Korea celebrates defense advance and explores sustainability strategy: Aju Defense Forum '25 SEOUL, November 20 (AJP) - South Korea’s defense industry is enjoying an unprecedented heyday as demand for self-defense in a nation still technically at war converges with its rapidly advancing technological capabilities. Amid simultaneous military confrontations in Ukraine and the Middle East, Korea’s defense exports have tripled and are likely to easily top 30 trillion won ($20 billion) this year. Yet despite the rediscovery of Korea’s firepower — November 20, 2025

Asian market rebounds on Nvidia halo, Kospi recovers 4,000-mark led by chips SEOUL, November 20 (AJP) - Asian markets rebounded Thursday after Nvidia delivered another set of stunning earnings, muting much of the overheated AI chatter and giving regional stocks their first solid lift this week. In Seoul, the benchmark Kospi advanced 1.9 percent to close at 4,004.85, reclaiming the psychologically important 4,000 mark for the first time in three sessions. The tech-heavy Kosdaq added 2.4 percent, finishing at 891.94. Foreign investors bought a net 560.7 bil November 20, 2025

South Korea's NPS wins tax exemption in Sweden, recovers $8.6 million in dividend taxes SEOUL, November 20 (AJP) - South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS) is set to recover roughly $8.6 million in dividend taxes from Sweden after Swedish authorities formally acknowledged the fund’s tax-exempt status for investments in listed stocks. The decision, announced Thursday, covers taxes paid between 2016 and 2020 and is expected to save the NPS an additional $6.4 million annually going forward. The pension fund is also seeking refunds for about $8.8 mil November 20, 2025

Korea's Celltrion to field quadruple-action obesity drug for preclinical approval next year SEOUL, November 20 (AJP) - South Korean drugmaker Celltrion is seeking a COVID antibody–style blowout as it takes a crack at the ever-ballooning anti-obesity market with a quadruple-action oral treatment it aims to ready for preclinical approval next year. The pharma plans to invest about 5.4 trillion won ($3.67 billion) in production facilities across South Korea and the United States to ramp up biosimilar manufacturing capacity and strengthen its novel drug pipeline. Par November 20, 2025

Poland becomes strategic base for Korean companies, banks SEOUL, November 20 (AJP) - Poland is emerging as a pivotal European base for South Korean manufacturers — and a fast-growing market for Korean financial institutions eager to support that investment. As companies pour capital into sectors such as batteries and defense, banks are moving quickly to meet rising demand for local financing. In a milestone for the industry, a Polish national has been appointed to lead a South Korean bank’s overseas branch for the first t November 20, 2025

Samsung Heavy lands $1.32 billion order for 7 container ships SEOUL, November 20 (AJP) - Samsung Heavy Industries announced on Thursday that it has secured a 1.92 trillion won (approximately $1.32 billion) order from an Asian shipowner to build seven container ships, scheduled for delivery by November 2029. Amid growing demand for greener vessels — especially LNG dual-fuel ships — this contract brings Samsung Heavy’s total orders this year to $6.9 billion. The order book includes seven LNG carriers, nine shuttle tankers, November 20, 2025

South Korean banks post record earnings on FX gains SEOUL, November 20 (AJP) - South Korea’s banking sector logged record profits in the first nine months of the year, buoyed by a sharp rise in non-interest income as a weakening dollar lifted foreign-exchange and derivatives gains, according to preliminary figures released Thursday by the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). Banks reported a combined net profit of 21.1 trillion won, up 12 percent — or 2.3 trillion won — from a year earlier. The FSS warned t November 20, 2025

Asian shares rise as Nvidia's blowout earnings lift sentiment SEOUL, November 20 (AJP) - Asian markets rebounded in early Thursday trading as another round of blockbuster Nvidia earnings effectively silenced the “AI bubble” narrative. South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI climbed 2.6 percent to 4,030 as of 10:30 a.m., reclaiming the 4,000 mark for the first time in three days. Foreign investors turned net buyers at 267 billion won ($182 million), while institutions purchased 299 billion won. Retail investors, however, sold 577.5 bi November 20, 2025

Naver-Dunamu merger heads to board vote, poised to form fintech powerhouse SEOUL, November 20 (AJP) - Naver’s planned merger with Dunamu, the operator of cryptocurrency exchange Upbit, is gaining traction amid a shifting regulatory climate — potentially clearing the way for one of the most significant tie-ups in Korea’s fintech history. According to industry officials, Naver Financial and Dunamu will convene board meetings on Nov. 26 to approve a proposed stock swap that would effectively combine the two companies under a single corpo November 20, 2025

Samsung narrowly steals back No. 1 DRAM rank from SK hynix Q3- CFM SEOUL, November 20 (AJP) - South Korea's Samsung Electronics has narrowly reclaimed its No. 1 rank in global DRAM sales in the third quarter after yielding the position to its home rival SK hynix in the first half for the first time amid the surge in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) demand. The shift underscores rapidly strengthening DRAM prices due to frantic stockpiling of memory chips that power servers and a wide range of electronic devices, driven by fears of supply shortages as manufac November 20, 2025