Automakers recalling half a million vehicles over various defects SEOUL, August 6 (AJP) - A combined 512,393 vehicles across 13 models from Hyundai Motor, Kia, Honda and Stellantis will be voluntarily recalled to fix manufacturing defects, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on Thursday. Hyundai accounts for the bulk of the recall, with nearly 400,000 vehicles affected including 104,781 across two models including the Tucson, for which repairs have been underway since July 30 due to a software error in the forward collision August 6, 2026

Samsung tests global appetite for pricier Galaxy foldables and wearables SEOUL, August 06 (AJP) -Samsung Electronics rolled out its latest Galaxy foldable smartphones and smartwatches worldwide on Thursday, betting strong pre-orders can overcome sticker shock as soaring memory and component costs push flagship handset prices to new highs and weigh on global smartphone demand. The world's largest smartphone maker said the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold8, Galaxy Z Flip8, Galaxy Watch Ultra2 and Galaxy Watch9 will go on sale from Aug. 7 in major ma August 6, 2026

Exclusive: Why a midsized Busan shipper is taking on Korea's first Arctic voyage SEOUL, August 05 (AJP) - A midsized carrier from Busan is venturing through Russian Arctic waters in what would be South Korea's maiden container voyage along the Northern Sea Route after bigger shipping lines bowed out over sanctions risks and resistance from environmentally conscious global cargo owners. PanStar Group is keeping to its target of departing Busan for Rotterdam around Aug. 22, a source at the shipping and logistics group told AJP. "There has been no chang August 5, 2026

Korea's battery makers find ESS gold rush at home SEOUL, August 05 (AJP) - In a high-profile display, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, flanked by chip titans Lee Jae-yong of Samsung Electronics and Chey Tae-won of SK Group, unveiled a nearly $1 trillion vision to transform the country from the world's high-tech factory into an AI factory. That ambition extends far beyond semiconductors. Every AI factory — from chip fabrication plants and advanced packaging facilities to hyperscale data centers and AI inference cluste August 5, 2026

Tesla dominates imported car market as monthly sales surpass 10,000 vehicles SEOUL, August 5 (AJP) - Sales of imported cars in South Korea exceeded 30,000 units again last month, with Tesla taking the top spot after its monthly sales surpassed 10,000 vehicles, according to data released on Wednesday by the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association. The number of newly registered imported passenger cars totaled 30,976 in July, up 14.3 percent from a year earlier but down 18.6 percent from 38,059 in the previous month, with the association at August 5, 2026

Korea eyes July 2027 start for Honam chip cluster utilities SEOUL, August 05 (AJP) - South Korea aims to break ground in July 2027 on the electricity and water supply facilities that will underpin its planned semiconductor cluster in the Honam region, the government said, as the timeline for the flagship project takes firmer shape. The government intends to select a project operator and formally designate the cluster site — a stretch of land around the Gwangju military airfield — before the end of this year, officials said Wednes August 5, 2026

Samsung and SK hynix CEOs face criminal complains over bonus SEOUL, August 05 (AJP) -The chief executives of South Korea's two dominant memory chipmakers are facing criminal complaints after a shareholder activist group accused them of breaching their fiduciary duties by agreeing to AI-era performance bonus schemes that could pay chip-related workers hundreds of millions of won. The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency has assigned the complaints against Samsung Electronics co-CEOs Jun Young-hyun and Roh Tae-moon, and SK hynix Chief E August 5, 2026

White House asks Congress to grant overseas building of Navy ships SEOUL, August 05 (AJP) - The White House has asked Congress to authorize the U.S. Navy to order two surface combatants and two noncombat auxiliary ships from overseas shipyards, a proposal that could create opportunities for major shipbuilders in South Korea and Japan. The request was included in the administration’s July 21 policy statement on the House version of the fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act. The White House Office of Management and Budget objected t August 5, 2026

Hyundai Motor Group appoints former US official to head Washington office SEOUL, August 5 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor Group has appointed a former U.S. State Department official as head of its Washington, D.C. office, the automaker said on Wednesday. Michael Kleine is expected to bring more than 25 years of diplomatic experience, having held senior positions at the U.S. Department of State and key posts across the Asia-Pacific region. He previously served as U.S. chargé d'affaires to Indonesia and as minister-counselor for economic affairs at the U.S August 5, 2026

Samsung, SK hynix wage next battle for AI memory leadership at FMS SEOUL, August 05 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics and SK hynix used the same stage at the Future of Memory and Storage (FMS) conference in Santa Clara this week to make two different arguments for who will shape artificial intelligence's next memory era, underscoring how South Korea's chip champions are now competing as much over future architecture as today's products. The rivalry matters well beyond the two companies. Together, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix dominate th August 5, 2026