Samsung unveils Exynos 2600 chip, expected to power Galaxy S26 series SEOUL, December 19 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics on Friday unveiled its Exynos 2600 mobile application processor, a chip widely expected to power the company’s next flagship Galaxy smartphone lineup, set for release early next year. According to Samsung Electronics’ website, the Exynos 2600 was designed by Samsung’s System LSI Business and manufactured by Samsung Foundry, both part of the company’s Device Solutions (DS) division. The chip is produced using a 2-nanometer process incorporating gate-all-around (GAA) transistor technology. An application processor serves as the primary computing chip in smartphones, handling tasks ranging from system operations to artificial intelligence workloads. Industry watchers view the Exynos 2600 as a likely candidate for the Galaxy S26 series, although Samsung has not formally confirmed this. Samsung lists the Exynos 2600’s status as “mass production” on its website, a designation generally interpreted as indicating that manufacturing yields have reached a level suitable for large-scale output. The company said the Exynos 2600 is the first mobile system-on-a-chip in the industry to incorporate a heat pass block, a technology designed to reduce thermal resistance by up to 16 percent and maintain stable internal temperatures under heavy workloads. Built on the latest Arm architecture, the deca-core central processing unit delivers up to 39 percent higher computing performance compared with its predecessor, the Exynos 2500, Samsung officials said. The chip also features a more powerful neural processing unit, boosting generative artificial intelligence performance by 113 percent. 2025-12-19 13:53:06

Asian markets in modest gains Friday ahead of BOJ rate decision SEOUL, December 19 (AJP) - Asian equity markets were moderately up early Friday as they await the rate decision from the Bank of Japan. In South Korea, the KOSPI was trading 0.4 percent up at 4,011 as of 10:30 a.m., retracing some of its earlier gains after rebounding 1 percent to track overnight Wall Street rise. Institutional investors led the buying with net purchases of 94 billion won, while retail investors added 33.8 billion won ($23 million). Conversely, foreign investors remained net sellers, offloading 117 billion won. The Korean won traded at 1,478.6 per dollar, down 2.1 won from the previous session. Concerns over potential volatility is looming in the morning session on the best on a rate hike in Japan. Leading stocks showed a marked divergence. Samsung Electronics fell 0.9 percent to 106,600 won amid concerns over increasing competition from Chinese DRAM producers. However, SK hynix gained 1.5 percent to 560,000 won, as its strategic focus on high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and cutting-edge chips continued to draw investor interest. The secondary battery sector remained under pressure. LG Energy Solution dropped 2.7 percent to 368,000 won, and Samsung SDI shed 1.8 percent to 272,000 won. SK Innovation, the parent of SK On, was also trading 1.35 percent lower at 103,400 won. The Hyundai Motor Group saw mixed results. Hyundai Motor and Kia fell 0.9 percent and 1.5 percent respectively, while Hyundai AutoEver, viewed as a key player in the group's transition to Software-Defined Vehicles (SDV), jumped 2.5 percent to 264,000 won. In the shipbuilding sector, Hanwha Ocean surged 4.7 percent to 108,500 won after announcing a 2.6 trillion won contract to build seven LNG carriers before the market open. The junior KOSDAQ was up 0.5 percent at 906. New listing Rznomics, an RNA-editing drug developer, hit its daily limit, trading at 117,000 won—a 30 percent jump from its IPO price. Satellite solution startup Nara Space Technology extended its rally, climbing 20.7 percent to 37,650 won in its second day of trading. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 rose 0.9 percent to 49,430, tracking overnight gains in the U.S. market. Toyota spearheaded the advance, gaining 1.8 percent to 3,425 yen ($22). Honda, however, remained flat at 1,544 yen due to ongoing supply chain issues and recall concerns in the U.S. Japanese semiconductor shares tracked their U.S. peers higher. Ibiden gained 3 percent, Tokyo Electron rose 2.8 percent, and Advantest was up 1.5 percent. Taiwan’s TAIEX advanced 1.3 percent to 27,820, with TSMC leading the charge, up 1.75 percent to 1,455 Taiwan dollars ($46.1). Mainland China markets remained largely flat as investors moved into a wait-and-watch mode ahead of the BOJ decision. The Shanghai Composite was little changed at 3,878, while the Hang Seng Index and Shenzhen Component edged up 0.2 percent and 0.3 percent respectively. 2025-12-19 11:18:04

Safety measures to be heightened in Seoul's crowded areas during holiday weeks SEOUL, December 19 (AJP) - A set of safety measures for crowded areas will be enforced during the holiday season, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said on Friday. Security and patrols will be beefed up at about a dozen locations including Seoul's major shopping and entertainment districts of Myeong-dong, Seongsu-dong, Itaewon, and areas near Hongik University, as they are expected to be crowded around Christmas and New Year's Eve. The city government said with it will form a task force by Christmas Eve to monitor traffic, inspect emergency facilities, and coordinate rescue efforts with district offices, fire and police authorities, and relevant ministries. The city is also preparing for major year-end events and festivities including the annual bell-ringing ceremony at Bosingak Bell Pavilion, which draws around 100,000 visitors each year, as well as activities at popular scenic spots where crowds gather to watch the first sunrise of the coming year. These safety measures will remain in place until the first week of January, with some 1,086 surveillance cameras installed across 91 locations in the city's 25 districts. Han Byeong-yong, a city official, urged public cooperation, saying, "We ask citizens to follow safety guidelines and maintain order to ensure everyone can have a safe and happy holiday season." 2025-12-19 11:00:41

South Korea to support Egypt's customs system upgrade SEOUL, December 19 (AJP) - The Korea Customs Service (KCS) said Friday Commissioner Lee Myung-gu has signed a memorandum of understanding with Ahmed Amawy Robin, head of the Egyptian Customs Authority, to advance the customs system in Egypt. The agreement, concluded in Cairo, is part of South Korea’s official development assistance (ODA) efforts to modernize customs operations in partner countries. The KCS said it will support automation of Egypt’s express cargo logistics and broader customs system modernization under the project. The memorandum of understanding outlines key steps for collaboration, including technical advice on system development and equipment maintenance, training to strengthen the capabilities of Egyptian customs officials, and plans to secure a site in Egypt for an express logistics warehouse. The KCS also plans to export the express logistics system of UNI-PASS — its one-stop customs administration platform — for the first time overseas. “South Korea has rolled out UNI-PASS in seven African countries and is leading efforts to facilitate trade across the continent,” Lee said. He added that the agency plans to expand UNI-PASS further, especially in countries in the Global South, to contribute to smoother global trade. 2025-12-19 10:56:22

Retail investors struggle overseas as brokerages reap record fees SEOUL, December 19 (AJP) - Nearly half of South Korean retail investors trading overseas stocks are losing money, with average profits per account falling sharply from a year earlier, the country’s financial watchdog said on Friday. The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) said that as of the end of August, 49.3 percent of individual investors’ overseas stock trading accounts were in loss-making territory. Average profit per account dropped to about 500,000 won, down from 4.2 million won a year earlier. The FSS conducted on-site inspections of major securities firms and asset managers, including six brokerages with the highest overseas stock trading volumes and two leading managers of overseas equity funds, to assess investor protection and risk management practices related to overseas investing. Retail investors have also recorded persistent losses in overseas derivatives trading regardless of market conditions, the watchdog said. From January through October, losses totaled 373.5 billion won, compared with 360.9 billion won in the same period a year earlier. At the same time, brokerages have seen a surge in revenue from overseas trading. The top 12 securities firms by overseas stock trading volume posted record overseas stock brokerage commission revenue of 1.95 trillion won from January through November. Foreign-exchange fee income rose to 452.6 billion won, up 53.63 percent from a year earlier. 2025-12-19 10:39:40

Korea ramps up inbound marketing to boost regional tourism SEOUL, December 19 (AJP) - As countries intensify competition for foreign visitors, the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) has turned to a comprehensive inbound marketing strategy as its key solution. Moving beyond conventional promotion, the approach offers end-to-end support — from product development and overseas distribution to global network linkage — with the aim of bringing regional tourism content onto the global stage. According to the KTO's October inbound tourism statistics, approximately 15.82 million foreign visitors entered Korea during the first 10 months of this year, marking a 15.2 percent increase from the same period last year. With November and December figures yet to be finalized, the total is expected to surpass the pre-pandemic record of 17.5 million visitors set in 2019. Despite the rapid recovery in inbound arrivals, concerns remain over the continued concentration of tourist visits and spending in the Seoul metropolitan area. More than 80 percent of foreign visitors currently travel to the capital region, while visits to non-metropolitan areas remain limited to around 20 percent, constraining the broader economic impact on regional tourism industries. To address this imbalance, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plans to allocate roughly 3.5 trillion won ($237 million) of its 14.9 trillion won tourism budget for next year toward revitalizing regional tourism. The policy focus is shifting from a Seoul-centric model to longer-stay, region-based travel, with the government aiming to establish "regional inbound tourism hubs." The program is designed to address the challenges faced by domestic tourism operators seeking to attract foreign visitors, particularly those with strong content but limited overseas exposure. Support includes connections to international distribution channels, familiarization tours, product listings on global online travel agencies (OTAs), and local networking through overseas offices — with an emphasis on converting visibility into sales and longer regional stays. To strengthen the service, the KTO launched Touraz, a Korea-specific inbound support platform, in May. It is a self-diagnostic tool that allows companies to evaluate their marketing capabilities and market readiness through a short questionnaire. Based on the results, participants are guided toward tailored support options, including on-site marketing, digital marketing, partner linkage, capacity building and information services. From August to September, the KTO also hosted a series of on-site inbound marketing briefings across six regions — Jeju, Gyeongsang, Gangwon, Chungcheong, Jeolla and the Seoul metropolitan area — drawing 463 participants from 307 organizations. The sessions combined practical guidance, expert lectures and one-on-one consultations with KTO divisions and industry experts from Trip.com, Tripbtoz and Creatrip. Satisfaction surveys recorded an average score of 4.43 out of 5, with 89.2 percent positive responses. Tangible outcomes followed. Wondertour launched new tour packages linked to the APEC summit in Gyeongju after consultations with global online travel agency KKday, while Jeju Special Self-Governing Province worked with KTO overseas offices to map out entry into European markets. Additional partnerships involving familiarization tours and OTAs are also underway. Seo Se-jin, an official with the Tourism Policy Division of Jeju Province, said participation in a KTO-led familiarization tour targeting global luxury travel network members — featuring haenyeo (women divers) as a central theme — provided meaningful networking opportunities. "Follow-up meetings were held with travel agencies from Italy and Switzerland that joined the tour, allowing us to discuss concrete plans for market entry," Seo said. "By leveraging overseas offices and expanding global OTA partnerships, the KTO will continue to support the global promotion of Korea's tourism industry," said Kim Jong-hoon, acting director of the KTO's International Tourism Division. 2025-12-19 10:12:03

South Korean coach leads Viet Nam to victory in men's football at SEA Games SEOUL, December 19 (AJP) - Viet Nam's under-23 national team, led by South Korean coach Kim Sang-sik, won the men's football tournament at this year's Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. At the biennial multi-sport event featuring 11 Southeast Asian countries, Viet Nam came from behind in a dramatic fashion to beat host Thailand 3-2 in extra time in the final match in Bangkok on Wednesday, reclaiming the victory for the first time since 2021. The latest triumph comes after Viet Nam won the 2024 ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup earlier this year and the 2025 ASEAN U-23 Championship in July, making Kim the country's first coach to achieve the feat of winning all three major tournaments. Kim, who took the helm of the team in May last year, set a new milestone that his predecessor Park Hang-seo, who was hailed as a football hero during his stint there, did not achieve. Viet Nam reached the final by beating Laos and Malaysia in the group-stage matches before defeating the Philippines in the semifinals. Thailand advanced with group-stage wins over Singapore and Timor-Leste, followed by a semifinal victory against Malaysia. 2025-12-19 10:09:07

OPINION: Why Korea Zinc's US smelter deal makes strategic sense SEOUL, December 19 (AJP) - Korea Zinc recently signed a strategic partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Commerce, agreeing to pursue a joint investment to build a large, integrated smelter in Tennessee. The U.S. administration has increasingly treated critical minerals as strategic assets essential to national defense and economic security, elevating supply self-reliance and trusted supply chains to top policy priorities. Against that backdrop, the agreement signals that Korea Zinc — an allied-country company with world-class technology and production capacity in nonferrous metal smelting — has been incorporated into the U.S. critical-minerals supply chain as a trusted partner. The deal has the potential to serve as a model for South Korea–U.S. cooperation on economic security and supply chains, aligning with South Korea’s national interests while offering Korea Zinc a meaningful business opportunity. The United States, a global hub for advanced and strategic industries such as semiconductors, batteries, electric vehicles, artificial intelligence, aerospace and defense, also has strong demand for base metals such as zinc and copper, as well as strategic minerals including antimony, indium, gallium and germanium. For Korea Zinc, forming a joint venture with the U.S. government and jointly building a large-scale smelter in a market with sustained demand for strategic minerals represents an attractive opportunity — one that offers both operational stability and long-term profitability. Media reports and corporate disclosures indicate that Korea Zinc, the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. investors plan to establish a joint venture to carry out the investment and formalize a strategic partnership, with Korea Zinc issuing new shares to the venture. Under South Korean law, such a transaction would constitute a third-party allotment of new shares. While the law generally protects existing shareholders’ preemptive rights, it also allows third-party allotments when a company’s articles of incorporation permit them and when there is a clear management purpose. Given the strategic context of the investment and public statements from U.S. officials, there is little basis to question that the principal purpose of the proposed share issuance is to establish a durable partnership with the U.S. government and help build a U.S.-based critical-minerals supply chain. That clearly qualifies as a management purpose. From a broader investment perspective, it is common in strategic alliances for joint projects to involve cross-shareholdings, whether through the transfer of existing shares or the issuance of new ones. Even in the midst of a management-control dispute, corporate executives retain a responsibility to pursue new businesses and invest when compelling opportunities arise. Large-scale industrial projects require financing, and issuing new shares through a third-party allotment is a standard corporate tool and a matter of reasonable business judgment. It is unconvincing to argue that a company should be barred from issuing new shares solely because it is facing a control dispute, particularly when the transaction serves a clear strategic and commercial objective. Indeed, if a board were to block decisions necessary to seize a valuable opportunity purely because of such a dispute, it could raise questions about a breach of directors’ duty of care. As a citizen, I hope this joint investment with the U.S. government in the critical-minerals sector moves forward smoothly and sets a constructive precedent for future economic security cooperation. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-12-19 09:47:26

Kookmin University undergraduates publish SCI paper through UROP research SEOUL, December 19 (AJP) - Two undergraduate students at Kookmin University have published a research paper in an international SCI-indexed journal after participating in the university's Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), highlighting the growing role of hands-on research in undergraduate education. Kim Min-su and Lee Jeong-hun, students in the Department of Nanoelectronics and Physics, recently published a paper in Materials, an international journal published by MDPI, focusing on improving the long-term charge and discharge stability of anode materials used in lithium-ion batteries. Their study explores the use of hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles as an anode active material, applying structural concepts originally developed for drug delivery systems to battery technology. The researchers found that the unique hollow and porous structure helps absorb volume expansion during repeated charging and discharging, leading to improved Coulombic efficiency and more stable cycling performance even under high current density conditions. Anode active materials play a critical role in portable electronics and electrochemical energy storage systems by storing lithium ions during charging and releasing them during discharge. While silicon- and silica-based anodes offer high theoretical capacity, they have long struggled with structural instability caused by volume expansion, which degrades performance over time. The study shows that structural design at the nanoscale can mitigate these limitations and contribute to the development of more durable and reliable battery materials. The research was conducted under the supervision of Shim In-bo, a professor in the Department of Nanoelectronics and Physics. Shim said the project demonstrates the value of integrating real research experience into undergraduate education. "To address new risks facing higher education in the era of generative AI, we need systems that bring real problem-solving and research experience into formal curricula," Shim said. "This work shows that even undergraduate students, through structured programs like UROP, can independently explore topics beyond coursework and produce meaningful research outcomes." Kim Min-su said participating directly in laboratory experiments and paper writing as an undergraduate researcher was a valuable experience and expressed interest in continuing research related to next-generation batteries. Lee Jeong-hun also said the program provided an unexpected and meaningful opportunity and thanked the university and faculty for their support. The study was supported by Kookmin University's UROP program and the Advanced Field Innovation Convergence College Next-Generation Communications Project. (Paper information) Journal: Materials (MDPI) Title: A Study on Hollow Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles with Long-Term Cycling 2025-12-19 09:37:12

OPINION: A Periodic Table war at play The world is already in a war — just not the kind most people picture. There are no gunshots, troop movements or televised front lines. Yet its outcome will shape industrial competitiveness and long-term national resilience. The battlefield is the periodic table. This “periodic table war” is the intensifying global competition for the elements that underpin modern industry and technology: copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, graphite, rare earths, gallium, germanium, silver, aluminum — even uranium. These materials are essential to artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, the energy transition, carbon reduction and defense. They are no longer mere commodities; they are strategic assets. Prices for many of these elements have risen in recent years, but price is only the surface. The deeper shift lies in how governments and global companies now treat them — not as a cost line, but as the starting point of industrial strategy, a tool of diplomacy and an asset tied to national security. The periodic table is becoming a map for 21st-century industrial policy. Viewing this merely as a commodity supercycle or speculative spike misses the point. What is unfolding reflects five forces moving simultaneously and reinforcing one another: the AI boom, the shift to electric vehicles, the push toward net-zero, the institutionalization of ESG management and intensifying geopolitical competition. Their intersection is the periodic table. Oil defined the industrial order of the 20th century. Countries that secured stable oil supplies grew; finance, military power and diplomacy followed. The 21st century, however, is moving from an economy powered by combustion to one that generates, stores and computes with electricity. That transition depends not on a single resource, but on a wide array of elements — and on the ability to combine and control them. Artificial intelligence illustrates how physical this new competition has become. Hyperscale data centers consume electricity on the scale of small cities. Supplying that power reliably requires power plants, transmission lines, transformers, distribution equipment and cooling systems — all built from metals and critical elements. Copper is central to power transmission and distribution. Aluminum is essential for long-distance lines. Nickel and graphite are core materials for energy storage. Silver is used in high-efficiency power equipment and solar installations. Uranium, which underpins nuclear power, is being redefined as a “power element” supporting stable baseload electricity in the AI era. As data centers multiply, electricity demand surges. Renewables alone are unlikely to meet it, pushing countries to reconsider nuclear power — and with it, uranium and the entire nuclear fuel cycle, from conversion and enrichment to fuel fabrication. Rising uranium prices are therefore not mere speculation; they reflect a structural shift in how power systems are being rebuilt. The transition to electric vehicles raises the stakes further. Internal-combustion vehicles were largely a steel-and-aluminum industry. EVs are products of the periodic table. Without lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, graphite and rare earths, not a single EV can operate. EVs also require a greater quantity — and variety — of minerals than gasoline-powered cars. More importantly, EV adoption is not simply replacing one type of vehicle with another. It is turning the transportation system into a vast electricity-storage network. Millions of EVs function simultaneously as vehicles and batteries, becoming part of the power system itself. As this structure takes hold, demand for key elements is unlikely to fade quickly and may rise cumulatively, making this a long-term, structural contest. The push toward net-zero reinforces the same trajectory. Wind and solar power, energy storage and the hydrogen economy are all metal-intensive. Solar requires silver and aluminum; wind relies on rare earths and massive steel structures; hydrogen depends on nickel and platinum-group metals. Cutting carbon, paradoxically, means consuming more metals. Carbon neutrality does not mean using fewer resources — it means digging deeper into the periodic table. These shifts are already visible in markets. A recent Financial Times feature titled “In search of the copper to connect the AI boom” noted that AI is fundamentally reshaping copper demand. Data centers require far more power than traditional facilities, and the grids that connect them need vast amounts of copper. The paper argued that copper is being elevated from an industrial metal to a strategic resource — the “blood vessels” of the digital economy. Citing International Energy Agency analysis, the report warned that planned mine output alone may be insufficient to meet a significant share of expected global copper demand by the mid-2030s. More troubling are supply constraints: new mines face years of delays from environmental rules, local opposition and permitting, while refining and processing remain concentrated in a handful of countries. In the AI era, competitiveness will depend not only on chip design or algorithms, but on secure access to copper itself. The same dynamic is evident at the London Metal Exchange, long seen as a neutral pricing venue. Increasingly, it has become a strategic arena where countries and global firms compete for deliverable inventory. When stocks of a metal fall sharply, or when firms of a particular nationality lock up supply, prices can spike — not due to speculation, but because material control confers power. The “nickel shock” on the LME in March 2022, which led to a trading halt and the unprecedented cancellation of contracts, exposed this vulnerability. As nickel grew in importance as a key EV battery material, market fragility became clear once refining and processing came under the influence of a single country. The lesson was unmistakable: core periodic-table elements are no longer just financial instruments; they are national strategic assets. China’s tightening of export controls and licensing for materials such as gallium, germanium and graphite follows the same logic. The objective is not merely to raise prices, but to make global advanced industries structurally sensitive to policy decisions in Beijing. These elements may appear minor individually, but in semiconductors, AI, communications and defense they are difficult to substitute. Even brief disruptions can halt production lines. Markets now price supply availability and political stability above cost alone U.S. and European industrial policies reflect the same shift. The U.S. Inflation Reduction Act and the European Union’s Critical Raw Materials Act are not simply subsidy programs. They begin with a strategic question: which elements on the periodic table can be secured within allied blocs? Both signal a decisive return of the state to industrial competition. South Korea must confront its own reality. It is resource-poor. The greater risk, however, lies in treating this as a temporary price issue or a firm-level cost problem. Speaking about AI, semiconductors, EVs and batteries while neglecting elemental supply strategy would leave the industrial core exposed to external control. The country’s survival strategy is therefore clear. Competing to own mines is neither realistic nor efficient. Instead, South Korea should secure leadership in refining, processing, materials engineering and recycling. Even without extracting raw elements, it can master their industrialization. High-purity refining, next-generation materials design, urban mining and recycling align naturally with ESG principles and Korea’s manufacturing strengths. Finance and diplomacy form another pillar. Long-term offtake agreements — prearranged supply contracts — should be structured as national packages backed by sovereign credit. Such frameworks distribute political and currency risk beyond individual firms. This is not a war companies can fight alone; it is a test of state capacity. Demand management must also be treated as resource strategy. Improving energy efficiency in AI data centers, substituting materials in EV batteries and reducing metal intensity through software and design are all forms of “invisible” resource policy. In this contest, the winners will not be those that consume the most, but those that create the most value with the least material. The periodic table is no longer a classroom chart. It is an industrial strategy map, a diplomatic guide and a blueprint for national survival. The next era of competition will ask a simple but unforgiving question: Which box on the periodic table does your country take responsibility for? The world has already entered this periodic-table war — and time is short. About the author: ▷Former deputy business editor and Tokyo correspondent at JoongAng Ilbo ▷Former visiting professor at Seoul National University’s College of Engineering ▷Former chair professor of technology management at Hanyang University ▷Former head of the Gyeonggi Institute of Science & Technology Promotion ▷Visiting professor at Gachon University and Hoseo University ▷Columnist at Aju Business Daily * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-12-19 09:35:28