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  UPDATE: Samsung Electronics retains memory leadership amid AI boom in bumper Q1 * Updated with additional information SEOUL, April 30 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics retained its memory leadership in a bumper first quarter, generating its strongest three-month performance to beat expectations and local rival SK hynix, as the AI-driven gold rush fueled demand for both premium DRAM and flash memory, its final earnings report showed Thursday. The Device Solutions (DS) division set quarterly records for both top and bottom lines, earning 53.7 trillion won ($39.2 b April 30, 2026
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  (UPDATE) March factory output sharply eases in Korea as Hormuz shock ripples *Updated with additional information and market response. SEOUL, April 30 (AJP) — South Korea’s manufacturing and investment activity slowed sharply in March as supply disruptions from the Middle East’s key energy waterway began to weigh on the import-dependent economy in the first month of the war, data showed Thursday. According to March industrial activity data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics, mining and manufacturing output eked out a 0.3 percent ga April 30, 2026
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  Naver posts 16% revenue jump as AI-driven growth accelerates in Q1 SEOUL, April 30 (AJP) - Naver reported a 16.3 percent rise in first-quarter revenue, buoyed by robust demand for AI-integrated services and a sharp uptick in its consumer-to-consumer commerce business. The company reported through regulatory filings Thursday that consolidated revenue for the January to March period climbed to 3.24 trillion won ($2.17 billion), while operating profit edged up 7.2 percent to 541.8 billion won, as heavier infrastructure spending to bolster AI capabilit April 30, 2026
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  KAIST researchers develop biodegradable farming film from fallen leaves SEOUL, April 30 (AJP) - Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have developed a biodegradable agricultural mulching film using fallen leaves collected from campus grounds and nearby riverbanks. The development offers a potential solution to soil pollution caused by conventional plastic films, the institute said Thursday. Agricultural mulching films are used to suppress weeds and maintain soil moisture. However, most commercial films are made of polye April 30, 2026
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  Trump's hint of troop rollback in Germany likely to worry Seoul, Tokyo SEOUL, April 30 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said Washington is reviewing a possible reduction of American troops in Germany, a brief one-sentence warning that could have wider repercussions across the Pacific, including in South Korea, where large-scale U.S. military deployments underpin regional security. “The United States is studying and reviewing the possible reduction of troops in Germany, with a determination to be made over the next short period of April 30, 2026
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  Seoul, Tokyo echo self-defense amid U.S. distraction in Gulf SEOUL, April 29 (AJP) - Self-sufficiency has shifted from a strategic choice to an absolute necessity for U.S. allies in East Asia. As American military resources become increasingly overextended in the Middle East, leaders in South Korea and Japan have begun harmonizing their rhetoric, placing a renewed emphasis on independent self-defense capabilities. During a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, President Lee Jae Myung delivered a lecture on the imperative of national self-reliance. & April 29, 2026
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  China's maritime push emboldens, raising strategic stakes in Korean waters SEOUL, April 29 (AJP) - China’s naval activity across Asian waters — including areas off the Korean Peninsula — has surged markedly, according to data obtained by a South Korean lawmaker, raising questions over the intent behind the sudden uptick. Chinese aircraft carriers entered waters under South Korean jurisdiction eight times in 2025, the highest annual figure since the Joint Chiefs of Staff began compiling such data in 2020, the office of People Power Party R April 29, 2026
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  KOSPI rebounds to fresh high, shrugging off AI jitters SEOUL, April 29 (AJP) - Korea’s benchmark KOSPI stood out in Asia on Wednesday, closing at a fresh record high after rebounding from early losses driven by concerns over the sustainability of the artificial intelligence-driven rally. The KOSPI rose 0.8 percent to close at 6,690.90, after hitting a low of 6,596.03 throughout the trading session. The index later reversed course to hit today's high of 6,702.38, highlighting resilient buying momentum despite external headwin April 29, 2026
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  Hyundai flags battery subscription to spark EV boom from high fuel cost SEOUL, April 29 (AJP) - Contrary to the expectation that the Gulf-triggered energy crisis could renew the appetite for "plugging in," EV demand remains subdued. South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group hopes to make the choice easier through a novel concept: lending battery chargers and subscriptions. Energy costs have climbed sharply amid the prolonged conflict between the United States and Iran. In Korea, gasoline prices rose from 1,819.2 won per liter in the fourth April 29, 2026
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  Appeals court increases ex-president's martial law-related sentence to 7 years SEOUL, April 29 (AJP) - Former President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to seven years in prison on Wednesday over one of several charges related to his botched martial law debacle as an appeals court stiffened the initial five-year sentence handed down in January. In a televised verdict, the Seoul High Court in southern Seoul found him guilty of obstructing official duties, fabricating official documents, and other charges related to his declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024. April 29, 2026