Boston Dynamics IPO emerges as pivotal card in Hyundai Motor governance overhaul SEOUL, March 02 (AJP) -The long-running governance overhaul of South Korea's top automobile conglomerate Hyundai Motor Group could finally gain traction as a potential initial public offering of its robotics unit Boston Dynamics moves closer to reality. The automaker officially maintains that “no plans have been set,” but industry observers say preparations for a possible Nasdaq listing are increasingly visible behind the scenes. More importantly, the IPO is wi March 2, 2026

South Korea's February exports surge 29% to record high on semiconductor boom SEOUL, March 01 (AJP) - South Korea's exports jumped 29.0 percent in February from a year earlier to $67.45 billion, marking the highest tally for the month on record, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Sunday. The result was especially striking given that the Seollal, or Lunar New Year, cut working days by three compared with the same month last year, a factor that typically weighs on shipment volumes. On a daily average basis, exports soared 49.3 percent to $3.55 March 1, 2026

Korea's one-winged rally: stock and economy reliant on chips SEOUL, Feb 27 (AJP) - From eye-popping KOSPI gains — more than doubling since the start of 2025 — to growth rebounding toward a potential rate of around 2 percent, South Korea’s economy appears, at first glance, to be regaining momentum. But strip away the semiconductor effect, and the underlying picture remains fragile. After an almost uninterrupted rally since year-end, the benchmark KOSPI briefly traded above 6,300 this week — only a month aft February 27, 2026

British Ambassador tours Hanwha Ocean's shipyard in Geoje SEOUL, February 27 (AJP) - British Ambassador to Seoul Colin Crooks visited Hanwha Ocean’s shipyard in Geoje on Friday. According to the shipbuilder, Crooks inspected a diesel-electric Jang Bogo-class submarine currently under construction during a tour of the shipyard. Thursday's visit was made to review the status of cooperation, as Hanwha Ocean is participating in the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP) through a strategic partnership with British defense firm February 27, 2026

Korean Economy/Business Calendar SEOUL, Feb 27 (AJP) - Mar. 2–5 (Mon–Thu) MWC 2026 Barcelona - Over 180 Korean companies Mar. 4 (Wed) Jan. 2026 Industrial Activity Trends - Ministry of Data and Statistics Mar. 6 (Fri) Jan. 2026 Balance of Payments (Preliminary) - Bank of Korea February 2026 Consumer Price Trends - Ministry of Data and Statistics Mar. 17 (Tue) Feb. 2026 Export/Import Price & Trade Indexes (Preliminary) - Bank of Korea Mar. 18 (Wed) Feb. 2026 Employmen February 27, 2026

Chipflation (2): Winners — component makers; losers — consumers Editor’s Note: This is the second installment in AJP’s Chipflation series, examining how explosive AI demand and South Korea’s dominance in memory chips are reshaping the global technology supply chain — from Silicon Valley data centers to everyday consumer electronics. SEOUL, February 27 (AJP) - Chipflation is, at its core, a story about economic rents. When demand concentrates on a scarce, indispensable input, the suppliers of that input capture retu February 27, 2026

Hyundai Motor pledges $6.3 billion to build data center, robot factory in Saemangeum SEOUL, February 27 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor Group on Friday pledged around 9 trillion won ($6.28 billion) in the Saemangeum reclaimed coastal zone in North Jeolla Province, pledging to erect an AI data center, a robotics manufacturing cluster and hydrogen energy facilities on the country's western seaboard. The sprawling project under central and local government backing is set to break ground from 2027 across a 1.12 million-square-meter site in Gunsan, about 180 kilometers southwe February 27, 2026

Hanwha Aerospace diversifies into LNG trading with landmark Venture Global contract SEOUL, February 27 (AJP) - Hanwha Aerospace has secured a 20-year liquefied natural gas supply agreement with U.S. producer Venture Global, signaling a strategic expansion beyond its core defense and aerospace operations into global energy markets. Under the deal revealed Friday, Hanwha Aerospace will secure 1.5 million tons of LNG annually for 20 years starting in 2030, supplying the fuel to end users across Europe and Asia. The volume represents about 4.4 percent of South Korea February 27, 2026

SK hynix, Sandisk launch joint effort to standardize 'HBF' memory for AI SEOUL, February 26 (AJP) - South Korean chipmaker SK hynix and U.S. data storage company Sandisk have partnered to standardize a next-generation memory technology dubbed High Bandwidth Flash (HBF) to target the expanding artificial intelligence inference market. The two companies held a kick-off event for the HBF standardization consortium on Thursday at Sandisk's headquarters in Milpitas, California. To advance the initiative, they will form a dedicated joint workstream under February 26, 2026

Galaxy S26: a phone with "nunchi" – and a price to match SEOUL, February 26 (AJP) - “Nunchi” is one of those Korean words that resists direct translation. It refers to a kind of social intuition — the ability to read the ambience, anticipate needs, and move before being asked. Those who lack it are considered daft; those who possess it are quick, nimble, perceptive. With the new Samsung Galaxy S26, Samsung Electronics is attempting to embed that instinct into hardware. After nearly three decades of phone-making, Samsu February 26, 2026