KH Explains In series
Major issues broken down to the basics.
#Explained
# Issues
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KH Explains In series
Major issues broken down to the basics.
Would you like to subscribe?
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 - 14:50:50
How 260,000 Nvidia chips could redefine Korea’s AI ambitions
South Korea’s plan to secure 260,000 of Nvidia’s latest Blackwell AI chips, in a deal worth up to $10 billion, marks one of its boldest steps yet to build world-class artificial intelligence infrastructure. But beyond the record figure, the deal underscores both Korea’s rising AI ambitions and the challenges ahead. Announced during Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s visit to Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, for the APEC summit, the agreement represents one of the largest GPU allocations ever made to
Nov. 2, 2025 - 14:39:40
Chilly like late fall, but trees are still green. What's going on?
Seoraksan saw its first snowfall on Monday, with temperatures dipping below zero degrees Celsius. In the cities, people bundled up in scarves and padded jackets as morning temperatures fell two to seven degrees below seasonal averages. Yet along Seoul’s tree-lined streets, hints of summer still lingered. The maples and gingkoes that usually herald autumn remained stubbornly green. Autumn in South Korea is famed for its fiery colors, when, by mid- to late October, crimson maples and golden gingko
Oct. 21, 2025 - 09:00:00
Naver Financial–Dunamu merger talks heat up despite valuation gap
A long-anticipated merger between Naver Financial and Dunamu could take shape as early as this month, potentially marking one of South Korea’s most consequential fintech deals — though one clouded by valuation gaps and diverging shareholder interests. According to industry sources Sunday, negotiations have accelerated in recent weeks, with the share swap ratio emerging as the central sticking point. The two unlisted firms differ sharply in corporate scale and profitability, complicating efforts
Oct. 19, 2025 - 15:27:34
What Mirae Asset’s win over Brookfield means for Korean real estate
After nearly three years of legal dispute, South Korea’s Mirae Asset Global Investments has won an international arbitration case against Canada’s Brookfield Asset Management over the return of a 200 billion won ($140 million) down payment for the failed acquisition of the International Finance Center Seoul. On Monday, the Singapore International Arbitration Center ordered Brookfield to return the full down payment to Mirae Asset, along with interest for the delay and all arbitration-related cos
Oct. 14, 2025 - 15:23:45
How Korea’s treasury share reform diverges from global norms
The Democratic Party of Korea’s push to mandate that listed companies cancel treasury shares is raising questions over compatibility with global standards, as major economies generally allow companies to hold such shares under certain conditions. The concerns come as the Democratic Party, leveraging its majority control at the unicameral parliament, seeks to pass the third revision to the Commercial Act, requiring companies to retire treasury shares within fixed deadlines. Treasury shares are sh
Sept. 22, 2025 - 14:05:33
Can company-run graduate schools fuel Korea’s tech ambitions?
When Shin Dong-hwa, a senior researcher at LG Energy Solution, began classes at LG AI Research's new graduate school, his focus was not on an abstract thesis but on a stubborn challenge from his lab: how to use artificial intelligence to accelerate cathode material design at the atomic level. “In the workplace, I rarely had the chance to study theory and mostly focused on applying pre-built models," said Shin, who graduated from the program this February. "Through the master’s program, I was fin
Sept. 16, 2025 - 12:11:42
Visa clash overshadows Korean role in building American factories, creating new jobs
Last week’s immigration raid by US authorities at the construction site of Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution’s joint battery venture HL-GA in Georgia set off alarms for Korean companies already investing billions of dollars to establish manufacturing footholds in America. Although 316 Korean nationals were in the process of being released from detention to come back home on a chartered flight on Friday, the aftermath of the unprecedented mass arrests has sent shock waves through not only affe
Sept. 11, 2025 - 15:51:39
Scrapping treasury stocks: Will boost for investors pose risk to Korea Inc.?
South Korea's ruling Democratic Party is seeking to push for a third round of amendments to the Commercial Act, requiring listed companies to cancel treasury shares within a set timeframe. The proposal, expected to put forward in the parliamentary session this month, has triggered debate between minority shareholders, who consider it an essential reform and corporate leaders, who view it as a fundamental threat to corporate control. The move follows two waves of corporate governance reforms pass
Sept. 7, 2025 - 14:23:02
Even old, inactive batteries can start fires. Here's how to throw them out safely
A recent string of battery fires in South Korea has forced evacuations from subways, airplanes and even apartment buildings, making the simple act of properly throwing out an old power bank or handheld fan a matter of public safety. On Monday, trains on Seoul Subway Line Nos. 2 and 6 skipped Hapjeong Station for more than 30 minutes after smoke poured from a passenger’s motorcycle battery, according to Seoul Metro and the Mapo Fire Station. Just five days earlier, a power bank caught fire on a L
Sept. 6, 2025 - 16:00:04
Korea’s burger market sizzles as global, local chains go full grill
Korea’s craving for burgers shows no sign of abating, with the once-occasional indulgence now a regular part of many consumers’ weekly diet. According to market research firm Euromonitor, Korea’s burger market has climbed steadily from 2.1 trillion won ($1.51 billion) in 2014 to a projected 5 trillion won this year, up from 4.2 trillion won in 2024. Riding this swift rise, global players are digging deeper into localization, whereas local brands look outward to grow. McDonald’s Korea is marking
Aug. 18, 2025 - 13:14:54
From BTS glory to boardroom battles: Bang Si-hyuk under siege
Hybe founder and Chair Bang Si-hyuk, once celebrated as the trailblazer of the K-pop industry with the unprecedented success of BTS, now finds himself under intense legal scrutiny, putting Hybe’s roughly 12 trillion won ($8.65 billion) market valuation to the test. According to the allegations, Bang deliberately misled investors in 2019 by suggesting that the public listing of Hybe — then Big Hit Entertainment — would be unlikely, while the company was preparing to go public as planned in the ba
Aug. 17, 2025 - 15:41:43
Hyundai Motor braces for overhaul as US tariffs reshape export strategy
The 15 percent tariff agreement between South Korea and the US is sending shock waves through Hyundai Motor Group, which heavily relies on exports to the world’s second-largest car market. The impact seems particularly challenging for the Korean auto giant, forcing a fundamental overhaul of its US strategy, including price adjustments and relocation of production for key vehicle models from Korea to the US. The newly imposed 15 percent levy ― though lower than the previously threatened 25 percen
Aug. 6, 2025 - 14:39:45
Korea, US strike last-minute tariff deal, but tough talks lie ahead
A very last-minute tariff deal between South Korea and the US brought some relief to Asia’s fourth-largest economy last week, lowering threatened import duties on Korean products from 25 percent to 15 percent just before the Aug. 1 deadline. However, the deal is widely regarded as a framework, with many specifics yet to be ironed out. There also remain discrepancies between the two sides, particularly in nontariff barriers in the digital and agricultural sectors. These details will need to be re
Aug. 5, 2025 - 14:51:52
Korean drug firms step up race to take on Wegovy, Mounjaro
Korean pharmaceutical companies are rushing to develop their own alternatives to blockbuster weight-loss drugs like Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro, accelerating efforts to enter the booming obesity treatment market with competitively priced medications, improved tolerability and innovative delivery methods. Hanmi Pharmaceutical appears to be leading the race, having completed Phase 3 clinical trials of Efpeglenatide — a once-weekly injectable glucagon-like peptide-1 or GLP-1 drug
Aug. 4, 2025 - 15:33:23
