news highlight

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  Chip bonuses drive a third of Korea's wage gains SEOUL, September 20 (AJP) - Semiconductor bonuses accounted for about a third of the rise in South Korean workers' average monthly pay in the first half of 2026, the Korea Enterprises Federation said Sunday. Regular employees earned an average 4.318 million won ($3,115.3) a month in January to June, up 3.1 percent from a year earlier, based on Ministry of Employment and Labor survey data. Bonuses and other special pay jumped 9.3 percent to a record 601,000 won, while base pay September 20, 2026
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  Coupang offers blanket cash aid to Incheon fire neighbors SEOUL, September 20 (AJP) - About 28,000 residents near a Coupang warehouse in Incheon that burned for more than four days in July will receive cash aid without having to prove any damage, the company's logistics arm said Sunday. Coupang Fulfillment Services (CFS) will pay 50,000 won ($36.07) per person and 100,000 won per household in parts of Seoknam 1-dong and Sinhyeon-dong, under a 4.5 billion won package that also covers local schools and firefighters. Payments double in September 20, 2026
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  South Korea triples KTX network gear for Chuseok rush SEOUL, September 20 (AJP) - Mobile network equipment along the main routes of South Korea's KTX bullet train has been tripled ahead of the Chuseok holiday rush, lifting average download speeds by more than 20 percent, the Ministry of Science and ICT said Sunday. Chuseok, the autumn harvest festival often likened to Thanksgiving, falls on Sept. 25 this year and sends millions streaming back to their hometowns. Carriers have added 305 base stations and 32 mobile units at highwa September 20, 2026
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  Samsung, LG tapped for revived AI draft perk SEOUL, September 20 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are among four South Korean conglomerates recommended to host artificial intelligence researchers in lieu of military service, government data showed Sunday. The Ministry of Science and ICT put forward LG Electronics, HD Hyundai Robotics, Samsung Medison and Samsung Electronics for the 2027 program, reviving a perk shut off to large companies since 2013, the data submitted to Rep. Hwang Jung-a of the ruling Democrati September 20, 2026
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  Long-term residents drive record foreign jobless payouts SEOUL, September 20 (AJP) - Unemployment benefits paid to foreign workers in South Korea hit the highest with 113.4 billion won ($81.8 million) last year, flowing overwhelmingly to long-settled residents, according to labor ministry data submitted to parliament Saturday. Foreign enrollment in employment insurance swelled 2.6 times fold to 458,644 between 2021 and 2025, while benefit recipients rose only to 16,789 from 15,421. Premiums levied on foreign regular workers nearly doub September 20, 2026
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  Samsung Electronics union shifts to semiconductor-only membership SEOUL, September 19 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics’ largest labor union has voted overwhelmingly to restrict membership to employees in its semiconductor division, effectively splitting the organization along the company’s chip and consumer-electronics businesses after months of disputes over performance bonuses and bargaining strategy. The Samsung Electronics chapter of the Samsung Group United Union said Saturday that 27,618 of 28,680 members who voted, or 96.3 percent, September 19, 2026
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  Samsung joins $231 million bet on Dutch AI chips SEOUL, September 19 (AJP) - Samsung has co-led a $231 million funding round in Dutch semiconductor startup Euclyd, backing a young company developing an artificial intelligence chip system with an architecture different from Nvidia’s dominant graphics processing units. Euclyd said the Series A financing totaled more than €200 million and was co-led by Samsung, Somerset Capital Partners, the EQT-managed Scaleup Europe Fund and Innovation Industries. Denmark’s EIFO, September 19, 2026
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  Samsung's wage protest arrives at the chairman's doorstep SEOUL, September 18 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics employees in its non-chip businesses took their protest over a widening compensation gap with semiconductor workers to Chairman Lee Jae-yong's doorstep Friday, seeking direct dialogue with the company while signaling room for compromise on their demand for 1,000 company shares per employee. The Donghaeng union, whose membership is concentrated in Samsung's Device eXperience (DX) division covering consumer electronics and mobi September 18, 2026
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  Seoul kicks off preparations for 2028 UN Ocean Conference in Busan SEOUL, September 18 (AJP) - Seoul has begun preparations for the 2028 United Nations Ocean Conference in Busan, holding its first consultation with foreign diplomats to discuss key ocean issues and priorities. Vice Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Nam Jae-heon met diplomats from Norway, Chile, the Netherlands, Germany, Greece and Brazil in Seoul on Thursday to discuss preparations for the fourth UN Ocean Conference, or UNOC4. The conference, scheduled to be held in Busan in 2028, September 18, 2026