Industry

  • Kia successfully tests remote driving on public roads
    Kia successfully tests remote driving on public roads SEOUL, November 27 (AJP) - Kia has become the first South Korean automaker to successfully demonstrate remote driving on public roads. Remote driving allows a vehicle without a driver to be operated from a control center via 4G and 5G mobile networks. Considered a near-term solution compared with fully autonomous systems, the technology can intervene when self-driving functions fail and is drawing growing interest for applications in car-sharing, logistics and mobility support i November 27, 2025
  • Naver plays down Nasdaq talk as it moves to absorb crypto exchange Dunamu
    Naver plays down Nasdaq talk as it moves to absorb crypto exchange Dunamu SEOUL, November 27 (AJP) - Naver has pushed back on speculation that its fintech arm could seek a Nasdaq listing after absorbing Dunamu, operator of South Korea's largest cryptocurrency exchange Upbit, as it must address regulatory hurdles before taking the big step. "We have no confirmed plans to pursue a Nasdaq listing for Naver Financial at this time," CEO Choi Soo-yeon said Thursday at a press briefing at Naver's headquarters in Seongnam. "Even if we c November 27, 2025
  • South Korean food firms tap K-beauty boom for new growth
    South Korean food firms tap K-beauty boom for new growth SEOUL, November 27 (AJP) - South Korean food companies are accelerating their push into cosmetics and “inner beauty” products as slowing consumption and rising costs squeeze margins in their core businesses. The globally recognized K-beauty sector — supported by steady global demand and a strong manufacturing base — is emerging as an attractive diversification route. Industry sources say hy has expanded its probiotics research into skincare, developing November 27, 2025
  • South Koreas Upbit reports $31 million crypto theft
    South Korea's Upbit reports $31 million crypto theft SEOUL, November 27 (AJP) - Upbit, South Korea’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, said Thursday that digital assets worth about $31 million were stolen in an early-morning security breach, marking the platform’s most serious incident since its major hack six years ago. Operator Dunamu said the breach was detected around 4:40 a.m., when assets on the Solana network were transferred to an unauthorized wallet. The stolen holdings include Solana (SOL) and 23 othe November 27, 2025
  • South Korea unveils new guidelines to boost foreign investor entry into stock market
    South Korea unveils new guidelines to boost foreign investor entry into stock market SEOUL, November 27 (AJP) - South Korea’s Financial Services Commission (FSC) on Thursday unveiled new guidelines for foreign omnibus accounts, aiming to streamline market access for overseas investors and attract additional capital inflows. Omnibus accounts allow foreign institutions to trade and settle Korean equities without opening individual accounts for each client — a structure similar to how South Korean investors trade U.S. stocks. The country’s first s November 27, 2025
  • BOK holds base rate at 2.50%, bond yields jump as markets price in end of easing
    BOK holds base rate at 2.50%, bond yields jump as markets price in end of easing SEOUL, November 27 (AJP) - The Bank of Korea kept the base rate unchanged at 2.50 percent at its final monetary policy meeting of 2025 on Thursday and signaled that the latest easing cycle may be nearing an end as a persistently weak won fans inflation while simultaneously eroding household purchasing power. Governor Rhee Chang-yong said the decision was “almost unanimous,” with five of the six board members voting for a freeze due to heightened foreign-exchange volati November 27, 2025
  • Naver Financial, Dunamu vow to seize global market with AI-Web3 synergy
    Naver Financial, Dunamu vow to seize global market with AI-Web3 synergy SEOUL, November 27 (AJP) - Naver Financial and cryptocurrency exchange operator Dunamu on Thursday declared their intent to dominate the global digital finance landscape by fusing artificial intelligence with blockchain technology, as the two Korean tech powerhouses formalize their corporate alliance. Top executives from Naver, Naver Financial and Dunamu gathered at Naver's second headquarters in Seongnam to unveil their vision a day after approving a merger that brings Upbit op November 27, 2025
  • BOK holds year-end key rate at 2.5%, ups growth forecast to 1.0%
    BOK holds year-end key rate at 2.5%, ups growth forecast to 1.0% SEOUL, November 27 (AJP) - As widely expected, the Bank of Korea kept its base rate unchanged at 2.5 percent on Thursday in its final policy meeting of 2025, reflecting policy bind amid waning appeal of Korean debt and assets with the Korean won at crisis-level weakest. The freeze signals the Korean central bank's decision to stay on the sidelines while hoping for greater policy maneuvering room should the U.S. Federal Reserve cut its benchmark rate again in December. Monetar November 27, 2025
  • The hidden engine of Nuris success: HD Hyundai Heavys ground launch system
    The hidden engine of Nuri's success: HD Hyundai Heavy's ground launch system SEOUL, November 27 (AJP) - When South Korea’s Nuri rocket lifted off before dawn on Thursday, attention naturally turned to the spacecraft streaking into the sky. But the success of the launch was rooted firmly on the ground — specifically, in the complex launch system engineered and operated by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries. For the fourth mission in a row, the country’s largest shipbuilder played a pivotal but largely unseen role in enabling one of South Korea& November 27, 2025
  • South Koreas Hyundai Glovis secures $720 million LNG transport contract
    South Korea's Hyundai Glovis secures $720 million LNG transport contract SEOUL, November 27 (AJP) - Hyundai Glovis said on Thursday it has signed a long-term liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipping contract worth about 960 billion won ($720 million) with a major global trading company, marking one of the largest gas-transport deals in the company’s portfolio. The contract, which runs for up to 15 years, will be serviced by a newly built 174,000-cubic-meter LNG carrier — a vessel large enough to transport more than half of South Korea’s November 27, 2025