South Korea's second ESS tender nears as Samsung SDI leads and rivals press safety pitch SEOUL, January 10 (AJP) - With just three days left until the proposal deadline, South Korea’s major battery makers are stepping up efforts to win contracts in the second round of the country’s centralized energy storage system (ESS) tender, highlighting safety and technology as key selling points. Industry sources said on Friday that LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI and SK On will all submit bids for the tender, with proposals due by Jan. 12 and final selections expected January 10, 2026

Over 150,000 KT subscribers switch to other mobile carriers SEOUL, January 9 (AJP) - More than 150,000 subscribers of telecom company KT have switched to different mobile service providers, industry sources said on Friday. The massive exodus comes after the country's second-largest mobile carrier began waiving early termination fees following a major data breach detected in September last year. Of some 154,851 users who left KT from Dec. 31 to early this week, 15,701 or 64.7 percent switched to SK Telecom. Another 5,027 joined LG Uplu January 9, 2026

In AI-driven infrastructure, the scale of memory demand is unfathomable SEOUL, January 09 (AJP) - The memory cycle shaping today’s intelligence-driven computing is being defined less by consumer gadgets than by infrastructure — a shift underscored by the latest performance of industry leader Samsung Electronics. The South Korean tech giant reported operating profit of 20.0 trillion won ($14 billion) for the October–December quarter, more than tripling from a year earlier and marking its strongest three-month result on record. Revenue January 9, 2026

South Korea targets 2% growth, betting on boosted private consumption SEOUL, January 9 (AJP) - South Korea's economy is forecast to grow 2 percent this year, on the back of rising consumer spending and a recovery in construction investment following a prolonged slump, the government projected at a televised meeting of economic officials at the government complex in central Seoul on Friday It also pledged to make this year the starting point for an "economic leap" and to draw up a master plan for spurring growth and narrowing economic gap January 9, 2026

South Korea's overseas construction orders hit highest level in 11 years SEOUL, January 9 (AJP) - South Korea's overseas construction orders hit an 11-year high by shifting away from heavy reliance on the Middle East and diversifying into markets such as Europe, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on Friday. The ministry said overseas orders totaled $47.27 billion, the highest since 2014 and the first time combined annual orders have exceeded $40 billion since 2015. In the industry's 60-year history, annual orders have exc January 9, 2026

UPDATE: Korea's LG Electronics slips into first Q4 loss in a decade despite record 2025 sales * Updated with additional information SEOUL, January 09 (AJP) - LG Electronics posted record annual revenue in 2025 but swung to an operating loss in the fourth quarter for the first time in a decade, weighed down by weaker display demand and rising costs tied to higher memory prices and its transition toward AI-driven products. In earnings guidance released Friday, the South Korean home-appliance and consumer electronics maker said consolidated revenue for the full year reache January 9, 2026

S. Korean startups urged to rethink global scale-up as a process of repetition and trust LAS VEGAS, January 08 (AJP) - “Global-ready is not about translating slides into English,” one Silicon Valley investor said. “It is about proving demand, again and again.” That message shaped discussions on Korean startups’ global expansion at the AJP Global Innovation Growth Summit 2026 (GIGS 2026), held on Jan. 7 (local time) at the Planet Hollywood Hotel in Las Vegas. Investors stressed that success in overseas markets is determined less by techn January 8, 2026

South Korean street-food chain captivates Singaporean palates with tailored approach SEOUL, January 8 (AJP) - Snack-food chain Ssada Gimbap has achieved 4 billion won ($3 million) in annual sales in Singapore in just three years since making its entry into the Southeast Asian country. According to the affordable street-food chain, the key to its success lies in its deliberate strategy of gradually opening outlets in key locations. Starting with its first outlet in Bukit Timah, home to one of the largest South Korean communities there, in June 2023, the chain grad January 8, 2026

Naver's sovereign AI plan questioned over use of China's open-source technology SEOUL, Jan. 8 (AJP) - Naver’s push to develop a so-called “sovereign AI” model has come under scrutiny after disclosures that its government-backed foundation model incorporated components from Alibaba’s open-source Qwen system, raising questions about South Korea’s technological independence and its ambition to build advanced artificial intelligence from scratch. Industry sources said on Thursday that Naver Cloud’s HyperCLOVA X Seed 32B Sync mo January 8, 2026

Samsung regains top spot in global DRAM, NAND markets SEOUL, January 08 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics has regained the top global position in both DRAM and NAND flash memory following stronger-than-expected preliminary fourth-quarter results, according to data from industry researcher Counterpoint Research, released on Thursday. The research firm estimated that Samsung’s memory semiconductor revenue rose 34 percent from the previous quarter to $25.9 billion in the fourth quarter. DRAM accounted for $19.2 billion of the total, w January 8, 2026