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Hanwha's stealth KAI stake signals opening salvo in battle for Korea's fighter SEOUL, March 25 (AJP) - The widening Gulf conflicts have caused disruption across markets but are simultaneously delivering a windfall for South Korea’s defense sector, galvanizing acquisition appetite around Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the country’s sole aircraft platform maker. Adding to its renewed strategic appeal, KAI rolled out its first mass-produced KF-21 Boramae fighter jet on Wednesday. Hanwha Aerospace disclosed in its latest business report that it March 25, 2026
SK hynix's AI windfall tests investor trust as ADR plan sparks backlash ICHEON, March 25 (AJP) - SK hynix’s meteoric rise on the back of the AI boom is now colliding with a growing backlash from retail investors, as its aggressive capital strategy exposes a widening gap between global ambition and shareholder returns. At its annual general meeting in Icheon on Wednesday, the chipmaker — now a critical supplier of High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) chips to Nvidia — faced unusually sharp criticism despite its record-breaking market performa March 25, 2026
Homegrown sub sets sail on historic trans-Pacific journey for naval exercise in Canada SEOUL, March 25 (AJP) - A 3,000-ton homegrown submarine embarked on a trans-Pacific voyage for the first time to take part in a joint naval exercise with Canada scheduled for June, the Navy said on Wednesday. Attended by over 300 naval officers and other representatives from both countries, a send-off event for the Dosan Ahn Chang-ho, was held at a port in Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province on Wednesday. Among them were Canadian Ambassador to Seoul Philippe Lafortune and British A March 25, 2026
GM commits $600 mln to South Korea plants, doubling down on small SUV hub SEOUL, March 25 (AJP) - General Motors announced it will invest $600 million in its South Korean operations to upgrade production facilities and sharpen its global competitiveness, cementing the country's role as a key manufacturing hub for small SUVs. The Detroit automaker said Wednesday the latest commitment of $300 million — earmarked for press machinery upgrades and plant modernization — builds on an equal investment announced in December 2025 for product enhance March 25, 2026
S.Korea says U.S. cleared sanctions risk on Russian naphtha imports amid Middle East supply crunch SEOUL, March 25 (AJP) - South Korea said it had secured confirmation from the U.S. Treasury Department that domestic companies face no secondary sanctions risk when purchasing Russian crude oil and petroleum products using non-dollar currencies, clearing a major hurdle to alternative supplies as the Strait of Hormuz blockade tightens its grip on energy flows. Yang Ki-wook, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources director-general of industrial resource security, said at a gover March 25, 2026
SK hynix files for US IPO listing SEOUL, March 25 (AJP) - SK hynix has begun taking steps for a U.S. stock-market listing, the chipmaker said on Wednesday. It filed for an initial public offering (IPO) with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) the previous day, seeking a listing on a U.S. stock market via American Depositary Receipts (ADRs). ADRs allow non-U.S. companies to trade their shares on U.S. stock exchanges through depositary banks rather than by listing shares directly, making it easier f March 25, 2026
Little-known Korean tanker bet pays off as Hormuz crisis turns VLCCs into liquid gold SEOUL, March 24 (AJP) - A little-known South Korean shipowner has emerged as one of the biggest winners of the Persian Gulf crisis, as a wartime chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz transforms oil tankers into highly profitable floating storage — and draws takeover interest from the world’s largest container carrier. Janggeum Maritime, the tanker arm of Sinokor Merchant Marine Group, has struck an investment deal with Geneva-based Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), under March 24, 2026
Samsung Electronics showcases joint HVAC solutions with newly acquired FläktGroup at MCE 2026 SEOUL, March 24 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics unveiled its latest heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) solutions jointly with FläktGroup at the MCE 2026 exhibition in Milan, Italy, on Tuesday. The event marks the first joint showcase since Samsung's acquisition of the climate control firm in November. Samsung is displaying a centralized HVAC system that connects FläktGroup's five indoor units with its own outdoor units, such as the DVM S2+, managed March 24, 2026
Gov't mulls export restrictions on naphtha amid supply disruptions SEOUL, March 24 (AJP) - The government is considering imposing restrictions on exports of naphtha amid supply shortages as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East drags on. At a press briefing at the government complex in the administrative city of Sejong on Tuesday, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said, "We are discussing with relevant ministries steps to take, which would include restrictions on exports and a ban on hoarding." Naphtha, a primary raw materia March 24, 2026
Beyond HBM: The next AI memory race is already underway DAEJEON, March 24 (AJP) - High bandwidth memory (HBM) is what enabled the current artificial intelligence boom, giving chips the speed needed to train large-scale models. But as AI shifts from training to real-world deployment, the industry is running into a different constraint — not speed, but scale. That shift is beginning to redefine the competitive landscape. The next phase of the AI chip race may hinge not on HBM itself, but on what comes after it: high bandwidth flas March 24, 2026