Journalist

Na Seon-hye
  • SK Telecom Posts 5.376 Trillion Won Q1 Operating Profit as AI Data Center Sales Surge
    SK Telecom Posts 5.376 Trillion Won Q1 Operating Profit as AI Data Center Sales Surge SK Telecom (SKT) said it showed signs of recovery in the first quarter after the fallout from a hacking incident last year. Revenue and operating profit edged down from a year earlier, but sales from its AI data center business nearly doubled, and the company maintained net additions in 5G subscribers, keeping a 45.7% market share. SKT said Thursday that on a consolidated basis it posted first-quarter 2026 revenue of 4.3923 trillion won and operating profit of 537.6 billion won. Revenue fell 1.4% from a year earlier and operating profit slipped 5.3%, but the company returned to operating profit in the 500 billion won range, boosting expectations for the second half. Wireless revenue declined 3% to 2.5813 trillion won. Still, 5G continued to expand as a share of handset subscribers, reaching 81%. Net additions of 5G subscribers continued, and SKT’s 5G market share held steady at 45.7%. Marketing expenses rose 7.1% from a year earlier to 740.8 billion won, but fell 3.0% from the previous quarter. In the wireline business, revenue from fixed-line communications rose 2.2% to 295.4 billion won, supported by net additions in high-speed internet subscribers and a higher share of gigabit internet users. High-speed internet subscribers increased to 7.311 million. Pay-TV revenue fell 1.3% to 471.9 billion won, and enterprise revenue slipped 1.7% to 274.7 billion won. IPTV subscribers totaled 6.75 million. Against softer telecom results, the AI business helped drive the recovery. AIDC revenue rose 89.3% from a year earlier to 131.4 billion won, helped by higher utilization at new data centers and expanding sales of graphics processing unit as a service, or GPUaaS. AI business-to-business and business-to-consumer revenue fell 10.3% to 45.0 billion won, reflecting weaker cloud revenue. SKT said it expects demand for AI infrastructure to surge, led by global big tech companies, and plans to strengthen competitiveness across the AI data center value chain while continuing to expand its infrastructure footprint. The company also said it will step up shareholder returns and has resumed dividends that had been suspended. The first-quarter dividend is 830 won per share. Chief Financial Officer Park Jong-seok said the first quarter was “a meaningful period” in which the company delivered results aligned with its goals for the year, including strengthening core competitiveness around customer value and restoring profitability through a streamlined AI business. “We will continue focusing on improving performance through sustained results,” he said. 2026-05-07 09:53:15
  • KT Overhauls Security Systems to Rebuild Customer Trust
    KT Overhauls Security Systems to Rebuild Customer Trust KT said Thursday it will push a sweeping overhaul of its companywide information security system, centered on a newly formed Information Security Office, as it works to restore customer trust. The company said it will shift to an always-on prevention and proactive response posture through an integrated governance structure led by its chief information security officer and chief privacy officer. KT said it will also upgrade customer protection and complaint-handling systems through its previously launched “Customer Protection 365” task force. The Information Security Office will coordinate with the task force to quickly review and respond to concerns involving customer personal data and to raise protection standards across technology, organization and processes. To strengthen outside expertise and objectivity, KT said it will form an external advisory committee and build a security ecosystem linked to the security industry and academia. KT said it will run a companywide consultative body to manage security risks across IT, network and service operations, and will revamp its end-to-end incident response process to enable faster, more consistent action. The company said it will bolster security management to keep pace with advances in artificial intelligence, including using AI agents for penetration testing. It also plans to enhance integrated security monitoring to improve threat detection and blocking, and to tighten controls across tangible and intangible assets such as in-home devices, outdoor base stations and software. KT said it will also reorganize its privacy protection framework, refining internal controls under the CPO and strengthening reporting to the board to raise compliance standards. Lee Sang-woon, KT’s CISO and an executive director, said, “Centered on the Information Security Office, we will build a trust-based foundation that can safely protect customers’ daily lives and data, and establish a security system that supports our transition into an AX platform company.” The measures follow a hacking incident involving an illegal small base station, or femtocell, that occurred in September last year. The cyberattack using the illegal femtocell exposed subscriber identification information for more than 20,000 users and caused more than 200 million won in unauthorized small-amount payment losses, the company said. In December last year, KT said it would invest more than 1 trillion won in information security over the next five years to restore customer trust and overhaul its protection systems. It also said it would raise annual information security spending from about 125 billion won to about 200 billion won starting in 2026, focusing on AI-based security technology and infrastructure upgrades. 2026-05-07 09:27:05
  • Anthropic to Visit South Korea Next Week for AI Safety Talks With Science Minister
    Anthropic to Visit South Korea Next Week for AI Safety Talks With Science Minister Anthropic is set to meet with the South Korean government to discuss artificial intelligence safety and security issues, including its AI model “Mythos.” Industry sources said May 6 that Michael Sellitto, Anthropic’s head of global policy, will visit South Korea next week and plans to meet with Bae Kyung-hoon, deputy prime minister and minister of science and ICT. A ministry official said, “We are coordinating a meeting next week between Deputy Prime Minister Bae and Anthropic.” Sellitto is an AI policy and security specialist who previously served as cyber policy director at the U.S. White House National Security Council. At Anthropic, he oversees global policy and external relations. Mythos is expected to be a key topic. The model highlights AI-based cybersecurity and vulnerability detection capabilities. Anthropic on April 7 officially unveiled the Claude-based model, previously known by the codename “Capybara,” under the name Mythos. The company said that during seven weeks of testing, Mythos autonomously found more than 2,000 previously undisclosed software vulnerabilities, or zero-days, across major operating systems and browser environments. In Mozilla’s Firefox browser, it identified 271 vulnerabilities. Of those, it was reported to have generated exploit code for 181. Bae previously met with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei in February at the “2026 India AI Impact Summit” held in India. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-05-06 17:42:14
  • UNIST to Launch GRIT Interdisciplinary Program in 2027 to Train Question-Driven Talent
    UNIST to Launch GRIT Interdisciplinary Program in 2027 to Train Question-Driven Talent Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, or UNIST, said it will launch a new undergraduate division, the GRIT Interdisciplinary Program, in 2027, aiming to help students design their own majors and academic paths. The school said the program is meant to move beyond department-centered education in an era when artificial intelligence can quickly produce answers, and instead strengthen students’ ability to form questions and map out lines of inquiry. UNIST said on May 6 it will separately admit about 10 freshmen a year starting in 2027 through a dedicated GRIT admissions track. The program will be built around project-based inquiry education. Students will combine foundational and research-oriented courses to create individualized curricula, then complete both personal projects and team-based interdisciplinary projects. Each student will be assigned a dedicated faculty mentor for one-on-one guidance throughout their studies and research. Kim Cheol-min, head of the GRIT Interdisciplinary Program, said the school is preparing an approach in which “one persistent question a student asks can become a major explored over four years, and a record of failure and trying again becomes a personal portfolio.” In the AI era, he said, it is important not only to find answers quickly but also to endure uncertainty and “design questions” in areas without clear answers. UNIST said it will also differentiate evaluation. The program will use a P/NR (Pass/No Record) system to reduce the burden of failure and encourage ambitious inquiry. Graduates will receive either a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary science or interdisciplinary engineering. The major title designed by the student will be officially listed on the academic transcript. UNIST introduced the GRIT program’s education philosophy to students and residents during “UNIST Open Stage 1,” held May 6 at the main auditorium of its administration building. Lee Sedol, a UNIST special professor, referred to his experience teaching a board game design course and interacting with students. “If you make rules, set criteria for choices, and think about why you make those judgments, your experience with baduk naturally connects to other fields,” he said. Lee Chang-ho, described as a baduk titleholder, echoed the program’s emphasis on student-driven inquiry, saying that a student’s persistent question can become a four-year field of study and that a record of failure and renewed attempts can become a personal portfolio. He also said that in the AI era, the attitude of designing questions matters. UNIST President Park Jong-rae said universities should be places that build students’ capacity to create their own questions, endure failure and find solutions on their own. He said the event, using baduk as a symbolic medium, showed that uniquely human perseverance, creativity and judgment are key conditions for future talent. UNIST said it plans to continue introducing the GRIT Interdisciplinary Program to residents and students through a range of events. Later this month, it said, a screening and artist talk are scheduled with media artist Kim A-young, a UNIST special professor. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-05-06 16:07:27
  • Lee Sedol, Lee Chang-ho warn against overreliance on AI: Humans must make answers their own
    Lee Sedol, Lee Chang-ho warn against overreliance on AI: Humans must make answers their own "AI can show you a good move, but turning that answer into your own is ultimately a human task." As artificial intelligence rapidly expands into areas once considered uniquely human, two of South Korea’s best-known Go players said the skills that will matter most are the ability to ask the right questions and to make independent judgments. Lee Sedol, a distinguished professor at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, and Lee Chang-ho, a top Go titleholder known for his calm style, spoke May 6 at UNIST in Ulsan during a talk concert titled “UNIST Open Stage 1” and at a briefing beforehand. They said AI should not be treated as a simple “answer machine.” Lee Sedol pointed to AlphaGo Zero and said that in an era when AI can evolve beyond human data, cooperation matters as much as use. He said watching AI play moves once taught as taboo made him realize how much people can be trapped by education and convention, adding that those who grasp AI’s message will move ahead. Lee Chang-ho said he initially struggled to accept AI’s unconventional moves, but later saw many as strong ideas that break fixed thinking. Still, he warned against blind trust, saying people should think deeply on their own and ask for help only when they truly need it. He said real synergy comes when a person has established a personal style and then uses AI support. Lee Sedol also described the personal strain AI brought to professional Go. He said studying with AI was so difficult it contributed to his decision to retire earlier, and that thinking about what younger players face weighs on him. Looking back on his 2016 match against AlphaGo, he said he would accept the challenge again but would prepare more thoroughly, adding that he regretted brushing aside expert advice at the time. He also said he was careless after winning Game 4 when he told Demis Hassabis that AI did not seem able to beat humans. Lee said it was a shameful answer to a question that could bring enormous change. On broader social impact, Lee Sedol said the loss of existing jobs during the transition is unavoidable, but that distinctly human value will rise. He said society should guard against a dystopia in which people lose control of their thinking or AI technology is monopolized by a small group in power. Lee Chang-ho said the AI era could make fundamentals even more important. He said a strong base — including humanities literacy and reading — would help people protect themselves from AI-related risks. In the talk that followed, both men framed AI not as a simple matter of winning and losing but as a matter of interpretation. They said that as AI produces more correct answers, what matters is not the answer itself but the ability to understand it and connect it to one’s own judgment. Lee Sedol said what matters more than AI’s strength is what new questions people can ask after seeing its answers, adding that judgment is needed to make choices in unfamiliar situations. Lee Chang-ho said seeing the right answer and understanding the path to it are different, and that even if AI suggests a good move, making it one’s own remains a human responsibility. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-05-06 16:06:23
  • South Korea Seeks Proposals to Expand Open Quantum Testbed for Next-Gen Networks
    South Korea Seeks Proposals to Expand Open Quantum Testbed for Next-Gen Networks The Ministry of Science and ICT said Tuesday it will seek proposals for an “open quantum testbed upgrade and expansion project” to strengthen next-generation communications infrastructure for the AI and quantum era and accelerate the spread of quantum communications technology. The open quantum testbed is a core demonstration platform aimed at commercializing quantum cryptography communications and expanding related industries. Since 2024, the government has built and operated a quantum cryptography communications network and measurement equipment used to issue test reports along the Seoul-Pangyo-Daejeon corridor. The call for proposals follows the “First Comprehensive Plan to Foster Quantum Science and Technology and the Quantum Industry,” announced in January. The ministry said it aims to expand the testbed from the Seoul-to-Daejeon route to a nationwide scale, while also building infrastructure that includes overseas connections and efforts to secure next-generation technologies. Eligible applicants are consortia that include major telecommunications operators. The support period runs through 2028, for a total of three years. The ministry began a preliminary notice Tuesday and said full project work is expected to start in July. The project will be pursued across three segments: commercial hubs, overseas hubs and future hubs. Commercial hubs will focus on demonstrating quantum cryptography communications services in real network environments and verifying commercialization using low-cost, compact QKD equipment. Overseas hubs will build international links connected to foreign quantum testbeds to verify interoperability of quantum communications technologies between countries and lay the groundwork for global technical cooperation. Future hubs will focus on building test environments for next-generation communications technologies, including satellite and wireless QKD and quantum entanglement. Kim Seong-su, director general for research and development policy at the ministry, said the project will upgrade the demonstration base for quantum cryptography communications and expand its use across a range of industries. He said the ministry will work to ensure quantum technology becomes core infrastructure supporting future industrial innovation. In January, the government said it would move beyond research and development to produce industrialization results under the comprehensive plan. The plan calls for training 10,000 quantum specialists and fostering 2,000 related companies by 2035, and for achieving the world’s No. 1 position in quantum chip manufacturing. To that end, the government is pursuing work centered on three areas — quantum computing, communications and sensors — including development of a full-stack quantum computer, construction of a nationwide quantum cryptography communications network, and commercialization of quantum biosensors. It is also moving ahead with establishing a joint research center in cooperation with U.S. company IonQ. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-05-06 12:03:00
  • SK Telecom Added to Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, Only Korean Telecom Included
    SK Telecom Added to Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, Only Korean Telecom Included SK Telecom (SKT) has been added to the 2026 Dow Jones Best-in-Class (DJ BIC) World Index, the company said Tuesday. The index is used by investors as a benchmark after assessing companies’ economic, environmental and social performance. The DJ BIC is a revamped version of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) following a September 2025 overhaul, and is published annually by S&P Global. SKT has been included consistently since its first entry in 2008, except in 2020. The World Index is the top tier, selecting only the top 10% by industry from about 2,500 companies worldwide by market capitalization. SKT was the only South Korean telecom included this year. SKT said the latest inclusion reflects companywide efforts including board-led accountability, supply-chain ESG management, climate response and stronger industrial safety and health measures. An SKT official called it “the result of continuously advancing our sustainability management system.” The company said it strengthened governance, including recording a 100% board attendance rate in 2024, and expanded ESG inspections, training and consulting for partner companies. It also said it is pursuing a “2050 net zero” strategy through its ESG committee, building a carbon management system that includes improving power efficiency and shifting to renewable energy. In safety and health, it said it was named an excellent company for three consecutive years in a shared-growth cooperation program. Eom Jong-hwan, head of SKT’s sustainability management office, said the company will continue to advance ESG management “to fulfill the responsibilities that come with being included in the DJ BIC World Index,” and “continue sustainable growth together with customers.” 2026-05-06 10:48:26
  • SK Broadband targets offline ads with B tv On-Ad set-top box signage service
    SK Broadband targets offline ads with B tv On-Ad set-top box signage service SK Broadband is pushing into the offline advertising market with a digital signage service built on IPTV set-top boxes, branded B tv On-Ad (On-Ad). The company is pitching a subscription model priced in the 10,000-won range per month, aiming to lower barriers in a market long dominated by expensive equipment and to tap demand for what it calls space-based marketing. “Digital out-of-home advertising has become part of daily life, but the key now is not simple exposure — it’s how much you raise the value of the time customers stay,” Ryu Jong-in, head of SK Broadband’s channel planning team, said in an interview April 29 at the company’s headquarters in central Seoul. “On-Ad is a service that turns that dwell time into data.” According to the Korea Local Finance Association’s “2025 Outdoor Advertising Statistics,” South Korea’s outdoor advertising market totaled 4.6241 trillion won in 2024, with digital advertising accounting for 1.6634 trillion won. The market, once centered on paper ads and basic video playback, is rapidly shifting toward data-driven models. On-Ad runs on IPTV infrastructure and can be used with a business-to-business set-top box, allowing operations without building separate servers or encoders. “In the past, each store needed computer infrastructure and separate management, but now a single set-top box can centrally manage displays,” Ryu said. He cited the ability to start at about 13,000 won a month without upfront equipment investment of 100,000 to 150,000 won as the service’s biggest differentiator. A key feature is artificial intelligence-based data analysis. Using a webcam, the system analyzes viewing angles and gaze time and includes functions that estimate gender and age group. “We extract statistical values such as the age group of customers looking at the camera — for example, ‘women in their 20s’ — and use them for data analysis,” Ryu said. He added that tailored advertising based on gender and age could become possible. SK Broadband is also considering adding content-optimization tools, including upscaling low-resolution video and automatically adjusting content for special aspect ratios such as 32:9 used in subways and buses, as well as vertical mobile formats. Ryu said development is complete and the company is reviewing applying it to On-Ad. The service has been adopted by a domestic health-and-beauty store chain, which SK Broadband said demonstrated its practicality in retail operations. At Chung-Ang University’s Da Vinci Campus in Anseong, On-Ad was used in a project to digitize department bulletin boards. More recently, the service was installed at Hyundai Motor’s Bluehands repair shops. Ryu said On-Ad has grown by more than twofold each year since launch and that the company is targeting 100% growth this year. Ryu said hospitals and universities are priority areas for expansion. He said the company aims to help hospitals replace paper leaflet point-of-purchase advertising with displays for more efficient operations. SK Broadband is also reviewing generative AI-based content creation. Ryu said the company expects an environment where small business owners can enter prompts to produce ad images or videos and air them immediately, adding that the market structure could change significantly within two to three years. 2026-05-05 18:15:26
  • Coupang Play Gains Share With HBO Releases as Rivalry for No. 2 OTT Spot Intensifies
    Coupang Play Gains Share With HBO Releases as Rivalry for No. 2 OTT Spot Intensifies In April, the user gap between South Korea’s streaming services Tving and Coupang Play widened again. Mobile Index data released on the 4th showed Tving posted 7,708,645 monthly active users, while Coupang Play had 9,101,593. The difference was about 1.39 million users. Tving’s MAU fell 3.95% from the previous month, while Coupang Play rose 0.61%. Among major platforms, Netflix logged 14,799,836 MAU, down 7.02% from the prior month. Wavve rose 1.27% to 3,897,570. Disney+ had seen its February MAU jump by nearly 1 million due to a compensation program for customers affected by a KT hacking incident, but in April it fell 8.31% to 3,462,195. Coupang Play attributed its MAU increase to exclusive content, including new HBO titles and recently talked-about films. The film “The Man Who Lives With the King” was released exclusively on Coupang Play on April 29 through an individual purchase model. HBO original series “Euphoria Season 3” was also added. Tving, in its third year streaming KBO games, saw users decline in April. While the pro baseball season opening was expected to boost traffic, the platform showed limited gains in new users. Still, activity among existing users increased. A Tving official said, “MAU declined, but average daily active users rose by double digits from the previous month,” adding that repeat visits tied to the KBO League and Tving originals such as “Yumi’s Cells Season 3” and “Heart Signal 5” appeared to have helped increase viewing time. 2026-05-04 14:51:19
  • BTS’ ‘ARIRANG’ Holds U.K. Top 100 for Sixth Week; No. 4 on Billboard 200
    BTS’ ‘ARIRANG’ Holds U.K. Top 100 for Sixth Week; No. 4 on Billboard 200 BTS’ fifth full-length album, ‘ARIRANG,’ has stayed on the U.K. Official Charts Top 100 for a sixth straight week. According to Yonhap and other reports on May 2, ‘ARIRANG’ ranked No. 17 on the Official Albums Chart Top 100, down four spots from the previous week. The title track, ‘SWIM,’ placed No. 41 on the Official Singles Chart Top 100, down seven. The releases also remained on U.S. Billboard charts. ‘SWIM’ fell 10 places to No. 22 on the Hot 100, while ‘ARIRANG’ slipped three spots to No. 4 on the Billboard 200. HYBE said the album reflects BTS’ identity and universal emotions, combining traditional symbols with a modern sensibility to underscore the group’s message. BTS stepped up promotions in March with a large-scale comeback performance at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul to mark the album’s release. Since April, the group has expanded global activities with the ‘BTS WORLD TOUR ARIRANG,’ including stops in Goyang and other cities. 2026-05-02 14:45:16