Korea's telecom trio begins selling Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses SEOUL, July 22 (AJP) - South Korea's three mobile carriers began selling Meta's "Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2)" artificial-intelligence glasses from Wednesday, pairing the device with tariff-linked discounts as they race to push AI services beyond the smartphone. SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus each said they would offer the AI eyewear through their retail and online channels, part of a broader strategy to extend smartphone-centered AI offerings onto new wearable devices and wi July 22, 2026

HMM Q2 profit seen jumping 80% on higher container freight rates: report SEOUL, July 22 (AJP) - HMM is expected to report a sharp improvement in second-quarter earnings as stronger container freight rates offset higher fuel costs, Shinhan Investment & Securities said Wednesday. The brokerage estimated HMM’s second-quarter revenue at 3.28 trillion won ($2.21 billion), up 25 percent from a year earlier, and operating profit at 420.6 billion won, up 80.4 percent. The estimate is also higher than the market consensus of 346.3 billion won in operati July 22, 2026

Korea ups casino taxes while Japan expands casino resort SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - South Korea is moving to raise the maximum levy on casino operators by 50 percent, a step that could further erode the industry's competitiveness just as Japan expands its gaming sector with its first integrated resort. The government plans to lift the statutory ceiling on the Tourism Promotion and Development Fund levy from 10 percent to 15 percent of casino revenue. The current system applies a progressive levy of 1 percent o July 21, 2026

Samsung creates CEO-led robotics office to speed humanoid push SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics on Tuesday unveiled a new robotics unit reporting directly to Chief Executive No Tae-moon, centralizing development and business operations as it steps up efforts to expand its robotics business. The new RX (Robotics eXperience) Business Office, reporting directly to Vice Chairman and DX chief No Tae-moon, will oversee the company's robotics strategy, core technology development and commercialization under a unified structure. July 21, 2026

KakaoBank to go on full-day strike after wage talks collapse SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) -After mild hours-long log-off protests by workers across South Korea's top mobile platform Kakao group over the last month, the union at KakaoBank will go on a full-day strike on July 31 after wage negotiations collapsed. The KakaoBank union said Tuesday it decided to stage a one-day strike after mediation by the Gyeonggi Regional Labor Relations Commission ended without agreement, clearing the way for industrial action. "Our company did not engag July 21, 2026

Coupang back under fire over warehouse automation's safety trade-off SEOUL, July 20 (AJP) - Fast delivery has long been at the core of Coupang's identity, helping transform South Korea into a republic of logistics. But a fire that was still burning Monday afternoon, more than 55 hours after breaking out at the company's state-of-the-art fulfillment center in Incheon, west of Seoul, underscored a new challenge facing increasingly automated warehouses - the costly trade-off between efficiency and the safety risks posed by lithium-powered robo July 20, 2026

Hyundai Motor partners with Jeonbuk National University to nurture future talent SEOUL, July 20 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor has partnered with Jeonbuk National University in North Jeolla Province to nurture talent in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and hydrogen energy, the automaker said on Monday. It is part of the company's plan to build a next-generation industrial hub in the Saemangeum area, where a tideland development project aims to transform a vast tract of land from agricultural to industrial use. The automaker signed a memorandum of understan July 20, 2026

Korean Air says no change to domestic flights despite oil price surge SEOUL, July 20 (AJP) - Korean Air said Monday it has made no changes to its domestic flight operations, even as oil prices surged on renewed concerns over disruptions to Middle East energy shipments. “There has been no change,” a Korean Air official told AJP, when asked whether the carrier had reduced domestic flights due to rising fuel costs. “Nothing has been decided.” The official said claims that the airline had cut domestic flights were “not ba July 20, 2026

Hanwha Philly Shipyard takes shape as first MASGA milestone SEOUL, July 20 (AJP) - Hanwha Philly Shipyard, the centerpiece of the South Korea-U.S. shipbuilding partnership under MASGA (Make American Shipbuilding Great Again), is taking shape as a milestone contract from the U.S. Missile Defense Agency transforms the once-overlooked yard into a test bed for deeper defense-industrial cooperation between the two allies. The Philadelphia-based shipyard, acquired by Hanwha Group for about $100 million in 2024, has been selected to build Missile R July 20, 2026

AI boom turns chip industry into one of Korea's hottest job markets SEOUL, July 20 (AJP) -The AI chip boom is transforming one of South Korea's most selective industries into one of its hottest job markets, as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix sharply expand hiring for new graduates to support an unprecedented wave of semiconductor investment. After years of favoring experienced engineers, the country's semiconductor industry is opening its doors wider to first-time job seekers as the AI race fuels construction of new fabrication plants and July 20, 2026