• 
  Vietnam stays South Korea's No. 3 trading partner for fourth year SEOUL, January 26 (AJP) - Vietnam remained South Korea’s third-largest trading partner for a fourth consecutive year as South Korean exports topped $700 billion for the first time last year, according to government and industry data released on Monday. Vietnam also generated South Korea’s second-largest trade surplus, after the United States. South Korea’s exports to Vietnam rose 7.6 percent from a year earlier to $62.8 billion in 2025, data from the Ministr January 26, 2026
• 
  Korean Air invests in drone startup to boost unmanned aircraft capabilities SEOUL, January 26 (AJP) - Korean Air has made a strategic investment in drone specialist Pablo Air, aiming to secure core unmanned-aircraft technologies and expand its presence beyond its traditional aviation business. The two companies signed a strategic equity investment agreement on Jan. 23 at Korean Air’s Seosomun office in central Seoul, according to Korean Air, Monday. Pablo Air specializes in swarm artificial intelligence technology, which allows multiple drones January 26, 2026
• 
  Korea's two largest chipmakers to report earnings and HBM plans on same day this week SEOUL, January 26 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, the world's two largest memory makers based in South Korea, are set to report record earnings on the same day - Thursday - this week in full display of the strength of the current semiconductor upcycle. Instead of numbers, the market would be watching what the leading chipmakers would reveal about their high-bandwidth memory (HBM) strategies and capacity plans during conference calls. It will be the first time January 26, 2026
• 
  Mom-and-pop businesses suffer brunt of economic slowdown SEOUL, January 25 (AJP) - The number of self-employed businesses stood at 5.62 million last year, down 38,000 from a year earlier, the National Data Agency said on Sunday. The figure fell for a second straight year and was also the largest decline since 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic hit the country. Mom-and-pop businesses declined by 75,000 in 2020 and 18,000 in 2021, then saw a gradual post-pandemic recovery of 119,000 in 2022 and 57,000 in 2023, only to fall again by 32, January 25, 2026
• 
  Coupang reasserts itself as US tech company amid claims of unfair treatment SEOUL, January 25 (AJP) - E-commerce giant Coupang stressed once again that it is a U.S. company. The top of its browser tab briefly displayed "Coupang: US Tech Company Redefining Global Commerce" on Saturday before returning to the previous version, though some web browsers were still displaying it. The tab now again displays its previous promotional message in Korean, highlighting its fast "rocket" delivery service as well as membership benefits and January 25, 2026
• 
  Korean airlines cancel 18 U.S. flights as powerful winter storm batters America SEOUL, January 24 (AJP) - Korean airlines have grounded 18 flights to the United States as a powerful winter storm sweeps across the central and eastern regions of the country, disrupting travel plans for thousands of passengers ahead of the weekend. Korean Air, Asiana Airlines and Air Premia announced the cancellations as of 2:30 p.m. Saturday, with disruptions expected to continue through Jan. 27 as the storm system intensifies. Korean Air bore the brunt of the disruptions, scr January 24, 2026
• 
  Hyundai union clashes with management over humanoid robot deployment SEOUL, January 24 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor Company's labor union has warned it will block the deployment of humanoid robots on production lines without prior agreement, escalating tensions over the automaker's plan to introduce Boston Dynamics' Atlas robots to its manufacturing operations. "Not a single robot can enter the production floor without labor-management agreement," the National Metal Workers' Union Hyundai Motor Company branch said in a newsletter o January 24, 2026
• 
  Foreign shoppers make cash registers ring at department stores amid weak won SEOUL, January 23 (AJP) - Amid concerns over soaring consumer prices due to the weaking won against the greenback, South Korea has become a destination for luxury goods among many overseas shoppers. Foreign tourists have been lining up outside department stores in central Seoul even before they open for days' business. According to industry data released on Friday, foreign sales at Shinsegae's main branch in downtown Seoul jumped 82 percent last year, while its Gangnam January 23, 2026
• 
  Korea tops Japan in exports, but growth engine overly reliant on chips SEOUL, Jan 23 (AJP) - East Asia emerged as the standout winner in global trade last year, with the region’s major exporters all setting new records as demand surged for artificial intelligence–related hardware. South Korea posted a record $709.5 billion in exports in 2025, up 3.8 percent from the previous year and overtaking Japan’s $696 billion in data released Thursday by Japan’s Ministry of Finance. It marked the first time South Korea surpassed Japan in January 23, 2026
• 
  Samsung Electro-Mechanics posts record revenue on AI, auto electronics demand SEOUL, January 23 (AJP) - South Korea's Samsung Electro-Mechanics said Friday growth in artificial intelligence and automotive electronics helped it post the highest annual revenue in its history last year. In a regulatory filing, the company reported consolidated revenue of 11.3 trillion won ($7.7 billion) and operating profit of 913.3 billion won. Revenue rose 10 percent from a year earlier to a record high, while operating profit climbed 24 percent. Fourth-quarter revenu January 23, 2026