Industry

  • Korean drugmakers race to enter booming weight-loss drug market
    Korean drugmakers race to enter booming weight-loss drug market SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - South Korea's major pharmaceutical companies are racing to enter the global weight-loss drug market, upgrading drug delivery formats and formulations to tap a segment projected to grow more than 15 percent over the next five years. A recent survey by Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy, cited by Yuanta Securities, showed that 62.2 percent of 4,400 respondents across 21 countries preferred oral weight-loss drugs — far ahead of in October 23, 2025
  • Bank of Korea chief signals nearing end of easing cycle
    Bank of Korea chief signals nearing end of easing cycle SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - The Bank of Korea (BOK) held its key interest rate at 2.50 percent for October, keeping policy steady since the last 25-basis-point cut in May amid foreign exchange and housing market volatility, and signaled that the current easing cycle may be nearing its end unless major external shocks occur. “We are maintaining an easing policy stance, but the pace and timing of additional rate cuts may have to be adjusted,” BOK Governor Rhee Chan-yong October 23, 2025
  • Korean AI company Upstage unveils Japan-focused LLM Shin Pro
    Korean AI company Upstage unveils Japan-focused LLM 'Shin Pro' SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - South Korean artificial intelligence company Upstage announced Thursday the launch of “Shin Pro,” a large language model (LLM) designed specifically for the Japanese market and developed in partnership with Tokyo-based AI firm Karakuri. Built on Upstage’s proprietary Solar model, Shin Pro is a 31-billion-parameter system fine-tuned for Japanese language nuances and cultural context. The model is optimized for on-premise deployment, off October 23, 2025
  • Singapores VENA Group pledges $20 billion investment in Koreas green energy, AI sectors
    Singapore's VENA Group pledges $20 billion investment in Korea's green energy, AI sectors SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - Singapore-based renewable energy company VENA Group plans to invest $20 billion in South Korea to advance projects in renewable energy and artificial intelligence data centers, officials here said Thursday. The announcement came after the company delivered a letter of intent at a ceremony held at the National Assembly in Seoul, attended by Environment Minister Kim Sung-hwan, Vice Minister of Science and ICT Ryu Jae-myung, Democratic Party lawmaker Cha J October 23, 2025
  • Hyundai Motor steps on the gas in Indian foray as US and China turn inward
    Hyundai Motor steps on the gas in Indian foray as US and China turn inward SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - South Korea's Hyundai Motor Group is accelerating its push into India following last year's landmark $3.3 billion initial public offering of its Indian unit, positioning the country as a central pillar of its global growth strategy amid rising protectionism in the United States and China. "India is a strategic priority in Hyundai's global growth vision. India isn't just important to Hyundai's global strategy — India is Hyundai October 23, 2025
  • HD Hyundai merger plan gets shareholders approval
    HD Hyundai merger plan gets shareholders' approval SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - HD Hyundai Heavy Industries will officially merge with its affiliate HD Hyundai Mipo Dockyard on Dec. 1, following overwhelming shareholder approval on Thursday — a move the company says will sharpen its competitiveness in the global shipbuilding and defense markets. At the respective shareholder meetings, 98.54 percent of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ shareholders and 87.56 percent of HD Hyundai Mipo’s shareholders voted in favor of th October 23, 2025
  • Bangladeshs investment chief visits South Korea to discuss deepening ties
    Bangladesh's investment chief visits South Korea to discuss deepening ties SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - South Korea and Bangladesh are moving to strengthen economic cooperation as Dhaka prepares to transition from least-developed country (LDC) status, officials here said Thursday. South Korean Trade Minister Yeo Han-gu met with Chowdhury Asik Mahmud Bin Harun, chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority, in Seoul to discuss ways to expand bilateral trade and investment , according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Yeo under October 23, 2025
  • Korean won weakens past 1,440 per US dollar, hitting 6-month low
    Korean won weakens past 1,440 per US dollar, hitting 6-month low SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - The South Korean won slid past 1,440 per U.S. dollar on Thursday, its weakest level in six months, as investors reacted to a mix of global and regional pressures — from U.S. policy uncertainty to shifting dynamics in Japan and China. The won was traded at 1,440.3 per dollar, down 10.45 won from the previous session as of 1:00 p.m., marking its lowest point since April 29. The currency opened at 1,431.8 won. Speaking at a press conference October 23, 2025
  • Korea raises $1.7 bn in FX bonds at lowest spread, 2025 issuance hits $3.4 bn
    Korea raises $1.7 bn in FX bonds at lowest spread, 2025 issuance hits $3.4 bn SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - South Korea has raised $1.7 billion in foreign-currency sovereign bonds at record-low spreads, signaling investor confidence in Asia’s fourth-largest economy despite U.S. tariff uncertainties and slowing global demand, the Ministry of Economy and Finance said Thursday. The ministry said it completed the issuance of $1 billion in U.S. dollar-denominated bonds and 100 billion yen (about $700 million) in yen-denominated foreign-exchange stab October 23, 2025
  • Asian shares lower early Thursday, Korea flat on rate freeze
    Asian shares lower early Thursday, Korea flat on rate freeze SEOUL, October 23 (AJP) - Asian markets opened lower Thursday as investors locked in profits following Wall Street’s overnight decline, though a few selective gainers held their ground. In Seoul, the main indices hovered near flat after the Bank of Korea kept its policy rate unchanged for a sixth consecutive month, underscoring the complex uncertainties weighing on the economy. The KOSPI inched up 0.1 percent to 3,888.2, while the KOSDAQ was little changed at 879.24. SK h October 23, 2025