Industry

  •  NPS pushed to front line of FX defense as KRW sinks to crisis levels
     NPS pushed to front line of FX defense as KRW sinks to crisis levels SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - South Korea’s fiscal and monetary authorities, constrained in their ability to slow the won’s steep decline, are turning to an unlikely player for relief: the National Pension Service (NPS), the country’s largest institutional investor and one of the biggest structural movers of the dollar–won rate. Working-level officials from the NPS met finance ministry counterparts at the Sejong Government Complex on Monday. In a press stateme November 24, 2025
  • Bakery chain Paris Croissant to be split into operating, investment entities
    Bakery chain Paris Croissant to be split into operating, investment entities SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - South Korea’s SPC Group said Monday it will divide its affiliate Paris Croissant into two separate business and investment entities as part of a corporate restructuring plan approved at a board meeting on Nov. 21. The company began notifying employees of the changes, which it said are intended to streamline decision-making and clarify the responsibilities of Paris Croissant, which also functions as a de facto holding company within the gr November 24, 2025
  • South Koreas mobile download speeds triple global peers, report shows
    South Korea's mobile download speeds triple global peers, report shows SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - South Korea’s telecommunications operators delivered mobile download speeds more than three times faster than those in other major countries last year, according to a report released Monday by the Korea Telecommunications Operators Association (KTOA). Average download speeds across South Korea reached 1,025.52 Mbps in 2024, roughly 3.8 times higher than the 268.01 Mbps average recorded across seven benchmarked countries, the association said. The November 24, 2025
  • Hanwha Ocean hosts Canadian industry chief in bid for submarine project
    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 November 24, 2025
  • Activist fund presses Stick Investment for succession plan, share buyback
    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 p November 24, 2025
  • South Koreas HD Hyundai secures biggest container ship deal since 2007
    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 mete November 24, 2025
  • South Koreas SK Earthon acquires 34% stake in Indonesian offshore block
    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 November 24, 2025
  • Victims of Belgian real estate fund mis-selling at brokerages will get compensation
    Victims of Belgian real estate fund mis-selling at brokerages will get compensation SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - Korea Investment & Securities will compensate investors in more than 450 cases linked to the mis-selling of a Belgian real estate fund, industry sources said Monday. The brokerage concluded that 458 of 883 complaints constituted mis-selling, equivalent to 24.1 percent of the 1,897 total fund sales. The fund, launched in June 2019, was designed to invest in office leases for Belgian government agencies and generate profits after a five-year holdi November 24, 2025
  • Turbine shuts down again at Shin Hanul nuclear reactor, causing safety concern
    Turbine shuts down again at Shin Hanul nuclear reactor, causing safety concern SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) said on Monday that the turbine generator at Shin Hanul Unit 1, a 1.4 million-kilowatt reactor, shut down automatically while the plant was ramping up output. At around 6:11 p.m., Sunday, the company reported that an “exciter” device had failed, cutting off the supply of current to the generator’s electromagnet — a component crucial for power generation. The exciter shutdown forced the turb November 24, 2025
  • K-beauty under pressure as Chinese, Japanese brands gain ground in Korea
    K-beauty under pressure as Chinese, Japanese brands gain ground in Korea SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - Chinese e-commerce platforms and beauty brands are rapidly expanding their presence in South Korea, intensifying competition in markets long dominated by domestic players. Platforms such as TEMU and AliExpress are leaning heavily on social media influencers to reach South Korean consumers, while Chinese cosmetics companies are capitalizing on TikTok-driven trends to grow both at home and abroad. TEMU recently hired an influencer marketing manager in November 24, 2025