Hanwha Philly Shipyard takes shape as first MASGA milestone SEOUL, July 20 (AJP) - Hanwha Philly Shipyard, the centerpiece of the South Korea-U.S. shipbuilding partnership under MASGA (Make American Shipbuilding Great Again), is taking shape as a milestone contract from the U.S. Missile Defense Agency transforms the once-overlooked yard into a test bed for deeper defense-industrial cooperation between the two allies. The Philadelphia-based shipyard, acquired by Hanwha Group for about $100 million in 2024, has been selected to build Missile R July 20, 2026

AI boom turns chip industry into one of Korea's hottest job markets SEOUL, July 20 (AJP) -The AI chip boom is transforming one of South Korea's most selective industries into one of its hottest job markets, as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix sharply expand hiring for new graduates to support an unprecedented wave of semiconductor investment. After years of favoring experienced engineers, the country's semiconductor industry is opening its doors wider to first-time job seekers as the AI race fuels construction of new fabrication plants and July 20, 2026

Nvidia unveils Jetson Thor modules to broaden robotics, edge AI reach SEOUL, July 20 (AJP) - Nvidia has unveiled two new modules, the T3000 and T2000, built on its Jetson Thor architecture, in a bid to accelerate the large-scale deployment of robotics and edge artificial intelligence applications aimed at the mass market. The launch responds to rising demand for compact, power-efficient AI supercomputers capable of running foundation models directly at the edge, as general-purpose robots and autonomous machines move out of research labs and into comme July 20, 2026

Samsung Biologics to buy PolyPeptide in record $2 billion deal SEOUL, July 20 (AJP) - Samsung Biologics announced it has agreed to acquire Switzerland's PolyPeptide Group, a specialist maker of peptide drugs, for about 2.7 trillion won ($1.81 billion), the biggest merger-and-acquisition deal in South Korea's pharmaceutical and biotech industry. The agreement, disclosed in a regulatory filing on Monday, marks the Korean contract manufacturer's formal entry into peptides, the chemical backbone of the fast-growing class of obesity and July 20, 2026

Samsung remains South Korea's only global top 10 tech brand amid heated AI race SEOUL, July 19 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics remained the only South Korean company among the world's top 10 technology brands, as intensifying competition driven by artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape the global technology industry. According to the latest report on major global technology companies released by British consulting firm Brand Finance, Samsung's brand value reached US$97.42 billion (about 145 trillion won), up 9 percent from $89.42 billion a year e July 19, 2026

Hyundai Motor chief to raise stake in Boston Dynamics amid physical AI push SEOUL, July 19 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor Group chairman Chung Eui-sun is reportedly set to invest about 120 billion South Korean won (US$80 million) of his personal funds to boost his stake in U.S. robotics company Boston Dynamics, as the automaker seeks to strengthen its foothold in the emerging physical artificial intelligence (AI) sector. According to financial and industry sources on Sunday, Chung and other shareholders of Boston Dynamics are pursuing a plan to acquire the 9.65 perc July 19, 2026

Son Heung-min scores first MLS goal of season in LAFC return SEOUL, July 18 (AJP) - South Korean captain Son Heung-min scored his first Major League Soccer goal of the season on Saturday in his first game back with Los Angeles FC following the 2026 World Cup. Son started against city rivals LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, and found the net in the 57th minute to put LAFC 3-0 ahead. The 34-year-old forward collected a pass from Mark Delgado before firing a right-footed shot into the net for his first goal aga July 18, 2026

Hanwha's Philly Shipyard wins U.S. missile test vessel contract tied to Golden Dome SEOUL, July 18 (AJP) - Hanwha Philly Shipyard has been selected to build two next-generation missile range instrumentation vessels (MRIVs) for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), marking a major defense contract that will support the Trump administration's planned Golden Dome missile defense system. The U.S. shipbuilder, acquired by South Korea's Hanwha Group last year, said on Saturday it had been selected alongside U.S.-based TOTE Services for the program. Under the July 18, 2026

Samsung's rebate drive sparks estimated $2.9 bln sales, doubles voucher payout SEOUL, July 18 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics' nationwide rebate campaign, launched as part of its pledge to share the benefits of its semiconductor windfall with the public, generated an estimated 4 trillion won ($2.9 billion) in sales, industry estimates showed Friday, prompting the company to more than double the value of vouchers it plans to distribute. Samsung is expected to issue more than 800 billion won ($580 million) worth of digital Onnuri gift certificates under the c July 18, 2026

TSMC lifts forecasts as AI demand cools peak fears SEOUL, July 17 (AJP) - TSMC reported record second-quarter earnings and raised its annual revenue and capital spending forecasts, signaling confidence that artificial intelligence demand will keep powering the chip industry and tempering fears that the AI boom is nearing a peak. The world's largest contract chipmaker said Thursday that net profit for the April to June quarter jumped 77.4 percent from a year earlier to NT$706.56 billion ($22 billion), comfortably beating the NT$6 July 17, 2026