US auto tariff cut could be backdated to Nov. 1, but questions remain over chips

South Korea and the US set the tariff rate at 15 percent on a range of Korean goods after finalizing a joint fact sheet on their trade deal Friday, ending months of uncertainty for Korean exporters, with reduced auto duties potentially taking affect retroactively from Nov 1. The two countries released full details of the deal two weeks after an October summit between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump. Seoul agreed to a $350 billion investment pledge during their

Nov. 14, 2025

KOTRA chief eyes $1tr export breakthrough on Hallyu momentum, Global South focus

Fueled by the global rise of Hallyu and the rapid international expansion of Korean consumer goods, Kang Kyung-sung, president of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, vowed to devote his organization's full efforts to diversifying exports and accelerating South Korea’s push toward annual exports of $1 trillion. “As the power of Hallyu grows, exports of K-consumer goods have once again given South Korea a chance to seize the opportunity and achieve significant growth,” Kang said during a

Nov. 14, 2025

HBM4 bets propel Samsung on new bullish run

With Samsung Electronics shares now trading above 100,000 won ($68), investors are questioning whether the tech behemoth can sustain its upward trajectory to hit the 150,000 won level that several brokerages now predict, citing accelerating demand for the high-bandwidth memory chips critical for artificial intelligence. Local brokerages rushed to lift targets after Samsung posted stronger-than-expected third-quarter earnings on Oct. 30 and AI giant Nvidia unveiled plans to provide GPUs to Samsun

Nov. 13, 2025

South Korea weighs raising retirement age to 65 amid labor-business divide

As South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party of Korea steps up to raise the statutory retirement age from 60 to 65, debate is intensifying over how the move could reshape the nation’s labor market, with the business community warning of higher costs and shrinking job prospects for young workers. Raising the retirement age to 65 was one of President Lee Jae Myung’s key campaign pledges, aimed at addressing Korea’s rapidly aging population and delayed pension payouts. The Democratic Party has vowed to

Nov. 12, 2025

Top 5 chaebol account for over half of Korea's market cap

Companies under South Korea’s five largest conglomerates -- Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor, LG and HD Hyundai -- account for more than half of the country's stock market value after a blistering semiconductor rally that sent the benchmark Kospi index past 4,000 for the first time, industry data showed Tuesday. The combined market capitalization of the main Kospi and the secondary Kosdaq and Konex exchanges jumped 71.5 percent to 3,963.1 trillion won ($2.71 trillion) as of Nov. 3, up from 2,310 trill

Nov. 11, 2025

Why big tech is betting billions on South Korea’s AI future

South Korea has emerged as a magnet for major US technology companies in recent months, with Nvidia, OpenAI and Amazon Web Services pouring billions into investments and clinching strategic partnerships to expand the country’s AI infrastructure. Observers say the country offers a rare combination of advantages as Washington and Beijing battle for tech supremacy. Home to top-tier chipmakers and automakers, South Korea — a key US ally and Asia's fourth largest economy — provides manufacturing prow

Nov. 10, 2025

SK chief calls for strong fundamentals to lead in AI era

SK Group Chair Chey Tae-won has urged the conglomerate’s top executives to pursue operational improvement and bolster their core business expertise to take the lead in the artificial intelligence era. Chey made the remarks as he wrapped up the annual CEO Seminar at the SK Management System Research Institute in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, the group said Sunday. The tech-to-energy giant’s top leadership, including Chey, Senior Vice Chair Chey Jae-won, Supex Council Chair Chey Chang-won, and over 6

Nov. 9, 2025

Naver to roll out AI agents, ramp up GPU investments

South Korean internet giant Naver is planning to introduce AI agents across key services like shopping and search next year, while investing over 1 trillion won ($691 million) to purchase graphic processing units to bolster infrastructure, ramping up its drive to become a global AI leader. At the company’s flagship tech conference, Dan25, held at Coex in southern Seoul on Thursday, CEO Choi Soo-yeon outlined Naver's AI strategy in a keynote speech, focusing on artificial intleligence agent servi

Nov. 6, 2025

Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Sumitomo Chemical to form JV for chip glass substrates

Samsung Electro-Mechanics said Wednesday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Japan’s Sumitomo Chemical to form a joint venture for producing glass cores, a key material for next-generation semiconductor packaging substrates. The company explained that the partnership aims to tackle the constraints of conventional packaging substrates amid the fast-paced development of AI and high-performance computing technologies. Glass cores offer lower thermal expansion and superior flatness comp

Nov. 5, 2025

$200b US investment to target Korean corporate growth: industry minister

Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan on Monday stressed that Korea’s planned $200 billion investment in the United States is designed to benefit Korean companies first, describing it as a strategic initiative rather than a financial handout. “The $200 billion is not money simply given to the United States,” Kim said during a meeting with CEOs of medium-sized companies at the Grand Hyatt Seoul. “It is structured so that our companies expanding into the American market can be the first to benefit.” Kim

Nov. 3, 2025