Journalist

Kim Hee-su
  • AI-leveraged cheating in elite university test on AI calls for new class formula in Korea
    AI-leveraged cheating in elite university test on AI calls for new class formula in Korea SEOUL, November 10 (AJP) - ChatGPT has invaded university classrooms and come to test the ethical integrity of students in Korea, as shown by a large-scale exam cheating scandal at elite Yonsei University in Seoul. The case may be only the tip of the iceberg, with 70 percent of Korean universities still lacking any rules or guidelines on AI use. The issue surfaced when a professor teaching the third-year course "Natural Language Processing (NLP) and ChatGPT" at Yonsei's Sinchon campus revealed that "multiple instances of academic dishonesty have been discovered." The professor urged students to voluntarily come forward to avoid punishment beyond receiving zero points for the midterm, warning that dishonesty could result in disciplinary suspension. The course, with roughly 600 students enrolled, was conducted entirely online. The midterm in mid-October consisted of multiple-choice questions through an online platform. Students were instructed to record their screens, hands, and faces during the exam, but many allegedly changed their camera angles or opened extra browser windows to covertly access AI tools. Within the student community, speculation grew that more than half of the class may have cheated. On Everytime, a popular university community app, an anonymous poll of enrolled students found that 190 out of 359 respondents — about 53 percent — admitted to using unauthorized tools during the test. "It's ironic that a cheating scandal broke out in a course on AI," said Yoo Eun-seo, 22, a theology major at Yonsei. "It's regrettable that students used AI during a restricted exam, but universities should start designing learning systems that integrate AI rather than banning it. Coexistence with AI is inevitable." Another student, Cho Je-yi, 21, said she was "shocked" that cheating occurred even with video monitoring. "It seems this wasn't the first time students gained grades through dishonest means," she said. "When more than half your classmates use AI, not using it starts to feel like a disadvantage. Ethical standards clearly need to be redefined." Cho also noted that distinguishing human-written and AI-generated text has become increasingly difficult. "Tools like Copykiller now have a 'GPT-Killer' function to detect AI content, but many students get flagged unfairly. I've had my own work marked as 'AI-like.' The criteria are vague, and since it's practically impossible to tell the difference, banning AI outright is unrealistic." Three years after generative AI became mainstream, many universities still lack a coherent strategy. A survey by the Korean Council for University Education (KCUE) found that 71.1 percent of 131 universities nationwide have no official guidelines on generative AI. By contrast, a 2024 study by Wang, Dang, Wu, and Mac — cited in a KCUE report — found that among the top 100 U.S. universities, 67.4 percent have issued guidelines for faculty regarding AI use, but just 17.8 percent have established rules for students. Only 14.7 percent have institution-wide policies. Several education systems abroad have moved aggressively. The New York City Department of Education banned access to ChatGPT across public schools in early 2024, and Seattle schools also imposed restrictions. The University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, and Sciences Po in France have prohibited the use of ChatGPT in coursework. Universities in Australia have redesigned exams to prevent students from relying on AI-generated answers. Park Han-woo, professor of media and communication at Yeungnam University and chair of the Korea organizing committee for Internet Research 15 (IR15), said the online format of the exam made it highly likely for students to rely on AI tools. "The issue is not that students used AI," he said. "We need to talk about responsible and ethical use of AI, because banning it altogether isn't realistic." Park said Korean universities must develop new teaching and evaluation models suited for the AI era. 2025-11-10 17:33:34
  • Over-crowded Korean coffee market squeezes small franchises to venture overseas
    Over-crowded Korean coffee market squeezes small franchises to venture overseas SEOUL, November 06 (AJP) - Koreans are the world's most avid coffee consumers, and the market has now grown so dense that smaller franchises are increasingly looking abroad to survive. According to Euromonitor, Koreans on average drank 416 cups of coffee per person last year, the highest in the Asia-Pacific region. Consumption far outstripped Singapore's 290 cups and Japan's 281 cups, and was nearly six times the regional average of 57. By the end of 2022, Korea had around 100,000 coffee shops nationwide — almost double the 52,000 stores operated collectively by the country's four major convenience-store chains (GS25, CU, 7-Eleven, Emart24). Coffee shops also outnumbered chicken restaurants, which totaled 81,000. Coffee franchise brands numbered 886, exceeding the 669 chicken franchises. With such density, prices vary widely: budget chains sell Americanos for 1,500–2,000 won ($1.38), while premium cafés charge 4,500–5,500 won. Budget chains have expanded rapidly amid long-running economic pressures and high youth unemployment. The top five value brands — Mega MGC, Compose Coffee, Paik’s Coffee, The Venti, and Mammoth Coffee — operate around 11,000 stores nationwide, more than double the 4,800 outlets run by the top five premium chains: Starbucks, Twosome Place, Hollys, Coffee Bean, and Angel-in-us. Even market heavyweight Starbucks Korea shows signs of plateauing. Its store count edged up from 2,009 at the end of 2023 to 2,050 in the first half of 2024. Twosome Place saw similarly modest growth, rising from 1,670 to 1,700 stores. By contrast, Mega MGC Coffee is racing toward the 4,000-store milestone. After passing 3,000 stores in May 2023, it reached 3,500 by March and more than 3,800 by August 2024 — adding roughly 800 locations in just over a year. Its operator, N-House, has posted solid financial gains: revenue grew from 315.8 billion won in 2022 to 455.8 billion won in 2023 and is estimated to reach 545.9 billion won this year. Operating profit jumped from 54.5 billion won in 2022 to 104.3 billion won in 2023 and 118.1 billion won in 2024, keeping margins near 20 percent for three consecutive years. Starbucks Korea, operated by SCK Company, recorded 3.1 trillion won in sales last year, up 5.8 percent from 2022. But its store expansion rate has declined sharply — from 8.7 percent in 2021, when Emart acquired the company, to 6.1 percent in 2023. With domestic expansion reaching its limits, small and mid-sized franchises are turning overseas. Mega MGC Coffee opened its first overseas branch in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, last May and has grown to five locations within a year. Paik's Coffee has focused on Southeast Asia, expanding from its first Manila store in 2016 to 18 outlets across the Philippines and Singapore. Compose Coffee launched its third store in Singapore this year and is expected to accelerate expansion after management rights were acquired by Jollibee Foods, a major Philippine restaurant conglomerate. The Venti embarked on global expansion this year with its first store in Canada, followed by openings in Vietnam and Jordan, tailoring Korean-style menus to local tastes. Mammoth Coffee entered Japan with its first store, marking the brand's overseas debut. According to the Food Information Statistics System, the global coffee market has grown steadily since 2019 and is projected to reach $174.1 billion by 2028, up 20 percent from 2025 — offering headroom for Korean franchises seeking growth beyond a home market that has little space left to fill. 2025-11-06 17:56:16
  • POST-APEC: K-pop stars as vital economic and diplomatic leverage
    POST-APEC: K-pop stars as vital economic and diplomatic leverage SEOUL, November 05 (AJP) - "Oh my gat, the real one has arrived," K-pop star G-Dragon wrote on social media, sporting a black fedora draped with a pearl chain resembling a traditional Korean "gat" headpiece he wore while performing his latest hit "Power" at the APEC Leaders' Meeting gala in Gyeongju last Friday. The pun paired his fashion humor with a nod to the gat reimagined by the "Saja Boys" in Netflix's hit anime "KPop Demon Hunters" while reflecting his excitement about performing before an audience of global leaders. His performance of "Drama" using a microphone wrapped in the Korean and APEC flags further accentuated K-pop's persuasive power to captivate no-nonsense global leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. For some leaders, it was the most memorable moment of their visit. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim later posted a clip of the performance with the hashtag #KpopForever, calling it a highlight of the summit. Celebrity-level political figures — U.S. President Donald Trump, China's Xi, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang — captured most headlines during the weeklong summit in historic Gyeongju. But it was Korean culture, especially K-pop, that shared the global spotlight. The rare APEC consensus, named the Gyeongju Declaration, for the first time elevated culture and creative industries as a formal regional growth engine in a leaders' summit document — placing it on par with trade, investment, and digital cooperation. K-pop's ascent as an economic asset was reinforced again at the APEC CEO Summit, where BTS leader RM delivered a keynote speech on Korea's soft power. "K-pop is like bibimbap," RM said. "You don't turn away elements of Western music — hip-hop, R&B, EDM. Like bibimbap, each part keeps its identity but mixes to create something new, fresh, and delightful." This inclusive originality RM highlighted is the essence of K-pop's universal appeal — and a form of soft power capable of moving even the world's toughest minds. President Lee Jae Myung brought JYP Entertainment founder and producer Park Jin-young — newly tapped as co-chair of a presidential committee on pop culture — to an informal meeting with Xi. During the meeting, Xi was said to have spontaneously floated the idea of hosting a large-scale K-pop event in Beijing, instructing Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the spot to explore the idea. The leak immediately stirred expectations of China easing its years-long unofficial ban on Korean entertainment in fear of "corrupting" young Chinese people. The scale of the industry is now too large for governments at home and abroad to overlook. According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Korea's music exports reached $1.2 billion in 2023, up from $277 million in 2013 — a 4.4-fold jump. At the current pace, exports are expected to exceed 2 trillion won ($1.4 billion) this year. The K-pop events market — concerts, fan meets, festivals — is also set for explosive expansion. Allied Market Research projects the global sector, valued at $8.1 billion in 2021, will grow at an annual average of 7.3 percent, reaching $20 billion by 2031. 2025-11-05 17:10:11
  • Four out of ten Korean tech workers eye work abroad as firms vie to keep them home
    Four out of ten Korean tech workers eye work abroad as firms vie to keep them home SEOUL, November 04 (AJP) - Four out of ten South Koreans employed in science and engineering say they want to work abroad in pursuit of higher compensation and better social recognition, underscoring the talent pressures Korean companies face as global competition intensifies in AI and IT. A recent Bank of Korea study found that 42.9 percent of salaried STEM-degree holders are considering relocating overseas within the next three years, and the share rises to about 70 percent among those in their 20s and 30s. Financial factors were the most frequently cited motivation, with 66.7 percent pointing to higher pay abroad. Yoon Yong-june, head of the macroeconomic studies team at the Bank of Korea's Research Department, noted that STEM professionals in countries such as the United States enjoy strong respect, high compensation, and greater career mobility. "Talented students often enter institutions like Stanford or MIT and then build careers in AI and IT in Silicon Valley, frequently becoming key innovators or founders," he said. "In Korea, by contrast, elite students in the post-IMF era increasingly opted for medical schools from the early 2000s onward, reflecting a preference for job security over engineering paths." Dissatisfaction was highest among workers in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices, followed by electronics and semiconductors, and IT and communications. Even in high-paying fields such as semiconductors and mobility, many master's and Ph.D.-level researchers said their compensation did not align with the performance of their companies. Korean firms in IT, software, and biotech maintained similar ratios of labor costs to sales, while the ratios in core manufacturing industries such as semiconductors, electronics, and automobiles were lower. In contrast, U.S. tech giants such as Apple and Tesla have achieved high profitability by outsourcing production and focusing on design, software, and platforms, enabling them to reinvest more aggressively in R&D and employee rewards. The report also pointed to structural drawbacks in Korea's R&D career path, where researchers are evaluated on short-term performance, hindering breakthrough research. It emphasized that incentives must be tied to long-horizon achievements. Korea's lack of a Nobel laureate in the sciences can explain the structural constraint. Recent shifts in the labor market, however, suggest engineering roles are regaining appeal. With the rise of chip supremacy and escalating compensation packages, applicants for semiconductor-related university programs outnumbered those for medical schools in this year's early admissions cycle, according to Jongro Academy in Seoul. Corporations are also moving aggressively to retain talent. Samsung Electronics announced a new Performance Stock Unit program that ties employee rewards directly to the company's share price. Under the plan, employees will receive Samsung stock based on share-price growth over the next three years, with 200 shares granted to entry- and junior-level workers and 300 shares to mid-level managers, vesting gradually from 2028. SK hynix, meanwhile, revised its annual bonus structure through a labor–management agreement reached in September. The company will allocate 10 percent of its annual operating profit to employee bonuses, a level that, given its workforce of around 33,600, amounts to more than 100 million won—about 70,000 dollars—per employee on average. 2025-11-04 17:35:17
  • Korean brands still in hangover over Jensen Huangs Seoul evening binge
    Korean brands still in hangover over Jensen Huang's Seoul evening binge SEOUL, November 03 (AJP) - There was nothing casual about the tech boys' night-out in Seoul for "chimaek" — the beloved chicken-and-beer pairing — given the multi-trillion-dollar businesses they represent and the influence they wield over the global economy. The APEC week has officially ended, but the afterglow — and hangover — from Thursday's late-night binge among Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, and Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun continues to ripple across Korean markets, from stocks to retail sales. The rare sight of the trio — who collectively helm corporate empires near $6 trillion at the time — squeezing into a fried-chicken joint offered an intimate glimpse into the personal lives of some of the world's wealthiest and most influential figures. The scene went instantly viral worldwide. According to Google Trends, global search interest in "chimaek" surged after the meetup, climbing to a score of more than 75 out of 100 the next day — a clear sign of heightened curiosity about Korea's distinctive drinking and food culture. Huang also displayed enthusiasm for Korea's "somaek" — a soju-beer mix — after Samsung's Lee demonstrated the "Tera Tower," Korean liquor company Hite Jinro's beer-soju blending gadget that went viral following its 2022 debut. Somaek is a quintessential Korean drinking ritual often accompanied by games or social gatherings. The term even inspired the global hit "APT." by BLACKPINK's Rosé and Bruno Mars — a reference to a Korean drinking game that propelled the song's popularity. The frenzy extended far beyond the tech sphere, delivering an unexpected viral marketing bonanza for Korean consumer brands. Shares of Kyochon F&B — the only listed fried-chicken franchise — jumped more than 10 percent in early trading, while rival chains BBQ and BHC reported spikes in sales inquiries. Videos of Huang greeting fans outside the restaurant and handing out Korean snacks like banana-flavored milk spread rapidly across social media. Binggrae, the company that produces the banana milk, swiftly seized the moment, posting on Friday: "Giving away 100 banana milks! Thank you, Mr. Huang!" The company said it will randomly select 100 commenters by Thursday to receive an e-gift card and plans to accelerate export promotions while global attention is fixed on the brand. Even the red ginseng product Huang received from a fan drew fresh attention. The item — from Jung Kwan Jang, Korea's leading ginseng producer — was also featured among hospitality gifts provided to visiting leaders at hotels in Gyeongju during the APEC summit. "Korean consumers are especially drawn to products with stories," said Lee Eun-hee, honorary professor of consumer studies at Inha University. "It's not just about taste or quality. People find joy in consuming things tied to a narrative or cultural context. With social media amplifying that storytelling, these moments attract even more attention." After the chimaek spectacle came serious and win-win business. At the APEC CEO Summit, Huang announced Nvidia's plan to supply up to 260,000 GPUs — worth roughly 14 trillion won — to Korean partners, including Samsung, SK Group, Hyundai Motor, and Naver Cloud. Samsung, in turn, will provide next-generation HBM4 memory essential for Nvidia's top-tier GPUs, securing a stable components pipeline amid intensifying global AI demand. Nvidia's collaboration with Hyundai Motor is also expected to deepen, positioning the U.S. chipmaker's "Drive" platform as a potential backbone for Korea's fast-evolving autonomous driving ecosystem. 2025-11-03 17:41:28
  • S. Korea, Singapore form strategic partnership to boost defense and trade ties
    S. Korea, Singapore form strategic partnership to boost defense and trade ties SEOUL, November 02 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung and Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong agreed on Sunday to establish a strategic partnership and to deepen cooperation across various sectors, including defense and trade. During a joint press conference following their summit at the presidential office, Lee and Wong agreed to closely cooperate in advanced technology, strengthen security coordination, and expand people-to-people exchanges in response to a rapidly changing global environment. “Our two countries share many similarities. Despite our limited land, lack of natural resources, and challenging geopolitical environments, we have both achieved remarkable growth by relying on human capital and free trade,” Lee said. Lee said the two countries would enhance strategic cooperation in defense and security, including expanded joint research on defense technologies, and reaffirmed Seoul’s intention to actively participate in Singapore’s efforts to diversify defense imports. He also pledged to strengthen policy and legal cooperation to combat transnational crimes such as online scams, citing both nations’ advanced digital and financial infrastructures. Lee added that the two countries agreed to bolster economic and human exchanges through improvements to the Korea–ASEAN FTA and the Korea–Singapore FTA. A notable outcome of the talks was an agreement to allow beef and pork produced on Jeju Island to be exported to Singapore for the first time. Lee noted that Singapore is known for its strict inspection and said the deal would pave the way for more Korean agricultural products to enter global markets. Lee also expressed hope that Singapore, as a global financial and investment hub, would expand investment in promising Korean small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and K-content, fostering joint growth in innovative industries. He said both governments would work to strengthen institutional support for broader exchanges in culture, tourism, education, and sports under the newly established strategic partnership. Wong described South Korea and Singapore as “rising stars of Asia” in an era of uncertainty, saying that regular exchanges between the peoples of both countries have helped build a more stable and prosperous region. 2025-11-02 18:33:05
  • SK hynix to become biggest supercycle winner and overtake TSMC in chip profit by 2027: Nomura
    SK hynix to become biggest supercycle winner and overtake TSMC in chip profit by 2027: Nomura SEOUL, November 02 (AJP) - SK hynix can outshine dominant pure-play foundry Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) in income from chip sales by 2027, placing the South Korean leader in AI memory the biggest winner of the chip "super cycle" that is expected to run at least two more years, according to Japanese investment bank Nomura Securities. SK hynix has already been stellar among memory makers, reporting a record operating profit of $8 billion in the third quarter, and plans to significantly increase capital spending next year to meet with growing demand for its proprietary high bandwidth memory (HBM) chips as well as other advanced memory for servers. Nomura raised its target price for the company to 840,000 won from 540,000 won, a jump of more than 55 percent — the most optimistic forecast among both domestic and global brokerages. SK hynix finished last Friday at 559,000 won after testing new high near 570,000 won on the previous day, more than tripling from its humble closing of 171,200 on the first trading day of 2025. Among Korean firms, Heungkuk Securities currently holds the highest target at 750,000 won among local firms, followed by KB Securities and Shinhan Securities at 730,000 won, and NH Investment & Securities at 710,000 won. JPMorgan last month raised its own target price from 460,000 won to 650,000 won. “Super-cycle to continue through 2027F, growing to an unprecedented revenue level due to limited supply expansion until 2027F,” Nomura wrote in its latest report released on Sunday. The brokerage expects the super-cycle that began in 2023 to continue through 2027, as tight cleanroom capacity and long construction lead times are likely to limit supply expansion until mid-2027. Industry-wide output acceleration, Nomura said, is expected to begin only in late 2027, driving revenue to record levels. Reflecting this outlook, Nomura lifted SK hynix’s operating profit forecasts to 99 trillion won for 2026 and 128 trillion won for 2027, representing increases of 38 percent and 46 percent, respectively. The 2027 projection would make SK hynix the most profitable chipmaker, ahead of TSMC. The report pointed to explosive demand not only for AI servers but also for traditional cloud servers equipped with AI inference capabilities, pushing up prices for HBM as well as general-purpose DRAM and NAND (SSD) chips. Nomura also raised its 2026 price growth outlook for DRAM and NAND to 57 percent and 65 percent, respectively, from 38 percent and 36 percent. Meanwhile, SK hynix has already secured customer orders through next year for all DRAM and NAND products amid surging AI-related demand. The company has also completed HBM supply agreements with key clients including NVIDIA, paving the way for faster shipments. The firm’s sixth-generation HBM4, developed in September and now in mass production, fully meets performance requirements and supports industry-leading speeds. It plans to begin shipping the chip in the fourth quarter and to expand full-scale sales in 2026. 2025-11-02 15:22:40
  • Koreas Oct exports hit record high for the month, extends 5-mo growth streak
    Korea's Oct exports hit record high for the month, extends 5-mo growth streak SEOUL, November 02 (AJP) - South Korea’s exports extended their growth streak for the fifth consecutive month, rising 3.5 percent on year to $59.57 billion in October – the highest ever for the month – despite fewer working days from the Chuseok holiday thanks to record chip and robust vessel shipments. According to data released Saturday by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, the trade account posted a $6.06 billion surplus as imports fell 1.5 percent to $53.52 billion. The cumulative trade balance for January through October stood at $56.43 billion, already surpassing the total surplus recorded for all of last year. Out of the country’s 15 main export categories, semiconductors, ships, petroleum products and computers posted gains. Semiconductor exports jumped 25.4 percent to $15.73 billion, the largest figure ever recorded for October, buoyed by robust demand for high-capacity memory chips such as HBM and DDR5 and strengthening chip prices from shortages in legacy chips. Ship exports soared 131.2 percent to $4.69 billion, led by offshore plant deliveries, extending their growth streak to eight months. Petroleum product exports rose 12.7 percent to $3.83 billion on higher shipment volumes. By contrast, exports of automobiles fell 10.5 percent, auto parts dropped 18.9 percent and steel exports declined 21.5 percent, largely due to higher tariffs in the main U.S. market. By region, exports to Latin America and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) showed the strongest gains. Exports to Latin America surged 99 percent to $4.71 billion, hitting an all-time high on large-scale offshore plant sales. Shipments to the CIS increased 34.4 percent to $1.34 billion, boosted by strong car demand. Meanwhile, exports to the United States tumbled 16.2 percent to $8.71 billion amid weak sales of cars and steel affected by tariffs. Exports to China slipped 5.1 percent to $11.55 billion, though they remained above the $11-billion mark for a second consecutive month. Industry Minister Kim Jeong-kwan expressed optimism for a turnaround in U.S. trade as a result of the Korea–U.S. trade deal reached during APEC week, which promised nondiscriminatory tariff rates for car, chip and pharmaceutical exports to the U.S. “Despite fewer working days during the Chuseok holidays, semiconductors and ships continued to lead our export growth,” Kim said, adding that “the steady five-month growth streak demonstrates a clear recovery in South Korea’s export performance.” During their summit on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting held in Gyeongju, President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to allocate $200 billion out of South Korea’s $350 billion investment package in the form of cash investment, with an annual cap set at $20 billion. As part of the deal, car tariffs will be lowered from 25 percent to 15 percent, equal to the duties applied to Japanese and European vehicles. 2025-11-02 11:40:20
  • Court rules NewJeans must remain under ADOR, rejects bid for independence
    Court rules NewJeans must remain under ADOR, rejects bid for independence SEOUL, October 30 (AJP) - The future of K-pop girl group NewJeans — who shot to global stardom upon their 2022 debut — has been thrown into uncertainty after a Seoul court ruled in favor of their agency HYBE on Thursday. The court determined that all five members remain exclusively bound to ADOR, a HYBE sublabel, until 2029, regardless of their claims of contract breaches and unfair treatment. The decision extinguishes hopes for an early stage comeback for NewJeans, who severed ties with ADOR after the ouster of founder and former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin last year over her alleged attempt to seize control of the label from HYBE. Min and NewJeans have since been engaged in separate legal battles against ADOR. The conflict spiraled into an ugly public feud beginning in April 2024, when Min accused HYBE and its chairman Bang Si-hyuk of copying NewJeans' concept for the debut of another girl group. HYBE and Bang are global names associated with BTS. Shares of HYBE jumped 5 percent to close at 324,500 won upon the removal of legal uncertainty. Following Min's resignation in August 2024, the NewJeans members notified ADOR of their unilateral termination of the contract. None of the teenage members attended the ruling on Thursday. In its decision, the court stated that ADOR's dismissal of Min "cannot be seen as a violation of the contract," adding that her media campaign "was not aimed at protecting NewJeans but at removing the group from ADOR." After mediation efforts collapsed, NewJeans resumed brief activities under the name NJZ, but their comeback was halted after a concert in Hong Kong in March when ADOR filed an injunction blocking the group from engaging in commercial promotions. NewJeans submitted multiple objections and appeals, all of which were dismissed — effectively preventing the members from performing or promoting without ADOR's approval since March. "The dismissal of former CEO Min Hee-jin alone does not prove ADOR lacked the capability or plans to manage NewJeans," the court said. "The contract does not stipulate that Min must personally oversee the group, and although she could have remained as an outside director or producer, she voluntarily resigned." HYBE has maintained that NewJeans can continue activities under ADOR without Min's involvement, claiming it has preparations in place for a full-length album comeback. Following the ruling, NewJeans' legal representative, Shin & Kim, said the team would immediately appeal. "We respect the court's decision," the firm said, "but the trust between NewJeans and ADOR has already been irreparably damaged. Under the current circumstances, it would be difficult for the members to return to ADOR and resume normal activities." The verdict is also a setback for Min, who recently established her new agency, OOAK (One of A Kind). NewJeans became an instant phenomenon upon their debut for reshaping K-pop's sound and visual identity and earned the label of “the idol for idols.” 2025-10-30 17:20:14
  • Koreas young pharma breed Samsung Biologics and Celltrion bulk up as bottom line holds
    Korea's young pharma breed Samsung Biologics and Celltrion bulk up as bottom line holds SEOUL, October 29 (AJP) - Korea's relatively young pharma heavyweights Samsung Biologics and Celltrion are outgrowing their older peers at home and abroad through aggressive and unconventional expansion. Samsung Biologics, founded in 2011, has scaled up relentlessly and now ranks No. 3 in the global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) market. Within its second Bio Campus in Songdo, Incheon, the Samsung Group unit plans to complete Plants 6 to 8 by 2032, raising total capacity to 1.324 million liters — the largest for any single company worldwide. The massive scale is expected to give Samsung Biologics a structural edge in securing long-term production contracts with multinational drugmakers and position it as an industry power rivaling Samsung’s influence in semiconductors. Celltrion, established in 2002 as a pure drug maker, is expanding through M&A. It recently joined the small group of Korean pharma companies with production bases in the United States, which accounts for roughly half of prescription-drug sales revenue among OECD countries. Last month, Celltrion signed a deal to acquire Eli Lilly's biopharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Branchburg, New Jersey, for about 460 billion won. With planned expansion, total investment is expected to reach 1.4 trillion won — a move designed to reduce tariff risks, cut logistics costs, and strengthen supply-chain stability for North American demand. Their bold expansion rests on a solid bottom line and deep pipelines. Samsung Biologics on Tuesday reported consolidated revenue of 1.66 trillion won ($1.2 billion) and operating profit of 728.8 billion won for the third quarter, up 39.9 percent and 115.3 percent on year, respectively. Celltrion posted consolidated revenue of 1.26 trillion won and operating profit of 301 billion won, marking year-on-year gains of 16.3 percent and 44.9 percent. Samsung Biologics has climbed to the No. 3 global CMO position behind Switzerland's Lonza and China's WuXi Biologics, according to MarketsandMarkets. The CMO market is projected to grow 8.8 percent annually, reaching $34.1 billion by 2030 from $20.5 billion in 2024. 2025-10-29 17:59:41