Industry

  • Seoul, Beijing to hold follow-up FTA talks on services, investment this week
    Seoul, Beijing to hold follow-up FTA talks on services, investment this week SEOUL, January 19 (AJP) - South Korea and China will hold a new round of follow-up negotiations on services and investment under their bilateral free trade agreement from Monday through Friday in Beijing, South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said. The two governments agreed at a summit between their leaders in Beijing on Jan. 5 to work toward achieving meaningful progress in the negotiations within this year. The follow-up talks will focus on further mar January 19, 2026
  • Luxury hotels and retailers target rite rush as S, Koreans outsource ancestral duties
    Luxury hotels and retailers target 'rite rush' as S, Koreans outsource ancestral duties SEOUL, January 18 (AJP) - As the Lunar New Year holiday approaches next month, luxury hotels and major retailers in South Korea are aggressively targeting a niche but rapidly growing market: the "to-go" ancestral rite table. The hospitality industry is capitalizing on a significant cultural shift where families are increasingly willing to pay a premium to outsource the labor-intensive cooking required for the holiday, turning a domestic duty into an affordable service. T January 18, 2026
  • U.S. makes clear Taiwan chip tariff deal will not apply to South Korea
    U.S. makes clear Taiwan chip tariff deal will not apply to South Korea SEOUL, January 17 (AJP) - Washington has made clear that semiconductor tariffs and related exemptions will be set through country‑by‑country negotiations, meaning the criteria agreed with Taiwan will not be copied and applied automatically to South Korea. An administration official said on Friday that the U.S. would pursue "separate agreements for separate countries" when asked whether the semiconductor tariff waiver terms offered to Taiwan would also be granted to South K January 17, 2026
  • U.S. TSMC deal signals more deal-making for Seoul and pledges from chipmakers
    U.S. TSMC deal signals more deal-making for Seoul and pledges from chipmakers SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - In the tariff deal Seoul and Washington signed last October, South Korea was promised it would not be treated less favorably than Taiwan. But Taiwan’s newly secured tariff exemptions tied to expanded U.S. investment are now forcing Seoul and Korean chipmakers back to the negotiating table with fresh offers. Taiwan’s tariff outcome has been closely watched in Seoul, given the scale of its semiconductor trade with the United States. In last year& January 16, 2026
  • Korean memory makers share boom year with employees in cash and stock rewards
    Korean memory makers share boom year with employees in cash and stock rewards SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) -South Korea’s two largest memory chipmakers, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are rolling out handsome cash and stock rewards for their employees amid red-hot earnings and extended stock rally. Samsung Electronics said its Device Solutions (DS) division, which oversees the company’s semiconductor operations, has set its excess profit incentive (OPI) at 47 percent of annual salary, according to an internal notice circulated this week. The rat January 16, 2026
  • Daewoo E&C to build AI data centers in southwestern counties
    Daewoo E&C to build AI data centers in southwestern counties SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - Daewoo Engineering & Construction announced a plan Friday to build artificial intelligence data centers with a combined power capacity of 500 megawatts in South Jeolla Province. The company said it signed a memorandum of understanding with the municipal governments of South Jeolla Province, Jangseong County, Gangjin County and a consortium of public and private partners, to develop AI data centers in the region. Under the agreement, the partners January 16, 2026
  • KT taps Taiwans cable leader to expand AI media footprint
    KT taps Taiwan's cable leader to expand AI media footprint SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - South Korea’s KT said Friday it has partnered with Taiwan’s largest cable television operator, KBRO, to enter the Taiwanese market with artificial intelligence–based digital media and smart home services. Under a strategic memorandum of understanding with KBRO, signed on Jan. 15 in Taipei, KT will supply AI-driven media and device technologies, including smart home services, interactive voice recognition, AI-optimized user interfaces a January 16, 2026
  • US Navy selects South Koreas HJ Shipbuilding for ship repair partnership
    US Navy selects South Korea's HJ Shipbuilding for ship repair partnership SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - HJ Shipbuilding & Construction said on Friday it has been selected by the U.S. Navy as a partner for its ship repair program. The decision enables the South Korean shipbuilder to participate fully in maintenance, repair and overhaul work for major U.S. naval vessels. The agreement will run from Jan. 23 through Jan. 22, 2031, the company said. The U.S. Navy program is a framework agreement between the U.S. government and private shipyards that January 16, 2026
  • South Koreas sovereign AI push stumbles as Naver, Kakao step aside
    South Korea's 'sovereign AI' push stumbles as Naver, Kakao step aside SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - Naver Cloud and Kakao, South Korea’s two largest internet platform operators, have decided not to take part in an additional round of bidding for the government’s flagship artificial intelligence project, dealing an early setback to Seoul’s push to build a “sovereign AI” foundation model. The withdrawal by the two companies — long seen as natural contenders given their vast user data, cloud infrastructure and AI researc January 16, 2026
  • Hyundai Motor brings in Tesla veteran to accelerate robotics ambitions
    Hyundai Motor brings in Tesla veteran to accelerate robotics ambitions SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor Group has recruited Milan Kovac, a former Tesla executive who led development of projects including the humanoid robot Optimus, in a move aimed at strengthening its push for artificial intelligence and robotics. Hyundai said Kovac has been appointed as an adviser to the group and is expected to be named an outside director at Boston Dynamics, a robotics company owned by Hyundai Motor Group. Kovac brings nearly two decades of experience January 16, 2026