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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How Korea's jogging craze became Samsung's Asian health gambit SEOUL, May 14 (AJP) - South Koreans are lacing up in record numbers — and they're taking their smartwatches with them. Walk through Seoul on any weekend morning and the evidence is everywhere: colour-coordinated running crews streaming through Han River parks, Strava segments being contested with the intensity of corporate quarterly targets, and, at every major sports retailer, empty shelves. "During marathon season, running attire and gear are completely sold out on and offline," a Lululemon Korea representative told AJP. "High-performance gear across all major brands becomes nearly impossible to find, even for those willing to pay a premium." The numbers behind the scene are striking. South Korea's running participation rate jumped from 4.8 percent in 2024 to 7.7 percent in 2025. One in three Korean adults now wears a smartwatch. The domestic running gear market has surpassed 1 trillion won ($730 million). What began during the COVID-19 pandemic as an escape from shuttered gyms has evolved into something far more elaborate: a data-intensive, socially networked lifestyle sport with its own aesthetic codes, digital rituals, and — inevitably — growing pains. The phenomenon even has its own villain arc. "Nuisance running," or minpye — where large organised crews block pedestrian pathways — has become a fixture of local media debate. Korea's running boom, it turns out, is social enough to cause traffic. Samsung is paying close attention to all of it. At a media briefing in Seoul on Thursday, the company revealed that its Samsung Health platform has reached 77 million monthly active users globally. The pitch from Samsung's MX Business Digital Health Team was pointed: the winner of Asia's health technology war will not be the brand that tracks the fastest kilometre split. It will be the one that understands the runner's entire life. "Running is merely one component of our broader goal," said Choi Jun-il, Vice President at Samsung's Digital Health Team. "Because we manage everything from sleep and diet to mental health, stress measurement, and heart health, we believe we have a clear point of differentiation from competitors like Apple or Garmin." The strategy is anchored in holistic data rather than athletic performance alone — a distinction that matters in a market where elite runners have shifted their priorities accordingly. Eun-ju Kwon, a former national marathon record holder and Samsung Health ambassador, put it plainly: "Instead of just focusing on my pace, what matters most to me now is whether I slept well. I check my sleep and energy scores every morning." Korea, in Samsung's view, is the testbed. The rest of Asia is the market. And that market is vast and wildly varied. China has over 150 million active fitness app users, where marathon participation has become a premier status symbol among the urban professional class. Indonesia is experiencing something closer to an explosion: regional e-commerce data shows running gear consumption surged more than 500 percent year-on-year, driven by a growing middle class and a distinctive "night runner" culture shaped by the country's tropical climate. Samsung's Galaxy Watch BioActive sensor — tracking six advanced running metrics including ground contact time and vertical oscillation — is designed to adapt to each of these local cultures rather than impose a single template. The logic extends well beyond sport. Biometric data from hundreds of millions of daily users, aggregated and analysed at scale, is among the most valuable datasets an AI-era technology company can hold. Samsung's running play is, at its core, a data accumulation strategy dressed in moisture-wicking fabric. Korea exported its pop culture. It exported its cinema. Now it is attempting to export its running culture — and the digital infrastructure that comes with it. The shoes may be Korean. The ambition is continental. 2026-05-14 16:46:27 -
AJP Eye: Samsung's AI ambitions face 'Opex trap' as labor dispute threatens crucial Capex SEOUL, May 14 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics, riding on the AI boom to join the exclusive $1 trillion valuation club, is caught in a squeeze that no chip roadmap can solve: a labor dispute forcing it to choose between rewarding its workers today and funding the factories that will determine its place in the AI memory hierarchy tomorrow. The Opex (operational expenditure)-versus-Capex (capital expenditure) tension is now acute. Following a 17-hour marathon mediation session that collapsed Wednesday, the National Labor Relations Commission has urged both sides to resume talks Saturday. The central friction is performance bonuses. The union is demanding a legally guaranteed pool equal to 15 percent of annual operating profit; the commission has proposed 12 percent as a compromise. The union has rejected it. The arithmetic of a prolonged standoff is stark. Industry analysts estimate a full shutdown of Samsung's production lines would cost approximately 1 trillion won ($670 million) per day in direct losses. Should the union proceed with its threatened 18-day general strike, total damages could reach 30 trillion won — a figure that would dwarf any bonus settlement and land squarely on the capex budget Samsung needs most right now. That budget pressure is the real story. Samsung is competing in an AI memory race where capital deployment speed is the primary variable. TSMC, which has maintained a no-union policy since its founding in 1987, has guided 2026 capital expenditure at $52–56 billion, up to 40 percent above 2025 levels, with 70–80 percent earmarked for advanced process nodes at 2-nanometer and 3-nanometer. Micron, also operating without unions, has revised its fiscal 2026 capex forecast above $25 billion after spending $5 billion in its second fiscal quarter alone. Neither company is negotiating bonus pools. Both are building fabs. The structural contrast is not incidental. The global semiconductor industry runs almost entirely on a non-union model, for reasons embedded in the physics of the business. Chip fabrication requires continuous 24-hour cleanroom operation; any strike-induced halt triggers contamination protocols, yield losses, and recovery timelines measured in weeks, not days. The workforce is composed overwhelmingly of engineers and R&D specialists compensated through stock options and merit pay rather than collective agreements. The Wall Street Journal has described union friction as a potential "obstacle" to semiconductor industry competitiveness. TSMC founder Morris Chang has drawn an explicit parallel to the United Auto Workers, arguing that while unions may secure near-term wage gains, they erode the long-term productivity on which innovation depends. Samsung's situation is more complicated than its rivals' by design. It is a sprawling conglomerate with a large unionized manufacturing base — a structure that served it well in earlier industrial eras but creates friction in a business where uninterrupted capital deployment is existential. The company must now navigate that friction at precisely the moment when HBM4 qualification, new fab capacity, and Nvidia supply contracts are all in play simultaneously. Global investors are watching the Saturday mediation closely. If Samsung cannot contain its opex commitments, it risks ceding the capex window to rivals, who face no such constraint. In a memory supercycle where supply is already sold out and AI demand is accelerating, lost ground won't easily be recovered. — AJP Eye is AJP's business and markets commentary column. 2026-05-14 15:42:55 -
Samsung Elec adjusting output ahead of threatened strike SEOUL, May 14 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics has started scaling back wafer output at its chip facilities in a preemptive move to protect quality integrity, as the company braces for a union walkout that could begin as early as Thursday, a source close to the matter told AJP. The production cutback marks the first tangible operational impact of the labor dispute on Samsung's critical chip manufacturing operations. Talks have reached an impasse. The representative union has rejected a call from the National Labor Relations Commission to continue dialogue over the weekend, saying it has no intention to engage "unless the management presents a proper proposal." Samsung is the world's largest memory chip supplier, and any yield disruption at its fabs risks aggravating a market already stretched thin by surging AI demand. 2026-05-14 15:29:01 -
Gov't, Samsung management jointly pressure union after wage talks collapse SEOUL, May 13 (AJP) - The South Korean government and Samsung Electronics management ratcheted up pressure on the labor union ahead of a planned monthlong strike next week after marathon government-mediated talks over a profit-linked bonus system collapsed early Wednesday. “A strike must never happen under any circumstances,” Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol wrote on X on Wednesday, pledging to continue mediation to keep the dialogue momentum alive. Samsung Electronics, which so far has stayed muted over the union activities issued a strongest-yet statement expressing “deep regret” over the union’s decision to declare negotiations deadlocked after a 17-hour mediation session at the National Labor Relations Commission in Sejong ended around 3 a.m. “It is deeply regrettable that the government’s post-mediation efforts were nullified by the union’s declaration of a breakdown,” the company said. “The union’s decision is causing significant concern and anxiety not only for the company but also for employees awaiting a settlement, as well as shareholders and the public.” The National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) announced the talks had “finally broken down,” rejecting the latest mediation proposal as a step backward from previous discussions. According to Samsung, the government attempted to facilitate compromise by presenting multiple proposals based on the positions of both labor and management, but the union ultimately walked away from the negotiations. Samsung also accused the union of insisting on a rigid institutionalization of the bonus system while rejecting management’s proposal for a more flexible compensation structure tied to business performance. The core dispute centers on the union’s demand to formalize a compensation scheme allocating 15 percent of operating profit to employee bonuses and abolish the existing bonus ceiling. Management wants to maintain the current Excess Profit Incentive (OPI) framework, which caps bonuses at 50 percent of monthly salary. “The company will continue efforts to prevent the worst-case scenario through sincere dialogue until the end,” Samsung said, while thanking government officials and mediators involved in the process. The government has also intensified calls for compromise amid concerns over the broader economic fallout of a strike at the country’s largest corporation. Koo said earlier this week that Samsung’s record earnings were tied not only to corporate efforts but also to public infrastructure investment and the support of hundreds of subcontractors across the semiconductor supply chain. The union has warned it could launch a full-scale strike as early as May 21 if negotiations remain stalled. While the government has legal authority to invoke emergency arbitration that could suspend industrial action for up to 30 days, officials at the labor commission said the measure is not currently under active review. Samsung Electronics shares that been rallying around historic highs fell 2.4 percent upon the breakdown news Wednesday. 2026-05-13 10:26:30 -
Arnault Seoul tour signals Dior reckoning in split luxury market SEOUL, May 12 (AJP) - Just 30 centimeters behind LVMH Chairman Bernard Arnault during his closely watched Seoul tour walked the executive many luxury insiders believed was carrying the real assignment of the trip: Delphine Arnault, tasked with reassessing Christian Dior’s position in one of the world’s most influential — and increasingly polarized — luxury markets. While cameras followed the world’s most powerful luxury executive through Seoul’s flagship department stores and high-end retail districts, industry attention centered on whether Dior could regain footing in South Korea after losing momentum in a market that once symbolized the global luxury boom. Korea remains the world’s highest per-capita spender on personal luxury goods, with consumers spending roughly $325 annually per person on luxury products, according to Morgan Stanley — higher than consumers in the United States or China. Morgan Stanley analysts noted that “South Korean buyers' demand for luxury goods is due to both an increase in purchasing power and an external desire to show off their social status.” The country’s luxury market, valued at more than $16 billion, has become strategically indispensable for global brands not only because of spending power but because Seoul increasingly functions as a trend laboratory for younger Asian consumers. Yet beneath the headline figures, the Korean luxury market has undergone a sharp structural shift. “Brand performance remained highly polarized in 2025,” Bain & Company noted in a recent global luxury report, adding that “the absolute luxury tier continued to hold strong,” while aspirational luxury demand weakened amid deteriorating consumer sentiment. That polarization has become especially pronounced in South Korea. Luxury spending has increasingly split into a two-speed market: recession-resistant VVIP consumers continue concentrating purchases on heritage houses such as Hermès, Chanel and Louis Vuitton, while younger buyers in their 20s and 30s — once the engine of Korea’s luxury boom — are retreating under high interest rates, inflation, weak wage growth and a housing market that has drifted out of reach. Nam Sung-hyun, an analyst at IBK Investment & Securities, described the widening divide bluntly: “While lower-income brackets see reduced spending power, the upper classes, who can increase income through assets, have even greater spending capacity.” That divergence has created clear winners and losers across the luxury sector. While ultra-premium houses continued posting record sales growth in Korea, brands positioned closer to aspirational luxury have struggled to maintain momentum as discretionary spending weakens. Industry analysts say Dior became particularly exposed because of its aggressive expansion among Korea’s MZ generation — millennials and Gen Z — through celebrity ambassadors, social media marketing and entry-level luxury products. The strategy thrived during the post-pandemic “flex” consumption boom. But the same younger consumers who fueled Korea’s luxury surge have now become the most vulnerable to economic pressure. Higher borrowing costs, slowing growth and mounting household burdens have begun eroding aspirational consumption, leaving brands dependent on trend-sensitive younger buyers increasingly exposed. Meanwhile, wealthy VVIP consumers have consolidated spending further toward the most established heritage houses with the strongest exclusivity and resale value. Against that backdrop, Delphine Arnault’s detailed inspection of Seoul department stores and flagship operations drew outsized industry attention. As CEO of Dior Couture and a central figure in the future leadership of LVMH, her visit was widely interpreted within the industry as more than ceremonial succession optics. Instead, it was viewed as part of a broader strategic reassessment of how Dior positions itself in Korea at a time when the market increasingly rewards ultra-premium exclusivity over mass aspirational desirability. For global luxury groups, South Korea is increasingly serving as an early indicator of broader shifts likely to spread across Asia: younger consumers remain culturally influential and digitally powerful, but sustaining luxury demand now requires balancing social-media-driven accessibility with the exclusivity demanded by high-net-worth clientele. In that sense, the Seoul trip was not simply about Korea. It was about the future direction of the global luxury industry itself. 2026-05-12 13:57:58 -
LG Electronics to supply OLED monitors for Hyundai's N racing simulators SEOUL, May 11 (AJP) - LG Electronics (LGE) announced Monday it will supply high-end OLED monitors for Hyundai Motor’s high-performance "Hyundai N Racing Simulator," expanding its display business into the virtual driving sector. Under the partnership, LG will provide the 65-inch LG OLED Pro monitor for the "Pro" simulator model and 65-inch OLED TVs for the "Racer" model. The professional-grade OLED Pro features 4K resolution and a specialized interface designed to transmit high-capacity data without compression, ensuring stable performance for high-definition virtual environments. The monitors are equipped with self-calibration tools and optimization features that maintain uniform brightness and color accuracy, according to the company. While LG’s OLED Pro series has primarily been utilized in broadcasting and film production, this collaboration marks a strategic push to diversify its client base into the simulation market. The move aligns with LGE's broader strategy to leverage its OLED and signage competitiveness to secure bespoke business opportunities across various industrial fields. 2026-05-11 16:46:57 -
LVMH chair inspects shops in Korea amid weakening sales SEOUL, May 11 (AJP) - Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of French luxury titan LVMH, arrived in Seoul on Monday for an intensive inspection of the South Korean market as the world’s largest luxury group faces slowing global momentum and weaker growth in Korea relative to rival luxury houses despite the country’s continued luxury boom. Accompanied by his eldest daughter, Delphine Arnault, CEO of Christian Dior Couture, the LVMH chief’s visit comes at a pivotal moment when the group’s global sales have stagnated amid softening demand in China and the United States. The visit began at Shinsegae Department Store’s flagship store in central Seoul at 12:30 p.m., where Arnault was greeted by Shinsegae CEO Park Joo-hyung. Although the department store was closed for its regular holiday, Arnault spent time closely inspecting the exterior and storefront displays of “Louis Vuitton Visionary Journeys Seoul,” the six-story experiential complex that serves as the brand’s largest retail location globally. Rather than focusing solely on retail traffic or VIP lounges, Arnault’s attention centered on the physical presentation and experiential environment of the flagship, underscoring LVMH’s push toward “destination retail” that blends architecture, exhibitions, dining and brand storytelling. Arnault’s direct oversight of the Seoul flagship highlights the strategic importance LVMH places on South Korea, one of the few luxury markets still posting robust growth despite mounting concerns over a global sector slowdown. While LVMH’s global sales growth slowed to 1 percent last year, Louis Vuitton Korea posted record revenue of 1.85 trillion won ($1.36 billion) in 2025, up 6.1 percent from a year earlier, while operating profit surged 35 percent to 525.6 billion won. Yet LVMH’s Korean growth has increasingly lagged behind some rival luxury houses that continue to post stronger momentum in the country’s polarized luxury market. Chanel Korea surpassed the 2 trillion won revenue mark for the first time last year, with sales rising 9 percent to 2.01 trillion won and operating profit climbing 25 percent to 336 billion won. Hermès Korea also reported standout growth, with revenue increasing 16.7 percent to 1.13 trillion won and operating profit rising 14.6 percent to 305.5 billion won. The contrast has become even more pronounced within LVMH’s own portfolio, particularly at Dior, once grouped among Korea’s so-called “EruSha” trio of Hermès, Louis Vuitton and Chanel. According to regulatory filings, Christian Dior Couture Korea posted revenue of 773.9 billion won last year, down 18.1 percent from a year earlier, while operating profit plunged 43 percent to 129.2 billion won. The brand had already suffered declines in 2024, marking two consecutive years of falling sales and earnings while competitors continued delivering record performances. Arnault plans to make stops at Lotte Department Store, and luxury industry will be closely watching whether Seoul will further shape LVMH’s evolving blueprint for experiential retail in one of the world’s most competitive and polarized luxury markets. 2026-05-11 15:16:56 -
Samsung Electronics labor talks begin under government mediation SEOUL, May 11 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics and its union began two days of intensive talks Monday under government mediation in a bid to avert a full-scale strike planned for next week, though prospects for a breakthrough remained uncertain as both sides held firm on bonus demands tied to the semiconductor boom. Speaking before a post-mediation session at the National Labor Relations Commission in central Seoul, SELU Chairman Choi Seung-ho said the union stood by its demand to allocate 15 percent of Samsung Electronics’ operating profit to employee bonuses and abolish bonus caps through a formalized system. “We continue to demand a 15 percent operating profit-based bonus system and the abolition of the ceiling,” Choi told reporters. “If the company has no position on institutionalizing this, we believe mediation will not be possible even today.” Choi accused management of failing to honor previous promises to reserve earnings during profitable years and use them to cushion compensation during downturns. “The company previously said it would accumulate profits during good years and use them to support workers during deficit periods, but it failed to keep that promise,” he said. “Simple written wording is no longer enough for us to trust. We are looking for a clearly institutionalized framework.” At the same time, Choi signaled limited room for compromise, saying the union would consider its stance if the company presents a “forward-looking change.” The union also reaffirmed that it would not discuss creating a company-wide shared bonus pool for non-semiconductor divisions during the current negotiations, despite rising internal tensions over widening compensation gaps between chip workers and employees in other business units. Asked whether disagreements within the labor coalition over the issue had been resolved, Choi said the union could not reverse a position already jointly agreed upon by the three participating labor groups. “We do not want to create controversy over insincere bargaining,” he said. “Our direction remains unchanged.” He added that the union, now legally recognized as Samsung Electronics’ majority labor organization, plans to actively review the broader shared-fund issue next year. The SELU, which has more than 40,000 members, has threatened an 18-day general strike beginning May 21 after wage negotiations broke down over bonuses tied to the AI-driven semiconductor supercycle. The standoff comes as Samsung Electronics races to narrow the gap with rival SK hynix in high-bandwidth memory chips used in artificial intelligence servers, heightening concerns that any disruption at semiconductor fabrication lines could hit output at a sensitive moment for the global AI supply chain. 2026-05-11 11:30:14 -
LVMH chief Bernard Arnault to visit Seoul for first time in three years SEOUL, May 09 (AJP) - Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of French luxury giant LVMH, is set to arrive in Seoul on Monday for his first visit to South Korea in three years, according to industry sources on Saturday. The visit comes as South Korea continues to solidify its position as a "key strategic market" for global luxury houses. While luxury sales in Europe and Japan have softened amid a global cooling of high-end demand—and Middle Eastern markets have seen a downturn due to regional conflicts—the South Korean market has remained exceptionally resilient. Industry insiders noted that Hermès, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel—all reported record-breaking performance in Korea last year despite the global economic slowdown. During his stay, Arnault is scheduled to visit the Shinsegae Department Store’s flagship outlet in central Seoul on May 11 to inspect "Louis Vuitton Visionary Journeys Seoul". The sprawling six-story experiential space stands as the brand's largest retail location in the world. Arnault is also expected to tour major luxury hubs at Lotte Department Store and Shinsegae Gangnam to review local operations. The LVMH chief’s return follows a 2023 trip where he met with top South Korean business leaders, including Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin. The timing is particularly notable as Arnault is expected to tour the Shinsegae flagship on a day the store is closed to the public, allowing for an uninterrupted inspection of the site's high-end dining and cultural facilities. 2026-05-09 18:15:10 -
Musinsa's foreign sales hit record high during Northeast Asian 'Golden Holiday' SEOUL, May 09 (AJP) - South Korean fashion platform Musinsa saw its offline sales from foreign tourists reach a record high during the recent "Northeast Asian Golden Holiday," as Japanese and Chinese vacation periods coincided to drive a surge in inbound shopping. According to data released by the company on Friday, sales from foreign customers at 12 of its global-focused stores—including Musinsa Standard and Musinsa Store—rose more than 30 percent between April 29 and May 5 compared to the previous week. The period saw a rare overlap of Japan’s Golden Week (April 29–May 6) and China’s Labor Day holiday (May 1–5). The growth was most pronounced in Seoul’s Seongsu district, a rising shopping hub for international tourists. Combined sales at the Musinsa Standard Seongsu and Musinsa Store Seongsu boutique surged 41 percent week-on-week, fueled by an influx of overseas visitors. For the first time, foreign nationals accounted for more than half of the total revenue at these 12 strategic locations, reaching 53 percent of the total sales mix. The Musinsa Store in Myeongdong recorded the highest international presence, with over 70 percent of its revenue generated by foreign shoppers. Other locations in Hannam, Hongdae, and Seongsu also reported foreign sales shares exceeding 60 percent. Industry analysts attribute the performance to a growing global preference for K-fashion and beauty, coupled with Musinsa's curation of local brands that appeal to independent travelers seeking "hip" South Korean lifestyle experiences. To capitalize on the holiday peak, the platform partnered with Japan’s largest fashion platform, ZOZOTOWN, and China’s WeChat Pay to offer targeted discounts and point-based incentives. “The alignment of major holidays in Korea, China, and Japan drew a concentrated number of global customers to our offline spaces,” a Musinsa official said. “We plan to continue strengthening our online-to-offline marketing and curation to ensure international tourists can experience the latest South Korean fashion trends.” The company is currently running its "On & Off Festival" across all offline locations through May 10, offering exclusive discounts to both domestic and international shoppers. 2026-05-09 15:20:24