AJU PRESS - ASIA NEWS HUB

Industry

Three former Sapeon employees indicted for stealing AI core technology SEOUL, August 06 (AJP) - South Korean prosecutors have indicted three former employees of the artificial intelligence chip company Sapeon, accusing them of leaking core technologies ahead of the company's planned merger with a domestic rival. The Suwon District Prosecutors' Office said Wednesday it charged two of the former employees with theft of industrial technology, unfair competition, and breach of trust. A third former executive was indicted without detention on the same charges. August 6, 2025
South Korea sees July export volume grow 5.9 percent on strong chip demand SEOUL, August 1 (AJP) - South Korea's exports rose 5.9 percent in July from a year earlier to $60.82 billion, marking the second consecutive month of growth despite concerns over impending U.S. tariffs, trade ministry data showed Friday. Semiconductors drove the export surge, posting a 31.6 percent year-on-year increase to $14.71 billion, recording the highest July performance ever, aided by strong demand for high-value memory chips such as high bandwidth memory chips and price recovery. T August 1, 2025
[K-Tech] KITA urges nation to nurture fabless startups to boost semiconductor competitiveness SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) - South Korea must foster fabless semiconductor startups to strengthen its position in the rapidly expanding system semiconductor market driven by artificial intelligence growth, a trade association report said Wednesday. The Korea International Trade Association (KITA) released a report highlighting the urgent need to develop the fabless ecosystem as non-memory semiconductors increasingly dominate global markets. Korea's share of the global system semiconductor market July 30, 2025
Shipbuilding emerges as key leverage for Seoul in trade talks with Washington SEOUL, July 27 (AJP) - As the clock ticks down to the Aug. 1 deadline for tariff exemptions, South Korea is intensifying its push for a comprehensive trade agreement with the United States. High-level talks are scheduled for this week, with key officials from both nations expected to hold separate meetings to finalize negotiations. South Korea's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yun-cheol is slated to meet with his American counterpart, Scott Bessent, the treasu July 27, 2025
US Senate defense bill aims to preserve troop presence in South Korea SEOUL, July 18 (AJP) - A newly passed United States Senate defense bill signals congressional intent to maintain current American troop levels in South Korea amid renewed debate over the future of U.S. military commitments abroad. The 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), approved last week by the Senate Armed Services Committee, includes language that blocks any reduction in the U.S. military presence on the Korean Peninsula or transfer of wartime operational control without formal ce July 18, 2025
Industry minister nominee backs US-style tax credits for chips, batteries SEOUL, July 15 (AJP) - South Korea’s nominee for industry minister, Kim Jung-gwan, is pushing for the introduction of production tax credits for semiconductors and battery materials, according to parliamentary documents released Tuesday ahead of his confirmation hearing. Kim, a former senior economic official and most recently an executive at power equipment firm Doosan Enerbility, said the government must adopt “strategic and proactive industrial policies with competitive incentive July 15, 2025
US think tank proposes slashing USFK troops in Seoul to 10,000 SEOUL, July 10 (AJP) - A Washington-based think tank has proposed cutting the number of U.S. troops stationed in South Korea by more than half, according to a report released on Wednesday. Stressing the need to "revise the U.S. global military posture to be consistent with protecting vital national interests," the report by Defense Priorities argued that the U.S. should cut its military presence in South Korea "by more than 50 percent, leaving about 10,000 personnel along with tw July 10, 2025
Korea looks to shipbuilding ties as strategic tool in tariff talks with US SEOUL, July 09 (AJP) - As South Korea prepares for high-stakes tariff negotiations with the United States over the next three weeks, the country’s shipbuilding industry has emerged as a central element of Seoul’s diplomatic and strategic playbook. Government officials said Wednesday that cooperation in the shipbuilding sector is being positioned as more than just a bargaining chip in ongoing trade discussions. A senior official at the presidential office noted that the Korea– July 9, 2025
Trump claims South Korea pays 'very little' for USFK upkeep SEOUL, July 9 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump once again raised the issue Tuesday that South Korea is paying "very little" for the upkeep of maintaining some 28,500 U.S. troops here, arguing that it should pay for its own defense. "We rebuilt South Korea. We stayed there..... and they pay us very little for the military," Trump said during a cabinet meeting at the White House, while falsely claiming that 45,000 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea. "South Ko July 9, 2025
KCC Group pivots to defense tech, semiconductors as construction falters Editor's Note: This article is the 25th installment in our series on Asia's top 100 companies, exploring the strategies, challenges, and innovations driving the region's most influential corporations. SEOUL, July 2 (AJP) - As South Korea’s construction industry struggles with a prolonged downturn, KCC Group, once a stalwart of the sector, is reinventing itself through a bold pivot toward advanced semiconductor materials and high-tech defense applications — an ambitious t July 3, 2025