Aju Press - Aasia News Hub

Journalist

Kim Dong-young김동영

ReporterSamsung Biologics, CJ CheilJedang, LG Chem, Celltrion, Naver, Krafton, Nexon, Hyundai Mobis etc. & energy, game, food, bio, petrochemical, AI

Kim Dong-young is a bilingual journalist at AJU Press (AJP), covering Korean tech, energy, and bio/pharma.
He reports from the field at events like CES and APEC, runs AJP's YouTube channels,
and is pursuing a master's at Sogang's MOT program. "I try everything in this AI era that can improve yet preserve the facts. Journalism still serves as my core."

Latest by Kim Dong-young

Naver, KAI join forces on Korean defense AI platform SEOUL, July 07 (AJP) - Naver and cloud affiliate Naver Cloud, collectively known as Team Naver, have agreed to build a domestically developed defense artificial intelligence platform in partnership with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the companies said. The three firms signed a strategic memorandum of understanding on aerospace and defense AI cooperation on Monday at KAI's headquarters in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province. Naver chief executive Choi Soo-yeon, Naver Cloud chief executive Kim Yu-won and KAI president and chief executive Kim Jong-chool attended the signing ceremony. Under the pact, the companies plan to jointly develop a foundation AI model tailored to the defense sector, drawing on Team Naver's AI and cloud capabilities alongside KAI's systems-integration expertise. The effort is aimed at securing sovereign defense AI, reducing reliance on foreign technology and expanding Korea's homegrown defense AI ecosystem. Priority areas include autonomous drone flight, unmanned mission execution and an integrated AI platform for future combat systems, to be developed in tandem with KAI's Next-generation Air Combat System, which links manned and unmanned fighter jets with satellites and other battlefield assets. The companies also intend to jointly pursue government-led national research and development projects and block-funding programs, and to embed AI into manned-unmanned teaming and other future aerospace platforms to raise autonomy levels. "We will do our utmost to combine Team Naver's advanced AI capabilities with KAI's defense infrastructure to strengthen South Korea's technological sovereignty in national defense," Choi said. 2026-07-07 10:19:09
Seoul weighs tax breaks for SMRs to power Yeongnam industrial push SEOUL, July 03 (AJP) - South Korea's government said it is reviewing tax incentives, including possible designation of small modular reactors (SMRs) as a national strategic technology, to support a sweeping industrial buildout in the country's southeastern Yeongnam region. The plan, unveiled Friday at a public briefing at Gyeongsang National University in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, centers on three mega-projects: semiconductors, artificial intelligence data centers and physical AI, alongside support for shipbuilding, automobiles, aerospace, defense and energy. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol said the shift reflects a broader strategic recalibration. "In this winner-take-all, hyper-competitive global order, the real battleground lies not in the oversaturated capital region but in the regions," Koo said, adding that the government would swiftly detail its "five growth poles, three special zones" engine strategy. To back the investment drive, the government will introduce a new domestic production tax credit and consider granting SMRs national strategic technology status. It also plans an investment firm for the southeastern region and new state-run industrial complexes, alongside deregulation through a proposed Yeongnam mega special zone. Under the plan, Yeongnam is positioned as a hub for next-generation semiconductors and materials, parts and equipment, complementing chip production in the capital region and packaging operations in central Chungcheong Province. About 2 gigawatts of AI data center capacity is planned for the region, including a 1-gigawatt facility in Ulsan — described as the country's first of that scale. The government also aims to build a robotics innovation corridor linking Gumi, Pohang, Daegu and Changwon, with new research funding for actuators, sensors and other core robot components. It is targeting a top-three global ranking in robotics and top spot in physical AI within five years. On energy, the plan includes construction of what officials called the world's first dedicated SMR production plant, along with investment in gas turbines and offshore wind, as part of a broader green energy transition effort. 2026-07-03 17:06:28
China clears Unitree's $618 million Shanghai IPO in record time SEOUL, July 03 (AJP) - China's securities regulator has approved humanoid robot maker Unitree Robotics' initial public offering on Shanghai's STAR Market, clearing the company's final regulatory hurdle less than four months after it filed. The China Securities Regulatory Commission announced the approval on its website on Friday, according to industry sources. The clearance hands Unitree its "admission ticket" to become the first embodied AI company to list on China's A-share market. Unitree plans to raise about 4.2 billion yuan ($618 million) through the offering, which it will channel into robotics AI model research, new product development and expanded production capacity. Unitree's revenue surged 335 percent last year to 1.71 billion yuan, while net profit climbed 204 percent to 287.6 million yuan, making it one of the few profitable firms in China's embodied AI sector. First-quarter revenue this year rose 68.49 percent year-on-year to 423 million yuan, though the pace cooled from the 332.64 percent jump a year earlier. The Hangzhou-based company shipped about 5,500 humanoid robots last year, capturing 32.4 percent of the global market, even as average selling prices fell 36 percent amid intensifying competition. Founded in 2016, Unitree filed its IPO application on March 20, and its approval, coming 104 days later, marks the fastest review since the STAR Market's pre-review system launched. Beijing has been easing fundraising conditions for advanced technology firms as part of a broader push for self-reliance. Chinese embodied AI and robotics firms raised about 46 billion yuan in the first half of this year alone, already surpassing 2025's total, according to data tracker ITjuzi. 2026-07-03 14:56:39
Console prices climb in South Korea as chip shortage bites SEOUL, July 03 (AJP) - Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft have all raised console prices in South Korea, as a surge in memory chip costs ripples through the global electronics supply chain and pushes gaming hardware further out of reach for consumers. Nintendo Korea announced that its flagship console Switch 2 will rise to 758,000 won ($491.2) from 648,000 won starting September 1, a jump of about 17 percent. The company had already raised prices on its original Switch lineup in May. "We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused to our customers and stakeholders due to this price change," Nintendo said in a statement, citing a review of global business conditions. Sony's PlayStation 5 Pro now retails in South Korea at 1.298 million won, the most expensive console on the market, while Microsoft has lifted prices on its Xbox Series X lineup, with its top-tier U.S. model reaching $799.99. The increases trace back to a sharp rise in memory chip prices. General-purpose DRAM prices surged about 90 to 95 percent quarter-on-quarter in the first quarter, the steepest jump on record, as PC makers scrambled amid tight supply. NAND flash, the key component in SSD storage, has climbed for 18 straight months, with prices for general-purpose chips rising 8.72 percent in June alone to $28.82, according to market tracker TrendForce. Industry analysts attribute the squeeze to chipmakers prioritizing high-margin AI server components over consumer hardware, a shift that has left console and PC manufacturers competing for a shrinking pool of supply. 2026-07-03 10:09:46
Celltrion posts record preliminary second-quarter profit on biosimilar demand SEOUL, July 03 (AJP) - Celltrion announced that its preliminary second-quarter operating profit surged 77.3 percent from a year earlier to 430 billion won ($280 million), the biosimilar maker's strongest quarterly showing on record, pending final audited results. According to regulatory filings released Friday, preliminary revenue climbed 35.2 percent to 1.3 trillion won, with the operating margin widening to about 33 percent from 25 percent a year earlier as newer, higher-margin products gained ground. Newer products, including Zymfentra, Yuflyma and Steqeyma, now account for more than 60 percent of total sales, the company said, with Zymfentra setting fresh prescription records in the United States and Steqeyma climbing into the market's leading tier. In Europe, Omlyclo has maintained its first-mover advantage, while Vegzelma has held the top market share in several countries despite entering later than rivals, according to the filing. Celltrion is also expanding production capacity, adding 180,000 liters of capacity in South Korea and 75,000 liters at its New Jersey plant, which will lift its total U.S. output capacity to 141,000 liters. "This result shows that our strategy of expanding new products and improving profitability is beginning to bear fruit," said a Celltrion spokesperson, adding the company expects momentum to build further in the second half. 2026-07-03 08:49:44
Tiny Seoul studio bets on brutal dungeon survival sim SEOUL, July 02 (AJP) - Battle games are familiar. Fantasy worlds are crowded. Escape-themed entertainment has faded from fashion. But blend dungeon crawling, settlement management and punishing survival together, and perhaps there is still room for something new. That is the wager of a six-person studio in Seoul. In a compact office tucked inside Seoul's Gasan Digital Complex, six desks sit shoulder to shoulder, three on each side of a narrow room. At one, a developer patiently places pixels one dot at a time. At another, an art director sorts through sprites. A third fine-tunes just how severely the game should punish its players. A corner of the office is set aside as a resting nook, complete with a yoga mat, cushions and a small sofa for stolen moments of stretching between builds. Figures from the anime Frieren: Beyond Journey's End stand guard over desks littered with empty energy drink cans and densely scribbled notes. This is Can Opener, a six-person independent studio — five were in when AJP visited on Wednesday — developing Dungeon Settlers, a simulation strategy game that has attracted about 170,000 wishlists on Steam ahead of its early-access launch on Sept. 10. In Dungeon Settlers, players manage a settlement of up to 10 characters while sending parties of four into a sprawling dungeon. There they gather food and materials, battle monsters and face a recurring dilemma: descend one floor deeper through a portal in search of greater rewards, or retreat safely to the surface with what they have collected. Every settler constantly balances health, mental health, energy, hunger and mood. Neglect any one of them, and even a carefully trained party can collapse within seconds. There are no fixed character classes. Each settler begins with different weapon proficiencies, innate traits and a flexible skill tree, allowing players to shape their own specialists as they venture ever deeper underground. From a university club to a company Studio head Logan Moon began the project alone in July 2023, drawing on years spent in CIEN, a game development club at Chung-Ang University in Seoul. A younger club member soon joined him, and the pair initially treated the project as little more than a learning exercise. "At first, it was closer to wanting to make something fun than to founding a company," Moon said. But the prototype possessed what he called a strangely addictive quality, convincing the pair to register a business in 2024. The university club soon became an unexpected talent pipeline. Members playtested early builds, some stayed on, and the team gradually expanded to its current six members: three from the club, one of Moon's longtime friends and another outside recruit. An anime, a webtoon and a "bible" Long before writing a single line of code, Moon immersed himself in the games that would ultimately shape Dungeon Settlers. He cites RimWorld, Kenshi and Mount & Blade as lasting influences, admiring how they combine combat with managing an entire settlement or faction. Then came an admission delivered with a laugh. "It's a little embarrassing," Moon said, revealing that one of his biggest inspirations was the Japanese anime Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, better known as 'DanMachi.' What fascinated him was not the dungeon itself, but what happened after adventurers returned home. "Dungeon crawlers are everywhere," he said. "But very few games focus on what happens after people come back to town. That's the part I found most interesting." The Korean web novel and webtoon Surviving the Game as a Barbarian supplied the game's brutality. "That webtoon is truly desperate. People drop dead, and the survivors claw their way through," Moon said. "I wanted to recreate that feeling as a game." The result is a world where mistakes are punished harshly. A single misstep can cost a settler's life. Archers become nearly helpless when they run out of arrows. Parties that ignore their energy levels simply collapse from exhaustion — sometimes in the middle of combat. Mood above all Among all the game's mechanics, Moon devoted the most attention to mood, borrowing ideas from Darkest Dungeon's stress system to capture what he calls the emotional misery of dungeon life. "Mood runs through the entire game," he said. "You have to develop the settlement to keep everyone's mood up, and you have to keep their mood up to run a proper expedition." Allow morale to collapse, and settlers suffer mental breakdowns, abandoning battles or dying for reasons no spreadsheet can predict. The weight system is another deliberate source of tension. Settlers cannot carry everything they find, forcing players to make difficult choices about what deserves to be hauled back to camp. "The weight limit is an intended constraint. I wanted players to make strategic choices," Moon said. He admitted the original version proved too unforgiving, however, and the current test build roughly doubles carrying capacity. Fights, funding and a famous comment Money proved to be the studio's greatest challenge. Rather than pursue outside investment, the team agreed to split future revenue after launch — an arrangement Moon credits with keeping the company together. Development also produced memories the team now treasures. About a year into the project, they organized a seaside workshop intended purely for relaxation. "I'm the CEO, but I was exhausted and wanted to rest," Moon recalled. "Then someone brought up work at a café, and we ended up spending the whole trip arguing about the game." The biggest debate centered on the skill system — an unusual design with few precedents. Moon, who describes himself as the conservative voice in the room, initially opposed the idea before eventually giving in. Another heated discussion ended with the team abandoning an ambitious tag-based crafting system in favor of something simpler. The sweetest reward came last September. Tynan Sylvester, creator of RimWorld — a colony simulation so influential that fans jokingly call it the genre's bible — left an admiring comment beneath a YouTube video featuring Dungeon Settlers. The developers initially assumed the account was fake before confirming through an acquaintance that it really was Sylvester. "Everyone here has played RimWorld," Moon said. "In this genre, if you haven't, people joke that you must be a spy." Dwarves, beast-folk and deeper floors Early access will launch with two dungeon regions, each containing multiple floors. The full release, planned roughly two years later, is expected to expand that to six regions. Animal taming is also on the roadmap, allowing players to build ranches within their settlements. The current races — humans, elves and lizardmen — each have different dietary preferences and skill specialties. Dwarves, a fantasy staple Moon regrets leaving out of the first version, are already planned, along with beast-folk. "Don't build on borrowed money" Asked what advice he would offer aspiring developers, Moon did not hesitate. "Never start a project that only works if investment arrives." "Making a good game is something you can control — you can work at it and improve," he said. "Investment is a decision that isn't yours to make. However good the game is, bad timing or bad luck can sink it." Equally important, he said, is knowing exactly who the game is for. Can Opener targets players who enjoy strategy fused with settlement management, drawing lessons from games such as Darkest Dungeon and Battle Brothers. Moon encourages developers to trust their instincts, support them with data and play as many games as possible. "I like building depth out of mechanisms," he said. "That is reflected in Dungeon Settlers, and it will be reflected in whatever we make next." "For people who enjoy that kind of game, Can Opener will do its best. So please keep watching us." What comes after the dungeon Moon is already thinking beyond Dungeon Settlers. One question appears beneath nearly every trailer: "Does it have multiplayer?" The steady stream of requests has him imagining a cooperative sequel one day. He is also sketching ideas for an isekai project, inspired by the hugely popular Japanese and Korean genre in which ordinary people are transported or reborn into fantasy worlds. "The sheer number of those stories tells you people still want them," he said with a grin. "Doesn't everyone love isekai?" 2026-07-02 15:55:32
Celltrion Pharm to invest 2 trillion won in new PFS plan SEOUL, July 02 (AJP) - Celltrion Pharm announced it will invest about 2 trillion won ($1.28 billion) to build a new prefilled syringe (PFS) production plant in North Chungcheong Province, expanding its biopharmaceutical manufacturing footprint beyond its existing Cheongju and Jincheon facilities. The company's chief executive, Yoo Young-ho, unveiled the plan Thursday at a government-hosted investment forum in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, themed around advanced industry growth in the Chungcheong region. Celltrion Pharm will spend 1 trillion won in the first phase, targeting design and construction from 2028 with operations to begin in 2032. A second 1 trillion won investment would follow after 2032, depending on global demand, to expand production capacity further. "We decided to invest in North Chungcheong to efficiently share production infrastructure and skilled personnel, and to maximize logistics competitiveness by leveraging the region's transportation network," Yoo said, adding that the move would also tap synergies with the Osong bio-pharma cluster and nearby regulatory agencies. Celltrion's announcement came alongside separate investment plans unveiled the same day by Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, as part of a combined 392 trillion won push into displays, semiconductors, batteries and artificial intelligence infrastructure across the Chungcheong region. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources said it would roll out a seven-pronged support package covering finance, regulation and infrastructure, and pledged to complete a comprehensive support plan within 100 days through a newly launched task force. 2026-07-02 11:52:29
South Korea's drug exports top $10 billion for first time in 2025 SEOUL, July 02 (AJP) - South Korea's pharmaceutical exports surpassed $10 billion for the first time last year, reaching a record high, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said. Exports rose 12.4 percent to $10.44 billion, while imports climbed 5.9 percent to $8.93 billion. The trade surplus in medicines jumped 41.9 percent to $1.51 billion, also a record. Domestic drug production grew 3.0 percent to 33.85 trillion won ($21.77 billion), the highest since record-keeping began in 1998. Finished and prescription drugs led the expansion, rising 3.7 percent and 5.3 percent, respectively. Celltrion became the first Korean drugmaker to cross 3 trillion won in output, with production surging 27.6 percent to 3.23 trillion won. Biopharmaceuticals underpinned much of the export growth. Production rose 11.2 percent to 7.02 trillion won and exports climbed 17.5 percent to $7.64 billion, driven by rising biosimilar market share and expanding contract development and manufacturing capacity. The ministry attributed the gains to increased output of gene-recombinant drugs and toxin and antitoxin products, saying growing demand for biosimilars and for subcutaneous injection formulas that improve patient convenience appeared to have driven the increase. Imports of obesity and type 2 diabetes treatments soared 531 percent to $550.84 million, with Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Mounjaro products accounting for six of the ten best-selling imported medicines. Wegovy's prefilled pen led all imports at more than $200 million. Quasi-drug production, including toothpaste and sanitary products, rose 3.5 percent to 1.66 trillion won as the market expanded 4.9 percent, though exports of such items fell 10.2 percent to $73.68 million. 2026-07-02 11:12:08
SK AX, KEPCO E&C to drive AI innovation in power sector SEOUL, July 02 (AJP) - SK AX said it has signed a memorandum of understanding with KEPCO Engineering & Construction to jointly pursue artificial intelligence innovation across the power generation and energy sectors. The firm announced Thursday its agreement was signed at SK U-Tower in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, with SK AX Chief Executive Kim Wan-jong and KEPCO E&C Chief Executive Kim Tae-kyun attending alongside executives from both companies. The two firms plan to apply AI across plant design, project management, operations and maintenance, aiming to sharpen operational efficiency as electricity demand surges. KEPCO E&C, the country's sole comprehensive power plant design institution, holds top-tier expertise in nuclear reactor design and has been expanding into small modular reactors and renewable energy. "AI innovation demand is rapidly expanding across the power and energy industry, from design to operations and maintenance," Kim Wan-jong said, adding that the partnership would build an "AI augmentation" system to deliver tangible results across processes and governance. Under the deal, KEPCO E&C will adopt SK AX's AI platforms, including AXgenticWire AiPMO for project management and AXgenticWire NPO Agent Builder, a no-code tool that lets employees build their own AI agents for tasks such as document review and issue tracking. The companies will also jointly develop an offshore wind operations and maintenance platform covering power output forecasting and predictive maintenance, with plans to pursue both domestic and global projects. 2026-07-02 09:08:55
Korea's startup contest turns dream into data leak nightmare SEOUL, July 01 (AJP) - Government startup competitions usually demand polished business plans, lengthy resumes and years of preparation. This one asked for none of that. Ideas were enough. Anyone with an entrepreneurial dream was welcome. That openness was exactly what caught the attention of 23-year-old Choi Yeon-ju when she spotted a recruitment notice on Everytime, the campus community app popular among South Korean university students. She signed up hoping to turn her idea into a business and eventually advanced to the first round of finalists. Participants even received Naver Pay coupons — a small bonus that made the opportunity all the more appealing. The program, "Startup for All," is the Lee Jae Myung administration's flagship tournament-style startup audition run by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups whose head Han Seong-sook was promoted to premiership. Many others saw the same opportunity. The contest attracted a record 62,944 applicants, making it the largest government-sponsored startup competition ever held in South Korea. Organizers selected 5,000 first-round finalists to compete for prizes ranging from 10 million won ($6,427) to a grand prize of 1 billion won. The field skewed strikingly young. Applicants in their twenties accounted for 33.2 percent of the total, the largest age group, followed by those in their thirties at 25.7 percent, according to ministry data. Altogether, people aged 39 or younger made up 68.4 percent of all applicants. Choi was one of them, and her business idea was anything but ordinary. "I'm currently preparing to drop out of university," she said. "I envisioned a confectionery business selling tile-like square cookies and edible glue, along with blueprints and sample kits, so people could easily create architectural-style desserts." Then came a message she never expected. On June 18, the ministry notified participants that the personal information of all 5,000 first-round finalists had been exposed. The leaked data included names, email addresses and summaries of their startup ideas. "I was honestly dumbfounded when I received a message saying my submission had been leaked," Choi said. "I mean, this is the government we're talking about." Investigators soon determined the breach was not the work of an outside hacker. According to an internal investigation report by the Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development submitted to lawmaker Kang Seung-gyu, the data was harvested by an AI solutions company participating in the program as a support-service vendor. At 9 a.m. on June 15, only minutes after profiles of the 5,000 finalists became publicly available, the company allegedly used abnormal API requests and web-crawling techniques to collect email addresses that were hidden from public view before sending promotional emails to participants. Because the harvesting began almost immediately after the profiles were published, some participants suspect the operation had been planned in advance. Officials later acknowledged that a similar vulnerability had already been identified in May but was never reported to senior officials. Others shared Choi's disbelief. A 24-year-old business information systems student, who requested anonymity, had entered the competition hoping to develop an AI-powered personal vocal coach. "I've always loved singing, so I developed the idea with guidance from one of my professors," he said. "I honestly believed thorough safeguards would have been put in place after the leak, considering this was a government-run project." Not everyone reacted the same way. Cho Min-kyeong, a 21-year-old data science major, entered the competition with a friend after years of wondering why one of her classmates consistently ranked first despite going to bed at 9 p.m. every night. "Since high school, I've wondered why people study differently," she said. "There was a classmate who always slept early and still came first in the entire school. That made me think everyone must have their own optimal way of learning." A guest lecture introduced her to Startup for All. "So I decided to apply." Compared with others, she considers herself fortunate. "The leak was unfortunate, but most of the basic information was already visible on the Startup for All website," Cho said. "So I think it could have been much worse." She has no intention of giving up. "I'm currently working with my mentor to develop the business further," she said. "Honestly, it may not be easy if the business eventually loses money. But for me, building a large user base matters more than making a profit." The political fallout came swiftly. Han, then SMEs minister designed the platform, but nevertheless has made Korea's second-ever female prime minister. She publicly apologized on June 22 outside her confirmation-hearing office. "I sincerely apologize to everyone who suffered concern and inconvenience because of the personal information leak on the Startup for All platform," Han said. "I failed to protect the trust of those who believed in the government and took on the challenge of starting a business. As the minister responsible, I feel a profound sense of responsibility and sincerely apologize." The ministry has since rushed to contain the fallout. It promised free trade-secret registration for all 5,000 finalists to help protect their ideas, offered free technology escrow services and legal consultations, and referred the case to police. The National Intelligence Service's National Cyber Security Center and the Personal Information Protection Commission have launched a joint investigation, while the ministry has expanded its task force to include a dedicated cybersecurity team. The second round of the program, originally planned to recruit another 10,000 participants with links to Silicon Valley and Singapore, has been postponed indefinitely. Mentors involved in the competition urge participants not to lose sight of the bigger picture. Jung Bo-geun, a visiting professor of international commerce and area studies at Kangwon National University and one of the program's mentors, believes the immediate commercial damage may be limited. "Fortunately, most applicants are still in the brainstorming stage," Jung said. "They are not yet discussing investment or operating actual businesses." She warned, however, that stronger safeguards would become essential as projects mature. "The next stage will involve much more sensitive information and potentially real investment," she said. "That is where data protection becomes far more important." Despite the controversy, Jung still sees the competition as a rare opportunity. "Even with the data leak and declining trust in the government, this remains a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs," she said. "Sometimes a simple sketch of an idea, without a detailed business plan, can grow into something that changes the world." For students weighing whether to trade a diploma or a stable first job for entrepreneurship, that dream now comes with a question the government has yet to fully answer: 2026-07-01 13:44:11