Despite the United States intensifying its export restrictions against China in the semiconductor sector, China’s self-sufficiency rate in advanced products such as domestic artificial intelligence (AI) chips is increasing faster than expected.Market research firm TrendForce reported on Dec. 12 that
WASHINGTON—In advanced industries such as computers and electronics, motor vehicles, and machinery and equipment, South Korea’s economy is 77 percent stronger than the relative global average, ranking second behind only Taiwan, according to a new report from the Information Technology and Innovation
On Dec. 12, Canada’s renowned coffee brand, Tim Hortons, held a media event at its first domestic location, the Sinnonhyeon Station branch in the Gangnam district of Seoul. During the event, the company unveiled the reasons behind its entry into the South Korean market and discussed its strategies f
Hyundai and Kia have developed a technology that can easily replace snow chains, which are difficult to install, to help drivers drive safely in winter.Hyundai and Kia unveiled the snow chain integrated tire technology using shape-memory alloy on Dec. 11. This technology is based on the principle th
SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won has not stopped his overseas business travels, going to the United States and Europe towards the end of the year in December.The SK chairman visited SK hynix America in San Jose and three affiliates and investors, including Gauss Labs and Lunar Energy, in the United St
Data reveals that 60% of all private equity funds recorded deficits. Despite an increase in both the total number of private equity funds and their assets under management, the growing number of companies operating in the red indicates an accelerating polarization in the private equity market, accor
LIG Nex1 has initiated the pursuit of acquiring Ghost Robotics, a U.S.-based robotics company known for developing robotic dogs.The company announced in a regulatory filing on Dec. 8 that it will acquire a 60% stake in Ghost Robotics for 315 billion won (US$238.46 million).To facilitate the acquisit
As the Foreign Entity of Concern (FEOC) regulation under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is set to be implemented from Jan. 1 next year, the potential benefits for domestic battery material companies are drawing attention.On Dec. 11, the battery material industry is closely monitoring the pos
Hyosung Advanced Materials has been newly included in the 2023 Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) Korea.The DJSI is a global sustainability management assessment index published annually by S&P Global Switzerland, the world’s largest financial information provider.Companies incorporated into th
The author is an analyst for Shinhan Securities. She can be reached at kimaram@shinhan.com -- Ed.Gaining a solid fan base among NAVER Webtoon subscribersYLAB, listed on the KOSDAQ in July this year, is a webtoon studio that has published popular titles like Island, Reawakened Man, Terror Man, Get Sc
Activist funds pushing for better corporate governance and increased shareholder returns are expected to make many moves ahead of the annual shareholder meeting season for listed companies early next year.Major activist funds Truston Asset Management (Taekwang Industries-BYC), Align Partners Asset M
Due to high interest rates and the economic downturn, there has been a sharp increase in households and businesses unable to meet their loan interest payments.According to banking sources on Dec. 10, the non-performing loan balance of KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana, and Woori Banks increased significantl
In celebration of LG Twins’ victory in the Korean Series, LG Electronics has initiated a 29 percent discount on home appliances. Following suit, Samsung Electronics has also joined the discount battle. As the two major players in the domestic home appliance industry, LG Electronics and Samsung Elect
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at junsup@nhqv.com -- Ed.Mirae Asset Life’s share price is moving strong in response to majority shareholders’ share purchasing activity. However, it is unclear as to how long these purchase effects will last.Share price ener
SK telecom has executed an organizational restructuring and executive appointment on Dec. 7 as part of its ambitious leap towards becoming a global AI company. Yoo Young-sang has successfully retained his position as the CEO of SK telecom.In September SK telecom announced its AI Pyramid strategy foc
Samsung SDI is accelerating its pursuit of next-generation battery technology by establishing a new development organization aimed at solidifying its technological edge.On Dec. 7, the industry reported that Samsung SDI has conducted a regular organizational restructuring. Notably, this reorganizatio
SK hynix has established a dedicated organization named “AI Infrastructure” (AI Infra) to strengthen its competitiveness in the high bandwidth memory (HBM) business, a high-value product segment. The AI Infra organization is led by Vice President Kim Joo-sun, who previously headed the Global Sales &
The author is an analyst for Shinhan Securities. He can be reached at hyon@shinhan.com -- Ed.Seasonal demand from new smartphone release to concentrate in 4QLX Semicon registered operating profit of KRW14.9bn (+91% QoQ) on sales of KRW412.8bn (-9% QoQ) for 3Q23. With its client hit by delays in the
Apple recently sent Apple Pay terms and conditions to three Korean credit card issuers -- Shinhan Card, KB Card, and BC Card -- proposing that they join the Apple Pay camp, according to industry sources on Dec. 5. In addition to explaining Apple Pay’s global standard contract terms such as the Apple
SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, who visited Washington, D.C., on Dec. 4 (local time) reiterated his proposal for the formation of a trilateral economic union, saying, “If South Korea and Japan develop into a single market-type economic partnership like the European Union, it will not only create tre