Samsung Display locks in Apple foldable edge over China SEOUL, April 21 (AJP) - South Korea’s premium OLED champion Samsung Display has reasserted itself as Apple Inc.’s primary iPhone panel supplier, staging a decisive comeback against Chinese rivals and tightening its grip on the high-end display market as Apple prepares to enter the foldable era. Samsung Display sharply expanded its share of Apple’s iPhone OLED supply chain in 2025, helped by production setbacks at China’s BOE and a reported three-year excl April 21, 2026

Naver, Krafton, Mirae Asset unveil India-focused tech fund during presidential visit SEOUL, April 21 (AJP) - South Korean internet giant Naver joined forces with gaming company Krafton and financial services firm Mirae Asset to hold a briefing in New Delhi on Tuesday to promote the Unicorn Growth Fund, a jointly established investment vehicle targeting up to 1 trillion won ($681 million) in high-growth technology companies across Asia with India at its core. The briefing was held on the sidelines of President Lee Jae Myung's three-day state visit to India, the f April 21, 2026

Hanwha partners US firm to build unmanned surface vessels for Pentagon SEOUL, April 21 (AJP) - Hanwha Group has partnered with U.S.-based Magnet Defense to jointly develop and produce unmanned surface vessels (USVs) for the U.S. military, the company said. Hanwha Defense USA announced on Monday that it signed a strategic partnership with Magnet Defense at the 2026 Sea-Air-Space exposition held in National Harbor, Maryland. The agreement covers multiple projects, including the joint construction of a 38-meter medium unmanned surface vessel (MUSV) known April 21, 2026

Naver takes stake in GS wind farm to power data centers SEOUL, April 21 (AJP) - South Korean tech giant Naver announced it will acquire a 30 percent stake in a GS-built wind power plant and sign a power purchase agreement (PPA) to secure renewable electricity for its data centers, marking the first time a RE100 member in the country has directly invested in a renewable energy generation entity. The wind farm, currently under construction in Yeongyang county in North Gyeongsang Province, is expected to produce about 180 gigawatt-hours of April 21, 2026

Korea Inc. doubles down on Global South push for energy and trade security SEOUL, April 21 (AJP) - South Korea has coupled state diplomacy with corporate investment in a Global South strategy anchored on India and Vietnam, aiming to secure new growth engines while hedging against rising protectionism in Western markets and energy shocks from the Gulf, underscored by the two-month conflict in the Middle East. The six-day trip by President Lee Jae Myung from April 19 to 24 was accompanied by a 200-strong business delegation including the owner-chairmen of April 21, 2026

Korea's Posco and India's JSW to build $7.3 billion steel plant in Odisha SEOUL, April 20 (AJP) -South Korean steel giant Posco Group is launching a joint venture with India’s JSW Steel to build an integrated steel plant in eastern India at a combined cost of 10.7 trillion won ($7.3 billion), putting a long-delayed project in one of the world’s fastest-growing steel markets firmly on track. The South Korean steelmaker said Monday the two companies signed a final agreement in India under a 50:50 partnership structure, with Posco committing ab April 20, 2026

Seoul pushes fleet of war robots but who's in charge over them unclear SEOUL, April 20 (AJP) - Unmanned systems are rapidly reshaping modern warfare, from the battlefields of Ukraine to the Gulf, and South Korea is accelerating its push toward autonomous combat capabilities under its “Army Tiger 4.0” modernization drive. The initiative reflects a broader shift across the military, as the Army, Navy and Air Force each move to build their own unmanned fleets. But a central question remains unresolved: who commands this expanding ecosystem of April 20, 2026

Hyundai Motor protests to USTR Section 301 probe for potential double taxing SEOUL, April 20 (AJP) - South Korea's Hyundai Motor Group has lodged a complaint with U.S. trade authorities over potential double taxing, claiming additional duties under Section 301 could duplicate existing restrictions under other regulations. In its submission to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, the automaker — which plans to invest $26 billion in the United States through 2028 — stressed its role in strengthening American supply-chain resilience as it April 20, 2026

Oil tanker passing through Strait of Hormuz 'heading to discharge its cargo' in South Korea SEOUL, April 20 (AJP) - An oil tanker that passed through the Strait of Hormuz is expected to arrive in South Korean waters as early as next month, Reuters reported on Monday. The Malta-flagged Odessa is "heading to discharge its cargo ​at South Korean refiner Hyudai ‌Oilbank after passing through the Strait of Hormuz," it said. "The Suezmax ​tanker, which can carry 1 million barrels of oil, had its AIS tracker switched ​off and re-appeared on April ​17 near t April 20, 2026

Samsung SDI strikes first battery supply deal with Mercedes-Benz SEOUL, April 20 (AJP) - Samsung SDI announced it has signed a multi-year contract to supply electric vehicle batteries to Mercedes-Benz, marking the Korean battery maker's first supply agreement with the German premium automaker. The deal, signed at the Andaz Seoul Gangnam hotel on Monday, will see Samsung SDI provide high-performance cells built with high-nickel NCM (nickel, cobalt, and manganese) cathode chemistry for Mercedes-Benz's next-generation electric vehicles. S April 20, 2026