US wants Korean chipmakers to make memory in US: Lutnick SEOUL, July 10 (AJP) -The United States is ratcheting up pressure on South Korea's memory chipmakers to expand manufacturing in the United States after Seoul unveiled nearly 1 quadrillion won ($650 billion) in new domestic semiconductor investment plan last week. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Thursday he wants both Samsung Electronics and SK hynix to build memory chip production facilities on U.S. soil. The two do not run memory operations in the U.S. Spea July 10, 2026

Hanwha QCells builds one of largest US renewable complexes SEOUL, July 10 (AJP) - Hanwha Solutions' QCells division has completed engineering, procurement and construction work on part of the Atlas Energy Park in Arizona, one of the largest renewable energy projects ever undertaken in the United States, and recently sold some of the assets. Located in La Paz County, the complex will comprise 14 solar and energy storage projects, with 2.8 gigawatts of solar generation and 5.7 gigawatt-hours of storage capacity due to come online by 2028. July 10, 2026

Korea pivots to U.S. warship market after Canada setback SEOUL, July 09 (AJP) - South Korea's shipbuilders wasted no time dwelling on their loss in Canada's multibillion-dollar submarine contest, shifting their focus to the far larger U.S. naval market as Presidents Lee Jae Myung and Donald Trump elevated shipbuilding cooperation to the highest political level. The issue featured prominently during a reception and dinner hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, wher July 9, 2026

Convenience store chain CU opens 600th store in Mongolia SEOUL, July 9 (AJP) - Convenience store chain CU has opened its 600th store in Mongolia, about eight years after entering the market, BGF Retail, which operates CU, said on Thursday. The 600th store, located in Bulgan province about 600 kilometers west of Ulaanbaatar, opened on June 26. Spanning about 281 square meters, it targets tourists and long-haul transport drivers. Unlike typical convenience stores, the store offers shower facilities for travelers, following a simi July 9, 2026

Naver poised to challenge Coupang on its specialty turf: logistics SEOUL, July 09 (AJP) - Naver, a distant No. 2 in South Korea's ecommerce market, is crossing into the one territory long dominated by Coupang as it prepares its first directly operated logistics network, abandoning the asset-light strategy that defined its shopping business for two decades. The move marks a wholesale reversal for the internet giant, which has long relied on outside partners to store, haul and deliver merchants' goods while focusing on search traffic and mark July 9, 2026

Rebellions targets Seoul IPO next year, weighs US listing SEOUL, July 09 (AJP) - South Korea's Rebellions, a Samsung-backed artificial intelligence chip startup, plans to list on the main KOSPI exchange in the first half of next year, seeking to ride surging investor appetite for AI hardware. The company aims to debut in the first or second quarter of 2027 and will complete all filing paperwork by year-end, though the final timing hinges on market conditions, CEO Park Sung-hyun said in an interview on Wednesday (local time). JP Morgan July 9, 2026

Police raid Kakao Pay over alleged leak of 40 million users' data to Alipay SEOUL, July 09 (AJP) - South Korean police have raided the headquarters of Kakao Pay over allegations that the fintech firm handed the personal data of about 40 million customers to Chinese payment service Alipay without their consent, escalating a probe that began in March. The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police's anti-corruption and economic crime unit searched Kakao Pay's offices in the Bundang district of Seongnam over two days on Monday and Tuesday, seizing digital record July 9, 2026

Hanwha Systems begins sea trials for self-developed unmanned vessel SEOUL, July 09 (AJP) - Hanwha Systems seeks to expand its presence in the global maritime unmanned systems market. A 30-ton unmanned surface vessel, developed with the company’s own investment, was successfully launched near Gadeok Bridge in Busan early last month and has begun sea trials while operating between Busan and Jangmok Port in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, the company said Thursday. Hanwha Systems said it is investing about 70 billion won ($46.5 million) to d July 9, 2026

Unionized workers at Hyundai Motor to stage three-day partial strike next week SEOUL, July 9 (AJP) - Unionized workers at Hyundai Motor are expected to stage a three-day partial strike next week unless they reach a deal in ongoing wage negotiations. The union on Wednesday voted to hold a two-hour strike each day from next Monday through Wednesday before joining a nationwide general strike led by the Korean Metal Workers' Union on the final day. The move came after the collapse of their 15th round of talks earlier in the day, during which the c July 9, 2026

SK AX rolls out full-stack robotics service to build self-running factories SEOUL, July 09 (AJP) - SK AX announced it is launching a full-stack robotics service designed to steer South Korean manufacturers toward autonomous factories that can sense, decide and act on their own. The push, branded "Manufacturing RX" for robot transformation, aims to tackle chronic labor shortages and sagging productivity on factory floors by knitting robots, manufacturing execution systems and equipment data into a single, self-directing operation. SK AX's se July 9, 2026