AJU PRESS - ASIA NEWS HUB

Journalist

Candice Kim, Lim Jaeho candicekim1121@ajupress.com, ajupresswogh@ajupress.com

S. Korea's AI job coach is getting people hired — fast SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - In the not-so-distant past, landing a job in South Korea meant printing resumes, navigating job boards, and endlessly refreshing inboxes. But today, tens of thousands are finding employment with a very different kind of help — an artificial intelligence system that knows what they’re good at, what they want, and where they’re likely to succeed. According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the number of successful job placements through the country’s AI-powered job matching platform surged 84 percent in the first half of 2025, compared to the same period last year. That translates to more than 87,000 people who found work through Work-Net, a government-run digital platform that pairs job seekers with openings based on their resumes, experience, and career goals. And it’s not just placing people in jobs — it’s helping them earn more. Workers who were matched through AI recommendations reported wages that were, on average, 120,000 won higher per month in employment insurance records than those who applied for jobs on their own. The platform is finding particular traction in white-collar and high-skill fields, including management, finance, research, and engineering — industries where applicants’ nuanced qualifications can be difficult to match manually. AI has made that process faster and more precise. One of the standout tools is JobCare, a virtual career counselor of sorts. Using natural language processing and machine learning, it scans resumes and cover letters to suggest tailored job paths, relevant training, and even potential career pivots. In just six months, JobCare issued more than 274,000 personalized career reports — 50 percent more than the same period last year. Most of its users are in their 20s, many navigating their first steps in a fast-changing labor market. That demand is prompting the government to scale up. Beginning in September, Work-Net will roll out four new AI-driven features: a personalized career aptitude test, an employment probability model that estimates hiring likelihood, a smart vocational training recommender, and an automated job posting assistant for employers. “This is about making employment support more accessible, more personal, and more effective,” said Cho Jung-sook, director of Employment Support Policy at the ministry. “We want to meet people where they are — with services that work for them, backed by AI and big data.” Behind the numbers is a larger trend: South Korea is betting big on digital infrastructure — not only to manage a shifting labor force, but to empower it. As the country accelerates its transition to a digitized economy, its jobseekers are bringing along an unlikely but increasingly essential ally: artificial intelligence. 2025-07-23 16:02:59
Samsung's grip on foldable phone market expected to slip this year SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics is expected to see its global market share in foldable smartphones drop by roughly 10 percentage points this year, as rival brands gain ground in the rapidly evolving segment, according to a report by Taiwan-based research firm TrendForce. The firm projects global shipments of foldable phones will reach 19.8 million units in 2025. Samsung’s share is forecast to decline from 45.2 percent last year to 35.4 percent in 2025, reflecting growing competition. Samsung recently unveiled its latest model, the Galaxy Z Fold7, boasting refinements in hinge design, crease visibility, and form factor. While TrendForce acknowledged the company’s technological advancements, it cited intensifying market competition — particularly from Chinese manufacturers — as the primary factor eroding Samsung’s dominance. Huawei is poised to maintain a strong foothold in the Chinese market and is projected to capture 34.3 percent of global foldable phone sales this year, placing it just behind Samsung. Other Chinese brands are also expected to gain momentum. Honor’s share is forecast to rise from 6 percent to 9.1 percent, Motorola from 5.5 percent to 7.6 percent, and Xiaomi from 3 percent to 5.1 percent. TrendForce noted that the entrance of Apple into the foldable category could reshape the competitive landscape. Apple is widely expected to debut its first foldable device in the second half of 2026, featuring a 5.5-inch external display and a 7.8-inch internal screen. The long-rumored foldable iPhone, aimed at premium users, could serve as a catalyst for broader adoption of foldable technology, the report said. 2025-07-23 13:40:37
Hanwha Ocean tops post-merger performance among Korea's major corporate acquisitions SEOUL, July 22 (AJP) - Hanwha Ocean, formerly Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, has emerged as the top-performing acquisition among major corporate takeovers by South Korea’s 30 largest conglomerates since 2015, according to an analysis released Tuesday by the corporate research firm Leaders Index. The report examined 20 acquisitions valued at over 500 billion won (approximately $365 million), assessing performance across key shareholder metrics including revenue, profitability, equity capital, and market capitalization. The findings indicate that, overall, South Korean conglomerates have generated positive returns through strategic acquisitions in the past decade. Across the 20 companies analyzed, total revenue increased 40.3 percent — from 33.96 trillion won in the two years prior to acquisition to 47.62 trillion won in the two years following. Net income swung from a collective loss of 2.41 trillion won to a profit of 1.45 trillion won, while return on equity (ROE) improved from -11.8 percent to 5.1 percent. Equity capital grew nearly 40 percent to 28.46 trillion won over the same period. Three companies posted gains across all five core indicators: Hanwha Ocean, SK Materials (formerly OCI Materials), and Mirae Asset Securities (formerly Daewoo Securities). Among them, Hanwha Ocean stood out, with revenue jumping 140.2 percent — from 4.49 trillion won to 10.78 trillion won — while its market capitalization surged more than fourfold, from 2.47 trillion won to 11.44 trillion won. SK Group’s 2020 acquisition of Intel’s NAND flash memory unit, now operating as Solidigm, was the largest deal by transaction value at 10.3 trillion won. Samsung Electronics’ 2017 acquisition of U.S.-based Harman ranked second at 9.3 trillion won. Hyundai Motor Group’s 2022 purchase of autonomous driving startup Forty Two Dot delivered the most dramatic revenue growth, with sales increasing more than 1,600 times — from 25 million won to 40.7 billion won — highlighting the potential for exponential expansion in mobility and AI-driven technologies. 2025-07-22 14:51:44
[[K-Tech]] LG unveils advanced EXAONE AI ecosystem SEOUL, July 22 (AJP) - LG AI Research unveiled its next-generation artificial intelligence platform, the EXAONE ecosystem, on Tuesday at its annual AI Talk Concert, signaling an aggressive push into multimodal AI, enterprise solutions, and scientific research. Held at the Magok LG Science Park in Seoul, the event highlighted the firm's ambition to position itself at the forefront of AI innovation across industries ranging from finance to biotechnology. “In 2025, we are entering an era where we think, work and live together with AI,” said Lim Woo-hyung, co-director of LG AI Research. “Artificial intelligence is becoming a core technology that changes our lives and industries.” The centerpiece of the event was EXAONE 4.0 VL, a multimodal vision-language model capable of analyzing complex documents, visual data, and molecular structures. According to LG, the model outperformed Meta’s LLaMA 4 Scout in benchmark evaluations, underscoring the company’s focus on highly specialized AI applications. In the field of healthcare, LG introduced EXAONE Path 2.0, a precision medicine AI that can diagnose certain diseases in under a minute — down from the typical two-week timeframe — marking a potentially significant leap in clinical decision-making. LG also debuted three enterprise-targeted tools built on the EXAONE foundation. The event also highlighted LG’s expanding global collaborations. Professor Baek Min-kyung of Seoul National University’s Department of Biological Sciences presented joint research aimed at advancing beyond Google DeepMind’s AlphaFold. The project focuses on predicting multiple dynamic protein states — rather than static structures — which could lead to more effective drug discovery and therapeutic interventions. Meanwhile, Arman Sahovic of the London Stock Exchange Group demonstrated a business intelligence platform powered by LG’s AI that can analyze financial markets and generate investment insights for global investors. Since launching its first model in December 2021, the EXAONE family has surpassed 5 million downloads, the most of any domestic AI developer, according to LG. LG AI Research said it is transitioning from generative AI to “agentic AI” systems capable of planning and executing tasks autonomously. The company ultimately aims to develop physical AI applications that can interact with the real world. 2025-07-22 14:15:43
Kakao Pay abandons SSG Pay acquisition, pivots to AI investment SEOUL, July 18 (AJP) - Kakao Pay has scrapped its planned acquisition of SSG Pay and Smile Pay, two mobile payment services owned by Shinsegae Group, as its parent company Kakao Group pivots sharply toward artificial intelligence-focused investments, according to industry sources on Friday. The decision marks a significant shift in Kakao Group’s broader strategic direction, which has seen the tech firm prioritize funding for its growing AI ambitions over expanding its fintech footprint. Kakao Pay, a leading mobile payment platform in South Korea, had been in talks with Shinsegae Group since early this year in a bid to better compete with rival Naver Pay. The two sides had finalized key terms, including pricing and corporate valuation, but the deal fell apart as Kakao Group reallocated capital toward its AI initiatives. The move comes just weeks after Kakao Group sold approximately 430 billion won ($310 million) worth of shares in SK Square, a move widely viewed as an effort to raise funds for large-scale AI investments. The now-abandoned acquisition was seen as part of Kakao Pay’s efforts to consolidate its position in South Korea’s highly competitive digital payments market. Shinsegae’s SSG Pay and Smile Pay are embedded within the group’s robust retail ecosystem, including Shinsegae Department Store and e-commerce platform SSG.com. Shinsegae Group said it remains committed to strengthening its payments business independently, pledging to enhance service stability and boost competitiveness across its digital commerce operations. 2025-07-18 16:05:53
[[K-Tech]] Hanwha Q Cells joins US petition to curb solar panel imports from Chinese-controlled firms SEOUL, July 18 (AJP) - A coalition of solar manufacturers, including Hanwha Q Cells and First Solar, petitioned the U.S. Commerce Department on Friday to impose tariffs on solar panels imported from Indonesia, India and Laos, accusing Chinese-owned firms of circumventing existing trade restrictions by routing products through third countries. The petition, filed by the American Solar Manufacturing and Trade Coalition, alleges that Chinese manufacturers are exploiting lower-cost production facilities in the three countries to flood the U.S. market with underpriced solar panels, undermining domestic producers. The move comes just a year after a similar petition led to new tariffs on solar imports from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Following that decision, imports from Indonesia and Laos surged, filling the gap left by the newly restricted countries. The case underscores the ongoing volatility in the global solar supply chain and the intensifying trade tensions between the United States and China. While the companies at the center of the complaint are based in Indonesia, India and Laos, the petition claims they are ultimately owned or controlled by Chinese parent firms, which are seeking to evade existing U.S. tariffs. “The domestic industry continues to be harmed by dumped and subsidized solar products entering through alternative channels,” the coalition said in a statement. “These measures are necessary to level the playing field.” If the Commerce Department agrees to initiate an investigation, it could result in new anti-dumping and countervailing duties on solar products from the three nations, potentially reshaping sourcing strategies for U.S. solar developers and installers. 2025-07-18 16:00:34
Goldman Sachs downgrades SK hynix, citing risks of HBM price decline SEOUL, July 17 (AJP) - Goldman Sachs downgraded its investment rating on SK hynix to "neutral" from "buy" on Thursday, warning that intensifying competition in the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) market could trigger the first price decline in the segment next year. In a research note, the U.S. investment bank cautioned that pricing power is gradually shifting to major customers — such as Nvidia — potentially undermining the profitability of HBM suppliers. Although SK hynix has benefited from strong share price gains this year, Goldman said the firm’s current valuation leaves little room for further upside amid growing downside risks in 2026. “We are becoming increasingly cautious on the stock,” according to the note. “The shares continue to significantly outperform, but headwinds from pricing pressure and heightened competition warrant a more balanced stance.” The bank added that it would need to see further upward revisions in medium-term demand and pricing for both HBM and conventional DRAM to justify a more bullish outlook. SK hynix shares fell sharply following the downgrade, dropping more than 8 percent in intraday trading to the 270,000 won range. The stock had closed at 300,000 won on July 14, its highest level in 12 years since joining the SK Group. The downgrade comes amid a growing chorus of concern over the outlook for HBM pricing. Daishin Securities recently revised its 2026 forecast for HBM average selling prices, projecting a 6 percent decline — down from a previous estimate of a 7 percent increase. Still, some analysts maintain a more positive view of the company’s strategic positioning. SK hynix remains the leading supplier of HBM chips to Nvidia, which accounts for roughly 70 percent of global demand. In March, the company became the first to deliver samples of sixth-generation HBM4. Hana Securities noted that while SK hynix may face some erosion in market share due to Micron Technology’s entry into the HBM3E space, the firm retains competitive advantages in early product deployment and profitability management. “As long as SK hynix can maintain its early-mover advantage and supply to Nvidia, its leadership in AI memory chips should remain intact,” Hana wrote. 2025-07-17 16:12:29
Samsung chairman escapes legal peril as Supreme Court upholds acquittal SEOUL, July 17 (AJP) - South Korea’s Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the acquittal of Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong on charges stemming from the controversial 2015 merger of two Samsung affiliates and related accounting practices — concluding a nearly five-year legal battle that once threatened to upend the leadership of the country’s largest conglomerate. The court, presided over by Chief Justice Oh Seok-jun, affirmed lower court rulings that cleared Lee of all criminal charges, including market manipulation, breach of trust, and violations of capital market and accounting laws. The decision effectively ends one of South Korea’s most high-profile corporate trials. At the heart of the case were allegations that Lee and his aides engineered the merger between Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries to consolidate his control over the Samsung empire at minimal cost, ahead of a planned leadership succession. Prosecutors alleged that Lee’s team manipulated stock prices, engaged in accounting fraud, and used Samsung’s powerful but now-disbanded Future Strategy Office to drive the deal through. Thirteen other defendants, including former Future Strategy Office chief Choi Ji-sung, strategy head Kim Jong-jung, and deputy chief Jang Choong-ki, were also acquitted. The Supreme Court found that the lower courts had correctly assessed the evidence and followed legal standards governing capital market violations and digital evidence procedures. One key point in the ruling was the exclusion of prosecution evidence obtained from Samsung’s digital servers and mobile devices. The appellate courts found that authorities had failed to follow lawful procedures during the collection of 18 terabytes of data from Samsung Biologics and Samsung Bioepis servers, including private messages from former executives. The courts ruled the search and seizure process did not meet legal standards for digital forensics or adequately protect defendants’ rights. Prosecutors had also argued that Samsung Biologics improperly altered its accounting treatment of call options held by U.S. biotech partner Biogen in order to avoid capital erosion during the 2015 merger. However, the courts ruled that the company’s financial disclosures reflected reasonable business judgment and that changes in Bioepis’s valuation — spurred by regulatory approval of biosimilar products in Europe — supported the accounting decisions. In a statement following the ruling, Lee’s legal team said the court’s decision “clearly confirmed the legality of the Samsung C&T merger and the accounting treatment applied by Samsung Biologics.” The case began in September 2020 when prosecutors indicted Lee on 19 counts. After a lengthy trial, he was acquitted on all charges in February 2024. That verdict was upheld by an appellate court in February 2025, which expanded the scope to 23 charges, including new allegations. Thursday’s Supreme Court decision affirms both judgments, allowing Lee to move forward without legal constraints as he continues to lead Samsung Group. 2025-07-17 13:43:05
[[K-Tech]] LG challenges OpenAI, Alibaba with new hybrid AI model, EXAONE 4.0 SEOUL, July 16 (AJP) - LG AI Research on Wednesday unveiled what it calls South Korea’s first hybrid artificial intelligence model, EXAONE 4.0, a system that fuses large language processing with advanced reasoning capabilities. The release marks LG’s fourth major AI launch in as many months, as the company escalates efforts to compete with global players like OpenAI, Anthropic, Alibaba, and Google. EXAONE 4.0 integrates two distinct AI functions — a large language model for fast, knowledge-based responses and a reasoning engine for complex problem-solving — within a single architecture. LG claims the hybrid system addresses a fundamental shortcoming in current AI models: language models excel at fluency and speed but struggle with logic and reasoning, while reasoning-focused systems often lack versatility and responsiveness. “By bridging the gap between language fluency and cognitive reasoning, EXAONE 4.0 marks a new chapter in Korea’s AI capabilities,” said an LG spokesperson. To demonstrate its performance, LG reported that EXAONE 4.0 passed written exams for six Korean national professional licenses, including those for medical doctors, dentists and traditional Korean medicine practitioners. The company released two configurations of the model: a 32-billion-parameter expert version designed for specialized tasks, and a lighter 1.2-billion-parameter on-device model aimed at high-efficiency use cases. According to LG, the compact version surpasses OpenAI’s GPT-4o mini in mathematics, coding, and science benchmarks, while operating with half the parameters of its predecessor, EXAONE 3.5. In a move toward openness and collaboration, LG released the model with open weights on the Hugging Face platform, enabling academic and research use. With this step, LG joins a growing group of global tech firms — including Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Alibaba — embracing transparency in AI development. The company plans to embed EXAONE 4.0 across its product ecosystem, from home appliances and smartphones to automotive systems and robotics. LG will present additional details and future plans at its upcoming “LG AI Talk Concert 2025,” scheduled for July 22 at LG Science Park in Magok, Seoul. 2025-07-16 14:28:59
The Shilla Seoul picked Korea's top hotel in global La Liste ranking SEOUL, July 15 (AJP) - The Shilla Seoul has been named Korea’s top hotel and ranked among the world’s 200 best in the 2025 edition of La Liste Top 1000 Hotels, an international ranking published by the French National Tourism Board. The annual list evaluates hotels around the globe based on aggregated scores from international guidebooks, professional media, industry journals, and online reviews. The Shilla Seoul stood out for its highly personalized service and culinary excellence, distinguishing itself in the fiercely competitive luxury hospitality market. Reviewers praised the hotel’s meticulous attention to guest preferences, from customized room preparation to seamless service from arrival to departure. The evaluation highlighted what it described as the hotel’s “authentic approach to hospitality,” noting its consistently high standards and detail-oriented service. The Shilla Seoul’s diverse fine dining offerings were also central to its ranking. All four of its restaurants were included in La Liste 2025, with the Korean fine dining restaurant La Yeon earning 96 points — the highest score among Korean restaurants — and maintaining its place in the global Top 200 for a sixth consecutive year. French restaurant Continental and Japanese restaurant Ariake were each recognized for the sixth straight year, while Chinese restaurant Palsun made the list for a third year running. La Liste, first published in 2015, ranks the world’s top 1,000 hotels and restaurants using a composite scoring system that incorporates data from review platforms such as TripAdvisor and Yelp, as well as assessments from the Michelin Guide, The New York Times, and surveys of culinary professionals worldwide. 2025-07-15 17:19:23