US tariff threat looms over Samsung, SK hynix expansion SEOUL, July 05 (AJP) - South Korea's top chipmakers, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, are bracing for renewed pressure from Washington to expand their United States manufacturing footprint, days after the two chipmakers committed 800 trillion won, about $522.8 billion, to a sweeping expansion of South Korea's domestic semiconductor base. Industry sources said Sunday that both companies are weighing how to respond to what they expect will be a fresh push from the adminis July 5, 2026

SK hynix said to weigh 0.5% underwriting fee for U.S. ADR offering SEOUL, July 04 (AJP) - SK hynix is considering paying underwriting fees of about 0.5 percent of the proceeds for its planned U.S. American Depositary Receipt (ADR) offering, a level that could generate one of Asia's largest investment banking fee pools this year, Bloomberg News reported on Saturday. The South Korean memory chipmaker is in discussions with Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase over underwriting fees and incentive compensation for the plan July 4, 2026

Samsung said to seek up to 20% DRAM price hike in third quarter SEOUL, July 04 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics is seeking to raise DRAM prices by about 20 percent in the third quarter as memory chip demand continues to recover, according to a report by a Chinese financial news outlet on Saturday. Chinese business publication Yicai reported, citing electronics industry executives and supply chain sources, that Samsung discussed higher DRAM contract prices with some customers in China last month and verbally notified them of the planned increase. July 4, 2026

South Korea's Lee rejects claims mega projects aimed at boosting approval ratings SEOUL, July 04 (AJP) - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Saturday rejected opposition claims that his administration's three large-scale regional development initiatives were politically motivated, saying the projects had long been part of his vision and were intended to improve people's lives rather than boost his approval ratings. In a post on X, Lee said the plan for what his administration has described as three "mega projects" to reshape the country July 4, 2026

South Korea gasoline prices fall below 2,000 won for seventh straight week SEOUL, July 04 (AJP) - Retail fuel prices in South Korea extended their decline for a seventh consecutive week, with the nationwide average gasoline price falling below 2,000 won per liter as lower global crude prices and the government's latest fuel price cap took effect. The average price of regular gasoline fell 55.7 won from the previous week to 1,952.1 won ($1.43) per liter during the week of June 28 to July 2, according to data released by the Korea National Oil Corporat July 4, 2026

Canada's submarine award in Korea's favor, but final shape uncertain SEOUL, July 03 (AJP) - Canada is moving closer to selecting South Korea as the preferred supplier for its multibillion-dollar submarine program, although the final structure of the award remains uncertain, with Ottawa still weighing whether to place the entire order with one bidder or split it with Germany, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. "The mood is leaning toward South Korea. The last sticking point is whether the full package goes to Korea or is shar July 3, 2026

Seoul weighs tax breaks for SMRs to power Yeongnam industrial push SEOUL, July 03 (AJP) - South Korea's government said it is reviewing tax incentives, including possible designation of small modular reactors (SMRs) as a national strategic technology, to support a sweeping industrial buildout in the country's southeastern Yeongnam region. The plan, unveiled Friday at a public briefing at Gyeongsang National University in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, centers on three mega-projects: semiconductors, artificial intelligence data centers an July 3, 2026

China clears Unitree's $618 million Shanghai IPO in record time SEOUL, July 03 (AJP) - China's securities regulator has approved humanoid robot maker Unitree Robotics' initial public offering on Shanghai's STAR Market, clearing the company's final regulatory hurdle less than four months after it filed. The China Securities Regulatory Commission announced the approval on its website on Friday, according to industry sources. The clearance hands Unitree its "admission ticket" to become the first embodied AI company to list July 3, 2026

Canada-led global defense bank may include South Korea SEOUL, July 03 (AJP) - Canada plans to announce a group of about 10 countries expected to join a proposed global defense bank at next week’s NATO summit in Türkiye, with South Korea among the potential members, Reuters reported Thursday. Isabelle Hudon, chief executive of the Business Development Bank of Canada and Canada’s lead negotiator for the initiative, said Ottawa was working toward unveiling the founding members of the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank, July 3, 2026

Court terminates Homeplus rehabilitation bid SEOUL, July 03 (AJP) - The Seoul Bankruptcy Court terminated the corporate rehabilitation proceedings of Homeplus on Friday, putting South Korea's second-largest retail chain on a path toward bankruptcy unless a buyer steps forward in the coming weeks. Rehabilitation Division 4 of the court, headed by Jung Jun-young, president of the Seoul Bankruptcy Court, who presided over the case, ruled that the revised restructuring plan Homeplus submitted on June 30 was unlikely to succe July 3, 2026