Industry

  • KAI-backed AI firm Meissa raises $7 million ahead of planned 2026 IPO
    KAI-backed AI firm Meissa raises $7 million ahead of planned 2026 IPO SEOUL, December 23 (AJP) - Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) said on Tuesday that Meissa, a drone- and satellite-based geospatial artificial intelligence company in which it is a strategic investor, has completed a 9.7 billion won ($7 million) pre-IPO equity financing round. The deal brings Meissa’s cumulative funding to 35 billion won, the company said, adding that the proceeds will be used to upgrade its business operations. Meissa is targeting an IPO in the second half o December 23, 2025
  • South Korea unveils roadmap to move chemical sector up global value chain
    South Korea unveils roadmap to move chemical sector up global value chain SEOUL, December 23 (AJP) - South Korea will revamp public-private research and development in its chemical industry to accelerate a shift toward higher value-added and environmentally friendly production, the government said on Tuesday, aiming to lift the sector’s global standing by 2030. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said it launched a chemical industry innovation alliance at a ceremony held at the Lotte Hotel in central Seoul, attended by representatives fro December 23, 2025
  • Korean Inc. leaders seeking large-scale trip to China in January
    Korean Inc. leaders seeking large-scale trip to China in January SEOUL, December 23 (AJP) -South Korea’s leading business leaders are seeking to visit China early next year as part of a large-scale economic delegation, a move that could coincide with a summit under discussion between President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to sources closed to the matter Monday. The delegation, expected to include Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, Myung Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun December 23, 2025
  • Lee Jae-yong reviews next-generation chip technologies at Samsung R&D and manufacturing hubs
    Lee Jae-yong reviews next-generation chip technologies at Samsung R&D and manufacturing hubs SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong visited the company's Giheung and Hwaseong semiconductor campuses on Monday to review research progress and manufacturing readiness for upcoming memory and system semiconductor technologies. Lee toured the NRD-K complex in Giheung, Samsung's advanced R&D hub dedicated to next-generation memory, foundry and system semiconductor development. The facility focuses on overcoming scaling limits in cutting-e December 22, 2025
  • Samsung HBM4 scores well with Nvidia, unnerving memory end users amid tight supply
    Samsung HBM4 scores well with Nvidia, unnerving memory end users amid tight supply SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics is poised to share next-generation high-bandwidth memory (HBM) orders for Nvidia’s upcoming Rubin artificial-intelligence accelerator with SK hynix, after earning strong evaluations in final sample testing by Nvidia, people familiar with the matter said. Samsung is said to have received one of the most favorable assessments in early system-in-package (SiP) validation for its HBM4, marking a sharp turnaround from earlier hurdles December 22, 2025
  • As won hovers at crisis-era levels, Seoul feels like the worlds most expensive city
    As won hovers at crisis-era levels, Seoul feels like the world's most expensive city SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - Headline inflation in South Korea remains anchored around the mid-2 percent range, but many households say daily life feels increasingly unaffordable, as a weak won erodes purchasing power and amplifies price pressures across imported goods. Seoul now "feels like the most expensive city in the world," ahead of Tokyo and London, according to a recent British Time Out survey that asked residents in 100 global cities to assess their cost of living. December 22, 2025
  • Hankook Tires Hungarian plant donates tires to local community
    Hankook Tire's Hungarian plant donates tires to local community SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - Hankook Tire & Technology said on Monday that its Hungary plant has donated 28,000 tires to local government bodies as well as nonprofit and charitable organizations under a corporate social responsibility initiative launched in 2012. The tire firm said said the initiative reflects the environmental, social and governance (ESG) management philosophy of the company and supports sustainable development in the Hungarian community. This year, the pl December 22, 2025
  • South Koreas Mirae Industries signs $7.5 million chip equipment supply deal
    South Korea's Mirae Industries signs $7.5 million chip equipment supply deal SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - Mirae Industries, a South Korean manufacturer of semiconductor back-end process equipment, said on Monday it has signed an additional supply contract worth $7.5 million with Unimos Micro Electronics for semiconductor inspection equipment. In a regulatory filing, the company said the contract is equivalent to 37.7 percent of its 27 billion won in revenue recorded last year. Mirae Industries said the latest order reflects the results of its efforts December 22, 2025
  • Korean Air, Asiana face fines for breaching merger conditions on seat supply
    Korean Air, Asiana face fines for breaching merger conditions on seat supply SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - South Korea’s antitrust regulator said on Monday it will impose penalties totaling 6.5 billion won ($5 million) on Korean Air and Asiana Airlines for violating merger-approval conditions that restrict sharp reductions in seat supply. The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said it will fine Korean Air 5.88 billion won and Asiana 580 million won for breaching a corrective order that bars the airlines from cutting annual seat supply to below 90 percent of December 22, 2025
  • South Koreas strategic oil reserves hit 100 million barrels
    South Korea's strategic oil reserves hit 100 million barrels SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - South Korea's strategic oil reserves have surpassed 100 million barrels for the first time, the government said on Monday. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said the final oil tanker carrying this year’s stockpiled crude arrived at the Korea National Oil Corp.’s storage base in Geoje, bringing state-held reserves to 100 million barrels. Privately held oil stockpiles stood at about 95 million barrels as of October. Combined p December 22, 2025