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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LG Electronics Q2 profit beats estimates on HVAC growth, tariff gains SEOUL, July 07 (AJP) - LG Electronics' second-quarter operating profit came in at an estimated 1.58 trillion won $1 billion), above the market consensus of 1.02 trillion won, according to the company on Tuesday. The preliminary figure compares with operating profit of 1.67 trillion won in the previous quarter, representing a 5.7 percent decrease quarter-on-quarter. Revenue for the April-June period came to 23.83 trillion won, compared with 23.72 trillion won in the previous quarter and above the market consensus of 22.54 trillion won. The stronger-than-expected earnings were supported by solid growth in the company's heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) business, driven by rising demand for AI data-center cooling systems. Higher sales of premium home appliances and air conditioners, continued profitability in the vehicle solutions business, growth in high-margin businesses such as webOS and subscription services, improved cost competitiveness, and one-off gains from U.S. tariff refunds also contributed to earnings. LG Electronics did not disclose business division results in its preliminary earnings guidance. The company will release its full earnings report, including detailed results for each business division, later this month. 2026-07-07 11:16:56 -
Samsung Elec Q2 profit nears 90 trillion won even after bonus package SEOUL, July 07 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics on Tuesday estimated second-quarter operating profit at 89.4 trillion won ($58.4 billion) beating consensus of around 84.60 trillion won, as hot chip selling prices more than offset the cost of record performance bonuses for semiconductor employees. The preliminary figure compares with operating profit of 57.2 trillion won in the previous quarter and 4.7 trillion won a year earlier and fueled a red-hot earning streak for the third quarter. It also suggests income could have nearly doubled from the January-March period when excluding bonus outlay. Second-quarter revenue came to 171 trillion won, slightly short of the FnGuide consensus of 172.68 trillion won, but much higher than 133.9 trillion won in the previous quarter and 74.6 trillion won a year earlier, The world's top DRAM maker's second-quarter earnings were highly anticipated, given the red-hot demand for memory chips powering AI, which also spilled over into mass-market memory due to supply constraints. Citi Research estimated that average selling prices for DRAM and NAND rose 44 percent and 53 percent, respectively, from the first quarter. The latecomer in the high-bandwidth memory race was also expected to benefit from long-term strategic supply contracts with major technology companies seeking to lock in memory supplies. Industry sources also said provisions for employee performance bonuses were at least partially reflected in the quarter, while stronger seasonal demand for air conditioners and other premium home appliances during an early summer heatwave likely supported the consumer electronics business. Samsung will release detailed earnings, including business division results, later this month. 2026-07-07 07:53:26 -
South Korea picks Gwangju military airport site for Honam chip cluster SEOUL, July 06 (AJP) - South Korea will build its planned Honam semiconductor cluster on the site of the Gwangju military airport after the government selected the location as the preferred site for the project, the presidential office said on Monday. The decision was reached during a public-private review meeting on the government's three flagship regional development projects chaired by President Lee Jae Myung, Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik said. The government will complete the site selection process through consultations among relevant ministries as quickly as possible, Kang said. According to the presidential office, companies participating in the discussions concluded that the Gwangju military airport site offers the best conditions for the project. The site can secure about 2.5 million pyeong of land, while its existing flat terrain, developed for airport operations, is expected to reduce construction time for the industrial complex. The location is also close to downtown Gwangju and a KTX high-speed rail station, providing favorable conditions for securing skilled workers and supporting residential infrastructure, Kang said. The site also offers efficient logistics access through road, airport and port networks. The presidential office said President Lee will hold monthly public-private review meetings to monitor progress on the semiconductor cluster and the government's three regional mega projects. Lee also plans to establish a dedicated task force within the presidential office to oversee implementation and coordinate relevant ministries, according to Kang. 2026-07-06 16:52:49 -
Samsung Electronics awards up to 100% bonus to chip division for first half SEOUL, July 06 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics said on Monday it will pay performance bonuses of up to 100 percent of monthly base salary to employees in its semiconductor division for the first half of the year, ahead of its second-quarter earnings announcement. The company said its Memory Business will receive the maximum Target Achievement Incentive (TAI) payout of 100 percent of monthly base salary for a second consecutive half, reflecting improved earnings driven by higher high bandwidth memory (HBM) shipments and rising conventional DRAM prices. Within the Device Solutions (DS) division, employees in the System LSI Business and Foundry Business will receive bonuses equivalent to 75 percent of monthly base salary, while the Semiconductor Research Center, Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) and other shared organizations will receive 100 percent. Under Samsung's TAI program, employees receive performance-based bonuses twice a year based on the performance of their business division and individual business unit, with payouts capped at 100 percent of monthly base salary. In the Device eXperience (DX) division, employees in the Mobile eXperience (MX) Business will receive bonuses equivalent to 50 percent of monthly base salary, down from 75 percent in the previous half despite solid sales of the Galaxy S26 series. Employees in the Visual Display (VD) Business and Digital Appliances (DA) Business will receive bonuses of 50 percent and 25 percent, respectively. The Medical Device Business and Korea Sales and Marketing Office will receive 75 percent, while the Networks Business, Corporate Management Office and other organizations will receive 50 percent. Samsung Electronics is scheduled to announce its preliminary second-quarter earnings on Tuesday. Separately, Samsung Display said employees in its small- and medium-sized display business will receive bonuses equivalent to 100 percent of monthly base salary, while those in its large-display business will receive 75 percent. Samsung Electro-Mechanics will award bonuses of 100 percent across all business divisions, while Samsung SDI set its first-half payout at 75 percent of monthly base salary. 2026-07-06 16:37:15 -
LG Electronics seen posting solid Q2 on AI cooling, auto parts SEOUL, July 06 (AJP) - LG Electronics Inc. is set to deliver another strong quarter Tuesday as the Korean premium home appliance maker finds a robust position in the AI era through cooling systems essential for AI data centers and a resilient auto-parts business, making its earnings less dependent on consumer whims. According to FnGuide consensus, LG Electronics is estimated to have earned 1.02 trillion won ($666 million) in operating profit on revenue of 22.54 trillion won ($14.73 billion) in the April-June period, slightly below the first quarter, when it reported 1.67 trillion won in operating profit and 23.72 trillion won in revenue. While quarterly earnings are expected to decline sequentially following seasonally strong first-quarter appliance demand, analysts say the quality of earnings continues to improve as the company becomes less dependent on its traditional consumer electronics businesses. A common theme across brokerages is the rapid expansion of LG Electronics' HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) business, particularly products designed for AI data centers. Lee Joo-hyung, an analyst at Eugene Investment & Securities, said the company's AI data-center chiller business has emerged as one of its most important growth engines, noting that qualification tests with North American hyperscale customers are nearing completion. He added that its broader positioning as an integrated cooling solutions provider could become a meaningful earnings driver over the medium term. Analysts also expect the company's Vehicle Solution (VS) business to remain a stable contributor after several quarters of improving profitability. Park Jun-seo of Mirae Asset Securities said higher-margin in-vehicle infotainment products, ongoing cost reductions and a favorable product mix should continue supporting margins in the automotive components business during the second quarter. He also identified potential U.S. tariff refunds as a key variable that could lift quarterly earnings above market expectations. A similar view was offered by Kim Min-kyung of Hana Securities, who expects LG Electronics' structural earnings recovery to continue despite a challenging macroeconomic environment. Kim cited company-wide cost discipline, marketing efficiency and expanding AI-related businesses—including data-center cooling and robotics—as key factors supporting earnings resilience. Among domestic brokerages, Kyobo Securities presented one of the most optimistic forecasts, projecting operating profit of about 1.5 trillion won, roughly 50 percent above prevailing market consensus. Choi Bo-young attributed the upside to an estimated 300 billion won in tariff refunds, stronger-than-expected profitability at affiliate LG Innotek and continued margin improvements across LG Electronics' core home appliance and vehicle solutions businesses. Despite the improving outlook, analysts noted that uncertainties remain, including global consumer demand for TVs and home appliances, marketing expenses and geopolitical risks that could affect logistics costs and consumer spending. Tuesday's earnings release will provide only preliminary consolidated revenue and operating profit figures. Detailed business division results—including the Home Appliance Solution (HS), Media Entertainment Solution (MS), Vehicle Solution (VS) and Eco Solution (ES) divisions—will be released later this month alongside the company's earnings conference call. 2026-07-06 15:17:49 -
SK hynix said to weigh 0.5% underwriting fee for U.S. ADR offering SEOUL, July 04 (AJP) - SK hynix is considering paying underwriting fees of about 0.5 percent of the proceeds for its planned U.S. American Depositary Receipt (ADR) offering, a level that could generate one of Asia's largest investment banking fee pools this year, Bloomberg News reported on Saturday. The South Korean memory chipmaker is in discussions with Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase over underwriting fees and incentive compensation for the planned ADR listing, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Based on SK hynix's recent market capitalization, the offering could raise as much as $26.5 billion, implying underwriting fees of roughly $130 million, or nearly 2 trillion won ($145 million), if the proposed 0.5 percent fee is applied. The final terms remain subject to change. While the proposed fee would be below the roughly 0.67 percnet underwriting fee reported for SpaceX's recent fundraising, the sheer size of the transaction could make it one of the largest fee-generating equity offerings in Asia this year, Bloomberg said. The report added that the ADR sale could rank among the world's largest share offerings, alongside SpaceX's approximately $86 billion fundraising and Saudi Aramco's roughly $29.4 billion initial public offering. SK hynix's long-standing listing on the Korea Exchange and its growing prominence among global technology stocks are expected to help attract overseas institutional investors, potentially easing the marketing burden for underwriters, according to the report. The company previously said it plans to issue ADRs backed by up to 2.5 percent of its outstanding common shares. The final offering size and number of shares will be determined following book-building with institutional investors. An ADR is a negotiable certificate issued by a U.S. depositary bank that allows foreign companies' shares to be traded on U.S. exchanges. 2026-07-04 18:04:14 -
Samsung said to seek up to 20% DRAM price hike in third quarter SEOUL, July 04 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics is seeking to raise DRAM prices by about 20 percent in the third quarter as memory chip demand continues to recover, according to a report by a Chinese financial news outlet on Saturday. Chinese business publication Yicai reported, citing electronics industry executives and supply chain sources, that Samsung discussed higher DRAM contract prices with some customers in China last month and verbally notified them of the planned increase. If implemented, the price hike could eventually feed through to higher costs for consumer electronics such as smartphones and personal computers, the report said. The reported move comes as market expectations for a broader recovery in memory prices continue to strengthen amid improving demand for AI servers and a gradual rebound in the PC and smartphone markets. Market research firm TrendForce recently forecast third-quarter contract DRAM prices would rise 13 percent to 18 percent from the previous quarter, while NAND flash prices are expected to increase 10 percent to 15 percent. Chinese market research firm Qunzhi Consulting also projected that prices for LPDDR5X 8GB, a high-performance low-power DRAM widely used in smartphones and AI-enabled devices, would climb about 20 percent in the third quarter. Samsung, the world's largest memory chip maker, has been expected to benefit from improving pricing conditions after a prolonged industry downturn, with memory manufacturers increasingly focusing on higher-value AI-related products and disciplined supply management. 2026-07-04 17:44:51 -
South Korea's Lee rejects claims mega projects aimed at boosting approval ratings SEOUL, July 04 (AJP) - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Saturday rejected opposition claims that his administration's three large-scale regional development initiatives were politically motivated, saying the projects had long been part of his vision and were intended to improve people's lives rather than boost his approval ratings. In a post on X, Lee said the plan for what his administration has described as three "mega projects" to reshape the country's regional economy had been conceived long before he took office. "We had been preparing at the national level immediately after taking office to promote large-scale regional investment and development for balanced growth, but progress was slower than expected," Lee wrote. He said recent government policies to promote artificial intelligence and other advanced industries, together with structural changes in the AI semiconductor sector, had created conditions for large-scale regional investment. Lee's remarks came after the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) argued that the projects were driven by political considerations ahead of next year's local elections. "If the three mega projects had been a political tool to manage approval ratings, we would have launched them before the local elections," Lee said. He added that while public approval ratings were important, "what matters more is delivering tangible results that improve people's lives." "Approval ratings rise and fall like the wind, but achievements and performance endure," Lee said, adding that public support would naturally follow concrete results. Lee said the projects were aimed at promoting balanced regional development, inclusive and sustainable growth, and creating new opportunities, particularly for younger generations. 2026-07-04 16:47:10 -
U.S. stock buying seen keeping won weak through Feb. 2027 SEOUL, July 04 (AJP) - South Korea's won is likely to remain under sustained depreciation pressure through at least February 2027, driven by surging overseas equity investments by Korean households and companies, particularly into U.S. stocks, according to a report released Saturday by the Korea Institute of Finance. The report said the dollar-won exchange rate has undergone a structural upward shift since 2024 and is expected to stay near current levels for another 10 months, assuming no major external shocks. The institute found the average exchange rate has risen in stages over the past decade, from 1,128.96 won per dollar between January 2015 and March 2019, to 1,168.71 won between April 2019 and March 2022, 1,312.41 won between April 2022 and February 2024, and 1,403.19 won from March 2024 through April 2026. Park Hae-sik, a research fellow at the institute, said his analysis identified three structural breakpoints in April 2019, April 2022 and March 2024 that pushed the average exchange rate to progressively higher levels. "Based on the duration of each phase, the current trend is likely to continue until around February next year," Park said. The report attributed the won's weakness primarily to a sharp increase in overseas securities investments by Korean investors, which has boosted demand for U.S. dollars, combined with the continued strength of the greenback. The institute said these structural factors make a rapid return to previous exchange-rate levels unlikely. Park said domestic financial institutions should closely monitor the impact of a prolonged period of elevated exchange rates on profitability and capital adequacy, warning that the won is more likely to remain around current levels than stage a swift recovery in the absence of new shocks. 2026-07-04 14:46:15 -
South Korea gasoline prices fall below 2,000 won for seventh straight week SEOUL, July 04 (AJP) - Retail fuel prices in South Korea extended their decline for a seventh consecutive week, with the nationwide average gasoline price falling below 2,000 won per liter as lower global crude prices and the government's latest fuel price cap took effect. The average price of regular gasoline fell 55.7 won from the previous week to 1,952.1 won ($1.43) per liter during the week of June 28 to July 2, according to data released by the Korea National Oil Corporation's Opinet on Friday. Diesel prices also dropped for a seventh straight week, declining 58.9 won to an average of 1,942.4 won per liter. Seoul recorded the country's highest average gasoline price at 1,976.6 won per liter, down 73 won from a week earlier, while Daejeon posted the lowest average at 1,916.4 won, a decrease of 77.4 won. Among major refiners, S-Oil-operated stations posted the highest average gasoline price at 1,954.1 won per liter, while SK Energy stations offered the lowest average price at 1,950.5 won. Domestic fuel prices have been falling steadily since the third week of May following easing international oil prices after the United States and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending hostilities. The pace of declines accelerated from late June as the agreement helped stabilize expectations over global crude supply. Global oil prices edged lower this week as negotiations involving U.S. and Iranian officials, along with mediators in Doha, raised hopes of restoring oil supplies, although gains were limited by slow progress in the talks. Dubai crude, South Korea's benchmark for imported oil, settled at $63.30 per barrel on July 2, down $1.10 from a week earlier. 2026-07-04 12:57:47