SK Telecom to invest 738 billion won in SK hynix's US AI arm SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) - SK Telecom said it will commit about 738.4 billion won ($77.3 million) to SK hynix's new US-based artificial intelligence investment company, deepening the broader SK Group's push to build a foothold across the AI value chain. In a regulatory filing submitted to South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service on Thursday, the country's largest wireless carrier said its board had approved a subscription agreement to acquire new shares in SK hynix NA June 26, 2026

Naver launches AI-powered conversational search for all users SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) - Naver said it had rolled out its generative AI-driven conversational search service "AI Tab" to all users, replacing the familiar green dot icon that has long anchored the search homepage of South Korea's dominant web portal. The launch announced Friday puts the agentic search tool within reach of the roughly 50 million daily visitors to Naver's main page, who can now tap the AI Tab button on both mobile and PC search bars. The firm explai June 26, 2026

Samsung Elec expected to unveil over $600B 10-yr capex plan in Korea SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) -Samsung Electronics, foreseeing over $550 billion in profits across this and next year on an exceptional AI-related chip boom, is expected to pledge over $600 billion in investments to reinforce AI infrastructure in South Korea over the next 10 years. The colossal investment plan — tantamount to nearly half of the country's annual gross domestic product — was outlined during a meeting between President Lee Jae Myung and Samsung Group Chairman Le June 26, 2026

Korean Air to absorb Asiana, launch new carrier Dec. 17 SEOUL, June 25 (AJP) - South Korea’s transport ministry has conditionally approved the merger of Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, clearing the way for the country’s two largest full-service carriers to launch an integrated airline on Dec. 17. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Thursday it had completed its review of Korean Air’s application to merge with its subsidiary Asiana under the Aviation Business Act. The two airlines signed a merger a June 25, 2026

S. Korea to retain conscription while expanding tech-focused NCO track SEOUL, June 25 (AJP) - A stable career in high-tech military service is the incentive South Korea is dangling to attract young people as it grapples with a shrinking pool of military recruits while facing a persistently hostile North Korea. The outline is to retain the country's decades-old mandatory military service system while giving military-age men greater choice between serving as enlisted conscripts and pursuing a longer-term, technology-focused noncommissioned officer (N June 25, 2026

Strike looms at Hyundai Motor after mediation fails SEOUL, June 25 (AJP) -The labor union of South Korea's largest automaker, Hyundai Motor Co., secured the legal right to strike on Thursday after labor authorities suspended mediation in the company's wage negotiations, raising another labor risk at a major industrial workplace following Samsung Electronics. According to Hyundai Motor and its union, the National Labor Relations Commission decided to suspend mediation in the dispute, concluding that the gap between labor and June 25, 2026

Korea's Arirang 6 satellite delayed again SEOUL, June 25 (AJP) - South Korea has pushed back the launch of its Arirang 6 Earth observation satellite to at least the second quarter of 2027, a fresh delay that leaves the 370 billion won ($239.8 million) spacecraft grounded for a fifth straight year. The satellite, an all-weather imaging-radar craft capable of distinguishing objects as small as 50 centimeters day or night, was due to fly this year aboard Europe's Vega-C rocket. Development delays in a co-passenger satellit June 25, 2026

KMU forum tells leaders AI era needs more humanity, not less SEOUL, June 25 (AJP) - Kookmin University's Graduate School of Business gathered academics, executives, and coaches in Seoul on June 19 for its third annual Leadership and Coaching Conference, where the central argument was direct: as artificial intelligence takes over more analytical and operational work, the distinctly human dimensions of leadership matter more, not less. The timing reflects a live tension running through South Korean corporate life. According to Microsoft&# June 25, 2026

Hormuz or not, Korea's petrochemicals glut is far from over SEOUL, June 25 (AJP) - South Korea's petrochemical makers, forgotten and forgiven under the silicon windfall, are biding time with their promised capacity cuts still unfinished while the Middle East drags on and the country's single largest petrochemical project prepares to flood the market with fresh supply. Chinese overcapacity has been swamping Asia with cheap basic chemicals, with or without disruption from the Middle East and stranded shipments at the Strait of Hormuz c June 25, 2026

Think tank upbeat on growth outlook but cautions over chip-driven, uneven recovery SEOUL, June 25 (AJP) - South Korea's economy is projected to recover this year, with growth estimated at 2.7 percent, a think tank said on Thursday. The positive economic outlook came at a seminar in Seoul hosted by the Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI), affiliated with the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI). Lee Seung-seok, a senior researcher at the KERI forecast that the country's economy is expected to grow 2.7 percent this year, rebounding from 1.1 perc June 25, 2026