Hyundai to supply 480 hydrogen buses for public transportation by 2032 SEOUL, September 16 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor will supply 480 hydrogen buses by 2032 for public transportation in cooperation with South Korea's largest bus operator Seonjin Group and other partners, the automaker said on Wednesday. Hyundai said it signed a multilateral memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Seonjin and other relevant institutions including the Korea Automobile Environmental Association and the Korea Natural Gas Hydrogen Charging Association to expand the use of h September 16, 2026

SK hynix workers approve revised wage deal SEOUL, September 16 (AJP) -SK hynix workers approved a revised wage and collective bargaining agreement Wednesday after the company and its production union adjusted the mix of cash and stock in profit-sharing bonuses, ending a dispute that forced the two sides back to the bargaining table after an initial deal was narrowly rejected. The revised agreement won support from 57.08 percent of union members who voted, or 8,731 workers, in a two-day ballot held Monday and Tuesday, SK hyn September 16, 2026

Korean robots may lag, but stocks are flying SEOUL, September 16 (AJP) -South Korean humanoid robots may still be grounded and stand awkwardly compared with their Chinese peers, but stocks of their makers are flying, helping sustain the junior KOSDAQ market against broadly bearish sentiment in Seoul. A correction took hold Wednesday, but robotics stocks have stood out throughout the month and remained strong through Tuesday despite renewed anxiety over artificial intelligence investment in the United States. Shares of Rob September 16, 2026

Naver bets on solar to power AI data centers SEOUL, September 16 (AJP) - Naver plans to take a stake in a 216-megawatt solar project and buy its output under a long-term deal to power its data centers with renewable energy, the company said Wednesday. South Korea's largest internet portal signed a memorandum of understanding with Singapore-based developer Gurīn Energy over the Jindo Green Solar project on Jindo. The two companies aim to hammer out the details and sign a binding agreement by the end of the year. Gurīn September 16, 2026

Repeat quality breaches dog South Korean drugmakers SEOUL, September 16 (AJP) - More than one in five drug factory inspections in South Korea have turned up quality breaches each year since 2022, according to regulator data released by a lawmaker Wednesday. The violation rate under Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) rules climbed from 37.9 percent in 2022 to 41.3 percent in 2023, before easing to 26.8 percent last year and 22.7 percent in the first half of 2026. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety compiled the figures from regular September 16, 2026

LG Electronics to test heat pump system at occupied residence in Jeju SEOUL, September 15 (AJP) - LG Electronics will test a heat pump-based heating and hot water system at an occupied apartment complex on Jeju Island, marking the first such demonstration at a residential apartment building in South Korea, the company said Tuesday. LG signed a memorandum of understanding with the Jeju provincial government, Jeju Development Corp. and the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology on Tuesday to carry out the project. The system will be installed a September 15, 2026

AI slowdown may put a damper but not dent in Korean HBM demand SEOUL, September 15 (AJP) - Shares of South Korea's chip bellwethers Samsung Electronics and SK hynix turned sharply lower this week amid a growing chorus among Big Tech companies and AI developers to moderate the pace of AI advances since that could mean less work for the memory giants. The two for the time being have less to worry about as multiyear contracts could keep them busy well into 2028. Samsung said during its second-quarter earnings call in July that it expects September 15, 2026

Korea dreams big on humanoids, but they still run on foreign parts SEOUL, September 15 (AJP) - South Korea's humanoid robots hardly look like formidable competitors beside their free-wheeling Chinese counterparts, and their awkward moves betray a much deeper problem. Despite South Korea's much-hyped push to become an artificial intelligence powerhouse, its physical AI ecosystem remains fledgling, short of both scale and a homegrown supply chain. Aei Robot, one of the country's leading bipedal robot makers, is largely forced to fend f September 15, 2026

Coupang creates outside security panel after record privacy fine SEOUL, September 15 (AJP) - Coupang has opened its internal security policies to review by seven outside experts, the South Korean e-commerce operator said Tuesday, 10 months after a breach exposed personal data belonging to about 37.6 million people. The information protection advisory committee, co-chaired by Coupang chief information security officer Brett Mathis and Korea Chief Private Officers' Forum president Hur Sung-wook, held its first meeting the on same day and will c September 15, 2026

Asiana losing "OZ" code but mileage valid for 10 years under KAL wing SEOUL, September 15 (AJP) -Asiana Airlines will begin losing its “OZ” flight code in November as flights shift to Korean Air’s “KE,” but its mileage will remain valid for at least a decade after the carriers fully integrate in December, according to Korean Air and the antitrust regulator. Korean Air said Monday it will carry out the flight-number conversion, known as re-accommodation, from Nov. 2 to Dec. 3 for passengers who already hold Asiana reserva September 15, 2026