customer Agreements (SCAs), securing approximately $22 billion in customer financial commitments. "We expect these SCAs to significantly enhance the durability and predictability of Micron's strong financial performance," Mehrotra said during the earnings call. The move toward take-or-pay contracts gives Micron unprecedented visibility over future demand through 2030, marking a structural shift from the industry's traditionally cyclical, spot-driven business model. The agreements signal similar arrangements for SK hynix and Samsung Electronics to pursue similar long-term customer commitments as they finance increasingly expensive capacity expansions for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and advanced DRAM. While Samsung and SK hynix dominate the broader global DRAM market with a combined 67 percent share compared to Micron's 22 percent in early 2026, the battle is intensifying in the lucrative HBM sector. SK hynix currently commands roughly 60 percent of the HBM market, recently propelling its market valuation to rival Samsung. However, Micron is aggressively leveraging its position as the sole U.S.-based major HBM producer, capturing around a 21 percent share and closing the gap. Unlike previous memory cycles, where producers relied heavily on volatile spot pricing and short-term contracts, the AI era is encouraging chipmakers and hyperscale customers to secure supply years in advance. Micron said its HBM capacity remains fully booked through 2026, with customer discussions already extending into 2027, reflecting sustained demand from AI datacenters and next-generation computing infrastructure. 2026-06-25 07:55:39