LG CNS' annual profit rises on AI and cloud demand SEOUL, January 27 (AJP) - South Korean IT services firm LG CNS reported an 8.4 percent rise in operating profit for 2025, powered by robust demand for artificial intelligence and cloud computing solutions. The company posted an operating profit of 555.8 billion won ($382.8 million) for the year, up from 512.7 billion won in 2024, according to a regulatory filing on Tuesday. Annual revenue edged up 2.5 percent to 6.13 trillion won, while net profit jumped 21.2 percent to 442.2 billio January 27, 2026

LS Cable & System secures Malaysia subsea power cable contract SEOUL, January 27 (AJP) - South Korea's LS Cable & System has won a turnkey contract worth about 60 billion won ($41 million) from Malaysia’s national utility, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), to build a subsea power transmission network. The project involves expanding a 132-kilovolt subsea power link between Malaysia’s mainland and Langkawi Island, a major tourist destination, to enhance the stability of electricity supply, the company said on Tuesday. LS January 27, 2026

SK Innovation E&S starts LNG production at Australia's Barossa offshore field SEOUL, January 27 (AJP) - South Korea's SK Innovation E&S said on Tuesday it has begun full-scale natural gas production at Australia’s Barossa gas field and successfully loaded its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo. The company said gas produced at the offshore Barossa field was transported to the Darwin LNG terminal, where the inaugural LNG shipment was loaded. Barossa is located about 300 kilometers off Australia’s northwest coast. SK Innovation E January 27, 2026

Korean materials firm Posco Future M invests in US solid-state battery maker SEOUL, January 27 (AJP) - South Korean battery materials and chemicals company Posco Future M has invested in U.S. solid-state battery company Factorial, stepping up efforts to secure a foothold in next-generation battery technology. The company said Tuesday that it has signed an investment agreement with Factorial on Jan. 7 and completed payment on Monday. Posco Future M didn't disclose the terms of the investment. The move builds on a memorandum of understanding signed January 27, 2026

Korean large firms turn confident about business prospects for the first time in nearly 4 yrs SEOUL, January 27 (AJP) -South Korea’s large manufacturers — most of them export-oriented — turned optimistic about business conditions on strong orders in semiconductors and shipbuilding, even as overall business sentiment softened at the start of 2026, a Bank of Korea survey showed Tuesday. The business sentiment index for large manufacturing firms rose to 101.8 in January, up from 97.7 a month earlier, marking the first time the reading topped the neutral 100 th January 27, 2026

Trump threatens to raise tariffs back to 25%, blaming Seoul for delaying tariff deal SEOUL, January 27 (AJP) -U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday he is raising tariffs on a wide range of South Korean goods from 15 percent to 25 percent, citing delays in South Korea’s National Assembly approving a bilateral trade agreement reached last year. “Because the Korean Legislature hasn’t enacted our Historic Trade Agreement, which is their prerogative, I am hereby increasing South Korean TARIFFS on Autos, Lumber, Pharma, and all other Reciprocal TARIFFS January 27, 2026

Regulator blocks merger plan for Korea's leading car rental firms, citing monopoly risks SEOUL, January 26 (AJP) - South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has blocked a proposed merger between Lotte Rental and SK Rent-a-Car, the country’s largest and second-largest rental-car operators, citing concerns that the deal would weaken competition and lead to higher prices. The commission said on Monday it had issued such an order on a filing by private equity firm Affinity Equity Partners to acquire a 63.5 percent stake in Lotte Rental. Affinity acquired January 26, 2026

AI servers shift toward memory as Samsung moves first with HBM4 rollout SEOUL, January 26 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics has bolted out in the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) race as it readies to roll out sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory, HBM4, next month bound for U.S.-based fabless chip leaders Nvidia and AMD. The Korean tech giant has completed final qualification processes with major AI accelerator customers, clearing the transition from sampling to mass production ahead of next-generation chip launches expected later this year. Industry source January 26, 2026

Korean travel firm ties up with Son Heung-min's LAFC on fan tours SEOUL, January 26 (AJP) - South Korean tourism platform MyRealTrip has signed an official partnership with Los Angeles FC (LAFC) of Major League Soccer to offer South Korean fans safer and more differentiated sports travel products. The deal came as interest in MLS has surged following the transfer of South Korea national team captain Son Heung-min to LAFC. Under the agreement, MyRealTrip was named LAFC’s official Korea partner and will offer exclusive ticket sales and January 26, 2026

South Korea sees sharp rise in FX deposits on equity, trade flows SEOUL, January 26 (AJP) - Foreign-currency deposits by residents in South Korea surged by nearly $16 billion in December, marking the largest monthly increase on record, driven by inflows linked to foreigners’ equity purchases, trade-related payments and rising client deposits at securities firms amid robust overseas investment. Data released by the Bank of Korea on Monday showed resident foreign-currency deposits at domestic banks totaled $119.43 billion at the end of Dec January 26, 2026