Hyundai flags Europe drag as sales target comes under pressure SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) -Shares of Hyundai Motor have nearly halved from their June peak entering the second half, and the automaker on Thursday signaled its annual sales target could come under pressure as weak European demand offsets resilient profitability. South Korea's largest automaker reported an operating profit of 2.851 trillion won ($1.94 billion) for the April-June period, down 20.8 percent from a year earlier, even as revenue rose 1.9 percent to a record 49.21 July 23, 2026

Chinese shipbuilder delivers world's first solar-powered carrier to Korea SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - A Chinese shipbuilder has delivered what it says is the world’s first 10,000-car-class vehicle carrier equipped with a solar power system to South Korea, Chinese state media reported Thursday. Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) recently held an online signing ceremony with China Shipbuilding Trading Co. to deliver the vessel to Korea Ocean Business Corp. (KOBC), according to Chinese media outlets including the Global Times. The vessel is a liquefi July 23, 2026

Samsung union weighs voluntary donation of bonus to social causes SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics' largest labor union is considering a voluntary program allowing employees to donate a portion of their special performance bonuses to social causes, according to an internal union notice. The Samsung Group Super Enterprise Labor Union said the proposal, which was recently shared with its policy committee, is expected to be announced alongside guidance on special bonuses in the third or fourth quarter. Under the proposal, emplo July 23, 2026

Korea Coast Guard trains pilots to ease shortage SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - The Korea Coast Guard has produced its first group of helicopter pilots through an in-house training program, part of an effort to address a chronic shortage of aviation personnel that has strained maritime rescue and patrol operations. The KCG held a graduation ceremony for the first class of its helicopter pilot training program at Hanseo University’s Taean campus on Thursday. The four graduates — Inspectors Kim Gyu-beom and Cho Hee-young, and July 23, 2026

S. Korea cracks down on 26 firms over false diet food ads SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said it had referred 26 companies for administrative penalties and filed criminal complaints against them for marketing diet products with false or exaggerated claims, in a scheme that moved about 600,000 units worth 11.5 billion won. The companies promoted 30 products, only eight of which were licensed as health functional foods, the ministry said at a briefing on Thursday. The remaining 22 were ordinary food July 23, 2026

Samsung, Hyundai chiefs join Nvidia-led global AI forum advisory board SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group chairman Chung Eui-sun have joined the advisory board of a global artificial intelligence (AI) forum led by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, U.S. digital media outlet Semafor reported on Wednesday. Along with more than 40 industry leaders including Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, Sony Group CEO Hiroki Totoki, and Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser, Lee and Chung were named to the advisory board for the inaugural July 23, 2026

Hyundai Motor's Q2 operating profit falls 21% despite record sales SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) — Hyundai Motor, South Korea's largest automaker, suffered 20-percent dip in second-quarter operating profit even as quarterly revenue hit a record high, as weaker sales volume, higher costs, and an unfavorable product mix outweighed favorable currency effects. Operating profit for the April-June period came in at 2.851 trillion won, down 20.8 percent from a year earlier and slightly below market consensus, though up 13.4 percent from the first quart July 23, 2026

Samsung's 8-year-old foldables evolve for every need SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - Foldables in their eighth generation have come of age, arriving in different shapes and forms tailored to different user needs with the artificial intelligence at the center of the experience, according to Samsung Electronics, the pioneer of foldable smartphones. At a media briefing held in central Seoul on Thursday, a day after Galaxy Unpacked in London, executives from the company's Mobile eXperience (MX) division walked journalists through the newly u July 23, 2026

Korea's battery trio turns corner on ESS boom SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - South Korea's three largest battery makers are seen to have bottomed out in the second quarter as AI boom-led energy storage demand and renewed appetite for EVs from Gulf conflict-induced oil price turbulence pulled them out of a near two-year slump. The reversal of fortune has most benefited Samsung SDI, the underdog among the trio, with analysts expecting it to return to an operating profit for the first time in seven quarters. That would end a losing st July 23, 2026

Samsung says foldables have arrived — now AI is the real race SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics said foldable smartphones have entered the mainstream, shifting the competitive battleground from hardware form factors to artificial intelligence as it expands its Galaxy Z8 lineup and pushes agentic AI across its device ecosystem. Speaking to reporters after Galaxy Unpacked in London, TM Roh, Samsung Electronics' chief executive and head of the Mobile eXperience (MX) division, said the newly unveiled Galaxy Z8 series marked a new st July 23, 2026