Industry

  • Hyundai to invest over $90 bn through 2030 to build robotics ecosystem in Korea
    Hyundai to invest over $90 bn through 2030 to build robotics ecosystem in Korea SEOUL, February 22 (AJP) -Hyundai Motor Group said Sunday it will invest a record 125.2 trillion won ($93 billion) in South Korea from 2026 to 2030 under a more aggressive and detailed robotics and physical artificial intelligence roadmap unveiled last month after the high-profile debut of its industrial and humanoid robot lineup at a major global technology exhibition. The five-year domestic investment plan marks the largest in the group’s history and reflects Hyundai&rsquo February 22, 2026
  • INTERVIEW: Formosa Chairman Sandy Wang emphasizes long-term research partnership with KAIST
    INTERVIEW: Formosa Chairman Sandy Wang emphasizes long-term research partnership with KAIST SEOUL, February 22 (AJP) - Wang Ruey-yu, known by her English name Sandy Wang, described the establishment of the KAIST-Formosa Biomedical Research Center as a foundational step in a rare cross-border collaboration between Taiwanese industry and South Korean academia. Speaking in an interview with AJP on February 22, Wang, an executive member of the Formosa Group and chairperson of Formosa Bio, characterized the partnership as a "first seed" for future cooperation. &q February 22, 2026
  • SK chair sees profit from memory sales topping $100bn amid AI boom, wary of volatility
    SK chair sees profit from memory sales topping $100bn amid AI boom, wary of volatility SEOUL, February 22 (AJP) -The surging demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure could push operating profit at SK hynix beyond $100 billion in the near term, but the chip operation is equally at risk of an unprecedented volatility, said Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group. Speaking at the Trans-Pacific Dialogue (TPD) 2026 held Feb. 20–21 at the Salamander Washington DC, Chey said AI is fundamentally transforming industrial structures worldwide. The Trans-Pacific February 22, 2026
  • Korean president flags plan to move HMM to Busan soon
    Korean president flags plan to move HMM to Busan "soon" SEOUL, February 19 (AJP) -The proposed relocation of South Korea’s flagship shipping line HMM to Busan has returned to the spotlight after President Lee Jae Myung reiterated his commitment to the plan despite continued employee opposition. Lee wrote on social media platform X on Thursday that HMM would relocate to Busan “soon,” following the establishment of a maritime court and a state-backed investment corporation focused on Southeast Asian shipping routes. The m February 19, 2026
  • Koreas auto exports jump 21.7% to $6.07b, second-highest on record for Jan
    Korea's auto exports jump 21.7% to $6.07b, second-highest on record for Jan SEOUL, February 19 (AJP) -South Korea’s auto exports opened the year on a strong footing, extending momentum from a record 2025, as a weak won and resilient demand from Europe and other markets for hybrid and secondhand vehicles helped offset lingering tariff pressures in the United States. Outbound shipments in January rose 21.7 percent from a year earlier to $6.07 billion, the second-highest export total ever recorded for the month, according to data released by the Minist February 19, 2026
  • SK Innovation selected to develop $2.3 bln LNG power project in Vietnam
    SK Innovation selected to develop $2.3 bln LNG power project in Vietnam SEOUL, February 19 (AJP) - SK Innovation has been selected as the developer of a $2.3 billion liquefied natural gas power project in northern Vietnam, marking a significant step in the South Korean energy company's push to expand its global LNG footprint. The project, located in the Quynh Lap area of Nghe An province, about 220 kilometers south of Hanoi, calls for the construction of a 1,500-megawatt combined-cycle gas power plant, a 250,000-cubic-meter LNG terminal, and a dedic February 19, 2026
  • South Korea, Czech Republic forge ministerial framework to fast-track Dukovany nuclear project
    South Korea, Czech Republic forge ministerial framework to fast-track Dukovany nuclear project SEOUL, February 18 (AJP) - South Korea and the Czech Republic agreed to establish a ministerial-level consultative body to oversee the construction of two nuclear reactors at the Dukovany site, as both nations deepen an energy partnership worth about 26 trillion won ($18 billion). South Korean Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Kim Jung-kwan met newly inaugurated Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis and his counterpart Karel Havlicek in Prague on Monday (local time) at the Czech gover February 18, 2026
  • Big tech giants ramp up hiring of Korean semiconductor engineers as AI chip race intensifies
    Big tech giants ramp up hiring of Korean semiconductor engineers as AI chip race intensifies SEOUL, February 18 (AJP) - Major U.S. technology firms including Nvidia, Google, and Tesla are aggressively recruiting South Korean semiconductor engineers, zeroing in on the country's deep pool of expertise in high-bandwidth memory as the global race for artificial intelligence hardware accelerates. The hiring push marks a significant escalation from earlier years, when recruitment of Korean chip talent was largely confined to memory makers such as Micron Technology and mobile February 18, 2026
  • Global solid-state battery market projected to reach $20 billion by 2032
    Global solid-state battery market projected to reach $20 billion by 2032 SEOUL, February 16 (AJP) - The global solid-state battery market is projected to grow more than tenfold to nearly $20 billion by 2032, driven by expanding applications in electric vehicles and robotics, according to a market research report released Monday. South Korean battery makers are accelerating development efforts as commercialization of the next-generation technology draws closer. The worldwide solid-state battery market is expected to expand from $1.97 February 16, 2026
  • Samsung Electronics eyes quarterly operating profit of 30 trillion won
    Samsung Electronics eyes quarterly operating profit of 30 trillion won SEOUL, February 16 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics is expected to reach 30 trillion won in quarterly operating profit for the first time in the January-March period, driven by surging demand for AI-related memory chips. The South Korean tech giant posted a record 20 trillion won in operating profit in the October-December quarter, becoming the first domestic company to reach that milestone. Analysts now project it will add another 10 trillion won in just one quarter. According to b February 16, 2026