Kia to Retire Granbird After 60 Years as Chinese EV Buses and Emissions Rules Squeeze Korea's Last Diesel Coach Maker
Kia will discontinue its Granbird large bus within 1-2 years, ending a 60-year legacy as Chinese EV buses and emissions rules make the diesel coach unprofitable.
IMM PE Seals ₩1.11 Trillion Deal to Take 80% of CGBio, Betting on USD 1.6 Billion in U.S. Medical Device Sales
South Korea Jumps to 21st in IMD World Competitiveness, Second-Highest Ever as Business Efficiency Surges 10 Spots
South Korea climbed six spots to 21st among 70 economies in the 2026 IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, its second-highest result ever, driven by a 10-place surge in business efficiency and a rise to 15th in infrastructure.
LG Chem Partners with UK's LabGenius to Halve Cancer Antibody Discovery Timeline, Eyes Triple-Digit Milestones
LG Chem and UK-based LabGenius Therapeutics have signed a multi-year collaboration to develop AI-designed cancer antibodies using the EVA platform, with potential triple-digit million USD milestones.
POSCO International Seals ₩1.3 Trillion Indonesia Palm Bet With PT.PAR Launch, Targets Double Profit
POSCO International formally launched PT Prime Agri Resources in Jakarta on June 18, completing its palm oil value chain across 154,000 hectares in Indonesia and targeting double operating profit in 2026.
Korean Banks' JoongAng Group Exposure Tops ₩800 Billion as Receivership Tests Record Earnings
Five JoongAng Group units, including JTBC, sought court rehabilitation after a ₩700 billion sports-broadcast-rights bet went wrong. Hana Bank holds the largest exposure at ₩307 billion; analysts project limited provisioning impact on Korean lenders.
U.S. Poised to Scrap Biosimilar’s ‘Interchangeable’ Hurdle — Celltrion and Samsung Bioepis Stand to Gain Most
The bipartisan Biosimilar Red Tape Elimination Act (S.1954) and parallel FDA guidance would cut Korean drug makers’ development costs 70–90% and shorten timelines by up to four years.
Gaon Cable's U.S. Busduct Backlog Tops ₩5 Trillion as AI Data Center Deals Drive 2026 Orders to Double
LS Cable subsidiary Gaon Cable has amassed ₩5 trillion in U.S. AI data center busduct contracts via LSCUS, with 2026 orders set to double to ₩200 billion ($131M) as gen-AI firms join its customer base.
SK Hynix Ships HBM4E 12-High Samples, Defends HBM Lead
SK Hynix has shipped 12-layer HBM4E samples running at 16 Gbps per pin with 48GB capacity, advancing the HBM4E competition as KOSPI closes at a record 8,864.
Samsung Wins VLSI Best Paper for 3D Stacked Transistor
Samsung Electronics won Best Paper at VLSI Symposium 2026 for a 3D stacked transistor at a record 42nm gate pitch, doubling logic chip transistor density on the same die area.
KOSPI Closes Above 9,000 for the First Time Ever as Chip Rally Masks a Broad Market Divide
South Korea's KOSPI closed at 9,063.84 on June 18, 2026, crossing 9,000 for the first time in history as SK Hynix surged 6.51% and Samsung rose 4.62%, while 810 of 928 constituent stocks declined.
Kakao Resumes Wage Talks Days Before June 29 'Log-Off' Strike
Kakao (035720.KS), operator of KakaoTalk — South Korea's dominant messaging and super-app platform — returned to the bargaining table on June 17 for its first wage talks since a June 10 walkout, th...