Industry

  • Hyundai Rotem pivots toward robots, hydrogen in organizational overhaul
    Hyundai Rotem pivots toward robots, hydrogen in organizational overhaul SEOUL, January 14 (AJP) - Hyundai Rotem, a South Korean manufacturer with operations spanning defense, rail and plant engineering, has reorganized its business to position robots and hydrogen as its primary growth engines. The company said Wednesday that it has carried out a broad restructuring aimed at strengthening competitiveness in robot and hydrogen technologies. Central to the overhaul is the creation of a dedicated unit that consolidates both businesses into a single strate January 14, 2026
  • HD Construction Equipment lands excavator orders across Africa, Asia
    HD Construction Equipment lands excavator orders across Africa, Asia SEOUL, January 14 (AJP) - HD Construction Equipment, HD Hyundai’s construction machinery unit, said Wednesday that it has signed contracts with mining developers in Ethiopia to supply 120 large excavators for gold mining projects. The order includes 70 DEVELON-branded 36-metric-ton excavators and 50 HYUNDAI-branded 34-metric-ton models. HD Construction Equipment said it commanded about 80 percent of Ethiopia’s excavator market last year, maintaining its leading po January 14, 2026
  • Import prices extend gain on weak won, softer oil prices offset the rise Dec
    Import prices extend gain on weak won, softer oil prices offset the rise Dec SEOUL, Jan. 14 (AJP) - South Korea’s import prices rose for a sixth consecutive month in December, though the pace of increase softened as falling global oil prices partially offset the impact of a weak won, data from the Bank of Korea (BOK) showed Wednesday — signaling lingering inflationary pressure likely to feed through to consumer prices with a lag. According to the BOK’s export-import price index (preliminary, in won terms; 2020=100), the import price index January 14, 2026
  • Coupang cuts logistics workforce as orders slip after data breach
    Coupang cuts logistics workforce as orders slip after data breach SEOUL, January 14 (AJP) - Coupang has cut more than 6,000 logistics workers over the past month through unpaid leave and a pullback in hiring as order volumes decline following a recent personal data breach, industry sources said Wednesday. Coupang Fulfillment Services, the e-commerce company’s logistics arm, notified full-time workers — including regular and contract employees — at major fulfillment centers nationwide in mid-December that they could appl January 14, 2026
  • From India plants to CES, Hyundai Motor Group chairman signals long-term tech ambitions
    From India plants to CES, Hyundai Motor Group chairman signals long-term tech ambitions SEOUL, January 14 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun has begun 2026 with a series of overseas visits spanning China, the U.S. and India, underscoring the group’s focus on future technologies including mobility, hydrogen, artificial intelligence and robotics. Hyundai said Wednesday that Chung visited Hyundai Motor’s Chennai plant in southeastern India and Kia’s Anantapur plant in central India, followed by Hyundai Motor’s Pune plant in west January 14, 2026
  • Taekwang Industries to acquire Dongsung Pharmaceutical in K-beauty push
    Taekwang Industries to acquire Dongsung Pharmaceutical in K-beauty push SEOUL, January 14 (AJP) - Taekwang Industries said Wednesday it will acquire mid-sized drugmaker Dongsung Pharmaceutical through a consortium with United Asset Management Co., known as UAMCO, marking its latest move to diversify beyond its core chemicals and textiles businesses. Taekwang's board approved the acquisition at a meeting held Jan. 7. Dongsung produces a range of consumer health and personal-care products. Taekwang said the deal is intended to accelerate its ex January 14, 2026
  • South Koreas stock market cap jumps 76 percent in 2025
    South Korea's stock market cap jumps 76 percent in 2025 SEOUL, January 14 (AJP) - South Korea’s stock market capitalization surged nearly 80 percent over the past year, propelled by sharp gains in Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. Total market capitalization rose by 1,718 trillion won ($1.3 trillion) to 3,972 trillion won at the start of this year, from 2,254 trillion won a year earlier, according to an analysis released Wednesday by the Korea CXO Institute. The rally also broadened the ranks of large-cap stocks. T January 14, 2026
  • Rigorous Korean hair formula behind perfect K-drama hair fuels global sales
    Rigorous Korean hair formula behind perfect K-drama hair fuels global sales SEOUL, January 13 (AJP) — Long, glossy black hair catching the light as it moves in the breeze has become a familiar image of Korean heroines in romantic dramas. The look has captivated global audiences — and it is translating into booming overseas sales of Korean hair-care products. According to South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), cosmetics exports reached a record $11.4 billion in 2025, up 12.3 percent from a year earlier. The United States a January 13, 2026
  • POSCO raises $700 million in US dollar bond sale
    POSCO raises $700 million in US dollar bond sale SEOUL, January 13 (AJP) - POSCO, South Korea’s largest steelmaker, has completed its first U.S. dollar–denominated public bond sale of the year, becoming the first South Korean company to tap the global dollar bond market in 2026. The company said Tuesday that it raised $700 million through a two-part offering comprising $400 million of five-year notes and $300 million of 10-year notes. POSCO initially marketed the bonds at spreads of about 1.15 percentage points ov January 13, 2026
  • Trumps Taiwan chip big deal reshapes foundry race, puts Korea in strategic bind
    Trump's Taiwan chip 'big deal' reshapes foundry race, puts Korea in strategic bind SEOUL, January 13 (AJP) - After extracting concessions from Japan and South Korea, U.S. President Donald Trump is now pressing another semiconductor powerhouse — Taiwan — using trade leverage to pull advanced chip manufacturing onto U.S. soil. Under an emerging deal, Washington plans to cut tariffs on Taiwanese goods to 15 percent from 20 percent in exchange for a major expansion of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s U.S. manufacturing footprint, according January 13, 2026