Journalist

김동영
Kim Dong-young and Han Jun-gu
  • SK hynix posts soaring profits on surging AI chip demand
    SK hynix posts soaring profits on surging AI chip demand SK hynix headquarters in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province/ Yonhap SEOUL, April 24 (AJP) - SK hynix reported a sharp rise in first-quarter profits on Thursday, fueled by surging demand for advanced memory chips used in artificial intelligence applications. The company’s operating profit jumped 157.8 percent from a year earlier to 7.44 trillion won, or about $5.21 billion, according to a regulatory filing. Revenue rose 41.9 percent to 17.64 trillion won, while net profit soared 323 percent to 8.11 trillion won. “The memory market improved faster than expected in the first quarter as AI development competition intensified alongside inventory buildup demand,” SK hynix said in a statement. The firm credited its strong performance to expanded sales of premium products, including its fifth-generation HBM3E 12-layer high-bandwidth memory chips and DDR5 memory modules — key components commanding high prices in the growing AI market. Despite the typically slow first quarter for the industry, SK hynix’s operating profit margin climbed to 42 percent, extending its streak of profitability growth to eight consecutive quarters. 2025-04-24 09:46:53
  • Prosecutors raid Korea Zinc, brokerages in market manipulation probe
    Prosecutors raid Korea Zinc, brokerages in market manipulation probe Korea Zinc's logo/ Courtesy of Korea Zinc SEOUL, April 23 (AJP) - Prosecutors raided the headquarters of Korea Zinc and several major brokerage firms on Wednesday as part of a widening investigation into allegations of unfair trading practices tied to a multibillion-dollar rights offering announced last year. Investigators from the Southern Seoul District Prosecutors’ Office carried out search and seizure operations at six corporate offices and five private residences, including those of Korea Zinc executives and branches of Mirae Asset Securities and KB Securities. Authorities confiscated computers, internal communications, approval records, and other documents as they examine whether the company breached capital market laws in the lead-up to its 2.5 trillion won (approximately $1.75 billion) rights issue announced in October 2024. The probe follows a referral by the Financial Supervisory Service in January, after questions surfaced over Korea Zinc’s disclosure practices during the period of a share buyback program conducted between October 4 and 23 of last year. During that time, the company publicly stated it had “no plans to make changes to its financial structure following the buyback.” However, prosecutors are now scrutinizing whether Korea Zinc’s board had already been engaged in planning the rights issue — potentially misleading the market. According to local media reports, Mirae Asset Securities, the lead underwriter, commenced due diligence for the offering on Oct. 14, well before the official announcement on Nov. 6. Regulators later ordered Korea Zinc to amend its securities filings, saying the disclosures could have misled investors. The company ultimately withdrew its rights offering plan on Nov. 13, only a week after it was made public. At the center of the investigation is whether Korea Zinc sought to manipulate the market by repurchasing and canceling shares, then planning to issue new ones — a tactic that could constitute illegal market manipulation. The raid is the first major prosecutorial action against Korea Zinc since a high-profile management dispute erupted last year, when private equity firm MBK Partners allied with Young Poong Group in a hostile takeover attempt. That battle has since escalated into a series of legal entanglements. 2025-04-23 16:20:02