ANALYSIS: US tariff push tests Korea's memory red line SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) -SK hynix has broken ground on a more than $4 billion HBM facility in Indiana and Samsung Electronics is preparing to bring its long-delayed Taylor, Texas fab online. Both investments deepen South Korea's semiconductor footprint in the United States. They nevertheless stop at the fault line Washington is increasingly pressing Korean chipmakers to cross — producing advanced memory wafers on American soil. SK hynix's Indiana plant illustra August 28, 2026

SK hynix breaks ground on first U.S. HBM packaging plant, targets 2029 production SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) - SK hynix broke ground Thursday on a more than $4 billion advanced packaging facility in Indiana, laying the foundation for its first U.S. production base for high-bandwidth memory as the Korean chipmaker moves closer to major American AI customers. The world's leading HBM supplier held a groundbreaking ceremony at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, attended by SK hynix CEO Kwak Noh-jung, senior SK Group executives and U.S. state and governme August 28, 2026

Apple's first foldable iPhone expected to heat up competition with Samsung SEOUL, August 27 (AJP) - Apple is expected to unveil its first foldable iPhone next month, intensifying competition with rival Samsung Electronics in the growing foldable phone market. Apple on Wednesday announced it will hold an event on Sept. 9 at its headquarters in Cupertino, California, which will also be streamed online. Although Apple did not disclose which products will be unveiled, market watchers expect the handset maker to introduce the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, alo August 27, 2026

US-Canada tariff war squeezes Korean autos, opens crude door SEOUL, August 27 (AJP) - South Korean manufacturers accustomed to being caught between Washington and Beijing now find themselves on a new trade battlefront much closer to their factories. Korean companies poured billions of dollars into North America to escape the heavier tariffs and geopolitical risks of President Donald Trump's second term. The escalating U.S.-Canada trade conflict is now threatening the very assumption behind that strategy - that the United States, Canada August 27, 2026

AI windfall buys homes, cars and luxury watches in Korea's chip enclave HWASEONG, August 27 (AJP) - At Lotte Department Store in Dongtan, a saleswoman sizing up a customer offers a pitch that would sound peculiar almost anywhere else. "Your husband makes a lot of money this time. You can afford to treat yourself," she coos. There is no need to specify who the husband works for. Dongtan sits inside South Korea's semiconductor heartland, within commuting distance of Samsung Electronics' chip operations in Hwaseong and Giheung as August 27, 2026

Google-backed study finds Korean workers use AI more adeptly SEOUL, August 27 (AJP) - South Korean workers apply artificial intelligence with a sophistication about 1.7 times the global average, a report commissioned by Google Korea found, as employers increasingly treat fluency with the technology as a hiring priority. Google Korea released the findings on Thursday, drawing on a study by global consultancy Public First titled "Growth and Innovation in Korea Driven by AI." The report also concluded that training-driven productivity August 27, 2026

South Korea probes failed loitering munition test SEOUL, August 27 (AJP) - South Korea’s arms procurement agency said Thursday it is investigating why two domestically developed loitering munitions crashed into the sea immediately after being launched from a Navy ship, while stressing that the failed maritime test does not mean the underlying development project has fallen short of its original goals. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said the medium-sized loitering munition was developed under an applied August 27, 2026

Top-income Koreans earn more cash, while real wages slide SEOUL, August 27 (AJP) - South Korea's richest households pocketed much larger income gains in cash terms than those at the bottom in the second quarter, widening the absolute income gap even as workers suffered a third straight month of falling inflation-adjusted wages. Average monthly household income rose 4.5 percent from a year earlier to 5.30 million won in the April-June period, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics' quarterly household survey released Th August 27, 2026

Kia unveils revamped SUV lineup with new black editions SEOUL, August 27 (AJP) - Automaker Kia unveiled the latest versions of its key sport utility vehicles (SUVs), along with their special black editions on Thursday. The automaker said the facelifted versions of its flagship trio, the Carnival, Sorento and Sportage, offer customers more options to choose from along with enhanced convenience features, while their special black editions would apple to customers seeking a tougher and more premium look. In particular, the special edit August 27, 2026

Nvidia admits memory squeeze, flags upside for Korean chipmakers SEOUL, August 27 (AJP) - Nvidia on Wednesday admitted that even the AI chip giant cannot escape the cost squeeze from the boom it helped ignite, as soaring memory prices lift production costs while benefiting Samsung Electronics and SK hynix from the supply crunch. The company reported second-quarter revenue of $96.2 billion for its fiscal 2027, more than doubling from a year earlier, as data center revenue jumped 117 percent to $89 billion. Nvidia forecast revenue of $108 billion, August 27, 2026