• Naver expands healthcare portfolio with acquisition of cloud EMR firm Cenacle
    Naver expands healthcare portfolio with acquisition of cloud EMR firm Cenacle SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - Naver has acquired a controlling stake in cloud-based electronic medical records (EMR) company Cenacle as it accelerates its expansion into the digital healthcare sector. The acquisition price was not disclosed, and Naver said it ultimately aims for full ownership. Cenacle operates the cloud EMR platform “Orem Chart” and the patient health-management app “Clea,” serving clinics across internal medicine, pediatrics and other s November 26, 2025
  • South Korean petrochemical firms seek approval for major restructuring deal
    South Korean petrochemical firms seek approval for major restructuring deal SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - Lotte Chemical and HD Hyundai Chemical have submitted a preliminary review request for their planned merger of petrochemical facilities, South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said on Wednesday. This marks the first restructuring case to move forward under a government-led initiative to revive the struggling petrochemical sector. Both companies operate naphtha cracking facilities within the Daesan petrochemical complex in South Chungcheong November 26, 2025
  • Seoul wields strongest-yet rhetoric to reverse KRW slide toward historic lows
    Seoul wields strongest-yet rhetoric to reverse KRW slide toward historic lows SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - South Korea must establish a new management framework for the National Pension Service (NPS) — the world’s third-largest pension fund and a market force amplified by an aging population already accounting for 20 percent of the nation — as its outsized footprint increasingly shapes both the capital market and the Korean won’s plunge to record-weak levels, the country’s top financial chief warned Wednesday. In a rare press br November 26, 2025
  • LS Electric secures largest-ever power equipment deal in US
    LS Electric secures largest-ever power equipment deal in US SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - South Korea’s LS Electric said on Wednesday it has secured a $315 million contract to supply high-voltage transformers in North America, the largest deal in the company’s history. The agreement, signed with a major U.S. private utility, covers the delivery of 525-kilovolt transformers to renewable energy facilities across the southeastern U.S. through 2029. The equipment will serve as critical power sources for large data centers in the November 26, 2025
  • HBM chips are now edible in rare chipmaking collabo
    HBM chips are now edible in rare chipmaking collabo SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - Chips responsible for a quarter of South Korea’s exports are now edible — coated with honey and banana — thanks to a rare collaboration between convenience-store chain 7-Eleven and memory behemoth SK hynix. The new 7-Select Honey Banana Flavor snack plays on this year’s buzzword, HBM (high bandwidth memory) — the ultra-fast DRAM that powers Nvidia chips and other AI accelerators, and which accounts for about 70 November 26, 2025
  • SK Telecom teams up with Samsung for commercialization of 6G network
    SK Telecom teams up with Samsung for commercialization of 6G network SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - South Korea’s SK Telecom said on Wednesday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Samsung Electronics to jointly develop next-generation mobile technology, focusing on AI-based radio access networks (AI RAN) to support the eventual commercialization of 6G. Under the partnership, research will be jointly carried out by SK Telecom’s network technology division and Samsung Research. SK Telecom will contribute data and infrastructure November 26, 2025
  • South Koreas HJ Heavy wins flood control project in Philippines
    South Korea's HJ Heavy wins flood control project in Philippines SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - South Korea’s HJ Heavy Industries said on Wednesday it has been selected by the Philippine Department of Public Works and Highways to lead the Tagum flood control project, a contract valued at about $76 million. The project is designed to address long-standing flooding in Tagum City in Davao del Norte through the construction of levees and bridges, as well as dredging and widening of local rivers. The work is scheduled to take 48 months from comm November 26, 2025
  • IMF urges Korea to raise retirement age, delay pension payouts
    IMF urges Korea to raise retirement age, delay pension payouts SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - The International Monetary Fund has recommended that South Korea raise its statutory retirement age to 65 and delay the start of public pension benefits to 68, according to a report posted on the IMF’s website. Citing OECD research, the Fund said the proposed changes could lift total employment by about 14 percent and increase GDP by 12 percent by 2070. The IMF said adjusting the retirement and pension system is essential to ensure long-term f November 26, 2025
  • S. Korea sets 2027 target for full autonomous vehicle commercialization
    S. Korea sets 2027 target for full autonomous vehicle commercialization SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - South Korea will make large-scale investments in autonomous vehicles and artificial intelligence as part of a broader strategy to accelerate the country’s transition to an innovation-driven economy, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol said on Wednesday. Speaking at an economic strategy meeting in Sejong, Koo said the government aims to commercialize fully autonomous vehicles by 2027 and elevate South Korea into the world&rsqu November 26, 2025
  • South Korea to transfer retired submarine to Poland as part of naval cooperation
    South Korea to transfer retired submarine to Poland as part of naval cooperation SEOUL, November 26 (AJP) - South Korea will transfer the decommissioned Jang Bogo submarine to Poland at no cost by the end of this year, according to multiple military sources. The donated submarine would give Poland a stop-gap training platform for submarine crews, enabling familiarization with submarine operations and maintenance ahead of the next-generation vessels. The submarine represented the Republic of Korea Navy’s first generation of post-Cold War submarines. November 26, 2025