Samsung Electronics has decided to transition to a 200-layer NAND process at its NAND flash factory in Xi’an, China. The move to produce 236-layer products, which belong to the 8th generation of NAND, is seen as a strategic step to overcome a decline in performance due to sluggish global NAND demand
Worries have surfaced that South Korea’s steel industry, which relies heavily on blast furnaces, could face significant challenges amid speculation that the United States and the European Union (EU) are discreetly working on standards for an “Eco-friendly Steel Club” that may be advantageous to thei
South Korea has signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), marking its first such agreement with a Middle Eastern country and its 24th FTA overall.The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced that Ahn Deok-geun and Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi concluded Comprehens
Foreign investors posted a net outflow of more than US$1.4 billion in Korean securities in September. September marked the second consecutive month of a net outflow.Foreigners posted US$1.43 billion in a net outflow from the Korean stock market in September, according to a report titled “Financial M
The United States has refrozen Korea’s payment for Iran’s crude oil exports that South Korea transferred to a Qatari bank as part of a prisoner swap deal between the United States and Iran.On Oct. 12 (local time), the U.S. government said that Iran will not be able to get its hands on US$6 billion t
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at ys.jung@nhqv.com -- Ed.International passenger traffic fell 11% m-m in September amid the ending of peak season effects. Cargo volume rose 4% m-m on higher demand for air freight. Intensifying fare competition (especially
KT has set its sights on extending the wireless quantum encrypted communication data transmission range from the current 2 km to 10 km by next year. Achieving lossless data exchange up to a distance of 10 km, from the ground to the stratosphere, could significantly reduce the potential hacking threa
The rapid growth of Compute Express Link (CXL) – emerging as the next-generation DRAM standard – is capturing the semiconductor industry’s attention. Both Samsung Electronics and SK hynix view CXL as a game-changing technology for the next-gen memory market, the next step after High Bandwidth Memory
Amid the global semiconductor demand slowdown, it’s projected that the operation rate of Samsung Electronics’ legacy 8-inch wafer foundry will be cut in half next year.Market research firm TrendForce reported on Oct. 12 that Samsung Electronics’ 8-inch wafer foundry’s operation rate will be around 5
After struggling with subpar yield rates, SK on has now achieved a 90% yield rate in its operations in the U.S. and Europe, following its success in Korea and China. SK on’s business expansion had been hindered due to these low yield rates.According to industry sources on Oct. 12, SK on recently hel
The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) announced that Iceland was selected as the safest and most peaceful country in the world with a score of 1.124 in the Global Peace Index (GPI), according to the New York Post on Oct. 1.The GPI quantifies peace by aggregating 23 items including social, poli
Korea’s artificial intelligence (AI) industry stands sixth globally. Samsung Group held more AI patents than major companies in the United States and China, ranking high among the world’s top companies in the patent sector. But a lack of talented people and sluggish investment were pointed out as ar
The World Bank (WB), along with the Group of Seven (G7) countries, has decided to invest US$40 million in developing countries in order to stabilize global supply chains. The WB plans to raise US$100 million within five years, and the Korean government will contribute US$3 million in the early stage
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at jooyh@nhqv.com -- Ed.Although high-base burden remains a factor, overall sector earnings for 3Q23 should show improvement versus 1H23. We see many positives to look forward to as end-year approaches, including the resumpti
Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are pumping up their efforts to promote their gaming monitors among gamers of the e-sports League of Legends (LoL) scene.LoL is the world’s most popular game with nearly 200 million monthly active users. There are continental leagues such as League of Legends C
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at jaemin.ahn@nhqv.com -- Ed.Following on from a narrowed operating loss in 3Q23, we expect Netmarble to turn to profit in both 4Q23 and 2024. Earnings should recover on the launch of a number of new global titles and Chinese
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at jooyh@nhqv.com -- Ed.Excluding the impact of exchange rates, Orion is continuing to enjoy a top-line growth trend in all four of its major market countries. Alongside manufacturing cost-to-sales ratio improvement, OP expan
Expectations are rising that South Korean electric mobility companies might counteract the rapid market penetration of cheaper Chinese alternatives by next year. Particularly, South Korean SMEs, medium-sized businesses, and startups are strategizing to differentiate themselves from Chinese products
This year, South Korea is expected to record a growth rate lower than that of Japan. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has maintained its earlier projection of 1.4 percent for South Korea’s growth rate this year. Japan’s growth rate projection for this year has risen to 2.0 percent, expected to
The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has imposed a fine of 3 billion won (US$2.23 million) and issued a payment order against China State Construction Engineering Corporation Limited (CSCECL), a Chinese state-owned construction company, for its failure to provide written subcontract agreements and withho