Journalist

Jungwoo Lee
  • Bear returns to the Asian market on AI bubble concerns
    Bear returns to the Asian market on AI bubble concerns SEOUL, November 05 (AJP) - Asian stocks slumped Wednesday as a wave of bearish sentiment swept through regional markets. South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI index plunged 4.1 percent to 3,950.96, falling back below the 4,000 mark just seven trading days after breaking it for the first time in history. The small-cap KOSDAQ tumbled even further, down 4.4 percent to 886.00. The downturn was led by heavyweight chipmakers. Samsung Electronics dropped 5.5 percent to 99,100 won ($68), while SK Hynix sank 7 percent to 545,000 won. Foreign investors sold a net 212.1 billion won worth of shares, while retail investors — who had bought more than 2 trillion won the previous session — continued to purchase stocks, adding 102 billion won, offering only limited support to the market. Analysts attributed the rout to overnight weakness on Wall Street, where concerns about stretched valuations in artificial intelligence stocks triggered a broad sell-off. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq all retreated on Tuesday, while AI beneficiary Palantir plunged 7.9 percent amid warnings it had become overvalued. Adding to the pressure, reports emerged that Michael Burry — the investor famed for profiting from the 2008 subprime mortgage collapse — had placed bets against Palantir and Nvidia, two of the most high-profile names in the AI rally. Lee Kyung-min, an analyst at Daishin Securities, said that while the long-term outlook for Korea’s leading growth stocks remains strong, short-term corrections are becoming increasingly likely. “The market may test lower levels around 3,700 on the KOSPI, corresponding to a forward price-to-earnings ratio of about 10.3 times,” he noted. Japan’s Nikkei 225 also declined, falling 2.4 percent to 50,238.38, tracking losses in Seoul. CNBC reported that the slump in Asian equities followed warnings from Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley urging investors to brace for a market pullback over the next two years. “It’s likely there’ll be a 10 to 20 percent drawdown in equity markets sometime in the next 12 to 24 months,” Goldman Sachs chief executive David Solomon said at the Global Financial Leaders’ Investment Summit in Hong Kong. “Such pullbacks happen even in positive market cycles — they don’t rewrite fundamental convictions about capital allocation.” Morgan Stanley CEO Ted Pick, speaking on the same panel, echoed the view. “We should welcome the possibility of 10 to 15 percent drawdowns that are not driven by a macro cliff effect,” he said, calling them “healthy developments rather than signs of crisis.” The Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.6 percent to 3,936.53, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index dropped 1.2 percent to 25,655.06. Taiwan’s TAIEX also declined 1.9 percent to 27,592.06. 2025-11-05 11:32:45
  • HOT STOCK: Samsung SDI shares jump on report of Tesla battery deal
    HOT STOCK: Samsung SDI shares jump on report of Tesla battery deal SEOUL, November 04 (AJP) - Shares of Samsung SDI climbed more than 4 percent in afternoon trading on Tuesday following a news report that the South Korean battery maker may supply more than 3 trillion won ($2.08 billion) worth of energy-storage system batteries to Tesla over the next three years. As of 2:20 p.m. in Seoul, Samsung SDI’s stock was up 4.1 percent at 340,500 won, extending gains after the report circulated in local media. The company, a unit of Samsung Group, develops rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles, energy-storage systems and IT devices, as well as electronic materials for semiconductors and displays. The report said Tesla’s demand for energy-storage systems, or ESS, has grown rapidly amid heavy investment in artificial intelligence data centers — prompting the U.S. electric vehicle maker to seek additional battery suppliers. If finalized, the deal could involve batteries produced at Samsung SDI’s factory under construction with Stellantis in Kokomo, Indiana, according to the report. When the Indiana project was announced in October 2023, CNBC reported that the two companies planned to invest about $3.2 billion in the facility. Industry analysts estimate that the potential Tesla supply agreement could reach an annual capacity of roughly 10 gigawatt-hours. Samsung SDI, however, denied that a deal had been concluded. “Reports suggesting that a deal between the two companies had been finalized are not true,” a company spokesperson said. “Negotiations are still underway, and the company has issued a regulatory filing to clarify the matter.” The market reaction also lifted sentiment toward Samsung SDI’s suppliers, including EcoPro BM, which produces cathode materials used in the company’s batteries. EcoPro BM reported an operating profit of 50.7 billion won ($36.6 million) for the third quarter, marking its third consecutive quarterly profit, driven by higher sales of energy-storage materials and investments in nickel refining projects in Indonesia. EcoPro BM, which also supplies SK On, said its 10 percent stake in an Indonesian nickel smelting project has helped stabilize raw material sourcing and improve profitability. The company expects further growth once its new plant in Debrecen, Hungary, begins operations. 2025-11-04 14:36:28
  • Asian markets mostly subdued amid mixed economic signs
    Asian markets mostly subdued amid mixed economic signs SEOUL, November 04 (AJP) - Asian markets were broadly muted on Tuesday as South Korea and Japan paused after nearly a week of uninterrupted gains, while Chinese equities traded flat amid conflicting economic signals. South Korea’s KOSPI slipped 0.7 percent to 4,192.20 in early trading as investors locked in profits following a sharp rally in large-cap semiconductor stocks. Foreign investors sold 701.2 billion won, while domestic institutions offloaded 207.9 billion won. Tech bellwethers weakened, with Samsung Electronics down 1.6 percent at 109,300 won ($76) and SK hynix falling 3.2 percent to 600,000 won. Hyundai Motor, Asia’s second-largest automaker, also declined 3.4 percent to 281,500 won. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 edged down 0.2 percent to 52,305.91, as the index’s first move above the 52,000 threshold prompted profit-taking. A softer tone on Wall Street—despite gains in the Nasdaq and Philadelphia Semiconductor Index—also weighed on sentiment. China’s markets were largely unchanged. The Shanghai Composite Index inched up 0.01 percent to 3,977.10, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index added 0.02 percent to 26,162.96. Investors digested mixed macroeconomic signals: manufacturing activity in China weakened more than expected in October, clouding the demand outlook, while easing U.S.–China trade tensions—after Beijing suspended select export controls and Washington paused some tariffs following the recent high-level summit—provided a measure of support. 2025-11-04 11:26:24
  • Koreas HD Korea Shipbuilding posts milestone Q3 profit on brisk vessel sales
    Korea's HD Korea Shipbuilding posts milestone Q3 profit on brisk vessel sales SEOUL, November 03 (AJP) - HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co. on Monday reported its best-ever quarterly performance since adopting a holding-company structure, with operating profit more than doubling from a year earlier to surpass 1 trillion won ($733 million) for the first time. Operating profit jumped to 1.05 trillion won in the July–September period on revenue of 7.6 trillion won, up 21 percent on year. Net income surged nearly fourfold to 876.7 billion won, the company said in a regulatory filing. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' stock rose 1.16 percent to close at 479,500 won. The flagship shipbuilder of HD Hyundai credited the robust results to a global shipbuilding boom and an increase in high-value vessel deliveries, which more than offset seasonal production slowdowns. Higher ship prices and productivity gains in the commercial vessel business also helped lift profitability, executives said during a conference call Monday. By segment, the shipbuilding division posted an operating profit of 865.8 billion won, up 129 percent from a year earlier, on revenue of 6.20 trillion won, a 16.5 percent increase. The engine and machinery business saw revenue rise 31 percent to 823.6 billion won amid growing demand for dual-fuel engines under tighter global emissions rules, with operating profit soaring 138 percent to 243.2 billion won. The offshore plant division recorded revenue of 280.4 billion won, buoyed by major project deliveries, but swung to a loss due to one-off expenses. HD Korea Shipbuilding serves as the intermediate holding company overseeing HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, HD Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, and HD Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries—together forming the country’s single largest shipbuilding group. 2025-11-03 17:49:02
  • Red-hot chip streak bolsters KOSPI as other Asian markets stay muted
    Red-hot chip streak bolsters KOSPI as other Asian markets stay muted SEOUL, November 03 (AJP) - South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI extended its record-setting rally on Monday, far outperforming other Asian markets as optimism from the APEC week—marked by Nvidia-linked momentum, eased U.S. tariffs, and expectations of China lifting its unofficial ban on Korean content—kept risk appetite high. The KOSPI rose 1.9 percent to 4,183.52 in early trading, while the KOSDAQ gained 1 percent to 909.09. SK hynix briefly touched 600,000 won ($419) on heavy institutional and retail buying, driven by broad conviction that the world’s leading HBM supplier will dominate the AI memory cycle. Nomura Securities projected the company could overtake Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) in operating profit by 2027, raising its target price by more than 55 percent from 540,000 won to 840,000 won. SK Securities went further, lifting its target to 1 million won. Investor sentiment strengthened after President Donald Trump and President Lee Jae Myung concluded a bilateral summit on October 29 that finalized the long-delayed U.S. import tariff framework. The agreement removed one of the biggest overhangs for the Korean economy and helped revive appetite for local equities. Morgan Stanley raised its 2025 growth forecast for South Korea to 1.6–1.7 percent from 1.5 percent, citing reduced risks tied to Korean institutional investments in the United States. The firm said Washington’s new investment cap would help contain capital outflows, while lower U.S. tariffs on auto parts would restore price competitiveness for Korean-made goods. The Federal Reserve’s rate cut at its October FOMC meeting—its first reduction this year—added external support. Lower U.S. borrowing costs are expected to ease global liquidity pressures and draw more capital into Asia’s biggest semiconductor hub. Entertainment stocks also rallied after JYP Entertainment founder and chief producer Park Jin-young met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, fueling speculation that Beijing may be preparing to lift its unofficial ban on Korean pop culture. JYP jumped 6.7 percent to 86,300 won, while SM Entertainment rose 3.4 percent, Cube Entertainment gained 3 percent, and HYBE advanced 0.9 percent. Market enthusiasm grew after reports that Xi offered positive remarks on Korean artists performing in China during a state banquet following Saturday’s Korea–China summit. Park, who serves as JYP’s chief creative officer, also co-chairs the Presidential Commission for Cultural Exchange. Elsewhere in Asia, China’s Shanghai Composite Index slipped 0.2 percent to 3,947.14, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index inched up 0.3 percent to 25,981.31. In Taipei, the TAIEX rose 0.6 percent to 28,399.55, though TSMC—Taiwan’s $1.5 trillion market-cap champion—fell 1.3 percent to $300.4. 2025-11-03 11:45:31
  • Asian Culture Calendar
    Asian Culture Calendar SEOUL, November 03 (AJP) - South Korea Nov. 6 - 8 Jeju Olle Walking Festival Sep. 26 - Nov. 8 Daegu International Opera Festival Japan Nov. 1 - 10 Gion Odori Nov. 1 - 3 Meiji Shrine Autumn Grand Festival Nov. 9 Arashiyama Momiji Festival Nov. 1 - 10 Sapporo Chrysanthemum Festival Nov. 1 -4 SAKANA & JAPAN Festival Thailand Nov. 5 - 6 Loy Krathong Festival Nov. 5 - 6 Yi Peng Lantern Festival Nov. 21 - 23 Surin Elephant Round-up Nov. 28 - 29 Pattaya International Fireworks Festival Taiwan Nov. 3 Penghu Cross-Sea Marathon Hong Kong Nov. 6 - 12 India by the Bay Nov. 6 - 9 Freespace Jazz Fest 2025-11-03 09:21:21
  • HOT STOCK: Hyundai Motor stocks fly on Trump and Jensen Huang effect
    HOT STOCK: Hyundai Motor stocks fly on Trump and Jensen Huang effect SEOUL, October 31 (AJP) - Listed units of Hyundai Motor Group rode the APEC wave on Friday, lifted by eased tariffs during U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit and the halo of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, whose appearance dominated the APEC scene after Trump’s departure. Hyundai Motor closed up 9.4 percent at 290,000 won ($203). Hyundai Glovis rose 10.4 percent, and Hyundai AutoEver surged 26 percent to finish at 203,500 won. The rally was fueled by the long-awaited settlement of a trade deal under which Washington agreed to cut tariffs on Korean car exports from 25 percent to 15 percent, aligning Korea with Japanese and European rivals. Tariff negotiations over the past year had weighed heavily on the corporate outlook, particularly for Hyundai Glovis, complicating its logistics operations. The resolution removes a major point of uncertainty for the auto and shipping sectors, said Hyung-Kyu Kang, emeritus professor of transportation and logistics at Hanyang University. The tech leaders’ night out added to the momentum behind Hyundai Motor shares. The talk of the town was the chicken-and-beer gathering at Kkanbu Chicken in southern Seoul, where Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun shared drinks and casual conversation. Images of the trio mingling with patrons in everyday attire went viral, briefly boosting sales at Kkanbu Chicken outlets, with some stores reporting nearly double their usual weekend orders. “Kkanbu,” meaning trusted friend, became globally familiar after its appearance in the Netflix hit Squid Game. In Korean schoolyard slang, a kkanbu is a true equal — someone who has your back. The three industry leaders’ toast beneath the restaurant’s symbolic sign came at a moment of rising influence for all three companies: Nvidia’s ascent as the world’s most valuable firm, Samsung Electronics’ record-breaking rally securing its place as Korea’s top market-cap company, and Hyundai Motor’s climb to No. 5. 2025-10-31 17:43:18
  • Japans Nikkei tops 52,000 for first time as Asian markets trade mixed
    Japan's Nikkei tops 52,000 for first time as Asian markets trade mixed SEOUL, October 31 (AJP) - Asian stock markets were mixed on Friday, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 surging past the 52,000 mark for the first time in its 75-year history, while Chinese and Hong Kong shares slipped and South Korea’s benchmark index traded little changed. As of late morning, Japan’s Nikkei 225 was up 1.5 percent at 52,089.30, building on a week of record-breaking gains. The index crossed 50,000 on Monday and 51,000 on Wednesday before reaching another milestone Friday. The rally has been supported by a weaker yen, steady policy from the Bank of Japan and upbeat earnings from major U.S. technology firms such as Apple. In Seoul, the Kospi edged up 0.2 percent to 4,096.66 as of 10:17 a.m., holding near flat as foreign investors continued to sell local equities, limiting further gains. Foreigners sold a net 122 billion won ($87 million) worth of Korean shares, reflecting lingering caution in the market. Analysts said several factors were weighing on sentiment. Although Seoul and Washington reached a tariff agreement at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju, Thursday, unresolved details have kept trade-related risks in play. Profit-taking has also emerged after recent sharp gains, while Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s unexpectedly hawkish remarks on rate cuts have tempered expectations for additional monetary easing this year. Powell told reporters Thursday that a December rate cut was “not a foregone conclusion,” surprising investors who had priced in further accommodation. A weaker close on Wall Street overnight — with the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite all ending lower — has added to the cautious mood across Asia. Still, optimism around artificial intelligence provided some support for Korean technology shares. Market sentiment brightened after Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang met informally over “chimaek” — Korean fried chicken and beer — with Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun. Media reports said Nvidia may soon announce major AI chip supply deals with leading Korean firms, potentially deepening partnerships in the global tech race. In China, the Shanghai Composite Index slipped 0.5 percent to 3,969.13, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 0.4 percent to 26,186.24. The South China Morning Post reported that investors remained cautious following the Xi-Trump meeting at APEC, noting that markets had already priced in expectations of a limited trade thaw. Persistent skepticism over the durability of any trade relief continued to weigh on sentiment. 2025-10-31 11:35:12
  • Asian stocks end flat Thursday as U.S.–China talks yield little beyond gestures
    Asian stocks end flat Thursday as U.S.–China talks yield little beyond gestures SEOUL, October 30 (AJP) - Asian stock markets ended mostly flat on Thursday, as the highly anticipated summit between the United States and China produced little beyond diplomatic optics, offering no meaningful signals on trade or geopolitical issues. In Seoul, the benchmark KOSPI slipped 0.2 percent to 4,087, after a volatile session in which the index tested the 4,100 level and touched a fresh intraday high of 4,146.72. Among large caps, Hyundai Motor, Hanwha Ocean, Samsung Electronics, and SK hynix climbed 3.6 percent, 1.8 percent, 2.7 percent, and 6.9 percent, respectively. Their gains were attributed to renewed semiconductor momentum and relief after Seoul and Washington concluded negotiations on their tariff and investment deal. Japan’s Nikkei 225 edged up 0.04 percent to 51,325.61, with investors largely maintaining a wait-and-see stance ahead of the Bank of Japan’s next policy direction. China’s Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.7 percent to 3,986.90, as investors locked in recent profits and stayed cautious ahead of the U.S.–China meeting, which offered little clarity on economic or trade cooperation. Taiwan’s TAIEX slipped 0.03 percent to 28,287.53. The market stayed directionless as weakness in U.S. tech stocks, combined with mixed performance from major electronics names including TSMC, capped further gains. Investors also remained cautious, watching for any signs of easing tensions between Washington and Beijing. 2025-10-30 17:19:50
  • Why HBM defines the AI race and seats SK hynix in the lead
    Why HBM defines the AI race and seats SK hynix in the lead SEOUL, October 29 (AJP) - DRAM has long been the dependable workhorse of computing — a flat, two-dimensional structure built to read and write data one cycle at a time. It remains essential for general-purpose CPUs, but its architecture is now running into hard physical limits as artificial intelligence demands exponentially higher data throughput. High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) upends that classical design. Instead of laying chips out side-by-side, HBM stacks multiple DRAM layers vertically and connects them with microscopic conduits called Through-Silicon Vias (TSVs). This 3D structure forms an ultra-dense memory tower that delivers dramatically higher bandwidth and capacity within the same or smaller footprint. The difference is not cosmetic — it is foundational. AI training and inference shuffle enormous datasets between processors and memory in real time. Conventional DRAM becomes a bottleneck: a single-lane road trying to handle multi-lane traffic. HBM, by contrast, functions like a multilayer expressway, giving GPUs the bandwidth needed to process massive models without choking the system. Nvidia’s A100 GPU illustrates this shift. Equipped with HBM, it delivers nearly double the bandwidth and memory capacity of its GDDR-based counterpart, the A6000, while maintaining the same physical size. More memory per card means frontier AI models no longer need to be fragmented across multiple GPUs, reducing overhead and accelerating performance. HBM is expensive — far pricier than DDR memory — but in the AI era, cost per gigabyte no longer determines value. What matters is speed, stability, and total usable capacity. For companies training frontier models, HBM is no longer optional but essential infrastructure. This is also why SK hynix has surged to the front of the global memory race. Though traditionally quiet and engineering-driven, the company was first to mass-produce every major generation of HBM — from HBM2E to HBM3E — and consistently delivered memory that met Nvidia’s exacting standards for heat management, power efficiency, uniformity, and defect tolerance. Its lead in TSV processing and 3D stacking has translated into higher yields and greater reliability than rivals. For Nvidia, which cannot risk memory-induced bottlenecks in its flagship AI accelerators, that reliability has proven decisive. SK hynix has become its primary supplier for the H100, H200, and next-generation B-series GPUs. The combination of early technical leadership, rigorous quality control, and quiet operational execution has allowed SK hynix — long overshadowed by Samsung Electronics in traditional DRAM — to seize the decisive high ground in the AI memory era, powering the company’s record-breaking performance as the world enters a new AI super-cycle. 2025-10-29 17:55:30