Korean appliance makers price in potential Middle East setback SEOUL, March 04 (AJP) - South Korean home appliance makers are bracing for potential disruption from the widening conflict in the Middle East and the choking-off of the critical shipping corridor, the Strait of Hormuz — just as the region had begun to emerge as a fresh growth market for Korean brands. The escalation has raised concerns among producers that renewed interest in Korean consumer brands across the region — fueled partly by the broader K-wave — could March 4, 2026

Hyundai, Kia post all-time sales record in US SEOUL, March 4 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia set an all-time sales record in the U.S. last month thanks to strong demand for midsize-to-large SUVs and hybrid models. Their combined sales stood at 137,412 vehicles in February - 71,407 units for Hyundai and 66,005 for Kia - up about 5.7 percent and 4.3 percent, respectively, from a year earlier. Hyundai posted its best-ever sales for the month, extending a streak of monthly records for the third straight month since l March 4, 2026

Korean industry minister flies to Canada after Team Korea submits bid for submarine deal SEOUL, March 04 (AJP) -South Korea’s industry minister will head to Canada this week to lend a final push to Team Korea’s bid for Ottawa’s multibillion-dollar submarine program, as Seoul throws its weight behind a national effort to secure one of the world’s largest naval procurement deals. Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan is scheduled to depart Thursday for Canada to support a South Korean consortium competing for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP March 4, 2026

Inside MWC 2026: Korean tech titans redefine the 'Physical AI' and data frontier SEOUL, March 04 (AJP) - South Korean telecommunications giants and global infrastructure leaders are shifting the paradigm of artificial intelligence at MWC 2026, moving beyond digital chatbots toward "Physical AI" and hyper-efficient data architectures. LG Uplus: From voice to humanoid action LG Uplus (LGU+) unveiled its vision for Physical AI, integrating its proprietary AI call agent, ixi-O, with humanoid robotics. Unlike traditional voice assistants, ixi-O is de March 4, 2026

UPDATE: Korea's factory output turns negative in Jan on reduced chip activity **Additional data information added** SEOUL, Mar 04 (AJP) - South Korea’s factory output turned negative for the first time in three months in January on slower semiconductor and construction activity, underlining the fragility of the economic recovery as the year-end base effect faded. Mining and manufacturing output fell 1.3 percent in January from the previous month — the first decline since October, according to data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Da March 4, 2026

Middle East Crisis: Chipmakers unworried, investors disagree SEOUL, March 03 (AJP) - South Korean memory producers do not expect the flare-up in the Middle East to disrupt their unprecedented upcycle, with DRAM prices projected to nearly double in the first quarter from the prior three-month period that already delivered record chip profits. Market tracker TrendForce recently forecast a 90–95 percent quarter-over-quarter surge in conventional DRAM contract prices for the first quarter, driven by sustained artificial intelligence (AI) March 3, 2026

Middle East Crisis: Korean industries grapple with renewed oil shock SEOUL, March 03 (AJP) - The widening Middle East crisis, triggered by U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran and Tehran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz, is poised to ripple across South Korea's industrial landscape — compounding pressure on the struggling petrochemical sector while opening fresh prospects for defense exporters. The joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran, launched on Feb. 28, killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and triggered retaliatory Iranian missile March 3, 2026

Samsung showcases AI-powered devices at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona SEOUL, March 3 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics has been showcasing artificial intelligence (AI)-based network services and other technologies at this year's Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, which kicked off on Monday. The electronics giant set up a large booth at the Fira Gran Via, the venue of the annual tech expo, featuring its flagship Galaxy phone series and highlighting its aim to offer customers services beyond mobile devices while expanding into a broader ec March 3, 2026

Boston Dynamics IPO emerges as pivotal card in Hyundai Motor governance overhaul SEOUL, March 02 (AJP) -The long-running governance overhaul of South Korea's top automobile conglomerate Hyundai Motor Group could finally gain traction as a potential initial public offering of its robotics unit Boston Dynamics moves closer to reality. The automaker officially maintains that “no plans have been set,” but industry observers say preparations for a possible Nasdaq listing are increasingly visible behind the scenes. More importantly, the IPO is wi March 2, 2026

South Korea's February exports surge 29% to record high on semiconductor boom SEOUL, March 01 (AJP) - South Korea's exports jumped 29.0 percent in February from a year earlier to $67.45 billion, marking the highest tally for the month on record, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Sunday. The result was especially striking given that the Seollal, or Lunar New Year, cut working days by three compared with the same month last year, a factor that typically weighs on shipment volumes. On a daily average basis, exports soared 49.3 percent to $3.55 March 1, 2026