Middle East conflict squeezes Korean chip supply chain as helium shipments face disruption SEOUL, March 10 (AJP) - The widening Middle East conflict is beginning to bite into South Korea’s industrial supply chains, with the semiconductor sector facing growing concern over disruptions to helium shipments — a critical gas used in advanced chip manufacturing. The de facto disruption of shipping routes through the Persian Gulf has hit South Korea particularly hard given the country’s heavy reliance on Middle Eastern energy and industrial materials that fe March 10, 2026

USFK diverts air-defense assets to Middle East as Freedom Shield scales back  SEOUL, March 10 (AJP) - The United States has redeployed portions of its air-defense architecture from South Korea to the Middle East as tensions with Iran escalate, coinciding with this year's scaled-back Freedom Shield (FS) joint exercise. According to reports from the Washington Post and real-time flight tracking data, the Pentagon has shifted elements of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system out of South Korea while also drawing Patriot interceptor units fro March 10, 2026

Hormuz halt deepens crisis for Korea's petrochemical makers SEOUL, March 10 (AJP) - South Korea's petroleum refining and petrochemical industries are bracing for a deepening "compound crisis" as the Middle East war sends crude oil, naphtha and liquefied natural gas prices surging while new labor regulations threaten to complicate urgently needed restructuring. The prolonged conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran has sharply disrupted energy supply chains across Asia, with tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz March 10, 2026

Samsung Heavy secures new order for three crude oil tankers SEOUL, March 10 (AJP) - Samsung Heavy Industries has won an order for three crude oil tankers from a Bermuda-based shipowner, the shipbuilder said on Tuesday. The order, worth 400.1 billion Korean won (about US$290 million), is scheduled for delivery by February 2029. The deal brings the shipbuilder's cumulative orders for this year to 11 vessels worth $2.1 billion, reaching 15 percent of its annual target of $13.9 billion. By ship type, the orders consist of three lique March 10, 2026

Travel time suggests USFK assets may join Iran nuclear raid SEOUL, March 09 (AJP) - As Tehran remains defiant with the war entering its second week, intelligence signals suggest the United States and Israel are preparing for a potential special forces raid on Iranian nuclear facilities — an operation that could involve key air defense assets stationed in South Korea. Defense authorities in Seoul and Washington stressed Monday that the combined defense posture on the Korean Peninsula remains “ironclad,” regardless of any tac March 9, 2026

UAE airlifts Korean MSAM II interceptors as Gulf tensions rise SEOUL, March 09 (AJP) - South Korea has delivered more than 30 interceptor missiles for its Cheongung-II (M-SAM II) medium-range surface-to-air missile system to the United Arab Emirates ahead of schedule, as the Gulf state seeks to bolster its air defenses amid rising tensions with Iran. According to government sources, the UAE had requested early delivery of additional Cheongung-II batteries. Seoul reportedly found the request difficult to meet due to existing supply commitments March 9, 2026

Samsung union vote on strike to add memory supply concerns SEOUL, March 08 (AJP) - Unionized workers at Samsung Electronics on Monday begin a 10-day vote on whether to launch a strike, raising fresh concerns over chip supply at a time of surging demand for artificial-intelligence memory. The ballot, which runs from March 9 to 18, could pave the way for a joint protest next month and a full-scale strike from May 21 to June 7 if a majority of union members approve the action. The vote follows a breakdown in wage negotiations after the Na March 8, 2026

Hyundai JV Motional remains on track to put driverless taxi on roads this year SEOUL, March 08 (AJP) -Motional, the autonomous driving joint venture of Hyundai Motor Group, said it remains on track to launch its fully driverless robotaxi service in Las Vegas in the second half of 2026, reaffirming the commercialization timeline it first outlined in January. Laura Major, chief executive of Motional, reiterated the plan during an appearance on Hyundai Motor Group’s official podcast channel, Hyundai Now, where she outlined the company’s technological March 8, 2026

Asian carmakers risk collateral damage from prolonged Iran war: report SEOUL, March 08 (AJP) -Asian automakers, led by Chinese brands but also including Japan’s Toyota Motor Corporation and South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Company, could face the biggest fallout if the war triggered by U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran turns into a prolonged conflict, according to a report by Bernstein Research. In a recent report, the brokerage said the conflict could hit the global automotive sector through three main channels: collapsing vehicle demand in Ir March 8, 2026

EV slump hits hard: SK On slashes 37 percent of Georgia plant staff SEOUL, March 07 (AJP) - SK Battery America, the U.S. unit of South Korean battery maker SK On, has laid off 37 percent of the workforce at its Georgia plant, citing slowing electric vehicle (EV) sales and a shifting market landscape. The company announced on Saturday that it cut 968 jobs out of its 2,566 employees at the manufacturing facility in Commerce, Georgia. The restructuring comes as the global EV transition loses momentum. The plant, which supplies batteries to aut March 7, 2026