News

Samsung's Chip Division Caught Off Guard by Honam Fab Plan, Insiders Warn of Logistics Gaps and Cycle Risk

Samsung DS working-level executives were reportedly blindsided by President Lee's KRW 800 trillion Honam fab announcement. Insiders flag Yongin already stalled 7 months, logistics inefficiency, engineer shortage, and memory cycle timing risk as key concerns.

Foreign Investors Post All-Time KRX Net Sell Record of KRW 7.7 Trillion in Samsung, SK Hynix

Foreign investors offloaded a record KRW 7.7 trillion of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix on June 29, while KOSPI closed just -0.2% as capital rotated into LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI, and infrastructure stocks.

Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance Q1 2026: Solvency Ratio Climbs to 207% as Net Profit Reaches KRW 223 Billion

Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance posted Q1 2026 standalone net profit of KRW 223.3B with K-ICS solvency ratio reaching 207.2%, while FY2025 consolidated profit rose 19.9% YoY to KRW 1.02T.

IMM Private Equity Acquires CGBio for KRW 1.1 Trillion, Backed by USD 1.6 Billion J&J Novosis Contract Through 2040

IMM Private Equity acquires 51% of CGBio for KRW 561B, valuing the Korean regenerative medicine company at KRW 1.1 trillion, underpinned by a USD 1.6B J&J DePuy Synthes distribution contract through 2040.

Lee Jae-yong Maps Samsung's Four-City Blueprint: Songdo for Bio, Gwangju for Chips, Gumi for Robots, Ulsan for Batteries

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong unveiled a four-sector, four-city industrial roadmap on Sunday, designating Incheon's Songdo district as what he called "the world's largest bio cluster" whil

Samsung Group Backs 6,700 Partners With KRW 3.5 Trillion Mutual-Growth Fund as 12 Affiliates Sign Pact

Samsung Group's 12 affiliates committed a combined KRW 3.5 trillion fund for roughly 6,700 supply-chain partners, guaranteeing faster payment terms and cost-sharing as South Korea's FTC calls supplier

Hyundai Elevator Q1 2026: Revenue Falls 8.2% as Korea Construction Slump Deepens

Hyundai Elevator (017800.KS) reported Q1 2026 consolidated revenue of KRW 545.8B (-8.2% YoY) and operating income of KRW 40.5B (-16.3%), with operating margin shrinking 70 bps to 7.4%. Net income fell 22.4% to KRW 27.1B. Korea elevator installations fell 26% in 2025, pressuring new-unit demand. The company maintains a KRW 2.24T order backlog and is expanding globally with its modular ENOBLOC installation system.

Kiwoom Securities in Exclusive Talks to Acquire Bithumb Stake as Korean Brokers Race for Crypto Foothold

Kiwoom Securities is negotiating to acquire a stake in Bithumb through a third-party share issuance, joining Samsung Securities and Mirae Asset in Korea's broker–crypto exchange consolidation race.

Kakao Workers Stage Full-Day Walkout as Bonus Dispute Deepens, Shares at 52-Week Low

Kakao union stages full-day walkout with about 2,100 participants across five entities, escalating a bonus dispute as shares sit at a 52-week low despite record profits.

Binance Offers 50x Leverage on Samsung and SK Hynix Stocks, Bypassing Korea's Retail Safeguards

Binance lists 50x leveraged derivatives on Samsung, SK Hynix, and Hyundai Motor stocks, drawing USD 6.42B in volume while Korea's domestic leverage cap sits at 2x for retail investors.

Kangwon Land Q1 2026: Casino Revenue Up 4.5%, Net Profit Dives 47% on Cost Surge and Lower Returns

Korea's only domestic casino posted Q1 2026 revenue of KRW 378.9B (+3.4% YoY) but net profit fell 46.8% to KRW 39.7B as SG&A expenses jumped 17.6% and investment income contracted 30.4%.

Apple Lobbies Trump for CXMT Memory Clearance, Putting SK Hynix and Samsung Pricing Power at Risk

Apple is pressing the Trump administration to allow DRAM purchases from China's CXMT, a DoD-blacklisted chipmaker. The move could erode pricing leverage held by SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics in the global memory market.

LG Chem Passes Government Naphtha Relief to SME Customers, Cutting Supply Prices Up to KRW 200,000 Per Ton

LG Chem CEO Kim Dong-chun announces a temporary KRW 100,000–200,000 per tonne price cut for small and medium-sized customers, passing on a government naphtha subsidy to ease downstream cost pressures.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics in Talks for KRW 500B AI MLCC Deal, Inks Glass Substrate JV With Sumitomo Chemical

Samsung Electro-Mechanics finalizes KRW 500 billion AI server MLCC supply talks with a US cloud provider while launching a glass substrate joint venture with Sumitomo Chemical to begin production at Pyeongtaek in early 2027.

Shinhan Financial Weighs Lotte Non-Life Insurance Buyout at KRW 1 Trillion as JKL Cuts Ask in Half

Shinhan Financial Group reviews acquisition of Lotte Non-Life Insurance at KRW 1 trillion as JKL Partners halves asking price, sending shares to the daily upper limit of +30%.

Samsung and SK Group Pledge Up to KRW 1,000 Trillion as President Lee Unveils Korea's Tripolar Mega-Project Plan

South Korea's President Lee Jae-myung on Sunday formally unveiled the country's largest-ever private-sector investment programme, anchored by Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) and SK Group (000660.KS), at a nationally televised ceremony that put two of Asia's most powerful corporate chairmen on stage

Hyundai Mobis and HL Mando Break Into Atlas Supply Chain as Korea Eyes 25,000-Robot Deployment by 2028

Hyundai Mobis (012330.KS) secures Atlas actuator supply role while HL Mando (204320.KS) targets Boston Dynamics and Tesla Optimus, as Hyundai plans 25,000-unit robot deployment by 2028.

Samsung and SK Hynix Set for 'Unprecedented' South Jeolla Chip Cluster as Regional Stocks Hit 30% Limits

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are set to reveal an unprecedented semiconductor investment in Gwangju and South Jeolla Province, sending regional stocks to 30% daily limits.

Kakao (035720.KS) Workers Strike June 29 Over Bonus Standoff

LG Group's Eight-Year Reset: Koo Kwang-mo Steers KRW 100 Trillion AI-Bio-Clean Bet Through 2028

LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo pledges KRW 100 trillion in Korea investment through 2028 under the ABC strategy (AI, Bio, Clean Tech). Q1 2026 combined revenue hit a record KRW 29.26 trillion as the group's portfolio overhaul enters its eighth year.

Samsung Biologics (207940.KS) Union Quits Group Coalition

HD Hyundai Electric Opens KRW 116B Cheongju Distribution Hub as AI Data-Center Demand Lifts Circuit-Breaker Orders

HD Hyundai Electric's KRW 116.1B Cheongju campus boosts circuit-breaker capacity 70% to 8.5M units annually, with AI data-center demand cited as the key driver.

Samsung SDI (006400.KS) in Samsung's Record Investment Push

Shinhan (055550.KS) Embeds AI Into Group Compliance System

LG Display (034220.KS) Eyes OLED Rebound After Q2 Loss

Hyundai Unveils 8th-Gen Avante With Gleo AI and Naver Integration, Sets Q3 Order Launch as Pleos Connect Expands to Second Model

Hyundai Motor's 8th-gen Avante debuts Gleo AI and Naver integration via Pleos Connect at Busan Mobility Show, with a larger cabin and 26hp engine boost. Orders begin Q3 2026.

GM Korea (NYSE: GM): 86.5% Strike Vote, 85% Output US-Bound

SK Hynix Sets July 10 Nasdaq Debut, Aiming to Raise Up to $29 Billion in Record ADR Sale

Naver Opens AI Tab to 50 Million Daily Users, Aims to Turn Search Into a Transaction Layer

Naver (035420.KS) rolls out HyperClova X-powered AI Tab to all 50M daily users after 4M-user beta. Product card CTR hit 20%+; real estate and health agents planned for H2 2026.

UK Backs Hanwha Ocean (042660.KS) in $43B Submarine Race

Ecopro BM (247540.KQ) $341M Bond Put Looms; LG Chem PRS Eyed

onsemi's $7B Synaptics Deal Reshapes Edge-AI Chips for Korea

Apple Presses White House for CXMT Chip Clearance, Posing First Competitive Threat to Samsung and SK Hynix's Apple Account

Apple is lobbying the Trump administration for assurances that China's CXMT will not be added to the Entity List, a move that would open the door for Chinese DRAM in Apple devices and challenge Samsung (005930.KS) and SK Hynix (000660.KS), which together control ~70% of global DRAM supply. Memory prices have quadrupled over three quarters, prompting Apple to raise product prices by USD 100–500.

Hanwha Vision Q1 2026: Operating Profit Falls 55% as Bundang HQ Acquisition Adds KRW 308B in New Debt

Hanwha Vision (489790.KS) reported Q1 2026 operating profit of KRW 22.1B, down 55.3% YoY, as a KRW 307.9B Bundang headquarters acquisition added heavy non-cash financial charges and industrial equipment losses widened.

Samsung Biologics Unveils Four Drug Delivery Platforms at BIO USA 2026, Targeting Technology Licensing as New Revenue Pillar

Samsung Biologics presented four proprietary drug delivery platforms at BIO USA 2026, signaling a push into technology licensing to diversify revenue beyond contract manufacturing.

LG Innotek Eyes Record H2 as AI Substrate Revenue Poised to Surge 14x by 2030, KB Securities Maintains KRW 2M Target

KB Securities maintains BUY on LG Innotek with KRW 2M target as AI substrate FC-BGA revenue is set to grow 14-fold to KRW 2T by 2030; Q2 2026 operating profit forecast at KRW 202.8B, 18x year-over-year.

BYD Launches Korea's First PHEV at KRW 37.5 Million, Challenging Hyundai and Kia at Busan Mobility Show

BYD Korea unveiled the Sealion 6 DM-i plug-in hybrid at the 2026 Busan Mobility Show on Thursday, marking its first PHEV launch in Korea at KRW 37.5 million — a direct price challenge to Hyundai Motor and Kia's dominant mid-size SUV lineup.

Second Worker Dies at S-Oil's USD 7B Shaheen Site as Soil Collapse Strikes Hyundai E&C Package

A soil collapse killed one worker at Hyundai E&C's package at S-Oil's KRW 9.3 trillion Shaheen ethylene complex in Ulsan, the second fatality at the site in 31 days.

Samsung and Korea Grid Operator Sign Nation's First Carbon-Free Electricity Certification for Semiconductor Factories

Samsung Electronics and Korea Power Exchange ink Korea's first carbon-free electricity certification for semiconductor factories, targeting AI-era supply chain ESG requirements.

Hyundai Motor and KAI Restart South Korea's eVTOL Race After Supernal Pause, Target 2034 Commercial Launch

Hyundai Motor Group (005380.KS) and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI, 047810.KS) sign MoU to jointly develop eVTOL aircraft, reviving the stalled Supernal program with a new 2034 commercial target after a September 2025 pause and 80% workforce cut.

Hyosung Corp Posts 15.6% Operating Profit Jump in Q1 2026 as IT and Pump Units Surge

Hyosung Corporation (004800.KS) Q1 2026 operating profit rose 15.6% YoY to KRW 94.6B despite a 4.3% revenue decline, as IT/ATM and pump manufacturing margins expanded sharply.

Hanmi Semiconductor Targets TSMC Supply Chain With FC Bonder 3.5, Breaking Into AI Chip Foundry Market

Hanmi Semiconductor (042700.KQ) launched FC Bonder 3.5 for 2.5D AI chip packaging, targeting global foundries and OSATs with 340mm substrate support.

Seoul Extends Electricity and Gas Rate Freeze Through Year-End, Deepening KEPCO's KRW 206 Trillion Debt Trap

South Korea freezes electricity and gas rates for H2 2026, extending KEPCO and Korea Gas Corporation cost recovery delays as the government prioritizes inflation control.

Douzone Bizon Posts 62% Operating Income Jump in Q1 2026 as AI-ERP Strategy Pays Off

Douzone Bizon (012510.KS) Q1 2026: revenue KRW 116.6B (+18.2% YoY), operating income KRW 35.0B (+62.2%), net income KRW 22.8B (+90.1%). AI-ERP strategy and Jeju Bank entry.

South Korea Logs First-Ever 10 Million Foreign Arrivals in H1 2026, Monthly Tourist Card Spending Hits USD 1.3 Billion Record

South Korea welcomed over 10 million foreign visitors by June 20, 2026—the first time ever before mid-year. Monthly card spending hit USD 1.3B (+47%), with KCTI forecasting 22 million full-year arrivals.

Kakao Union Sets June 29 'Log-Out Day' as Full Work Stoppage, Wage Talks Still Stalled

Kakao Corp's union will proceed with a full-day work stoppage on June 29 across five group entities, as wage negotiations remain deadlocked after the company's first-ever strike on June 10.

KB Financial Posts 11.5% Profit Surge in Q1 2026 as Fee Income Jumps 45%

KB Financial Group Q1 2026 net profit rose 11.5% YoY to KRW 1.89 trillion, with fee income surging 45.5%. KB Securities net profit nearly doubled. CET1 at 14.93%, KRW 600B buyback approved.

KRX Puts Brakes on Weekly Options for Samsung, SK Hynix, Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution as KOSPI Volatility Forces Rethink

South Korea's Korea Exchange indefinitely postpones the June 29 launch of weekly single-stock options for Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Hyundai Motor, and LG Energy Solution amid a 10% KOSPI decline and USD 13.2 billion in foreign outflows.

LS GreenLink Breaks Ground on World's Tallest Submarine Cable Tower in Virginia, Targeting AI-Driven Power Grid Market

LS Cable & System unit LS GreenLink breaks ground on a 201-meter VCV tower in Chesapeake, Virginia — set to become the US largest submarine cable plant, targeting AI data center power demand by 2028.

Boston Dynamics Commits USD 100M to Waltham Robotics Campus, Putting 1,250 Jobs and Atlas Mass Production on Track for Hyundai Factories

Hyundai Motor Group subsidiary Boston Dynamics is investing USD 100M in a 323,000 sq ft campus in Waltham, MA, targeting 1,250 new jobs by 2033 and Atlas humanoid robot mass production for 25,000-unit Hyundai factory deployments from 2028. Massachusetts awarded a USD 25M EDIP grant. HL Mando (204320.KS) and Hyundai Motor (005380.KS) are key listed proxies.

Korea's KRW 1,100 Trillion Pension Giant Faces USD 43.5 Billion Selling Overhang as KOSPI Rally Breaches Domestic Equity Cap

South Korea's National Pension Service sold USD 920M in four days and may need to offload up to USD 43.5B more as the KOSPI's 94% rally pushed domestic equity weight above 30%, breaching a 28.8% ceiling before the June 30 grace-period deadline.

Korea's 'Korea Discount' Cure Freezes IPO Market: HD Hyundai, LS, SK Ecoplant Shelve USD 6 Billion in Listings as Dual-Listing Rules Stall

South Korea's dual-listing ban has paralysed the KOSPI IPO pipeline — 2026 H1 fundraising collapsed 91% to USD 700M as HD Hyundai Robotics (USD 5.4B), SK Ecoplant, and LS Group shelve major listing plans.

KCC Corporation Q1 2026: Net Income Surges 393% to KRW 217B as Investment Gains Overshadow Flat Revenue and Declining Operating Profit

KCC Corporation (002380.KS) reports Q1 2026 net income of KRW 217 billion, up 393% year-on-year, driven by KRW 562 billion in financial income from its Momentive Global investment, while operating profit fell 14.8% on rising SG&A costs.

GS Group Enters 1.2 GW AI Data Center Race, Leverages Power-Plant Co-Location to Challenge Tech-First Rivals

GS Group is in talks with the South Korean government to build two 1.2-gigawatt AI data centers, leveraging its power generation and construction arms for a vertically integrated push.

Celltrion Remsima SC Commands 31% EU5 Market Share as Phase 3 Crohn's Data Affirms 44-Week Efficacy

Celltrion presented 44-week Remsima SC Phase 3 Crohn's data at AOCC&IMKASID 2026 in Seoul. The subcutaneous biosimilar holds a 31% EU5 market share in Q4 2025 and US Zimpetra prescriptions tripled in Q1 2026 year-on-year.

TKG-IMM Consortium Takes Control of April Bio in KRW 346.8 Billion Capital Raise, Targets KRW 20 Trillion Market Cap in Five Years

TKG Huchems and IMM Investment are set to control April Bio after a KRW 346.8 billion capital raise, fueling an aggressive push toward a KRW 20 trillion market cap within five years.

Youngone Corp Net Profit More Than Doubles in Q1 2026 on FX Windfall and OEM Rebound

Youngone Corp (111770.KS) net profit surged 113.2% YoY to KRW 149.7B in Q1 2026, driven by a KRW 58B FX translation windfall and strong OEM demand from The North Face, Lululemon and Patagonia.

KakaoBank to Acquire Masten Capital for KRW 24.1 Billion, Enters Capital-Finance Race With Auto Loan Ambitions

KakaoBank (323410.KS) will pay KRW 24.1 billion for a 100% stake in Masten Capital, marking its entry into Korea's auto and installment finance market by year-end 2026.

Korea's Presidential Chip Push: Samsung, SK Hynix to Sign KRW 300T Honam Cluster June 29 as Yongin Fast-Tracked a Decade

President Lee meets Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong June 25 to finalize KRW 300T+ Honam semiconductor cluster, signing set June 29-30 in Gwangju. Yongin mega-cluster pulled forward by a decade to 2034-35 alongside Samsung KRW 110T capex commitment.

Samsung and LG Race to Build the USD 176 Billion AI Modular Home Market

Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are racing to dominate a USD 176 billion smart housing market by bundling AI, HVAC, and modular prefab homes — a pivot beyond traditional white goods.

KOSPI Eyes Historic 9,000 as SK Hynix Extends Market-Cap Crown on Micron Earnings Beat

South Korea's KOSPI surged 5.6% toward 9,000 on Thursday as SK Hynix jumped 11.6%, extending its new role as Korea's largest listed company after Micron's AI-driven earnings beat.

Samsung C&T Posts 7.5% Revenue Growth in Q1 2026, Net Income Jumps 15.9% on Bio Surge

Samsung C&T Q1 2026: Revenue KRW 10.47T (+7.5% YoY), OP KRW 720.4B (-0.6%), Net Income KRW 1.086T (+15.9%). Bio segment drove 67% of operating profit. Construction backlog KRW 92.4T.

Korea Unveils First-Ever 'Korea Rising' Session at BIO 2026 as Celltrion Bets on AI-Drug Pivot and ABL Bio Eyes Global Licensing

Korea debuts 'Korea Rising' session at BIO 2026 as Celltrion pivots to AI drugs and ABL Bio seeks global licensing deals, while KB Investment warns Korean biotechs to form US subsidiaries to access institutional capital.

Samsung Biologics CEO Reaffirms 15-20% Growth Target at BIO USA 2026, Advances Rockville Ramp and Netherlands Hub

Samsung Biologics CEO John Rim unveiled a three-pillar global expansion at BIO USA 2026: Rockville integration (USD 280M, 60,000L), Netherlands hub (Q3 2026), and Songdo Plant 6 decision by year-end, targeting 1.3 million liters by 2032.

Hanwha Aerospace Signs UAE Teaming Deal to Build K9 Howitzer Locally, Deepening Middle East Defense Footprint

South Korea's Hanwha Aerospace signed a teaming agreement with UAE's Generation 5 Holding at Eurosatory 2026 to produce the K9 self-propelled howitzer locally in the UAE, extending its Middle East defence footprint.

Samsung's Financial Affiliates Cross KRW 100 Trillion in Capital for First Time as Stock Rally Drives Unrealized Gains

Samsung Life, Samsung Fire, Samsung Card and Samsung Securities collectively surpassed KRW 100 trillion in capital for the first time at end-2025, with a KRW 31 trillion gain accounting for nearly thr

Korea's Big-Three Department Stores Each Poised to Cross KRW 1 Trillion in Foreign Sales as Tourism Hits 10 Million Ahead of Schedule

Hyundai Department Store, Shinsegae, and Lotte are each on track to surpass KRW 1 trillion in foreign-customer sales in 2026 as inbound tourism to Korea reached 10 million visitors ahead of schedule and K-wave demand drives luxury and fashion spending.

Samsung Electronics Weighs KRW 90 Trillion Buyback as Memory Export Boom Signals Q2 Earnings Beat

Samsung Electronics surged 9.84% after Yonhap reported a KRW 90 trillion (USD 59B) share buyback plan, while NAND export prices surged 822% YoY and Nomura raised its target price to KRW 670,000.

SK Hynix Confirms Nasdaq ADR Listing on July 10, to Raise Up to KRW 45.5 Trillion for Yongin Chip Cluster

SK Hynix board approved a Nasdaq ADR listing on July 10, issuing 17.79 million new shares worth KRW 45.5 trillion (~USD 29B) to fund the Yongin chip cluster, Cheongju packaging fab, and EUV tools. The deal would top Alibaba's record 2014 US offering.

HD Construction Equipment Launches DEVELON 20-Ton Excavator at Pune Hub, Targets 23,000-Unit Middle East/Africa Market as Regional Sales Jump 68%

HD Construction Equipment (267270.KS) launched its new DEVELON 20-ton excavator at its Pune, India manufacturing hub on June 24, targeting the Middle East and Africa as regional sales surged 68.1% in 2026.

EcoPro Materials Swings to Profit in Q1 2026 as Indonesian Smelter Consolidation Drives 22% Revenue Jump

EcoPro Materials posts Q1 2026 consolidated operating profit of KRW 15.7B, reversing a KRW 14.8B loss a year earlier, as the first-time consolidation of PT Green Eco Nickel drives revenues 22% higher to KRW 166.5B.

Hyundai Mobis Q1 2026: Revenue Up 5.5% to KRW 15.6T, Net Income Slides 14% on Equity-Method Gap

Hyundai Mobis posted Q1 2026 revenue of KRW 15.56 trillion (+5.5% YoY), with operating profit up 3.3%, while net income fell 14.4% on lower equity-method gains from affiliates.

Samsung SDI Issues Equipment Orders for Indiana ESS Conversion, Targeting 31 GWh LFP Capacity as EV Demand Slumps

Samsung SDI issues LOI and purchase orders to Korean equipment makers including Innometry and Phil Energy to convert three StarPlus Energy lines from EV to ESS LFP battery production.

Lotte Shopping Q1 2026: Operating Profit Surges 71% as Cost Discipline Offsets Soft Demand

Lotte Shopping (023530.KS) posted Q1 2026 operating profit of KRW 252.9 billion, up 70.6% year-on-year, as cost controls and cinema recovery offset modest top-line growth of 3.6%.

K-Beauty M&A Trap: Western Giants Watch Brands Wither as Domestic Players Eye Buybacks

Unilever, Estée Lauder, and L'Oréal paid billions for Korean beauty brands only to watch earnings decline. Now domestic operators are buying back at deep discounts.

Flashlight Capital Takes USD 40 Million Stake in Samsung Affiliate S-1 Corp, Demands Independent Directors and Cash Return

Activist fund Flashlight Capital discloses a USD 40 million (approximately 2%) stake in S-1 Corporation (012750.KS) and issues a five-point governance overhaul plan targeting Korea's largest security company, citing a 3.3x EV/EBITDA valuation versus 12.0x for domestic peer SK Shieldus.

Kia Union Demands KRW 2.72 Trillion Bonus and Veto Over Robot Deployment as Korea's Yellow Envelope Act Takes Hold

Kia Corp's union has demanded KRW 2.72 trillion in bonuses and veto power over spending plans and new vehicle programs, citing Korea's Yellow Envelope Act effective March 2026.

POSCO DX Q1 2026: Operating Profit Collapses 84% as Parent Group's Capex Pullback Deepens

POSCO DX reported Q1 2026 operating profit of KRW 3.7 billion, down 84% year-on-year, as revenue fell 18.6% to KRW 241.5 billion amid reduced capital spending across the POSCO Group.

South Korea Stays in MSCI Emerging Markets for Third Straight Year as Won Convertibility Gap Delays USD 24 Billion Inflow to 2028

MSCI keeps South Korea classified as an emerging market in its 2026 review, citing limited Korean won convertibility. A developed-market upgrade—worth an estimated USD 24 billion in passive fund inflows—is now deferred to 2028 at earliest.

Microsoft and Chevron Sign 20-Year Power Deal for 2.67 GW Texas AI Data Center, Boosting Korean Memory Demand Outlook

Microsoft and Chevron have signed a 20-year power supply agreement to develop Project Kilby, a proposed West Texas AI data center with 2.67 GW of capacity — one of the largest in the US. The deal, backed by Engine No. 1 ESG fund, targets a 2028 production start and signals sustained hyperscaler demand for Korean HBM and DRAM chips from Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.

U.S. Solar Makers Seek Anti-Circumvention Probe Into Hanwha Qcells' South Korean Cell Imports

A U.S. coalition led by Canadian Solar, SEG Solar, and Heliene filed an anti-circumvention probe petition against Hanwha Qcells on June 18, 2026, alleging the Korean solar maker evades Chinese anti-dumping tariffs by routing cell production through South Korea.

Toyota and BYD Target Korea's Vacant PHEV Market at Busan Show as Hyundai Motor Sits Out

Toyota and BYD are staging competing PHEV launches at the Busan International Mobility Show (June 26–July 5, 2026), targeting a domestic market niche that Hyundai Motor and Kia have vacated since 2021. Korean PHEV registrations fell 26% year-on-year to 4,745 units in Jan-May 2026, accounting for just 0.8% of the domestic auto market.

Hanmi Semiconductor Bets KRW 50 Billion on SpaceX, Citing AI and Satellite Demand as Long-Term Growth Rationale

Hanmi Semiconductor (042700.KQ) disclosed a KRW 50 billion open-market purchase of SpaceX shares, equivalent to 7.24% of its shareholders' equity, citing explosive AI and satellite demand as the long-term growth rationale.

Krafton Bets KRW 50 Billion on HyperAccel's LPU Chips to Cut AI Inference Costs, Marking Rare Game-to-Chip Move

PUBG maker Krafton is investing KRW 50 billion in Korean AI chip startup HyperAccel's Series B, backing LPUs designed to cut LLM inference costs by 90% versus Nvidia GPUs.

Kakao Pay Buys Out Kakao Pay Securities for KRW 173 Billion, Ending Dual-Listing Overhang and Clearing Path for Stablecoin Push

Kakao Pay will spend KRW 172.98 billion to lift its stake in Kakao Pay Securities from 72.93% to 100% by July 20, removing dual-listing concerns and accelerating its stablecoin and STO strategy.

Hanwha Life Insurance Posts 29.5% Jump in Q1 2026 Operating Profit; K-ICS Solvency Ratio Rises to 162.1%

Hanwha Life (088350.KS) posted KRW 480.8 billion in consolidated operating profit in Q1 2026, up 29.5% year-on-year, as new-contract CSM hit KRW 610.9 billion and its K-ICS solvency ratio improved 4.6 percentage points to 162.1%.

KOSPI Plunges 9.99%, Triggering Circuit Breaker, as Samsung and SK Hynix Each Lose Over 12% in Largest Single-Day Crash of 2026

South Korea's KOSPI fell 9.99% to 8,203.84 on June 23, 2026 — its steepest single-day drop of the year — as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix each shed more than 12%, triggering a full circuit breaker halt.

LG Chem Commits KRW 15 Trillion to R&D by 2035, Targeting Semiconductor Packaging and Robotics Materials

LG Chem commits KRW 15 trillion (USD 9.74 billion) in R&D through 2035, with 70% targeted at semiconductor, EV, and robotics materials and 30% at anticancer drugs, as the company pivots from petrochemicals to high-margin specialties.

Samsung and SK Hynix Target Hundreds of Trillions of Won in Honam and Chungcheong Semiconductor Clusters as Minister Urges Speed

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are reviewing plans to build semiconductor fab clusters in Honam and Chungcheong regions, with investment discussed at hundreds of trillions of won as Korea's industry minister urges speed.

Kakao Unveils Kanana Agentic AI at KPAIX 2026, Positions KakaoTalk as Korea's Government Service Gateway

Kakao Corp. (035720.KS) unveiled its Kanana agentic AI at KPAIX 2026 in Goyang, partnering with South Korea's government to turn KakaoTalk into a national AI service hub while launching Commerce Catalog Advertising.

Samsung Electronics HBM4 Sales Top USD 1 Billion Four Months After Launch as Nvidia Vera Rubin Demand Accelerates

Samsung Electronics crossed the USD 1 billion milestone in HBM4 chip sales just four months after its February 2026 launch, targeting USD 1.2 billion by month-end as Nvidia Vera Rubin ramps.

JB Financial Group Posts Q1 2026 Net Profit of KRW 166.1 Billion as Net Interest Income Rises 8.5%

JB Financial Group posted Q1 2026 net profit of KRW 166.1B (+2.1% YoY), with net interest income growing 8.5% and provisions declining 9.7%.

CJ Corporation Q1 2026: Revenue Climbs 8% but Operating Profit Slides 13% as BIO Segment Stumbles

CJ Corporation posted Q1 2026 consolidated revenue of KRW 11.45 trillion (+8.0% YoY) but operating profit fell 13.2% as the BIO amino acid segment's profit collapsed 62.3% year-on-year.

SK Biopharmaceuticals Signs USD 2.5 Billion AI Drug Discovery Deal With Insilico Medicine at BioUSA 2026, Expanding CNS Reach Beyond Epilepsy

SK Biopharmaceuticals (326030.KS) signed a USD 2.5 billion AI drug discovery deal with Insilico Medicine at BioUSA 2026 to develop neuroimmune CNS therapies, as 51 Korean biotech firms set new partnership benchmarks at the San Diego event.

South Korea Wins Softer EU Steel Quota Carve-Out Days Before July 1 Cutoff, Shielding POSCO and Hyundai Steel

South Korea secured preferential treatment under the EU new steel safeguard regime effective July 1, 2026, protecting POSCO and Hyundai Steel from the full 46% duty-free quota reduction targeting global exporters.

SK Hynix Eyes Nasdaq ADR Debut by August, Targets Up to USD 20 Billion as AI Memory Gains Peak

SK hynix (000660.KS) plans to list American Depositary Receipts on Nasdaq as early as July 2026, targeting proceeds of USD 14 to 20 billion to fund AI memory expansion.

LG Energy Solution Debuts Polish-Made JF2S Battery at ESS Europe 2026, Targeting AI Data Center Power Market

LG Energy Solution showcases JF2S DC Link 5.0 (~5 MWh, Polish LFP), JP6 UPS and 2170 BBU at Messe Munich (Jun 23-25), backed by USD 1.6B DTE Energy deal and KRW 3.4T in 2026 ESS contracts.

Samsung Display, LG Display Begin Apple H2 2026 OLED Mass Production as BOE Is Shut Out of Premium Lineup

South Korea's Samsung Display and LG Display have begun mass production of OLED panels for Apple's entire H2 2026 lineup, securing over 228 million units combined. BOE was excluded from iPhone 18 Pro supply after LTPO+ quality failures at its Mianyang facility.

CJ CheilJedang (097950.KS) Q1 2026: Operating Profit Slumps 28.5% on Cost Expansion, Net Income More Than Doubles on Tax Relief and Divestiture Gains

CJ CheilJedang posted operating profit of KRW 238.1 billion in Q1 2026, down 28.5% year-on-year, as SG&A costs rose 5.4% and BIO segment margins contracted. Net income surged 108.8% to KRW 119.8 billion on tax normalisation and a KRW 15.1 billion discontinued-operations gain.

Samsung Biologics Secures KRW 149.1 Billion in CMO Add-Ons as Union Plans Independence Vote

Samsung Biologics disclosed two DART-filed CMO contract expansions totaling KRW 149.1 billion in June 2026, lifting its cumulative backlog to ~USD 10.4 billion, even as the labor union prepares a vote to exit Samsung Group's conglomerate union.

Hyundai Glovis (086280.KS) Q1 2026: Revenue Hits KRW 7.81 Trillion on Auto Logistics Surge, Operating Profit Up 3.9%

Hyundai Glovis (086280.KS) posted KRW 7.81 trillion in Q1 2026 revenue (+8.2% YoY) with operating profit up 3.9% to KRW 521.5 billion. Net income fell 14.4% on non-operating headwinds. Fleet expansion: 37 LNG car carriers on order.

Samsung E&A (028050.KS) Q1 2026: Operating Profit Surges 20% as Middle East Demand Reshapes Revenue Mix

Samsung E&A Q1 2026 quarterly results: operating profit up 19.6% YoY to KRW 188.2bn; Middle East revenue surges 33% to 58% of total sales; backlog at KRW 17.8tn.

Daehan Shipbuilding (439260.KS) Surpasses 2026 Order Target and Logs Sixth Straight 20%-Plus Margin Quarter on Suezmax Dominance

Daehan Shipbuilding (439260.KS) posted Q1 2026 operating profit of KRW 82.6 billion at a 26.8% margin — its sixth consecutive quarter above 20% — as Suezmax specialization and US-Iran tensions drive record tanker demand. The company has already exceeded its 2026 annual order target with 13 vessels secured and is pursuing US Navy MRO certification.

Kakao Games Installs LINE Yahoo-Backed Co-CEOs, Denies Merger With LINE Games; Stock Jumps 15%

Kakao Games (293490.KS) held an EGM on June 22 to install Kim Taehwan and Lee Si-woo as co-CEOs under new parent LAAA Investment (LY Corp.), which injected KRW 300B via equity and convertible bonds. A potential merger with LINE Games was ruled out for now; Southeast Asia is the stated growth target. Shares jumped 15.9% on the session.

SK Hynix Dethrones Samsung Electronics as KOSPI's Top Market Cap for First Time in 27 Years

SK Hynix briefly surpassed Samsung Electronics on June 22 to become South Korea's largest company by market cap — a milestone unseen since 1999 — as its AI-driven HBM dominance sent shares to a record KRW 2,945,000.

South Korea's FSS Chief Regrets Approving Samsung, SK Hynix Leveraged ETFs as Retail Investors Bear Up to KRW 10 Trillion in Brokerage Fees

South Korea's FSS Governor Lee Chan-jin expressed sharp regret over the May 27 approval of 2x single-stock leveraged ETFs tied to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, warning cumulative trading commissions may reach KRW 5–10 trillion while retail investors—holding 92% of the KRW 14 trillion combined AUM—bear most of the risk. Regulators are studying five curbs including tighter monitoring, credit controls, and possible restrictions on future approvals.

South Korea's FSS to Release Banking Governance Reform Before KB Financial Shortlist, Introducing Three-Term Chairman Limit

South Korea's FSS Governor Lee Chan-jin says a governance reform plan capping bank holding company chairmen at three consecutive terms will be released before KB Financial's July 3 shortlist selection.

Iljin Electric (103590.KS) Q1 2026: Operating Profit Surges 49% as Grid Infrastructure Boom Lifts Cable and HV Equipment Demand

Iljin Electric posted Q1 2026 operating profit of KRW 50.8 billion, up 49.1% year-over-year, as ultra-high-voltage cable and GIS demand surge on grid infrastructure investment.

Hanon Systems Q1 2026: Operating Profit Jumps 361% on Margin Recovery

Hanon Systems (018880.KS) posted Q1 2026 consolidated operating income of KRW 97.2 billion, up 361% year-on-year, as revenue rose 5% to KRW 2,748 billion.

KakaoPay Loses Court Battle Over Alipay Data Transfers, Cementing KRW 19 Billion in Fines

A Seoul court rejected KakaoPay's challenge to a KRW 12.98 billion FSS fine for routing 54.2 billion personal credit records through China's Alipay without user consent, cementing a combined KRW 18.9 billion regulatory bill and setting a sector-wide data-sharing precedent.

Hanwha Ocean Enters Final Stretch of C$60B Canada Submarine Race, Decision Due Mid-July

South Korea's Hanwha Ocean (042660.KS), partnering with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (329180.KS), has advanced to the decisive final stage of Canada's landmark Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP),

SKC Posts KRW 305 Billion Operating Loss in FY2025 as Battery Foil Surges, Credit Ratings Cut

SKC (011790.KS) reported a KRW 305 billion operating loss for FY2025, with net losses hitting KRW 719 billion as financing charges and write-downs mounted despite a 59% surge in its battery copper foil unit.

Woori Financial Adds ₩10 Trillion to Growth and Inclusive-Finance Targets, Tripling 2026 Safety-Net Goal

Woori Financial Group expanded its Future Shared Growth Project by ₩10 trillion (USD 6.5 billion), lifting the 2026 inclusive-finance target nearly threefold to ₩3.5 trillion and scheduling ₩400 billion in debt write-offs.

Hanwha Lifts KAI Stake to 9.04%, Eyes 12% by Year-End in Korean Aerospace Consolidation Bet

Hanwha Group becomes KAI second-largest shareholder at 9.04%, spending KRW 625B. Board approves KRW 500B more targeting 12% by year-end. Hanwha Aerospace stock falls 6.48%.

Korean Biotech Giants Descend on BIO USA 2026, Targeting CDMO Contracts and AI Drug Discovery Deals

Samsung Biologics, Celltrion, SK Biopharmaceuticals and Lotte Biologics are among 51 Korean firms at BIO USA 2026 in San Diego, targeting CDMO contracts and AI drug discovery deals as BIOSECURE Act reshapes global manufacturing demand.

Hyundai Motor Group to Acquire SoftBank's Remaining 9.65% Stake in Boston Dynamics for USD 325 Million

Hyundai Motor Group is set to acquire SoftBank's remaining 9.65% stake in Boston Dynamics for USD 325 million, completing full ownership of the robotics firm ahead of a potential Nasdaq IPO in 2027.

Shinsegae Posts 50% Operating Profit Surge in Q1 2026 on Duty-Free Rebound and Premium Retail Strength

Shinsegae's Q1 2026 consolidated operating profit surged 49.5% year-on-year to KRW 197.8 billion as duty-free revenues rebounded and department store sales grew 10.9%.

Samsung Targets HBM4 Long-Term Supply Deals With Nvidia and AMD After World-First HBM4E Samples

Samsung Electronics held its twice-yearly strategy meeting on June 18, with Vice Chairman Jeon Young-hyeon leading discussions on HBM4 and HBM4E supply roadmaps and long-term agreements with Nvidia, AMD, Broadcom, and Google.

LG Group Sends 30-Exec Team to Nvidia HQ to Advance M.A.P. Alliance Across Robotics, AI Data Centers, and Mobility

LG Group's ~30 executives head to Nvidia's California HQ on June 24, deepening a three-pillar M.A.P. (Mobility, AI Infrastructure, Physical AI) alliance that spans LG Electronics, LG Innotek, LG CNS, LG Energy Solution and LG Uplus.

SK Square Hits Record ₩1.891 Million Intraday, Outpacing SK Hynix as Index Cap Drives Proxy Demand

SK Square's shares touched a record intraday high of ₩1,891,000 in June, climbing 44% on the month as a 10% index weight cap on SK Hynix pushes institutional investors toward the holding company.

LG Energy Solution Hits 100,000 Global Patent Mark, First Battery Maker to Reach the Milestone

LG Energy Solution surpassed 100,000 global patent applications, becoming the first battery company in the world to reach the milestone, backed by record R&D spending of ₩1.33 trillion in 2024.

Kia Plans to Phase Out Granbird Bus After 55 Years as Chinese Rivals and Emissions Costs Bite

Kia Corp plans to discontinue its Granbird large bus within two years, ending 55 years of commercial vehicle production as Chinese rivals and stricter emissions rules squeeze margins.

JoongAng Group's Five Affiliates Enter Court Rehabilitation as JTBC's ₩700 Billion Sports-Rights Bet Unravels

JoongAng Ilbo filed for creditor-led workout on June 19 while JTBC and four affiliates sought court rehabilitation, triggered by a failed USD 500 million Olympic and FIFA broadcasting rights deal. Around ₩500 billion in PE capital faces uncertain exits.

Korea Gains a Point on MSCI Scorecard, but Wednesday's Reclassification Review Is the Real Test

MSCI cut Korea's minus-rated accessibility categories to five from six, upgrading investment-instrument availability. The annual classification review on June 23 will determine whether Korea re-enters the developed-market watchlist for the first time since 2014.

LG Display Headed for Another Q2 Loss, But Samsung Securities Lifts Target to ₩17,000 on a Restructuring Read

Mirae Asset Faces Extended FSS Probe After SpaceX IPO Delivers Zero Shares to Korean Investors

South Korea's FSS has extended its probe into Mirae Asset Securities after the brokerage received zero SpaceX IPO shares despite planning a USD 312.5 million allocation. The firm launched a ₩1 billion Customer Care Program for affected investors.

Doosan (000150.KS), LG CNS Sign AI and Data-Center MOU

SK Hynix Eyes August Nasdaq ADR Debut, Targeting USD 14 Billion in New Shares

SK Hynix is targeting an August Nasdaq ADR listing that could raise up to USD 14 billion, with SEC approval expected around June 22. The offering would make SK Hynix the first Korean chipmaker directly tradable on a U.S. exchange.

Foreign Ownership of KB Financial Tops 80% for First Time Since 2008, Reframing Chairman Reappointment

Foreign investors now own more than 80% of KB Financial Group for the first time since the holding company was established in 2008, bolstering Chairman Yang Jong-hee reappointment prospects.

Samsung C&T (028260.KS) Surges 13% on Dividend Overhaul

Hyundai Rotem Seals ₩748.2 Billion, 20-Year Morocco Maintenance Pact, Lifting Korea's Total Rail Bet Near ₩3 Trillion

Hyundai Rotem sealed a KRW 748.2 billion (USD 487.3M) 20-year maintenance contract with ONCF, pushing Korea's total Morocco rail commitment to ~KRW 2.98 trillion ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

Trump-Backed Apple-Intel Chip Pact Adds a Rival to Samsung's Foundry Comeback

President Donald Trump said on June 18 that Apple has agreed to "design and manufacture chips in the U.S." with Intel, a post on his Truth Social account that sent Intel shares up $12.72, or 10.5%, to $133.82 the same day (CBS News). Neither company confirmed the arrangement: Apple did not respond t

Samsung Electro-Mechanics Extends Record Rally as AI Server MLCC Demand Runs 10–20x Smartphones

Samsung Electro-Mechanics (009150.KS) hit a 52-week intraday high of ₩2,192,000 as AI servers demand 10–20x more MLCCs than smartphones, pitting it ag

Japan's LY Corp Closes Kakao Games Takeover, Taking 33.43% Control Stake

Kakao Games (293490.KS), the listed game-publishing arm of Korean internet conglomerate Kakao, disclosed on June 19, 2026 that control has formally passed to a Japanese owner. LAAA Investment, a speci

KOSPI Tops 9,000 for First Time, Led by Just Two Chip Stocks

South Korea's KOSPI (the country's benchmark stock index) closed above 9,000 for the first time on June 18, finishing at 9,063. 84, up 199.

Korean Air Pegs ₩900 Billion–₩1 Trillion Price Tag on Asiana Integration, Targets Breakeven by End-2028

Korean Air estimates ₩900 billion to ₩1 trillion to integrate Asiana Airlines, with ₩300 billion in annual synergies expected to offset costs by end-2028 to early 2029.

Pulmuone Extends 11-Year U.S. Tofu Lead as Jan–May Sales Climb 16.8% to ₩107.8 Billion

Pulmuone Foods USA logged ₩107.8 billion in Jan–May 2026 U.S. tofu revenues, up 16.8% year on year, as water-pack and high-protein formats drive record-pace sales across 15,000 U.S. stores.

KakaoPay, Toss Pay Pull Payment Services From Megabox as Court Freeze Locks Out Refunds

KakaoPay and Toss Pay pull payment gateway services from Megabox after Seoul Bankruptcy Court freezes JoongAng Group assets. Megabox carries 2,212% debt-to-equity ratio after 6 consecutive loss years.

Samsung's System LSI Guides to Annual Loss Despite Record Q1 Revenue as SoC Drag Persists

The head of Samsung Electronics' (005930

Intel Hires Former SK Hynix CEO Seok-Hee Lee to Run Its Advanced Packaging Push

Intel named former SK Hynix president Seok-Hee Lee as EVP of Intel Foundry, putting the Korean memory veteran in charge of advanced packaging as Intel chases profitable foundry revenue.

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...

Korea's FSC Calls for Swift Mandatory Tender Offer as Academics Demand Full Buyout Rule

Korea's Financial Services Commission Vice Chairman urges rapid mandatory tender offer legislation as academics push for a full 100% buyout obligation, targeting H2 2026 enactment.

Korea's 'Seohak Ants' Outbuy US Retail Investors Fivefold on SpaceX's Debut Day, Pouring ₩1.2 Trillion Into Shares

South Korean retail investors bought ₩1.2 trillion ($885 million) in SpaceX shares on its Nasdaq debut — more than five times what US retail investors purchased on the same day.

TSMC Glass-Substrate Data Narrows Korea's First-Mover Window

TSMC has for the first time disclosed validation data for glass substrates aimed at next-generation AI-chip packaging, narrowing the window for Korean suppliers Samsung Electro-Mechanics, LG Innotek a

Posco Opens Korea's Largest Electric Arc Furnace, Launches Rare Gas Unit That Can Supply 52% of Domestic Semiconductor Demand

Posco completed Korea's largest electric arc furnace (2.5M tons, 600B won) and launched a rare gas plant that can cover 52% of domestic semiconductor demand for neon, krypton, and xenon.

Hyundai Steel and LSU Seal Research Pact Tied to USD 5.8 Billion Louisiana Steel Mill, POSCO Taking 20% Stake

Hyundai Steel and LSU signed a Master Research Agreement on June 17 for a USD 5.8 billion EAF mill in Ascension Parish, Louisiana, with POSCO backing a 20% stake worth USD 582 million and commercial launch targeted for 2029.

Hugel's PE Owner Refinances ₩765 Billion Rather Than Cash Out, Signaling a Longer Hold

CBC Group, an Asia-focused healthcare private-equity firm and the controlling shareholder of Hugel (145020.KQ), Korea's largest medical-aesthetics company specializing in botulinum toxin and hyaluroni

Samsung Union Puts Chairman to a Vote Amid Bonus Backlash

Samsung's largest union holds confidence vote on chairman after May wage deal's chip-tilted bonus structure drove 20,000 members to quit.

ABL Bio Gastric Cancer Drug Wins FDA Fast Track as Phase 3 Launch Nears

ABL Bio's bispecific antibody Givastomig received FDA Fast Track designation for HER2-negative advanced gastric cancer on June 16, accelerating its path to a Phase 3 trial opening in Q4 2026.

SK Group Tops ₩2,000 Trillion — and 94% Rides on SK Hynix

SK Group — South Korea's second-largest conglomerate by market value, anchored by memory-chip maker SK Hynix — saw the combined market capitalization of its lis

Hanwha Ocean Bids for Canada's USD 44 Billion Submarine Fleet as Ottawa Weighs Final Choice Between Korea and Germany

Canada is set to pick between South Korea's Hanwha Ocean and Germany's TKMS for a USD 43.5 billion submarine contract — the largest Korean defense export ever if won. Decision expected June 2026.

Samsung Retakes North American Mini-LED TV Lead From Hisense — But the World Cup Quarter Will Settle It

Samsung Electronics captured 40% of North America's mini-LED TV market in Q1 2026, surpassing Hisense's 27% and reversing a narrow 2025 loss.

Lotte Shopping Hits 52-Week High as Korea's Department Stores Post Up to 13% Single-Day Gains on Tourist Boom and Semiconductor-Belt Wealth Effect

Lotte Shopping surged 13.3% to a 52-week high and Shinsegae gained 8.7% on June 16 as record foreign tourism and semiconductor bonus spending push Korea's big-three department store operators toward f

SK Telecom Denies China-Link Behind US Anthropic AI Ban

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Labor Panel Orders Hyundai Motor Into Direct Talks With Subcontractor Unions in Korea's First Yellow Envelope Ruling

South Korea's Ulsan labor commission ruled Hyundai Motor must bargain directly with 1,675 subcontracted workers — the first test of the March 2026 Yellow Envelope law, with manufacturing-wide implications.

Hanwha Lifts KAI Stake to 9.04%, Locks In No. 2 Spot With a USD 332 Million Purchase

Hanwha Group combined holdings in Korea Aerospace Industries reached 9.04% on Monday, making it the second-largest shareholder as the group declared management-participation intent and approved another USD 332 million tranche.

Kakao Embeds ChatGPT in KakaoTalk Chats for 49 Million Korean Users

Kakao has launched a ChatGPT chatbot inside KakaoTalk chat rooms, letting 49 million South Korean users access OpenAI AI without leaving the app.

Samsung-Boston Dynamics Stake Talk Is a Brokerage Scenario, Not a Deal — and Samsung Calls It 'Groundless'

What actually happened

Lee Dong-chul Leads Korea's Card Lobby on Stablecoin Push

Lee Dong-chul, the former vice chairman of KB Financial Group — one of South Korea's largest financial holding companies, listed in Seoul as 105560.KS

Hanmi's Peptide Obesity Drugs Target GLP-1's Muscle-Loss Gap at ADA 2026

Hanmi Pharmaceutical (128940.KS), one of South Korea's most R&D-intensive drugmakers — which spent 14.8% of 2025 revenue on R&D and has led domestic outpatient prescription sales for eight con

Genesem Jumps 15% on Second SK hynix Back-End Equipment Order in Two Months

Shares of Genesem (제너셈; KOSDAQ: 217190), a Korean special-purpose machinery maker that builds semiconductor back-end (packaging and test) equipment, surged as much as roughly 15% on June 16 after d...

Samsung Biologics Returns to BIO USA for 14th Straight Year, Backed by Record Revenue and a $21 Billion Order Book

Samsung Biologics (207940.KS), the Songdo-based contract drug manufacturer that ranks as the world's largest biopharmaceutical producer by installed c

Samsung Securities, Hyundai, and LG Electronics Backed Tenstorrent — Now Qualcomm Is Circling at Up to $10 Billion

Qualcomm is in talks to acquire AI chip startup Tenstorrent at $8-10B. Three Korean firms — Samsung Securities, Hyundai Motor, LG Electronics — led its $693M Series D at a $2.6B valuation and stand to earn a 3-4x return.

Samsung Opens 9th C-Lab Outside Cohort for AI, Robotics

Samsung Electronics (005930.KS), Korea's largest company and the world's biggest memory-chip and smartphone maker, on June 15 opened applications for the ninth

SK Plasma Breaks Ground on ₩900B Turkey Plasma Plant, Targeting European Drug Markets

SK Plasma and Turkish Red Crescent began construction of a ₩900 billion plasma fractionation facility in Ankara on June 15, marking South Korea's largest plasma

Korea's New Bio 'Control Tower' Holds First CEO Sit-Down — The Real Test Is a Strategy Due This Month

Korea's National Bioinnovation Committee held its first CEO meeting with pharma leaders on June 15, 2026. The real test comes with the Bio Innovation Strategy expected before end of June.

Korea Investment Adds Auto-Investing Notes to KakaoBank App

On June 15, two of Korea's largest brokerages made the same bet on the same day: that the cheapest way to reach retail savers is to rent the audience of Kakao's consumer apps rather than build their o

LG Energy Solution Courts US AI Talent as Q1 Losses Persist

LG Energy Solution (373220.KS), the world's third-largest electric-vehicle battery maker, held its annual Battery Tech Conference (BTC) — a recruitment-linked event that invites graduate-level researc

Korean Chips Jump 4-6% as U.S.-Iran Ceasefire Reopens Hormuz, Lifting KOSPI Past 8,500

South Korea's chipmakers led a broad risk-on surge on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump declared that negotiations on a memorandum of understanding (MOU)

Celltrion Adds Two Cancer Biosimilars in Vietnam

Celltrion is widening its footprint in Vietnam, a small but fast-growing Southeast Asian market — a move that tells investors more about strategy than about this quarter's revenue.

Foreign Investors Trade $4.4B via Korea's Omnibus Accounts

Forest Partners Backs Battery 'Foundry' JR Energy Solution at ₩100 Billion in EV-Downturn Bet

Forest Partners, a Seoul-based private equity firm, has invested more than ₩10 billion ($7.3 million) in JR Energy Solution, a battery contract manufacturer fou

Samsung Electro-Mechanics, LG Innotek Set for Q2 Record as AI Substrate Squeeze Deepens

SEMCO Q2 operating profit seen +79% to KRW380.7B; FC-BGA demand outstrips supply by over 50% with no new capacity before 2028. LG Innotek FY26 OP est. KRW1.1T.

Overnight Lines Return as CJ Olive Young Opens Second U.S. Outpost Near Beverly Hills

CJ Olive Young opened its second U.S. store at Westfield Century City on June 13, 2026, as the USD 2 billion U.S. K-beauty market grew 37% in 2025 — the retailer now eyes a third California location a

Hyundai Motor Group Advances to 11.8% U.S. Market Share Through April as Hybrids Absorb Tariff Shock

Hyundai Motor Group claimed 11.8 percent of the U.S. auto market in the first four months of 2026, up one percentage point year-on-year, as hybrid sales surged 66 percent in January and a bilateral trade deal cut the tariff rate from 25 to 15 percent.

Shinhan Folds Its Super-App Into SOL Bank as Korea's Lenders Reignite the Platform War

Shinhan Financial Group (055550.KS), Korea's second-largest financial holding company by assets, will relaunch its all-in-one "Super SOL" platform on June 17, but the new version quietly concedes that its first attempt missed. Rather than maintain a standalone super-app, Shinhan is embedding card, securities and insurance functions directly into SO

K-Biotech's Animal-Free Pivot: Samsung Biologics and Peers Race to Meet New FDA and EU Drug Rules

The EU and FDA are converging on a phaseout of animal testing in drug development, creating a new competitive arena where Samsung Biologics and a cohort of Korean biotech firms are building organoid and AI capabilities to stay ahead.

SK Hynix Eyes August U.S. ADR Debut, Eyes USD 14 Billion as HBM Crown Meets Capital Markets

SK Hynix (000660.KS), the world's second-largest memory chipmaker and dominant supplier of high-bandwidth memory to AI data centers, is targeting an American De

KOSPI's 109% Rally Masks a K-Shaped Market: 31% of Stocks at New Lows as Two Chipmakers Claim 72% of Gains

As the KOSPI hits record highs near 8,800, market breadth has collapsed: 31% of listed stocks are at 52-week lows while Samsung and SK Hynix alone account for 72% of year-to-date gains.

Samsung SDI's Data Center Bet Begins to Pay Off as Q1 Loss Narrows 64%

Samsung SDI narrowed its Q1 2026 operating loss 64% to ₩155.6B as AI data center battery backup demand and US ESS shipments drove battery revenue up 13%. US capacity booked through 2027.

Korea ICT Exports Shatter Monthly Record at $47.79 Billion in May as AI Server Demand Marks Third Consecutive $40B-Plus Month

South Korea's May ICT exports soared 128.9% year-on-year to a record $47.79 billion, driven by semiconductor shipments that surged 169.2% to $37.16 billion on AI server demand.

SK Telecom, NTT, and Chunghwa Telecom Launch USD 500 Million IOWN AI Fund to Back Asia's AI Infrastructure

SK Telecom, Japan's NTT, and Taiwan's Chunghwa Telecom announced on June 10 a joint $500 million (approximately ₩760 billion) fund targeting artificial intellig

LG Electronics Opens Korea's First Humanoid Robot Data Factory, Deploys 300 CLOiD Units by Year-End

LG Electronics has converted its 33,000-sqm Yangjae R&D campus into Korea's first humanoid robot data factory. The company is committing more than KRW 400 billion through 2030, deploying 100 CLOiD humanoid robots in July scaling to 300 by year-end, with a 2028 commercial home-robot launch target.

Hanwha Ocean Wins ₩7.8T Destroyer Program as Rival’s Data-Leak Penalty Overturns Technical Lead

South Korea’s KDDX program has selected Hanwha Ocean as preferred bidder, awarding ₩7.8 trillion in destroyer contracts even as HD Hyundai Heavy Industries led on pure technical merit—until a court-upheld security deduction rewrote the score sheet.

Korea Launches First Joint FX-Bank Probe in 14 Years as Won Slides to 17-Year Low

Korea's BOK and FSS launched their first joint examination of FX banks since 2012, as the won slid to KRW 1,555.2 — a 17-year low — prompting warnings of imminent rate hikes to defend the currency.

Samsung Foundry in Talks to Build Google's Icefish TPU I/O Die as TSMC Runs Full

Samsung Electronics' contract chipmaking unit is in talks to produce the memory I/O die for Google's 10th-generation AI chip 'Icefish' using its 2-nanometer process, with mass production targeted as early as 2028.

Korean Brokerages Earn ₩4.33 Trillion in One Quarter — Nearly Half of 2025's Record Year

South Korea's 61 securities firms earned ₩4.33 trillion ($2.63 billion) in Q1 2026 — 44.9% of the industry's full-year 2025 record — driven by a 333% surge in KOSPI trading volume. Mirae Asset became the first Korean brokerage to top ₩1 trillion in a single quarter.

Korea-Italy Roundtable Yields Aerospace, Grid, Pharma Deals

Korean and Italian business leaders turned a state-visit photo opportunity into signed commercial deals on Friday, including aerospace, grid and pharma agreements. Samsung’s Lee Jae-yong attended.

Korea's Record KRW 624.7B Fine Hits Coupang Over 37.5M-User Data Breach; Stock Surges 14%

Korea's PIPC imposed a record KRW 624.7 billion privacy fine on Coupang — nearly equal to its full-year 2025 operating profit — over a data breach affecting 37.5 million users. The stock closed up 14.25% on the day, suggesting markets viewed the ruling as the worst-case scenario now quantified.

SpaceX Record IPO Revives Tesla Merger Talk, Korea Exposed

SpaceX's record USD 75B IPO debuted up 11%, reigniting Tesla merger speculation. Korean retail investors hold USD 24.74B in Tesla as LG Energy Solution and Samsung SDI supply Tesla's battery chain.

SK Hynix HBM Fab M15X Catches Fire Again — Second Cheongju Blaze in 11 Days, No Output Hit

SK Hynix reported a second fire in 11 days at its Cheongju M15X fab — the HBM4 plant anchoring Nvidia supply. Six workers hospitalized; the company says no production was interrupted.

Nomura Calls Korea’s Chip Supercycle “Just Beginning,” Lifts KOSPI Target to 11,000 as Foreigners Snap 24-Day Sell-Off

Nomura Securities declared at a Seoul briefing on June 12 that South Korea's semiconductor supercycle has “only just begun” — even as the KOSPI was still digest

Celltrion Touts HER2 Bispecific Cancer Data, Eyes FDA Fast-Track in 2026

Celltrion (068270.KS), one of South Korea's two largest biopharmaceutical companies by revenue alongside Samsung Biologics and best known for biosimil

Dongtan Home Prices Jump 7%, Korea Eyes Curbs Near Samsung

Home prices in Dongtan, a planned new town in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province that serves as a key dormitory district for Samsung and SK hynix chip worker

London Lists 3x Samsung, SK Hynix ETPs After Korea 2x Slump

Leverage Shares, a global issuer of leveraged exchange-traded products (ETPs), began trading two triple-leveraged single-stock products on the London Stock Exch

Samsung Pushes Foundry Breakeven to 2028 as TSMC Gap Widens to 11x

Samsung Electronics (005930.

Hanmi Semiconductor (042700.KQ) Bets ₩50B on SpaceX Pre-IPO

South Korean HBM bonder maker Hanmi Semiconductor will buy ₩50 billion ($36.5 million) of SpaceX shares ahead of its Nasdaq IPO, betting on Elon Musk's Terafab semiconductor complex.

LG Energy Solution Ends Sunwoda Patent Fight in Licensing Deal

LG Energy Solution (373220.KS), Korea's largest electric-vehicle battery maker, has converted a two-year cross-border patent war into a license agreement with Chinese cell maker Sunwoda — but the f...

Kospi Jumps 4.6% on Iran Truce Hopes as Foreigners Return

South Korea's Kospi surged 4.6% to 8,123 on Friday as Trump claimed a US-Iran ceasefire. Samsung and SK Hynix led chip stocks higher; foreigners turned net buyers for the first time in 25 sessions.

Samsung, SK Hynix Weigh Chip Plants in Korea's Southwest — But Both Deny Any Decision

A wave of reports that Samsung Electronics (005930.KS), the world's largest memory-chip maker, and SK Hynix (000660.KS), the world's top supplier of high-bandwidth memory (HBM), are weighing major ...

LG Innotek Stakes Over ₩2 Trillion on AI Chip Substrates as Gumi Lines Hit 92% Utilization

LG Innotek, the LG Group affiliate that is Korea's largest camera-module maker and one of its two major semiconductor-substrate suppliers, plans to invest more

Seoul Court Upholds KakaoPay's ₩5.97 Billion Fine Over Alipay Data Transfers

A Seoul court has rejected KakaoPay's bid to overturn a privacy fine for sending tens of millions of users' data to China's Alipay—a ruling that matters far more for what it validates than for the cas

Korea Orders Weverse, Kakao to Scrap No-Refund K-pop Terms

South Korea's antitrust regulator has ordered the operators behind the country's biggest K-pop fan platforms to rewrite paid-membership contracts that blocked refunds and barred cancellations, a consu

LG Chem Defends Eutropin, Korea's No. 1 Growth-Hormone Brand

LG Chem releases 14-year observational data on growth hormone Eutropin, confirming 0.2% serious adverse reaction rate and stable thyroid/glucose markers, as new EcoPen device aims to defend Korea's top pediatric growth-hormone franchise.

Samsung Opens Its Workforce to ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude as Altman Heads to Suwon

Samsung Electronics opens ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude to its DX division starting June 12, as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman heads to Suwon and Seoul for AI partnership talks with Samsung, Kakao, and Naver.

SK Hynix (000660.KS) Nears US ADR Listing, $14B Raise Eyed

Kakao Ex-CEO Wins Second Acquittal in Baram Buyout Case

Seoul High Court dismissed prosecutors' appeal, upholding the not-guilty verdict for former Kakao Entertainment CEO Kim Sung-su on breach-of-trust charges over the 2020 Baram Pictures acquisition.

SK Hynix to Triple Wafer Capacity by 2034, Eyes Overseas Fabs

SK Hynix (000660.KS), Korea's second-largest chipmaker by revenue and the world's leading supplier of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) used in AI servers,

Apple Halts Siri AI in EU — Korea's iPhone Suppliers Exhale

Korea to Scrap Banks' 'Network Separation' Rule by Year-End

Samsung, SK hynix Drive an HBM Equipment 'Supercycle'

AI demand has turned HBM memory into a capital-spending story: UBS projects wafer-fab-equipment revenue at USD250B by 2028 as Samsung and SK hynix race to build new packaging fabs.

KB Securities: CXMT IPO a 'Catalyst,' Not a Threat for Samsung

South Korea's KB Securities, one of the country's largest brokerages, told clients on June 10 that the looming initial public offering of Changxin Memory Technologies (CXMT) — China's largest DRAM mak

Samsung Shareholders Sue for Register Access in Bonus-Pool Dispute

Act, a Korean certification-based platform that organizes minority investors into shareholder associations, said on June 10 it has filed a court injun

Samsung (005930.KS) Anchors $175M Element Biosciences Round

Kakao Faces First Strike; the Real Risk Is the Pay Formula

Kakao (035720.KS) — operator of KakaoTalk, the messaging-and-payments app on which roughly 49 million South Koreans depend (Tech Times) — faced the first walkout in its history on Wednesday, June 10,

Samsung, SK Hynix Weigh Regional Chip Plants as Korea's Cluster Law Nears

Samsung and SK Hynix are reviewing sites in Honam and Chungcheong for new chip packaging fabs as Korea moves to restrict capital-area semiconductor clusters.

KB Financial Drafts 3-Year Strategy as Yang Eyes Second Term

KB Financial Group, Korea's largest financial holding group by net profit, has begun drafting a fresh mid-to-long-term strategy at the very moment it opens the contest to choose its next chairman — a

KakaoBank Hires Hyundai M&A Veteran to Lead Overseas Push

KakaoBank (035720.KS), South Korea's largest internet-only bank by users, has hired a career Hyundai Motor Group M&A executive to lead its overseas expansion — a signal that the lender intends to grad

Kakao Faces First Strike June 10, but Bonus Gap Is Narrow

Kakao workers will stage the company first-ever strike on June 10, a four-hour partial walkout over bonuses, but the cash gap between the two sides is smaller than the historic headline suggests.

Pentagon China Military List: An Edge for Korean Chipmakers

The U.S. Department of Defense on June 8 (Washington time) added Alibaba, Baidu and electric-vehicle maker BYD to its Section 1260H list of "Chinese military companies" operating in the United States, expanding the roster to 188 entities (Reuters via Seoul Economic Daily; The Next Web; etnews, chosu

SK hynix Orders ₩44.2B HBM4 Griffin Bonders From Hanmi

SK hynix ordered HBM4 production equipment worth ₩44.2 billion ($28.7 million) from Hanmi Semiconductor, Korea's dominant maker of HBM thermo-compression bonders.

Dual Sidecars Fire as Korea's KOSPI and KOSDAQ Erase Black Monday Losses

South Korean equities triggered consecutive buy-side sidecars Tuesday as the KOSPI and KOSDAQ staged a sharp recovery from Monday's 8.29% plunge, with Samsung and SK hynix reclaiming key price levels.

Samsung Deploys ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude Group-Wide

Samsung Electronics officially launches its company-wide AI transformation, deploying ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude across all affiliates in June 2026.

SK Hynix ETF (000660.KS) Plunges 37% on Market-Maker Glitch

Concrete Strike Threatens Samsung (005930.KS), SK Hynix Fabs

Concrete Strike Threatens Samsung, SK Hynix Fab Construction

Greater Seoul concrete mixer truck drivers went on strike June 8, 2026, raising concerns about construction delays at Samsung and SK Hynix semiconductor fabs in Gyeonggi.

KOSPI Sinks 8.3% on U.S. Chip Shock — Won Decides Next

Hana (086790.KS) $647M Dunamu Buy Stirs Kbank-Upbit Renewal

Foreign Selloff Hits Record ₩103tn; Won at 17-Year Low

South Korea's won touched its weakest level since the 2009 financial crisis as foreign investors net sold a record ₩103.

Samsung Bonus Revolt Spreads to Profitable Affiliates

Samsung Group's pay dispute is no longer confined to its chip-making flagship. Less than three weeks after Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) reached a landmark bonus deal with its union, the discontent has jumped to profitable affiliates whose workers say they are being left behind, raising the questi

NAVER (035420.KS) +13.7% on NVIDIA Gigawatt AI Factory Pact

Kakao (035720.KS) Faces First HQ Strike; MSIT Steps In

SK hynix (000660.KS), Nvidia Sign HBM Pact for Vera Rubin AI

Indonesia Nickel Cuts Hit LG Energy Solution (373220.KS)

Samsung Medison Wins Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Ultrasound Deals

Samsung Medison, the medical-device subsidiary of Samsung Electronics (005930.KS), has won back-to-back ultrasound supply contracts at two of the most prestigio

SK Hynix Drives 5.5% KOSPI Plunge as SpaceX IPO, US CPI Loom

Korean Retail Sells US Stocks a Third Straight Month as Samsung-SK Hynix Bet Tips KOSPI Volatility Past Wartime Highs

Korean retail investors net-sold USD 793M of US stocks in early June, a third straight month of outflows, as Samsung and SK Hynix now dominate 50.7% of KOSPI.

LG Energy Solution (373220.KS) Files for US Tariff Refund

Nvidia's Huang Meets Samsung (005930.KS) on HBM4 Deal

Nvidia's Huang in Seoul as Hyundai AI Hub Nears Sign-Off

Nvidia (NVDA) Chief Executive Jensen Huang spent the third day of a four-day South Korea visit moving between two ends of the same bet: cars and video games. On

Samsung (005930.KS), SK Hynix Q2 Record Profit Seen at ₩150T

NH Investment (005940.KS) Raises ₩400B for IMA Expansion

Google-SpaceX $29B Deal: SK hynix (000660.KS) HBM in Focus

Mirae Asset's $300M SpaceX Book Fills in Minutes as Korea's IPO Fever Peaks

Mirae Asset Securities filled its $300 million SpaceX IPO book in minutes on Friday, while SpaceX-linked Korean proxy stocks bucked a 5.5% KOSPI selloff. SpaceX targets a $75B raise and a $1.75T valuation ahead of its June 12 Nasdaq debut.

Tesla Model Y Becomes First Foreign Car to Top Korea's Monthly Sales, Pushing Hyundai and Kia to Second and Third

Tesla's Model Y outsold every Korean-branded car in May 2026, posting 8,762 units to displace Kia's Sorento — the first foreign vehicle to top Korea's monthly passenger-car rankings.

SK Hynix (000660.KS) Leads HBM4 Three-Way Race for Nvidia

KB Financial (105560.KS) Pledges ₩10bn to SME Win-Win Fund

Samsung, SK Hynix Plunge Sends 2x ETFs Down 20% as South Korea's FSC Convenes Emergency Session

The FSC held an emergency industry meeting after 2x ETFs linked to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix plunged 13-20% on Thursday. Despite the crash, retail investors net-bought ₩585.3 billion in leveraged products.

KB Lifts LG Chem (051910.KS) to ₩470,000 on Q2 Profit Swing

Huang's Seoul Dinner Reignites Korea's Nvidia (NVDA) Trade

China's CXMT and YMTC Move Toward IPOs, Testing Korea's Memory-Chip Lead

China's two largest memory-chip makers are advancing toward public listings just as a global, AI-driven memory upcycle fattens their balance sheets — putting fresh competitive pressure on Samsung Elec

L&F (066970.KQ) Wins ₩220bn Loan for Korea's First LFP Plant

Broadcom (AVGO) AI Miss Sinks Samsung, SK Hynix; KOSPI -6%

Korea Slashes Hong Kong ELS Bank Penalty to ~₩600bn, Lifting a Multi-Year Overhang on Lenders

South Korea's FSS cut the combined Hong Kong ELS bank fine from ₩1.4tn to ~₩600bn, sending KB Financial and peer bank stocks sharply higher on June 5.

Korean Won Closes at 17-Year Low of 1,539 as Foreign Rout, Broadcom Shock and Dollar Strength Pile On

The won closed at 1,539.1—touching 1,549.1 intraday—as foreigners dumped ₩3.52 trillion in Korean equities for the 19th consecutive day, the KOSPI shed 5.54%, and a triple pressure of Broadcom-triggered chip selloff, strong dollar and global capital preconditioning converged.

Meta (META) AI Glasses Hit Korea; Dev API Still Delayed

NH Investment Bets on H2 ESS Order Surge for Korean Battery Makers

NH Investment & Securities forecasts ESS and EV order surge in H2 2026 will drive earnings upgrades for LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI, and Korean battery sector peers.

LG Innotek to Build Vietnam Substrate Plant as Gumi Lines Near Capacity

LG Innotek, the LG Group affiliate that makes camera modules and semiconductor substrates, said on June 4 it will build a new chip-substrate plant in Haiphong, Vietnam's northern port city, signing a

Kakao Games (293490.KQ) Sets June 22 Vote on LY Co-CEOs

KOSPI Firms Paid a Record ₩52.8 Trillion in 2024 Dividends as Chip Boom Flooded Payout Pool

KOSPI-listed firms returned a record ₩52.8 trillion to shareholders in 2024, up 15.9% from a year earlier, as the semiconductor super cycle inflated profits and the number of companies disclosing value-enhancement plans tripled to 329.

Korea Card Lobby CREFIA Taps Ex-KB Insider Lee Dong-chul

Samsung Turns Galaxy Watch Into an AI Health Companion With Seven New Metrics, Ahead of July Unpacked

Samsung unveiled seven new AI-powered health features for Galaxy Watch on Wednesday — including a Heart Health Score, Hearing Health monitor, and five-signal overnight Vitals tracker — with the update rolling out June 8 and Galaxy Watch 9 widely expected at Samsung Unpacked in London on July 22.

SK's Chey Seals TSMC Pact for HBM4 Base Dies, Completing Nvidia-SK-TSMC Triangle at Computex

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won completed a trilateral AI chip alliance tour at Computex 2026, meeting TSMC Chairman C.C. Wei to anchor HBM4 base-die and packaging cooperation — the structural link between SK Hynix memory and Nvidia's Vera Rubin GPU platform.

SK Inc. (034730.KS) Halts $3.7B Siltron Sale — AI Chip Boom

Celltrion (068270.KS) Nears ₩2 Trillion Cancellation Goal

Samsung's First Majority Union Loses Its Footing as 100-Fold Bonus Gap Drives 17,730-Member Exodus

The cross-enterprise union that made history as Samsung Electronics' first-ever majority labor body slipped to 58,270 members by June 4 — 6,230 short of the 64,500 threshold — as a wage deal granting chip workers up to ₩600 million while capping DX employees at ₩6 million triggered a sustained exodus from the union's April 7 peak of 76,000.

Korea's Ready-Mix Concrete Union Votes 87.8% for June 8 Strike, Targeting Samsung Pyeongtaek and SK Hynix Yongin Fab Sites

South Korea's ready-mix concrete delivery union voted 87.8% in favor of a June 8 work stoppage, putting concrete supply to Samsung Electronics' Pyeongtaek campus and SK Hynix's Yongin Semiconductor Cluster at risk of disruption in a dispute over collective bargaining rights for independent contractor drivers.

Samsung's Financial Trio Pays ₩613 Billion for Dunamu Stake, Betting on Korea's Won Stablecoin Era

Samsung Securities, Samsung SDS and Samsung Card are paying a combined ₩612.8 billion for a 4% stake in Dunamu, South Korea's largest crypto exchange operator, as Korean financial institutions race to secure positions ahead of an anticipated won-pegged stablecoin regime.

Korea Biopharma: $10.4B Exports, Approvals Drop 38% — ING

Korea's Petrochemical Q1 Rebound Looks Set to Reverse as War Premium Fades and 'Reverse Lagging' Looms

South Korea's petrochemical sector is bracing for a second-half profit reversal as the war-driven ethylene-naphtha spread collapses toward breakeven, threatening companies including LG Chem and Lotte Chemical.

Korea's ₩153 Trillion Trading Day Hides a Deeper Split: Credit Freeze, IPO Drought Widen

South Korea's equity markets logged a record ₩153.7 trillion trading day on June 1, yet corporate bond issuance sits at a decade low and IPO listings have more than halved year-on-year — a K-shaped split that index gains are masking.

Samsung and SK Hynix Back Anthropic's Record USD 65B Round as AI Unicorn Files Near-$1 Trillion IPO

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix joined Anthropic as strategic infrastructure partners in its USD 65 billion Series H, lifting the AI lab to a USD 965 billion valuation ahead of a confidential S-1 filing. SK Telecom's USD 100M stake, booked at KRW 1.3 trillion, could revalue to KRW 3 trillion-plus at IPO.

Samsung and SK hynix Bonus Windfall Lifts Luxury Sales Up to 200% at Korea's Semicon-Belt Department Stores

Department stores in Korea's semiconductor-belt — home to Samsung Electronics and SK hynix facilities — logged luxury sales surging up to 200% year-on-year in the first five months of 2026, as AI-chip profits translated into some of the biggest paychecks in Korean corporate history.

Samsung (005930.KS) Overtakes Meta to Enter Global Top 10

Samsung Electronics Overtakes Meta to Become World's 10th-Largest Company by Market Value

Samsung Electronics ranked 10th globally by market cap on June 2, surpassing Meta at USD 1.56 trillion — the first time the Korean chipmaker has entered the top 10.

Korea's Samsung, SK Hynix Single-Stock Leverage ETFs Churn ₩37 Trillion in Turnover in Four Days, Stoking Overheating Alarms

Single-stock leveraged ETFs on Samsung and SK Hynix racked up ₩37 trillion in turnover within four trading days of their May 27 launch, while Samsung Electronics' market cap crossed USD 1.56 trillion to displace Meta from the global top 10.

Goldman Sachs Raises KOSPI Target to 12,000 as Korea Posts 300% Earnings Boom, Top Pick in Asia

South Korea's KOSPI closed at 8,801 on June 2 as Goldman Sachs raised its 12-month target to 12,000 — a further 35% upside — citing 300% earnings growth, the sharpest annual profit surge in any Asian market since Korea's own 1999 post-crisis rebound, and a 'Higher for Longer' memory supercycle.

SK Group Chair Vows to Double HBM Wafer Output in Five Years as Huang Hails Hynix’s USD 1 Trillion Cap

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won pledged at Computex 2026 to double SK hynix’s wafer production capacity within five years, warning the global HBM supply crunch will persist through 2030, as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang hailed SK hynix’s USD 1 trillion market-cap milestone at a bilateral Taipei meeting.

Samsung (005930.KS) Shows HBM5, Targets SK hynix HBM Lead

Korea Investment Joins Goldman, BofA and Barclays on Carlyle's €7.7 Billion BASF Coatings Deal in Korean Brokerage's Global First

Korea Investment & Securities Co. has secured its first joint lead arranger seat on a global mega-deal, joining Goldman Sachs, Bank of America Securities and Barclays on the roughly €4.5 billion debt package backing Carlyle Group's €7.7 billion acquisition of BASF SE's coatings division.

Korea Cuts EUV Tool Clearance to 9 Days for Samsung, SK Hynix

South Korea's cabinet on June 2 cut EUV scanner import clearance from 34 days to 9 days, reducing each installation's overhead by 25 days and USD500 million per tool.

Hanmi Pharmaceutical Signs $1.26 Billion Licensing Deal With Eli Lilly for Rare Bowel-Disease Drug

Hanmi Pharmaceutical has outlicensed sonefpeglutide, a GLP-2 drug candidate, to Eli Lilly in a deal worth up to $1.26 billion, with $75 million paid upfront. The announcement sent Hanmi stock up 9.78% to ₩539,000, while Korea Investment Securities raised its target price to ₩740,000.

KB Financial (105560.KS) Opens Chairman Succession Early

Samsung Biologics (207940.KS) Backs ₩200B Third Bio Fund

KOSPI Surges 3.7% to Record 8,788 as Jensen Huang's Korea Blitz Fires AI-Chip Stocks

South Korea's KOSPI closed at 8,788.38 on June 1, 2026—a new all-time high—as Jensen Huang's Korea Partner Night in Taipei ignited fresh demand for Samsung Electronics (+10.9%) and LG Electronics (upper limit). Only 183 of 915 listed stocks advanced, raising concentration-risk warnings even as the NPS fund crossed ₩1,900 trillion with a 25% YTD return.

Samsung (005930.KS) Holdings Top ₩60T on AI-Memory Surge as KOSPI Hits Records

SKT Surges 13% as Jensen Huang Names It Physical-AI Linchpin at GTC Taipei

SK Telecom shares jumped 13.42% to ₩114,100 on June 1 after Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang named the Korean carrier a key partner in manufacturing and physical AI at GTC Taipei, spotlighting its Omniverse-powered digital twin running inside a SK hynix chip fab.

Celltrion's First-Ever Union Lands as Record Margins Peak

Celltrion (068270.KS), the Incheon-based biosimilar maker that is South Korea's largest by sales, saw workers form the first labor union in its history on June 1, ending a no-union stretch that has held since the company's 2002 founding (Yonhap; Korea Times). The timing is what matters to investors: the union arrives weeks after Celltrion booked the most profitable year it has ever reported.

Samsung Bio Strike Hardens; Celltrion Forms First Union

Celltrion (068270.KS), South Korea's largest biosimilar developer, said its workers launched a labor union on June 1 — the first in the company's history since founder Seo Jung-jin started it in 2002, according to Chosun Biz and The Korea Times. The move lands as a separate dispute at Samsung Biolog

SK Hynix Cheongju Fab Fire: Hydrogen Fluoride Leak Hospitalizes Seven

A fire broke out around 10:32 a.m. on June 1 at SK Hynix's Cheongju Campus 4 — part of the memory giant's main NAND flash and back-end hub in North Chungcheong Province — releasing hydrogen fluoride and injuring six people, according to Korean outlets chosunbiz and Electronic Times (etnews). SK Hynix is the world's second-largest memory chipmaker and the leading supplier of high-bandwidth memory (

Kakao Union Locks In June 10 Walkout After Second Mediation Fails, Targeting 13-15% Profit Share

Kakao Corp.'s five-entity labor coalition confirmed a four-hour partial walkout for June 10 after second mediation failed. The union demands 13–15% of Kakao's ₩440B 2025 operating profit as bonuses (est. ₩15M/worker); management warns the package would be 'a huge burden.' A prolonged stoppage risks delaying the KakaoTalk Kanana AI rollout.

Korea's $1.2 Trillion NPS Raises Domestic Stock Cap to 20.8%, Defusing a ₩200 Trillion Forced-Sale Threat

Korea's $1.2 trillion NPS pension fund raised its domestic equity ceiling from 14.9% to 20.8% on May 28, averting ₩200 trillion in forced selling triggered by KOSPI's 94% surge.

Samsung Tops Automotive Memory Market for First Time, Seizing 40% Share as Micron Slips to No. 2

Samsung Electronics has captured 40 percent of the global automotive memory chip market in 2025 — up from 35 percent a year earlier — overtaking Micron Technology for the first time, according to S&P Global Mobility.

Korea Earns Record $85B Trade Surplus But Can't Lift the Won as $65B Capital Flight Drains the AI Chip Windfall

South Korea's Q1 current account surplus hit a record $85 billion — yet the won has hovered above 1,500 per dollar for 19 trading days in 2026, touching a 17-year real effective low, as $65.4 billion in net capital outflows nearly erase the AI chip trade windfall.

KOSPI Nears 8,500 But Record Margin Loans and $74B Foreign Exit Cast Shadow Over June

Korea's benchmark index closed within 24 points of 8,500 on its best weekly gain of 2026, even as margin debt hit a record ₩37.07 trillion and foreign investors marked a 16th consecutive net-selling session.

Samsung and SK Hynix Back Anthropic's $65B Round as Claude Maker Eclipses OpenAI at $965B

Samsung Electronics and SK hynix joined Micron in Anthropic's $65 billion Series H, pushing the Claude developer's valuation to $965 billion and opening a potential foundry lane for Samsung.

SK hynix Closes to 93% of Samsung's Market Cap, Reviving Bubble Debate as Gap Hits Historic Low

SK hynix year-to-date surge of 258.4% cut its market-cap gap with Samsung Electronics to a record-low ₩119.6 trillion on Friday, lifting the ratio to 93.2% — from just 46.5% a year ago — as HBM dominance and pure-play chip exposure fuel a revaluation that has analysts divided over whether the convergence signals a bull-market peak or genuine fundamental repricing.

Samsung, SK Hynix Executives Sitting on ₩101B as Chip Boom Delivers Up to 400% Returns on Self-Held Shares

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix senior executives are sitting on a combined ₩101.2 billion in unrealized stock gains, with return rates reaching 400%-plus for SK Hynix President Cha Sun-yong and 241% for CEO Kwak Noh-jung, as the AI-driven chip supercycle pushes Korean tech valuations to record levels.

Samsung Ships World-First HBM4E Samples; Stock Hits 2026 High as Market Cap Crosses KRW 2,000 Trillion

Samsung Electronics became the first company in the world to ship samples of HBM4E, its seventh-generation high-bandwidth memory, sending shares up 5.84% to a 2018-split high and pushing its market cap above KRW 2,015 trillion for the first time.

Hanwha's KSS-III Docks in Canada as Korea-Germany Showdown Over $42B Submarine Contract Enters Final Stretch

The Dosan Ahn Chang-ho, South Korea's most advanced submarine, arrived at CFB Esquimalt in Victoria, BC on May 23 — the first Korean-built vessel to cross the Pacific — and successfully tested NATO C4I interoperability. The visit anchors Hanwha Ocean's pitch for Canada's $42B Patrol Submarine Project, which pits the KSS-III against Germany's Type 212CD in a contest expected to be decided in late June 2026.

Nvidia N1X Arm Chip Heads to Computex With SK Hynix LPDDR5X Inside, Sealing Korea's Role in the Windows AI PC Era

Nvidia's N1X Arm laptop chip — packing a Blackwell GPU and SK Hynix LPDDR5X memory — will debut at Computex next week, with Microsoft Surface and Dell among first OEMs, opening a lucrative new memory front for Korean suppliers.