Samsung's Chip-Equipment Arm Semes Launches First Union as Supercycle Pay Demands Reach Korea Supply Chain
Semes Co., Korea's largest semiconductor equipment maker, launched its first labor union on 15 July 2026, demanding performance bonuses linked to Samsung's DS semiconductor-division benchmarks. Tokyo Electron Korea is also forming a union.
HD Korea Shipbuilding (KSOE) Posts ₩1.44T Q2 Operating Profit, Up 51%, as LNG Cycle Matures Into Margin
HD KSOE (009540.KS) posted Q2 2026 preliminary operating profit of ₩1.44T (+50.8% YoY) on revenue of ₩8.63T (+16.1%), sustaining a ~16.7% OP margin. Order intake of USD 16.4B already covers 70.3% of the USD 23.31B annual target.
Google (GOOGL) Android Fee Cut to Reach Korea by December
Google (GOOGL) has run out of legal room to slow the opening of Android. On July 15 the company and Epic Games jointly withdrew a modified settlement they had h
Samsung's ₩40T Bonus Deal Faces Shareholder Rebellion: Activist Platform Asks NPS to Force AGM Vote
Samsung minority shareholders, via activist platform ACT, are pushing Korea's National Pension Service to demand a formal AGM vote on the company's ₩40T annual profit-linked bonus scheme for its DS semiconductor division before any payouts are made.
KOSPI Vaults 6.2% and Triggers Buy Sidecar as Barclays' SK Hynix "Double" Call and US CPI Miss Reverse the Rout
Seoul stocks rebounded sharply on July 15 as softer US CPI data and a Barclays upgrade on SK Hynix ADRs drove a 6.24% KOSPI advance to 7,284. A buy-side sidecar was triggered at the open. Foreigners purchased ₩2.34T net, more than doubling the prior session.
Seoul Raids Rambus, Renesas, Montage Over Chip Price-Fixing
On July 15, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office — Korea's lead body for major economic-crime prosecutions — searched the Korean offices of three glob
Hanwha Corp Shareholders Vote 99.9% to Split Conglomerate, Sharpening Kim Succession Map for Defence and Energy
Hanwha Corp. shareholders voted 99.9% to approve a corporate split on July 15, separating defence, energy and financial assets into the existing entity while spinning off machinery, hospitality and robotics into a new company listing August 25. The restructuring clarifies Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan's succession claim over Hanwha Aerospace, Ocean, and Solutions.
BoK Hikes July 16: KB Financial, Shinhan, and Hana — The NIM Playbook for Tomorrow
BoK is set to hike 25bp to 2.75% on July 16 — its first rate hike since 2023. Here is what the decision means for KB, Shinhan, and Hana Financial NIMs.
Samsung (005930.KS) ₩600M DS Bonus Sparks DX Union Rally
Samsung Electronics (005930.KS), South Korea's largest listed company, faces a staff rally on Thursday, July 16, over a pay fight that has turned its own workfo
ASML Raises 2026 Outlook Again on HBM-Driven EUV Demand
ASML, the Dutch supplier that builds the world's only extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) lithography systems, beat its own guidance in the second quarter and lifted its full-year 2026 forecast for the second time this year — a read that matters less for the company itself than for its two largest Korean customers, Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) and SK Hynix (000660.KS), whose AI-memory buildout is substantially reflected in ASML's order book.
LG Energy Solution Wins Google's Steel River Battery Order, Largest U.S. Solar-Storage Project
LGES wins Google's Steel River battery supply deal: 2.0 GWh LFP initially, expanding to 2.9 GWh by 2029. North American manufacturing secures IRA AMPC credits. Follow-on to May 2026 DTE Energy order.
Korea, US and Japan Sign SMR Pact: Doosan Enerbility, HD Hyundai and SK Eye Global Nuclear Market
South Korea signed a trilateral SMR cooperation pact with the US and Japan. Doosan Enerbility is investing ₩806.8B in a Changwon SMR facility; SK Group holds USD 250M in TerraPower; HD Hyundai Heavy develops floating nuclear plants.