Hanwha Ocean hosts Canadian industry chief in bid for submarine project SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - Canadian Industry Minister Mélanie Joly visited Hanwha Ocean’s shipyard in Geoje on Monday, underscoring Ottawa’s deepening evaluation of Hanwha’s bid in Canada’s 60-trillion-won submarine procurement project. Joly’s trip follows a visit by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Oct. 30. Although she had originally planned to accompany him, Joly was unable to due to scheduling conflicts, the company said. At the Geoje facility, Hanwha Ocean executives — including CEO Kim Hee-chul — gave Joly a tour of two of its advanced vessels: the newly launched Jang Yeong-sil and Jang Bogo-III Batch II submarines. The visit is seen as a signal that Canada is not only assessing military capability but also weighing broader industrial and economic cooperation. The Canadian industry ministry plays a pivotal role in shaping strategy around industrial policy, supply chains, and the country’s economic security under the Carney government. The submarine procurement project, originally conceived as a defense acquisition, has evolved into a strategic industrial policy initiative. Hanwha Ocean described Joly’s visit as signifying “a deeper evaluation of the project's industrial, technological, and economic feasibility,” distinct from the more symbolic nature of the prime minister’s earlier visit. During Carney’s trip, Hanwha representatives pitched a wide-ranging offer to Canada, covering not just submarines but potential cooperation in defense, space, sustainable energy, and critical minerals. CEO Kim said Joly’s visit “marks the project's transition into a truly competitive phase,” and pledged that Hanwha Ocean would deliver “optimal solutions for the Canadian Navy while acting as a reliable partner for Canada’s industrial growth.” * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-24 15:05:02

Activist fund presses Stick Investment for succession plan, share buyback SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - Activist fund Align Partners Capital Management has publicly urged private equity firm Stick Investment to disclose its leadership succession plan and carry out a share buyback. Align, which holds a 7.63 percent stake, released an open letter on Monday demanding that the company present a value-enhancement roadmap by Jan. 19. The fund argued that Stick Investment remains significantly undervalued, noting that its return on equity stood at just 0.3 percent in the 12 months through the third quarter, despite managing more than 10 trillion won in assets. Align said the company’s long operating history, industry networks and investment expertise — a set of “intangible assets” accumulated over 26 years — should support a higher valuation. Align called for internal reforms, including a clear succession plan and a revamped compensation structure. It proposed using half of Stick Investment’s treasury shares to offer stock-linked incentives to future leaders and to attract key talent, with the remaining shares to be canceled to reduce dilution. The activist fund also urged the firm to make greater use of leverage and pursue strategic investments to increase assets under management and expand earnings. It further requested a long-term growth strategy and improvements in board independence and expertise. Align criticized what it described as insufficient communication with shareholders, particularly regarding employee stock compensation involving 22.19 percent of treasury shares issued as restricted stock units. Align said it became a shareholder in February last year and has since held four private meetings and sent five letters to management without meaningful progress — prompting the move to a public campaign. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-24 14:45:38

South Korea boasts fastest mobile download speeds in world SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - South Korea's three major telecom companies have been found to offer download speeds more than three times faster than those in major countries worldwide. According to a report released by the Korea Telecommunications Operators Association (KTOA) on Monday, their average download speed last year was 1,025.52 megabits per second (Mbps), about 3.8 times higher than the 268.01 Mbps recorded across seven surveyed countries including Japan, Germany, and the U.S. Even compared to the fastest U.S. city, San Francisco, which recorded 501.05 Mbps, South Korea's speeds are more than twice as fast, cementing the country's leading position in telecom service quality. The average upload speed in South Korea was 90.12 Mbps, 1.6 times higher than the surveyed countries' average of 53.88 Mbps. While 5G quality is improving worldwide, South Korea maintains its edge, with some foreign cities still struggling to provide reliable service in areas such as subways. Public Wi-Fi in South Korea also ranks among the best, with an average download speed of 463.55 Mbps—nearly 10 times the average of 48.26 Mbps in other countries. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-24 14:44:01

PHOTOS: Christmas scenes across Seoul SEOUL, November 21 (AJP) - With Christmas now only a month away, early holiday scenes are appearing throughout central Seoul. Large trees have been set up in major plazas and along busy streets, and rows of ginkgo and pine are wrapped in bright seasonal lights. Visitors pause to take photos against the glowing decorations, enjoying the quiet excitement that settles over the city at the end of the year. 2025-11-24 14:30:33

PHOTOS: Gangwon's ski season officially opens SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - With the early cold settling in this year, two major resorts in Gangwon Province — Yongpyong Ski Resort and Phoenix Park in Pyeongchang — opened their slopes on November 21 to mark the start of the 2025–2026 winter season. During the first weekend after opening, November 22–23, the two resorts drew an estimated 5,500 visitors at Yongpyong and about 4,100 at Phoenix Park. Skiers and snowboarders who had been waiting for winter crowded the lift lines, their anticipation visible even as they waited for their turn. 2025-11-24 14:25:34

Lee's approval rating edges up to 55.9% SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating has inched up to 55.9 percent, up 1.4 percentage points from the previous week, pollster Realmeter said on Monday. According to the nationwide poll of over 2,500 people aged 18 and older conducted from Nov. 17 to 21, some 40.5 percent of respondents disapproved of Lee's performance, down 0.7 percentage points. The uptick in approval was attributed to his recent diplomatic achievements including a US$150 billion memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed during his tour of the Middle East and South Africa, while worsening financial indicators such as the country's benchmark KOSPI falling below 3,900 points and a deteriorating won against the dollar may have influenced unfavorable views. In a separate survey of over 1,000 respondents last week, the ruling Democratic Party (DP) garnered 47.5 percent of support, up 0.8 percentage points from a week ago, while the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) suffered a further slide to 34.8 percent, down 0.6 percentage points. The minor Reform Party and the Rebuilding Korea Party earned 3.8 percent and 2.9 percent, respectively, followed by the left-wing Progressive Party at 1.1 percent. Both surveys were conducted via automated phone responses, with participation rates of 4.8 percent and 3.7 percent. More details are available on the National Election Commission's website. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-24 14:18:31

South Korea's HD Hyundai secures biggest container ship deal since 2007 SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - HD Hyundai has secured its biggest container ship order since the 2007 shipbuilding boom, landing a deal worth 2.13 trillion won ($1.44 billion) to build eight ultra-large container vessels for South Korean carrier HMM. HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, the group’s shipbuilding arm, said Monday it signed a contract to construct eight 13,400 TEU container ships equipped with LNG dual-fuel engines. The ships — each 337 meters long, 51 meters wide and 27.9 meters high — will be delivered by the first half of 2029. Two will be built by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and six by Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries. The vessels will feature enlarged fuel tanks and dual-fuel propulsion systems designed to boost efficiency and reduce emissions. HD Hyundai said the order marks its largest for container carriers in nearly two decades, underscoring a rebound in demand as global shipping companies invest in greener, more fuel-efficient fleets. The win also caps a strong year for the shipbuilder, which has booked orders for 72 container ships totaling 720,000 TEUs, the highest among South Korean shipyards. Despite carrying higher price tags than rivals, HD Hyundai’s ships are widely regarded as cost-effective over their full operating life, the company said. Since 2023, the company has outfitted its vessels with HiNAS Control, an autonomous navigation and voyage-optimization system developed by Avikus. HD Hyundai says the system has improved fuel efficiency by 15 percent and cut carbon emissions by a similar margin in real-world operations. “We are strengthening our position in the global market with our proprietary technology and customer confidence,” the company said in a press release. “We will continue to lead the decarbonization of shipbuilding and shipping with eco-friendly, high-efficiency vessels.” * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-24 13:45:06

South Korea's SK Earthon acquires 34% stake in Indonesian offshore block SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - SK Earthon, a subsidiary of SK Innovation, has acquired a 34 percent stake in Indonesia’s North Ketapang offshore block as part of a broader push to expand its resource development portfolio in Southeast Asia. The company said Monday it purchased the stake from Petronas North Ketapang Ltd., without revealing the price. Under the new partnership structure, Petronas North Ketapang retains a 51 percent stake, while PT Pertamina Hulu Energi North Ketapang holds 15 percent. The three companies will jointly explore the block, located off northeast Java, an area regarded as highly promising following recent oil discoveries in deeper geological layers. SK Earthon said its decision reflects a detailed assessment of the block’s geological potential and commercial viability. Petronas brings more than three decades of project experience in the region, while Pertamina contributes extensive knowledge of Indonesia’s oil development landscape, creating what the companies describe as strong operational synergies. The consortium plans to drill an exploration well by the end of the year. The move further strengthens SK Earthon’s presence in Indonesia. In May, the company won government-led bids for the Serpang and Binaiya blocks, giving it stakes in three Indonesian assets. The geographical proximity of Serpang and North Ketapang to northeast Java is expected to enhance business integration and operational efficiency. “Securing the North Ketapang stake is part of our broader Southeast Asia resource development strategy,” SK Earthon said in a press release. “We aim to develop Indonesia into a global resource hub alongside our active projects in Vietnam, China and Malaysia.” * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2025-11-24 13:31:55

KAIST study finds red OLED light can reduce Alzheimer's protein and improve memory SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) said on November 24 that its researchers have confirmed that a specific color of OLED light can reduce a key Alzheimer’s disease protein and improve memory in animal models, suggesting a possible new direction for non-drug treatment. The work was carried out with the Korea Brain Research Institute. The team tested three OLED colors, blue, green, and red, using a platform that keeps brightness even and avoids the heat and uneven light problems found in regular LEDs. They compared the lights under the same conditions, including brightness, exposure time, and a 40-hertz flicker rate. According to the researchers, the red 40 hertz light showed the clearest improvement in both Alzheimer's-related proteins and memory performance. To put it simply, the team shone the lights on early-stage Alzheimer’s model mice for one hour a day over two days. Even in that short period, red and white lights helped the animals remember better, and the harmful protein amyloid beta, often called plaque, decreased in key brain regions such as the hippocampus. Levels of ADAM17, an enzyme that helps clear plaque, increased as well. The red light also lowered IL-1 beta, a molecule linked to brain inflammation, which the researchers said indicates an anti-inflammatory effect. They added that animals showing a larger drop in plaque tended to show a bigger jump in memory performance, suggesting a direct link between the two. In mid-stage Alzheimer’s models, red light again showed a clearer pattern. After two weeks of exposure using the same frequency and brightness, only the red light produced a significant reduction in plaque, although both red and white improved memory. At the molecular level, the differences were more pronounced. Red light increased ADAM17 and decreased BACE1, an enzyme that helps create plaque. In other words, red light both reduced plaque production and boosted plaque removal. White light, by comparison, only lowered BACE1. To understand what happens in the brain when the light is applied, the team tracked c-Fos, a marker that switches on when neurons are active. They found that the visual cortex, thalamus, and hippocampus were all activated, indicating that the stimulation traveled through the brain’s visual and memory-related circuit. Because the OLED system delivers even brightness regardless of movement, the researchers said it offered consistent results and overcame the technical limits of LEDs. The platform also allows fine control of color, brightness, flicker, and exposure time, which they believe could be useful in future personalized treatment studies. Noh Byung-joo from the KAIST team said the study proves the importance of standardizing color in light-based brain stimulation and shows that red OLED produces key effects across disease stages. Professor Choi Kyung-cheol said the even brightness OLED platform makes it easier to evaluate safety and repeat results, adding that wearable red OLED devices may become a new treatment option in daily life. The findings were published online on October 25 in ACS Biomaterials Science and Engineering. 2025-11-24 11:32:29

Asian shares make mild rebound early Mon after last week's AI tantrums SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - Asian markets showed a mild recovery from last week's AI bubble tantrums with key indices pointing to north in early Monday session. South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI was trading 1 percent higher at 3,890 as of 10:30 a.m., recovering part of Friday's near 4-percent dive. Further rises were constrained by expectations of the Bank of Korea signaling extended pause in easing at its final Monetary Policy Board meeting of the year amid jump in the dollar-won rate that has sent the Korean currency at its cheapest level since the 2009 global financial crisis. Institutional investors continued to support the market, buying 187.5 billion won ($127 million). Foreign investors — who dumped 2.4 trillion won on Nov. 21 alone — turned net buyers, picking up 120 billion won so far today. Retail investors sold 302.1 billion won to net profits amid volatile market. The won remained weak. The dollar was trading at 1,471 won at 10:15 a.m., down only 0.9 won from the Friday close despite speculated intervention from authorities. Semiconductor stocks saw another sharp swing. Samsung Electronics climbed 4.2 percent to 99,000 won ($67.2), and SK hynix rose 3.26 percent to 538,000 won. Battery heavyweights, however, struggled to gain traction. LG Energy Solution fell 2.12 percent to 416,500 won, and Samsung SDI slipped 0.6 percent to 286,500 won. Despite strong performance in the energy storage system (ESS) segment, concerns over slowing EV demand and intensifying competition from Chinese battery-makers CATL and BYD weighed on shares. Bio stocks were also weak. Samsung Biologics fell 4 percent to 1,725,000 won following its spin-off of Samsung Bioepis. Shares of Samsung Epis Holdings — newly listed after the spin-off — plunged 21.1 percent to 482,000 won. Japan’s Nikkei 225 was closed on Monday for the substitute holiday for Labor Thanksgiving Day. Taiwan’s TAIEX rose 0.6 percent to 26,588. Chip stocks were largely subdued. TSMC traded at 1,385 Taiwan dollars ($44.1), little changed from last week. MediaTek was also steady at 1,145 Taiwan dollars. Hon Hai Precision Industry slipped 0.9 percent to 223 Taiwan dollars as concerns over an AI bubble persisted. Component makers fared better. Delta Electronics — a major supplier of power electronics and power conversion systems — rose 0.67 percent to 901 Taiwan dollars. Across Greater China, markets were mixed. The Shanghai Composite Index edged down 0.1 percent to 3,830, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index gained 1 percent to 25,487, supported by a rebound in tech shares. Xiaomi climbed 2 percent to 39 Hong Kong dollars ($5). 2025-11-24 11:22:26