South Korea posts record early-April exports despite Middle East crisis SEOUL, April 13 (AJP) - Despite geopolitical risks amid the prolonged conflict in the Middle East, South Korea posted its highest-ever exports for the first 10 days of this month, driven by strong demand for semiconductor chips. According to data from the Korea Customs Service (KCS) released on Monday, exports during the period from the first day of April to last Friday totaled US$25.21 billion, up 36.7 percent from a year earlier, surpassing the previous record for the same period, April 13, 2026

Kia's fully facelifted Seltos leads small SUV market last month SEOUL, April 13 (AJP) - Kia sold 4,983 units of its Seltos in the domestic market last month, the most in the small sports utility vehicle (SUV) segment for March, according to sales figures released by its parent company Hyundai Motor on Monday. Kia gave the Seltos its first major facelift in six years, giving it a bolder, more angular look in line with the brand's overall lineup, along with improved convenience and safety features. The popular SUV has held the top spot in its April 13, 2026

S. Korea secures 80 pct of May crude needs without tapping reserves, minister says SEOUL, April 12 (AJP) - South Korea has secured about 80 percent of its crude oil import needs for May and expects to weather the ongoing supply disruptions triggered by the Middle East conflict, Minister of Trade, Industry and Resources Kim Jung-kwan said. Kim said the volume of crude oil locked in for May had risen by 10 percentage points from the previous week, bolstered by private-sector stockpiles held by domestic refiners. "We believe we can get through April and May w April 12, 2026

EcoPro secures C$6 mln from Canada to develop all-solid-state battery materials SEOUL, April 12 (AJP) - South Korean battery materials maker EcoPro said it has secured 6 million Canadian dollars (about $4.3 million) in research funding from Canada's federal government to develop lithium metal anode technology for next-generation all-solid-state batteries. The grant, awarded to EcoPro Lithium — a unit of subsidiary EcoPro Innovation — falls under Ottawa's Energy Innovation Program, which aims to bolster domestic battery supply chains. EcoPro April 12, 2026

Hanwha's capital playbook under scrutiny as FSS halts Solutions' rights offering SEOUL, April 10 (AJP) - South Korea’s financial regulator has put the brakes a 2.4 trillion won ($1.7 billion) rights offering by Hanwha Solutions, in a move that is drawing attention to the group’s broader capital-raising practices and governance structure. The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) on April 9 ordered the company to revise its securities filing, citing incomplete formal requirements and insufficient or unclear disclosure of key information that could hin April 10, 2026

Seoul readying to redraw energy map with Hormuz substitutes in postwar order SEOUL, April 10 (AJP) - It remains uncertain whether — or how — the war will wind down and the Strait of Hormuz will fully reopen after U.S.-Iran negotiations in Pakistan on Saturday. But one thing is already clear: access to the strategic waterway along Iran and Oman will not return to what it was. Against those odds — and the rising cost burden — Seoul is moving to rethink its energy routes. A presidential envoy mission to Kazakhstan, Oman and Saudi Arabia April 10, 2026

Hyundai unveils two Ioniq concepts in Beijing SEOUL, April 10 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor's two concept cars for electric vehicles have been unveiled at a three-day event in Beijing, the automaker said on Friday. The event, which kicked off last Tuesday, was held to mark the launch of its flagship Ioniq brand in the world's most populous country. Stressing that it has "invested years in preparing" the brand to meet the demand and tastes of Chinese customers, it explained that Ioniq "evolves beyond a traditional April 10, 2026

K9 howitzers expand in Europe with additional orders from Finland SEOUL, April 10 (AJP) -South Korea will export an additional 112 K9 self-propelled howitzers to Finland under a government-to-government (G2G) deal valued at 546 million euros ($634 million), marking a follow-up order from the Nordic country after its initial purchase in 2017. The agreement was signed in Helsinki between the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, representing the Korean government, and Finland’s defense ministry, according to the Defense Acquisition Progra April 10, 2026

Korean chipmakers push long-term deals as AI demand overrides cycle SEOUL, April 09 (AJP) - The memory chip market is behaving less like a cycle and more like a contract. South Korea’s Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are moving to lock in multi-year supply agreements as artificial intelligence demand strengthens their leverage over pricing and terms. Memory has long been one of the most volatile segments of the semiconductor industry, with Random Access Memory (RAM) prices prone to sharp swings. But the rapid expansion of AI infrastruct April 9, 2026

HD Hyundai Heavy builds first ammonia-powered vessel, signaling shift in green shipping fuel race SEOUL, April 09 (AJP) - HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has built the world’s first ammonia-powered gas carriers, marking a significant step toward commercializing next-generation eco-friendly vessels. According to shipbuilding industry sources Thursday, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries held a naming ceremony at its Ulsan shipyard for two 46,000-cubic-meter medium-sized gas carriers equipped with dual-fuel engines. The vessels are designed to run on ammonia and liquefied petroleum gas April 9, 2026