Industry

  • Korean Economy/Business Calendar
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
  • Samsung Electronics becomes first South Korean company to hit $1 trillion market cap
    Samsung Electronics becomes first South Korean company to hit $1 trillion market cap SEOUL, February 26 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics has become the first South Korean company to reach a market capitalization of over US$1 trillion. As of Thursday's market close, Samsung Electronics' market value was tallied at $1.03 trillion. Only 13 companies worldwide have market caps of $1 trillion or more. The milestone lifted the electronics giant to No. 12 globally in terms of market value, surpassing supermarket chain Walmart and pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly. February 26, 2026
  • KAI to hold board meeting on new chief amid parachuting appointment controversy
    KAI to hold board meeting on new chief amid 'parachuting appointment' controversy SEOUL, February 26 (AJP) - The Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) is scheduled to hold a board of directors meeting on Thursday to discuss the nomination of a former military official to lead South Korea's aerospace and defense powerhouse. The meeting follows a delay the previous day, when the board postponed tabling the appointment of the new chief executive officer after the company union launched protests against what it termed a "parachuting appointment" from the gov February 26, 2026
  • Koreas battery makers forge lithium alliance to counter Chinas grip
    Korea's battery makers forge lithium alliance to counter China's grip SEOUL, February 26 (AJP) - POSCO Group and SK On have sealed a long-term lithium supply deal worth up to 25,000 tons through 2028, in the latest sign that South Korean battery players are locking arms to build a domestic supply chain capable of challenging China's stranglehold on the global battery market. Under the agreement announced Wednesday, POSCO Argentina will ship lithium extracted from the Salar del Hombre Muerto salt flat in Argentina's Salta province to SK On' February 26, 2026
  • Samsung Electronics ushers in agentic AI phone era with Galaxy S26
    Samsung Electronics ushers in agentic AI phone era with Galaxy S26 SEOUL, February 26 (AJP) -The drizzle over the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco did not stop more than 1,200 journalists and influencers from crowding into the domed venue Wednesday for Samsung Electronics’ latest Unpacked event — a return to the same stage where the company once declared it was preparing for a “new decade” of mobile. This time, instead of dazzling hardware theatrics, Samsung framed the Galaxy S26 series as its first truly “agent February 26, 2026