HD Hyundai to help modernize U.S. shipyard under deal with Fraser Industries SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) - HD Hyundai is moving to support the modernization of a U.S. shipyard as part of broader efforts to contribute to the revival of America’s shipbuilding industry. HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, the intermediate holding company of HD Hyundai’s shipbuilding business, said Thursday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Fraser Industries LLC on cooperation to modernize shipyards for the revitalization of the U.S. shipbuildin July 30, 2026

Eco-friendly cars to hit 4 million, half of new registrations in H1 SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) - The cumulative number of eco-friendly vehicles in South Korea is on track to reach 4 million, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Thursday. The number of registered eco-friendly vehicles including hybrids and electric vehicles increased sharply to 3.95 million as of the end of June, accounting for about 14.8 percent of all registered vehicles. The figure includes 2.81 million hybrids, 1.1 million EVs and 47,000 July 30, 2026

LG Energy Q2 profit slides 77% on weak EV demand SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) - LG Energy Solution confirmed that its second-quarter operating profit tumbled 77 percent from a year earlier to 113.3 billion won ($78.6 million), as a prolonged slump in North American electric-vehicle demand continued to erode earnings at South Korea's largest battery maker. According to regulatory filings released Thursday, revenue rose 24.8 percent year-on-year to 7.56 trillion won, while the net loss came to 328.6 billion won, swinging back into the r July 30, 2026

Korean chipmakers confirm stunning Q2, but investors price in the peak SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) - South Korea's two memory giants confirmed their supremacy in back-to-back second-quarter earnings releases, generating a combined operating profit of about 150 trillion won ($108 billion), equivalent to roughly 6 percent of the country's entire 2025 nominal GDP, with margins in the 70 percent range that few manufacturers could dream of. Samsung Electronics and SK hynix delivered the same assurance: the extraordinary combination of tight supp July 30, 2026

Army tests combat squad pairing soldiers with drones, robot dogs SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - South Korea’s Army has launched a trial unit that combines soldiers with drones, quadruped robots, multipurpose unmanned ground vehicles and autonomous vehicles at the squad level, as it seeks to test future combat formations built around manned-unmanned teaming. The Army said Wednesday it held a launch ceremony for an experimental manned-unmanned squad at the 11th Maneuver Division in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province. The squad consists of eight personnel July 29, 2026

Hanwha Solutions' Q2 profit more than triples on renewable energy strength SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - Hanwha Solutions said Wednesday its second-quarter operating profit more than tripled from the previous quarter, helped by stronger earnings from its renewable energy, chemical and advanced materials businesses. The company posted 4.58 trillion won ($3.2 billion) in consolidated sales and 306.5 billion won in operating profit in the April-June period. Sales rose 18 percent from 3.88 trillion won in the first quarter, while operating profit jumped 231 percent f July 29, 2026

South Korea completes decade-long development of homegrown KF-21 fighter jet SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - South Korea has completed the development of its first homegrown KF-21 fighter jet, dubbed Boramae, marking the completion of a decade-long project launched in December 2015. At a ceremony held at Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI)'s headquarters in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province on Wednesday, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) officially declared the completion of the project, with key officials from government agencies, institution July 29, 2026

Koreas enter quiet undersea race amid the slow death of denuclearization SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - For more than three decades, denuclearization was the one word that defined every major policy toward North Korea. Every summit, sanctions package and diplomatic initiative ultimately revolved around the goal of dismantling Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program. Today, the word is quietly disappearing — not because the objective has been achieved, but because policymakers in Washington and Seoul are increasingly planning for a future in which North Kor July 29, 2026

LG Electronics offers interim dividend and completes buyback SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - LG Electronics said Wednesday its board had approved an interim cash dividend of 500 won per common and preferred share and completed a previously announced 100 billion won share buyback as part of its shareholder return policy. The company set Aug. 13 as the record date for the interim dividend, with payments scheduled for Aug. 28. The total dividend payout amounts to about 89.7 billion won. LG Electronics said it has maintained a minimum annual dividend July 29, 2026

Seoul office vacancy hits 5-year high on new downtown supply SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - Seoul's Grade A office vacancy rate rose to 5.8 percent in the second quarter, up 1.8 percentage points from the previous quarter and the highest level since the third quarter of 2021, according to a report released by Cushman & Wakefield Korea, the local arm of the global commercial real estate services firm. The increase was driven by new supply rather than falling demand. Two large towers, G1 Seoul in the Gongpyeong redevelopment zone and Rene Squ July 29, 2026