Asian shares mostly positive; Korean won rebounds as debt yields jump on BOK warning SEOUL, November 27 (AJP) - Asian equity markets extended gains Thursday, led by tech stocks benefiting from Google’s dual breakthroughs in AI chips and the Gemini 3.0 model. In Korea, the won strengthened sharply while government bond prices slumped after the Bank of Korea governor struck a hawkish tone on FX risks and inflation after keeping the base rate at 2.50 percent in the final policy meeting of the year. The 3-year yield jumped 11.8 basis points to 3.013 percent and the 10-year rose 10 basis points to 3.351 percent. The dollar fell 8.40 won to 1,462.10 won. The benchmark KOSPI closed 0.66 percent higher at 3,986.91 after briefly retaking the 4,000 mark. Institutional investors—responding to the government’s appeal to shore up the won—net bought 434.3 billion won ($296.4 million). Foreign investors also reversed course, buying a net 149.6 billion won, while retail investors sold 610.2 billion won. All major bellwethers advanced. SK hynix gained 3.82 percent to 544,000 won, recovering recent losses. Samsung Electronics gave up early gains but still closed 0.68 percent higher at 103,500 won. Samsung Epis Holdings jumped 19.7 percent to 434,500 won on expectations of strong growth potential following its spin-off to focus on new drug and biosimilar businesses. Some stocks lagged. Hanwha Ocean fell 2.99 percent to 110,500 won after signs of a possible end to the Ukraine war and the company’s failure to win a Polish submarine contract. Naver slid 4.55 percent to 251,500 won after a 50 billion won hacking loss at Dunamu, which is set to merge with Naver Financial. The loss darkened prospects for a potential NASDAQ listing. The KOSDAQ edged up 0.31 percent to 880.06, with gains across chip and robotics names. Rainbow Robotics rose 2.68 percent to 383,500 won. Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed 1.23 percent higher at 50,167.10. Chip suppliers led the advance: Advantest rose 4.88 percent to 20,410 yen, while Ibiden gained 5 percent to 11,450 yen. Battery stocks also rallied, with Panasonic up 5.08 percent at 1,934 yen after securing a supply contract with Zoox, Amazon’s autonomous taxi unit. Taiwan’s TAIEX added 0.53 percent to 27,554.53. Market heavyweights were mixed: TSMC slipped 0.35 percent, while MediaTek gained 3.08 percent and Hon Hai rose 1.76 percent, suggesting a rotation away from the TSMC-centric bias. Mainland Chinese markets saw a late-session reversal. The Shanghai Composite closed 0.29 percent higher at 3,875.26, while the SZSE Component fell 0.25 percent to 12,875.20. News that Vanke, China’s largest developer, entered talks to extend bond maturities pressured Shenzhen and Hong Kong markets. Shanghai, meanwhile, drew investors betting on central government stimulus to avert a Vanke-triggered credit shock. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index remained flat at 25,941.2, weighed down by profit-taking in tech names—Tencent down 1.45 percent and Alibaba down 2.71 percent—and by cooling consumer sentiment after the deadly Tai Po apartment fire that killed at least 55 people. 2025-11-27 17:10:48

South Korea imposes sanctions on Prince Group and others over online scams in Southeast Asia SEOUL, November 27 (AJP) - The government has imposed sanctions on 15 individuals and 132 business entities including Cambodia-based conglomerate Prince Group for their involvement in online scams and crimes targeting South Korean citizens in Southeast Asia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday. This marks the country's first independent and largest sanctions against transnational criminal activities. According to the ministry, the sanctions target criminal organizations and their affiliates and other accomplices. The Prince Group, along with China-based Huiyuan Group, allegedly involved in large-scale online scams and money laundering, are among those sanctioned. The Prince Group was previously sanctioned by the U.S. and U.K., and the Huiyuan Group was flagged by the U.S. Treasury for money laundering. Sanctioned individuals and entities will face asset freezes, restrictions on financial transactions, and entry bans. The ministry said, "These sanctions demonstrate our commitment to fighting organized crimes, fraudulent schemes, trafficking, and other illicit operations in Southeast Asia. We will continue to work closely with international authorities to tackle these issues." * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-27 17:10:45

Nvidia-Google rivalry translates to bigger AI chip pie for Korean memory foundries SEOUL, November 27 (AJP) - Expectations that Google’s in-house tensor processing units (TPUs) will challenge Nvidia’s near-monopoly in AI accelerators are translating into a bigger market for memory giants Samsung Electronics and SK hynix in Korea and Micron Technology in the United States. Nvidia still commands an overwhelming share of the global AI accelerator market. But growth of application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and neural processing units (NPUs) — including Google’s TPU — is expected to far outpace GPUs in 2026. TrendForce projects the ASIC/NPU segment to grow 44.6 percent next year versus 16.1 percent for GPUs, signaling a structural shift in AI infrastructure spending. Nvidia’s strength remains anchored in its CUDA software ecosystem and rapid hardware-refresh cadence, which allow its GPUs to handle virtually all AI models with broad compatibility. But custom silicon is gaining appeal among hyperscalers seeking lower power consumption, tighter system-level integration and reduced long-term costs — priorities that grow more acute as AI data centers expand. Google’s seventh-generation TPU, codenamed Ironwood, marks a significant inflection point. The chip delivers FP8 performance nearly on par with Nvidia’s flagship Blackwell B200 GPU and matches its 192-gigabyte HBM3E memory capacity. Google also highlights the TPU’s ability to scale across pod-based clusters of more than 9,000 chips — a configuration suited for long-context inference and sustained workloads. External adoption is strengthening TPU’s credibility. Anthropic has committed to using up to one million TPUs under a multibillion-dollar cloud agreement, while Meta, OpenAI and Apple are reportedly testing or negotiating access to Google’s AI hardware. Such momentum has fueled concerns that Nvidia’s dominance, while intact for now, could gradually narrow as cloud providers diversify their compute stacks. The stakes are rising alongside AI investment. Combined capital expenditure by major hyperscalers is forecast to reach $602 billion in 2026, up 36 percent from this year, with roughly three-quarters of that spending tied to AI-related infrastructure. As custom silicon captures a larger share of these budgets, competition among chip architectures is intensifying. The most immediate ripple effect is in the memory market, where the AI boom largely benefit the memory oligopolies SK hynix, Samsung Electronics and Micron Technology High-bandwidth memory (HBM) — critical for both GPUs and custom accelerators — is projected to grow 77 percent in 2026 and 68 percent in 2027, according to TrendForce. As of the second quarter of 2025, SK hynix led the HBM market with a 62 percent share, followed by Micron at 21 percent and Samsung at 17 percent. Surging demand from U.S. hyperscalers tightened the DRAM race further as Micron climbed to 22 percent while the Korean makers held shares in the 30-percent range in DRAM that includes HBM. Shares of Samsung Electronics jumped 9 percent this week under Google-driven effect, while SK hynix shares gained 4.4 percent. Supply is already tight. Both SK hynix and Micron say most of their 2026 HBM output has been allocated, while next-generation products such as HBM4E are expected to dominate by 2027. Nvidia’s own roadmap underscores the mutual dependence between chip designers and memory suppliers. SK hynix is the primary HBM partner for Nvidia’s upcoming Rubin GPU platform, while Samsung and Micron are racing to secure larger roles in future generations through yield gains and customized solutions. Beyond market share shifts, geopolitics and energy constraints are reshaping the landscape. Stricter U.S. export controls on advanced AI chips, surging electricity demand at data centers, and government pushes to localize semiconductor supply chains are all nudging cloud companies toward more efficient, tailor-made hardware. For South Korea, the changing balance presents both opportunity and risk. The intensifying AI-chip race is driving unprecedented demand for HBM — benefiting all three major memory makers — but also exposing them to sharper policy swings, higher customer concentration and the strategic whims of hyperscalers increasingly committed to designing their own silicon. As the era of one-size-fits-all AI hardware gives way to a more fragmented, power-conscious ecosystem, the rivalry between Nvidia’s GPUs and Google’s TPUs is set to shape not only the future of compute but the next chapter of global memory competition. 2025-11-27 17:00:11

Stray Kids earn six new RIAA certifications SEOUL, November 27 (AJP) - K-pop boy band Stray Kids received six new certifications from the U.S. Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on Wednesday. They earned a "gold" certification for their latest album "Karma," after selling over 500,000 copies in the U.S. since its release in August this year, bringing their total certified albums to six, including the previous ones like "Ate," "Maxident," and "5-Star." They also received four more certifications for their singles such as "Case-143," "Chk Chk Boom," "Lalalala," and "S-Class." Additionally, "God's Menu," the lead track from their album "Go Live" released in June 2020, earned their first “platinum” certification after selling over one million copies there. Originally created to recognize artists and track recording sales, the certification programs "have come to stand as a benchmark of success for any artist - whether they've just released their first song or a greatest hits album," according to the RIAA. Meanwhile, Stray Kids continue to make history on the Billboard 200 chart, as "Karma" ranks 45th this week, marking 13 consecutive weeks in the top 100. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-27 16:46:08

Sticky prices and weak won to stretch Korea's belt-tightening to next year SEOUL, November 27 (AJP) - Koreans tightened their belts through most of the year as stubborn inflation and the steepest depreciation of the won eroded purchasing power, government data showed Thursday. Nominal household income rose 3.5 percent on year in the July–September period to 5,439,000 won ($3,713), while real income—adjusted for inflation—grew 1.5 percent, supported largely by government stimulus handouts, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics. But the aid program did little to lift actual spending. Real household consumption fell for a third straight quarter, the longest downturn since the pandemic-hit year of 2020, underscoring the gap between chilled domestic demand and the hot stock, housing, and chip-export markets powering broader economic data. The income boost was driven mainly by government-issued consumption coupons distributed between July and November. Earned income inched up 1.1 percent, and business income rose just 0.2 percent, while public transfer income — government benefits and subsidies — surged 40 percent to 744,000 won, the highest since records began in 2020. With income growth stagnating and inflation proving sticky, families cut back on their biggest discretionary burden — private education — and scaled down recreational spending. Household expenditures centered on essentials and summer vacations. Consumer sentiment improved sharply in November, reaching its highest level in eight years, but the optimism has yet to translate into stronger consumption. Debt remains a heavy drag. Households are unlikely to see further relief after Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang-yong signaled an end to the easing cycle to curb leveraged asset investment and defend the sinking won. As of Nov. 20, outstanding household loans at the five major commercial banks stood at 769.27 trillion won, up 2.65 trillion won in November alone — already exceeding October's full-month increase. Daily loan growth has climbed to its fastest pace since July. "Given the three- to six-month lag in the pass-through from a weak won to import prices and then consumer prices, inflation pressure is likely to build during the first half of next year," said Kim Myung-sil, analyst at iM Securities. "The rise in market rates and diminished expectations for a rate cut will weigh on business investment — particularly in construction — and hurt household consumption," added Park Ju-noo, analyst at Hana Securities. 2025-11-27 16:31:27

LG Electronics names home appliance chief as new CEO SEOUL, November 27 (AJP) - LG Electronics has appointed Ryu Jae-cheol, head of its Home Appliance & Air Solution (H&A) division, as chief executive officer, replacing Cho Joo-wan. The board approved the leadership change on Thursday as part of its executive appointments and organizational restructuring. Ryu, known for his technical background and operational experience within LG’s flagship appliance unit, will be tasked with sharpening the company’s competitiveness across all business lines. The reshuffle includes 34 executive promotions with two new presidents, two vice presidents, nine senior executives and 21 executives. Cho Joo-wan, who stepped down as CEO, is credited with laying the groundwork for a more service-oriented business model and improving LG’s global competitiveness. The leadership handover marks the company’s first CEO change in four years. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-27 16:14:59

Kia successfully tests remote driving on public roads SEOUL, November 27 (AJP) - Kia has become the first South Korean automaker to successfully demonstrate remote driving on public roads. Remote driving allows a vehicle without a driver to be operated from a control center via 4G and 5G mobile networks. Considered a near-term solution compared with fully autonomous systems, the technology can intervene when self-driving functions fail and is drawing growing interest for applications in car-sharing, logistics and mobility support in underserved areas. Kia received a regulatory sandbox exemption from the transport ministry in April, clearing the way for pilot operations. It then formed a team with Socar, SUM and KT to conduct demonstrations in Jeju and Hwaseong. Under the partnership, Kia led the overall project; Socar provided its car-sharing platform; SUM developed remote driving solutions and operated test vehicles; and KT supplied network infrastructure. The consortium built a remote-operation system for Kia’s PV5 purpose-built vehicle, with reinforced communications and safety controls. Following initial internal testing, the group conducted a one-month road trial in Jeju. The PV5 vehicles logged roughly 70 hours of remote operation and about 1,000 kilometers on routes including Jeju Airport–Socar Terminal and Jeju Airport–Yongduam. Data gathered from the Jeju trial will be used to further refine the technology, with additional tests planned in collaboration with local governments. “Remote driving technology can improve convenience for citizens in areas with limited public infrastructure and can be expanded to various industries such as car-sharing and logistics,” a Kia official said. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-27 15:55:39

No-fly zone around Cheong Wa Dae to expand as Lee prepares to move in SEOUL, November 27 (AJP) - A no-fly zone around the former presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae in central Seoul is expected to be expanded, once President Lee Jae Myung returns to the palatial compound by the end of this year. Lee, who took office in early June following the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched Dec. 3 declaration of martial law, was unable to immediately use the compound due to the need to enhance security and overhaul facilities, and has been temporarily working at his predecessor's office in Yongsan. The current no-fly zone, which covers roughly a 3.7-kilometer radius around both the presidential office in Yongsan and a nearby residence in Hannam-dong, is likely to be expanded to 6.5 kilometers, nearly double the range. The expansion appears to be intended to counter intrusions and any potential attacks amid the growing threat posed by drones and unmanned vehicles. Meanwhile, with several months of extensive construction and renovation work nearly complete, Lee is expected to move in soon. 2025-11-27 15:44:09

Naver plays down Nasdaq talk as it moves to absorb crypto exchange Dunamu SEOUL, November 27 (AJP) - Naver has pushed back on speculation that its fintech arm could seek a Nasdaq listing after absorbing Dunamu, operator of South Korea's largest cryptocurrency exchange Upbit, as it must address regulatory hurdles before taking the big step. "We have no confirmed plans to pursue a Nasdaq listing for Naver Financial at this time," CEO Choi Soo-yeon said Thursday at a press briefing at Naver's headquarters in Seongnam. "Even if we consider going public in the future, we will prioritize enhancing shareholder value and contributing to the development of capital markets." Her remarks came a day after the board approved a stock-swap deal giving Naver Financial full ownership of Dunamu. Under the terms, each Dunamu share will be exchanged for 2.54 shares of Naver Financial, valuing Dunamu at roughly 15 trillion won and Naver Financial at about 5 trillion won. The transaction—about $14 billion in implied value—faces extensive regulatory scrutiny. The Financial Supervisory Service will review whether the merger could infringe shareholder rights or create financial-stability risks by combining mobile payments with cryptocurrency services. The Fair Trade Commission is expected to assess whether integrating Naver's vast user-data network with Dunamu's crypto-trading data could create undue market power. Meanwhile, South Korea's digital-asset rulebook remains unsettled. A bill governing stablecoin issuance and the broader Digital Asset Basic Act has been held up amid disagreements between the Bank of Korea and ruling-party lawmakers, injecting further uncertainty into the approval process. Regulators may take a year or longer to complete their review. If the merger is cleared and the combined unit seeks an IPO, listing venue will be a pivotal decision. A Nasdaq debut is considered plausible: Naver already trades on the KOSPI, and leaving Dunamu shareholders with non-voting, unlisted shares would likely trigger opposition. Naver also has recent U.S. market experience through last year's listing of Webtoon Entertainment. "A Nasdaq listing would significantly boost Naver Financial's credibility and open doors to global institutional investors," said Hwang Suk-jin, professor at Dongguk University's Graduate School of International Affairs and Information Security. "The timing may not be now, but the opportunity remains open." Mirae Asset Securities, previously the second-largest shareholder of Naver Financial with a 30 percent stake, declined to comment on potential IPO plans but welcomed the merger decision. Dunamu said it had no information to share regarding listing intentions. Upon closing, Dunamu Chairman Song Chi-hyung is expected to become the largest shareholder of the combined entity with about 19.5 percent. Naver's stake in Naver Financial would fall from 69 percent to roughly 17 percent. Shareholders vote May 22, with the deal slated to close by June 30 if approved. The merger news was tempered Thursday when Dunamu disclosed that about 54 billion won in Solana-based assets had been transferred to an undesignated wallet early that morning, prompting Upbit to suspend all crypto deposits and withdrawals. The company said it would cover any losses with its own assets and stressed that customer funds would not be affected. 2025-11-27 15:41:44

PHOTOS: Farewell to actor Lee Soon-jae SEOUL, November 27 (AJP) - The funeral for beloved South Korean actor Lee Soon-jae was held Thursday morning at the Asan Medical Center in Seoul. Younger colleagues shed tears as they bade a final farewell to Lee, a veteran who maintained an undying passion for acting throughout a lifetime spanning theater, television, and film. In her eulogy, actress Ha Ji-won paid tribute to his legacy. "He was not only an iconic actor representing Korea, but a true artist who never lost his humility before his craft and never ceased to question himself," she said. 2025-11-27 15:13:27