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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SK hynix scraps degree requirements in major hiring push for AI era SEOUL, June 17 (AJP) - South Korean chipmaker SK hynix said on Wednesday it has completely abolished educational requirements for its new recruitment drive, shifting its focus to practical skills and growth potential as it gears up for the artificial intelligence era. Starting with its latest rolling recruitment that opened Wednesday, the world's second-largest memory chipmaker has removed the traditional prerequisite of a "four-year bachelor's degree or higher" from its job postings. Under the new system, applicants will be evaluated purely on their experience, job competency, and cultural fit, allowing anyone to apply and be hired regardless of their academic background, the company said in a statement. The structural shift aligns with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won's recent vision for talent in the AI era. Chey recently emphasized the importance of three core "muscles" for future employees: a "thinking muscle" to ask questions and probe the essence of problems, an "adaptability muscle" to respond agilely to technological shifts, and an "empathy muscle" for flexible collaboration and understanding diversity. A company official explained that conventional degrees and standard resumes are no longer sufficient to gauge a candidate's potential in the fast-evolving AI sector, prompting the company to revamp its recruitment criteria to find creative problem solvers. In an unusually large move for a rolling recruitment period, SK hynix plans to hire hundreds of new employees for key engineering positions, including semiconductor design, to lead next-generation chip development. The company aims to aggressively recruit high-potential talent to secure future growth engines and solidify its competitive edge in the global AI semiconductor market, while also contributing to broader youth employment. Applications for the current hiring round will be accepted through June 23 via the company's recruitment portal. 2026-06-17 10:38:16 -
Samsung upgrades Galaxy security to combat surging voice phishing in South Korea SEOUL, June 16 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics is upgrading the security framework of its Galaxy mobile devices to combat a surge in voice phishing and financial fraud in South Korea, introducing pre-emptive blocking measures against malicious applications and messages. Voice phishing remains a severe socio-economic issue in the country. According to data from the National Police Agency, South Korea recorded 23,360 voice phishing cases in 2025, resulting in financial damages totaling 1.25 trillion won. In response to the growing threat, Samsung announced that its upcoming One UI 9.0 operating system—slated for release on new Galaxy devices in the second half of the year—will feature an advanced phishing application alert system. The updated software will not only prevent the installation of known malicious applications by scanning app reputation data, but will also actively block their execution if they are already installed or downloaded via remote control. To maintain an updated threat database, the tech giant is collaborating closely with South Korean government bodies, including the National Police Agency, the National Forensic Service, and the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA). Relying on data provided by these agencies, Samsung has deployed a deep-learning artificial intelligence system to filter illegal spam related to gambling, loans, and smishing. The company reported that it has blocked approximately 400 million malicious messages between September 2024 and April 2026. Recent updates have also heavily integrated on-device AI to intercept scams before financial damage occurs. The Galaxy S26 series introduced a "Call Screening" function that summarizes caller information and intent before the user answers, allowing them to reject suspected spam without compromising data privacy. Additionally, an AI-powered voice phishing detection tool analyzes live calls to issue real-time warnings. Samsung noted that this feature, activated by default for enhanced security, is currently in use on approximately 84 percent of eligible devices as of April 2026. 2026-06-16 15:57:27 -
Samsung foundry gains major traction amid AI bottlenecks SEOUL, June 16 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics has reportedly secured a string of AI-related chip projects from Alphabet's Google and Elon Musk's Neuralink by exploiting manufacturing bottlenecks at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), giving fresh momentum to a foundry business that has long struggled to close the gap with its Taiwanese rival. According to sources familiar with the matter, the South Korean tech giant has won several high-profile silicon design projects from Google and Neuralink. Samsung declined to comment on specific agreements, citing non-disclosure agreements. The shift comes as surging demand for generative AI accelerators pushes TSMC's manufacturing and advanced packaging capacities to their limits, prompting global technology companies to diversify away from a single supplier and adopt multi-vendor sourcing strategies to reduce supply chain risks. In a significant departure from its historical reliance on TSMC, Google is adopting a split-manufacturing architecture for its 10th-generation Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), codenamed "Icefish." Scheduled for mass production in 2028, the project divides manufacturing duties between the two Asian rivals. TSMC will fabricate the core compute processor using its ultra-advanced 1.4-nanometer process, while Samsung has been selected to manufacture the memory input/output die using its 2-nanometer technology. The I/O die acts as a high-speed bridge between logic processors and high-bandwidth memory (HBM) stacks, an increasingly critical function as memory bandwidth emerges as one of the biggest bottlenecks in AI computing. The project would also allow Samsung to offer an integrated manufacturing model by supplying its own HBM chips, producing the I/O die and conducting advanced packaging under a single roof. At the same time, Samsung is reportedly deepening its relationship with Elon Musk's technology ventures beyond electric vehicles. Industry sources said Samsung's foundry division is co-developing a fourth-generation brain-computer interface implant for Neuralink using its 4-nanometer FinFET process. The chip is designed to enable two-way communication between brain tissue and digital devices and would represent a shift away from TSMC, which manufactured Neuralink's previous generations of processors. Samsung aims to deliver functional test wafers in the first half of 2027, with high-volume production targeted for late 2027, according to the sources. The Neuralink project builds upon Samsung's existing partnership with Musk's companies after securing a multi-billion-dollar contract last year to manufacture Tesla's next-generation AI6 autonomous driving chips, which are expected to anchor early production at Samsung's expanding semiconductor facility in Taylor, Texas. Samsung has also recently produced specialized language-processing hardware for AI startup Groq, further broadening its AI customer base. The information also has not been confirmed by Google and Neuralink. As traditional transistor miniaturization becomes increasingly difficult and expensive, competition is shifting toward advanced packaging, memory integration and thermal management technologies. "U.S. Big Tech companies are increasingly striving to develop their own AI accelerators to break away from Nvidia's monopoly, but manufacturing options are limited," said Lee Jong-hwan, a professor of system semiconductor engineering at Sangmyung University. "With TSMC's advanced nodes fully booked, these companies have no choice but to turn to Samsung, and we expect these orders to grow." Lee emphasized that Samsung's unique position as both the world's leading memory producer and a contract chip manufacturer gives it a strategic advantage in the AI era. "Samsung is the only company on the planet capable of offering a comprehensive turnkey service that encompasses supplying HBM, manufacturing the custom logic chip, and handling the advanced packaging," Lee noted. Unlike competitors that rely on multiple suppliers, Samsung can potentially offer customers a unified manufacturing model that combines memory, foundry and packaging services, reducing execution risks and shortening development cycles. "If customer demand for this integrated model continues to rise, it could serve as a crucial catalyst for Samsung to turn its foundry business profitable and narrow the market share gap with TSMC," Lee added. While TSMC remains the dominant force in the global foundry market, the AI boom is beginning to expose the limits of single-supplier dependence. For Samsung, that may finally present the opportunity it has sought for years: transforming itself from a distant challenger into an indispensable second pillar of the global AI supply chain. 2026-06-16 15:44:18 -
Huang's Taiwan and Korea tour highlights supply chain at the heart of AI era SEOUL, June 14 (AJP) -Every great technological pivot has its symbolic journey. Columbus crossing the Atlantic opened the age of exploration. Deng Xiaoping's Southern Tour set the course of China's economic reform. Steve Jobs unveiling the iPhone launched the smartphone era. Nvidia's chief Jensen Huang's late-May to early-June 2026 sweep through Taiwan and South Korea may well be remembered as a similarly defining moment in the history of the AI industry. Much of the media coverage focused on the optics — Huang browsing night markets in Taiwan, clinking soju glasses over pork belly in Seoul. Understandable. He is a compelling figure. But for those watching the structural shifts in global technology, a very different story was unfolding: the supreme commander of the world's AI empire conducting a strategic inspection of his core production bases and logistics chain. Taiwan: The Manufacturing Empire Behind the AI Revolution At the center of today's AI industry sits Nvidia. And at the center of Nvidia sits Taiwan. The cutting-edge GPUs that power the AI boom are almost entirely fabricated by TSMC. Nvidia's Blackwell and Rubin platforms simply could not exist without Taiwan's advanced semiconductor manufacturing capability. TSMC is not merely a foundry — it is the forge of the global chip economy, serving Apple, AMD, Qualcomm, Broadcom and virtually every major fabless semiconductor company on earth. If Nvidia is the emperor of the AI age, TSMC is the imperial armory. But Taiwan's role extends well beyond silicon wafers. Foxconn, Quanta, Wistron, Inventec and Pegatron — names unfamiliar to most consumers but foundational to the global data center industry — assemble the AI servers that house Nvidia's GPUs. The actual manufacturing floor of the AI revolution is not Silicon Valley. It is Taiwan. Foxconn, notably, has moved far beyond iPhone assembly. It is aggressively expanding into AI servers, robotics and electric vehicles, positioning itself for the physical AI era. Quanta has emerged as one of the world's largest AI server manufacturers. Taiwan, in short, possesses the entire manufacturing ecosystem needed to turn Nvidia's architectural vision into operational hardware. South Korea: The Memory Backbone of AI Korea's role in the Nvidia supply chain is different — but no less critical. If Taiwan supplies the brain, Korea supplies the blood. The country's most strategically vital contribution to the AI stack is High Bandwidth Memory, or HBM — the high-speed interface connecting GPU to data. Without sufficient HBM, even the most powerful GPU cluster cannot function at scale. HBM availability has become one of the most acute bottlenecks in the global AI supply chain. SK hynix currently dominates that market. Huang's visit to SK hynix was not a courtesy call. It was a verification of one of Nvidia's most critical dependencies. As demand for AI data center capacity continues to surge, SK hynix has become among Nvidia's most important strategic partners. Samsung Electronics was equally significant on the itinerary. As the world's largest memory manufacturer by volume, Samsung is locked in intense competition with SK hynix for the next-generation HBM4 market. From Nvidia's perspective, supply diversification is not optional — it is essential. Whether Samsung achieves full qualification and meaningful volume for Nvidia's next platforms will have direct implications for the stability of the entire AI supply chain. The visit to Hyundai Motor Group carried a different kind of signal. Hyundai is a carmaker, but it is repositioning itself as an AI-driven mobility company. Autonomous vehicles, robotics and smart factories are all core domains of physical AI — the frontier where artificial intelligence moves out of data centers and into the physical world. Nvidia is deeply invested in exactly this transition, through its automotive AI platform and its Isaac robotics stack. The Nvidia-Hyundai relationship is less a conventional automotive technology partnership than a joint experiment in building the infrastructure of the next industrial revolution. LG Group rounds out the picture. Across batteries, automotive electronics, smart manufacturing, and data center cooling technology, LG sits at multiple intersections where AI meets the physical world. As AI systems consume more power and generate more heat, the importance of energy, thermal management and sensing technology will only grow. The stop at Naver, Korea's dominant internet platform, added yet another dimension. Korea has established itself as a memory powerhouse, but not yet as an AI platform powerhouse. Naver's HyperCLOVA initiative represents Korea's most serious attempt to build a sovereign large language model capability and compete in cloud and data center infrastructure. Huang's meeting with Naver was not simply a customer visit — it was an assessment of the potential depth of Korea's broader AI ecosystem. Two Roles, One Supply Chain Taiwan and Korea occupy distinct but complementary positions in the Nvidia supply chain. Taiwan is the manufacturing hub; Korea is the memory hub. Taiwan provides the arms and legs of Nvidia's AI infrastructure. Korea provides the circulatory system. But that framing also surfaces the most important strategic question for Korea: will it remain a component supplier, or will it become a co-architect of AI civilization? Taiwan has already locked in control of the full manufacturing ecosystem. The United States owns the platform and software layers. China is pursuing aggressive state-directed AI investment backed by the world's largest domestic market. Korea must now define its own next move. That move, increasingly, points toward physical AI. This is precisely why Huang's Korean itinerary included Hyundai, LG and Naver alongside the memory giants. The next phase of AI development will not play out primarily inside data centers. It will play out in factories, logistics facilities, hospitals, farms, autonomous vehicles and robots. As a manufacturing nation with deep industrial expertise, Korea is in many respects better positioned than the United States to lead in this domain. The Real Story Behind the Optics Jensen Huang's Taiwan-Korea tour in the spring of 2026 was not a celebrity road show. It was a strategic audit — a systematic review of the supply chain architecture that underpins the global AI build-out, combined with an assessment of where the next phase of AI-driven industrial transformation will take root. The cameras captured the night markets and the soju. But Huang was reading something else entirely: HBM roadmaps, server production capacity, robotics pipelines and the emerging geography of physical AI deployment. The AI era's genuine competition is only now beginning. This tour was the first formal question posed to South Korea: can it move from supplier to shaper of the AI future? The answer is not yet written. 2026-06-14 18:58:23 -
South Korea faces scorching early summer heat amid alerts for sudden showers SEOUL, June 13 (AJP) - An early summer heatwave has gripped South Korea, driving weekend temperatures to near-record highs for the season, with forecasters warning of continued hot weather and sudden showers across the country. On Saturday, daytime temperatures in Seoul hit 31.6 degrees Celsius, marking the first time in ten days the capital has surpassed the 30-degree mark. In Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, the mercury soared to 32 degrees Celsius, about 4 degrees higher than the seasonal average. The state weather agency advised the public to take precautions, such as using hats or parasols, as the ultraviolet (UV) index is expected to remain "high" to "very high." The heat is expected to persist into Sunday, with forecast highs of 29 degrees Celsius in Seoul, 30 degrees in Daejeon, and 31 degrees in Daegu. Meteorologists also warned of a stark temperature differential, noting that daytime and nighttime temperatures could fluctuate by as much as 15 degrees Celsius. Along with the heat, unstable atmospheric conditions will trigger heavy showers accompanied by gusty winds, lightning, and hail in inland regions from Sunday afternoon through the evening. Precipitation is expected to range between 5 and 50 millimeters in the Seoul metropolitan area, South Chungcheong, and the Jeolla provinces, with some western regions experiencing intense rainfall of around 20 millimeters per hour. Jeju Island is also forecast to receive light rain of less than 5 millimeters on Sunday. The weather agency stated that the daytime heat, with temperatures hovering around 30 degrees Celsius, is projected to continue throughout next week. 2026-06-13 17:44:38 -
From the stands as BTS kicks off 'ARIRANG' tour in Busan SEOUL, June 13 (AJP) - K-pop sensation BTS performed during the opening night of their "ARIRANG" world tour at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium in Busan, South Korea, on Friday. The highly anticipated concert was held to commemorate the 13th anniversary of the group's debut. 2026-06-13 15:09:01 -
HYBE apologizes after BTS Busan concert delayed by 75 minutes SEOUL, June 13 (AJP) - The agency behind K-pop sensation BTS issued an official apology after the first day of the group's concert in Busan was delayed by more than an hour due to severe operational disruptions affecting nearly 50,000 attendees. The "BTS WORLD TOUR 'ARIRANG' IN BUSAN" was scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. on Friday but did not start until 8:15 p.m.. Fans faced long waiting times in early summer temperatures reaching up to 28 degrees Celsius, as admission routes overlapped with lines for fan gifts, prompting complaints online. HYBE released a statement on Saturday morning through the fan platform Weverse and official social media channels, apologizing for the inconvenience. "The start of the main concert was delayed due to a combination of confusion in on-site guidance, bottlenecks in the fan gift distribution process, and delays in merchandise collection," the company said. HYBE promised to thoroughly inspect and improve its on-site operations to prevent similar congestion during the second show. Saturday's performance marks the second day of the concert at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium and coincides with the 13th anniversary of the group's debut. The stadium previously hosted the group's last concert before the members began their mandatory military service, which was held to support Busan's bid for the 2030 World Expo. Alongside the concerts, the city is hosting a comprehensive "BTS THE CITY ARIRANG - BUSAN" project, which includes a drone show at Gwangalli Beach and various media facades. 2026-06-13 14:28:25 -
LGBTQ pride festival underway in Seoul amid looming Christian counter-protests SEOUL, June 13 (AJP) - Tens of thousands of LGBTQ rights advocates and conservative Christians are gathering in downtown Seoul on Saturday for rival rallies, marking the city's largest annual face-off over sexual minority rights. The Seoul Queer Culture Festival kicked off at 11 a.m., with organizers operating stages and booths along Namdaemun-ro and Ujeongguk-ro in central Seoul. The festival’s main event, the Queer Parade, is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. Participants plan to march a 3-kilometer (1.8-mile) route starting from Jonggak Station, passing by Myeongdong Cathedral and Seoul Plaza, and concluding near Euljiro 1(il)-ga Station. Organizers have notified police of an estimated 50,000 attendees. Meanwhile, just 600 meters away from the festival, a Christian group known as the "Holy Breakwater" is set to hold a counter-protest starting at 1 p.m. outside the Seoul Metropolitan Council building. Under the slogan "Marriage between a man and a woman, a healthy South Korea," the group will voice its opposition to homosexuality and a proposed comprehensive anti-discrimination law. The conservative protesters plan to march toward the historic Sungnyemun Gate. The Christian coalition has registered an estimated 30,000 participants with authorities for their rally. 2026-06-13 12:22:25 -
Why a concrete truck strike is threatening South Korea's high-tech chip ambitions SEOUL, June 11 (AJP) - The sprawling industrial belt south of Seoul is the heart of South Korea's semiconductor industry, home to the massive campuses of Samsung Electronics and SK hynix that dominate the global memory chip market powering the artificial intelligence boom. But activity across the region is beginning to slow because of a shortage of one of the most basic construction materials: concrete. A strike by ready-mix concrete truck drivers is exposing a critical vulnerability in South Korea's industrial supply chain, threatening to delay the construction of advanced semiconductor fabrication plants that underpin the country's economic growth strategy. The connection between raw concrete and microscopic silicon is fundamentally structural. Modern chip fabs require enormous, vibration-resistant foundations capable of supporting some of the world's most sophisticated manufacturing equipment. Because ready-mix concrete must be poured shortly after production to maintain structural integrity, even a temporary halt in deliveries can bring construction work to a standstill. Site preparation stops immediately, triggering a domino effect that delays structural work, cleanroom construction and ultimately the installation of chipmaking equipment. "In the long run, these construction delays could severely compromise the precision setup required for advanced microprocessing lines, particularly in critical areas like vibration control and cleanroom integration," said Lee Jong-hwan, a professor of system semiconductor engineering at Sangmyung University. The disruption began Monday when an estimated 8,000 unionized ready-mix truck drivers in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province launched an indefinite strike. The walkout has effectively paralyzed much of the capital region's concrete delivery network, which accounts for the overwhelming majority of the country's 11,400 mixer trucks. At the center of the dispute are freight rates. Drivers are demanding higher transportation fees to offset inflation, rising maintenance costs and increased insurance premiums. Manufacturers argue that additional hikes are unsustainable amid a prolonged downturn in South Korea's construction market. Average transportation fees in the capital region have already risen nearly 36 percent over the past four years to 76,100 won ($55) per trip in 2025. For now, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have largely avoided immediate disruptions by accelerating concrete pouring at key facilities ahead of the strike, including Samsung's massive semiconductor complex in Pyeongtaek. The contingency measures, however, offer only temporary relief. Industry officials warn that a prolonged labor dispute could jeopardize construction schedules at strategic projects including Samsung's next-generation fabrication facilities and SK hynix's semiconductor cluster in Yongin, one of the largest chip manufacturing projects currently under development globally. The urgency of the situation has prompted policymakers to consider extraordinary measures that would have been difficult to imagine only a few years ago. Ready-mix concrete is a highly perishable industrial product. Once mixed, it generally must be poured within about 90 minutes. Because there are virtually no practical substitutes at construction sites, industry officials warn that prolonged supply disruptions could bring work at key national industrial projects to a halt. Any significant delay carries enormous financial consequences. Semiconductor fabrication plants are among the most capital-intensive facilities in the world, with construction schedules closely synchronized with equipment deliveries, customer commitments and technology road maps. Delays can trigger substantial penalty payments, postpone production launches and potentially weaken South Korea's competitive position in the increasingly fierce global race for advanced semiconductors. In response, the government has begun reviewing emergency measures aimed at reducing the industry's dependence on conventional ready-mix supply networks. One option under consideration is easing restrictions on the installation of on-site batch plants — temporary facilities that produce concrete directly at construction sites. Batch plants precisely mix cement, sand, gravel and water to manufacture ready-mix concrete, effectively allowing large industrial projects to bypass traditional delivery systems. Such facilities have historically been subject to strict environmental regulations and complicated permitting requirements because of concerns over noise, dust and emissions. As a result, they have generally been limited to major infrastructure projects such as dams and large-scale civil engineering works. Allowing batch plants inside semiconductor industrial complexes would represent a significant policy shift. It would create a self-sufficient supply route capable of sustaining construction even during transportation disruptions while reducing reliance on regional suppliers and trucking networks. Industry observers say the proposal also sends a strong signal that the government is prepared to challenge longstanding local monopolies held by ready-mix suppliers and transport operators. Officials are also considering reforms to regulations governing mixer-truck registrations. Under the current system, authorities periodically restrict new registrations to balance supply and demand in the sector. The government is reportedly reviewing plans to shorten the adjustment cycle and ease entry barriers, potentially allowing more vehicles and alternative operators into the market during future disruptions. The discussions reflect a broader shift in industrial policy as strategic sectors such as semiconductors increasingly become matters of economic security. The approach echoes the government's hardline response to nationwide truckers' strikes in previous years, when authorities moved aggressively to prevent disruptions to critical supply chains. Policymakers now appear willing to deploy a broader range of regulatory and market-based measures when labor disputes threaten industries considered vital to national competitiveness. Despite the scale of the walkout, some industry observers believe the disruption may not evolve into a prolonged crisis. The strike is being led primarily by drivers affiliated with the Federation of Korean Trade Unions. Drivers belonging to the rival Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, along with non-unionized and directly employed operators, continue to work, helping alleviate some logistical bottlenecks. In an effort to prevent the dispute from escalating into a wider industrial crisis, the Construction Association of Korea has formally asked the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to mediate negotiations between manufacturers and labor representatives. Any government intervention – much like its aggressive mediation to stop a Samsung Electronics strike last month - would underscore the strategic importance of semiconductor manufacturing, which has become one of the principal pillars supporting South Korea's export-driven economy. Semiconductors helped make South Korea the world's fifth-largest exporter in the first quarter and have provided a crucial buffer against mounting external risks, including the economic fallout from the prolonged conflict in the Middle East, disruptions to global shipping routes and persistent volatility in energy markets. For Seoul, the dispute is no longer simply about freight rates or concrete deliveries. It has become a test of how far the government is willing to go to safeguard industries deemed essential to the country's economic future — and whether South Korea's ambitions to remain a global semiconductor powerhouse can be derailed by a supply chain bottleneck as basic as concrete. 2026-06-11 10:51:43 -
Germany courts Samsung, SK hynix for Eastern Germany semiconductor hub SEOUL, June 09 (AJP) - Germany is actively wooing South Korean semiconductor giants, including Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, to invest in its eastern region, pitching its robust microelectronics and photonics ecosystem as a key to global supply chain resilience. During an investment briefing hosted at The Plaza Hotel Seoul on Tuesday, Elisabeth Kaiser, Minister of State to the Minister of the Federal Ministry of Finance and Federal Government Commissioner for Eastern Germany, emphasized the strategic potential for bilateral synergy. "By establishing modern semiconductor manufacturing in Eastern Germany, we can combine Korea's technological strength with Germany as an industrial and research hub," Kaiser said. Noting that companies like Samsung Electronics, SK hynix, and Samsung Foundry set global standards in process and design technologies, she added that closer cooperation could accelerate the pace of innovation on both sides. The push aligns with Europe's broader goal of achieving technological sovereignty amid growing global uncertainties. Kaiser highlighted that such investments are not only economically attractive but also make a critical contribution to the stability of global supply chains. German officials also underscored the foundational role their domestic optics industry plays in the advanced semiconductor value chain. German Ambassador to South Korea Georg Wilfried Schmidt pointed out the complexities of the supply chain, noting that leading semiconductor equipment manufacturers like ASML rely heavily on German photonics and optical precision components, such as those from ZEISS. Dr. Roman Kleindienst, head of the Microoptics business unit at ZEISS, echoed this sentiment during a subsequent panel discussion. Highlighting current limitations in semiconductor data transfer, Kleindienst stated that the bottleneck "can only be resolved by optics". "Investing in optics and photonics is really investing in resilience and in the future," Kleindienst added. The event, co-hosted by Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI), the State Development Corporation of Thuringia (LEG Thüringen), and the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI), aimed to showcase Eastern Germany—particularly the state of Thuringia—as a specialized, innovation-driven springboard for Korean high-tech firms seeking to expand their European footprint. 2026-06-09 17:02:38