Japan’s export restrictions cover photoresists, hydrogen fluoride and fluorine polyimide. Among them, hydrogen fluoride or etching gas from Japan accounts for 43.9 percent of South Korea’s total hydrogen fluoride imports, and South Korea’s dependence on Japan is close to 100 percent when it comes to
The Sankei Shimbun reported on June 30 that the Japanese government would restrict exports of three chemical materials to South Korea starting from July 4 in response to the South Korean Supreme Court’s ruling regarding compensation for forced labor victims during Japanese colonial rule.The three ma
SK Telecom has been selected as a 5G communication leader in Asia.Moor Insights & Strategy, a leading high-tech analyst firm in the United States, recently announced companies that lead 5G in categories such as global telecom operators, smartphone makers and equipment companies.SK Telecom was select
DRAM prices have plummeted by two digits once again, dropping to the level three years ago. Instead, NAND flash prices rebounded for the first time in two years, kindling a hope for earnings growth of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.Contract prices of DDR4 8 Gb DRAMs mainly used in PCs fell 11.2 pe
SK Innovation is considering supplying electric vehicle (EV) battery separators to its Korean competitors. If Japan's export restrictions on EV battery separators become a reality, it will deal a serious blow to Korean companies that are developing EVs."Although we are competing with domestic co
Seven companies, including SK Networks, have joined the preliminary bidding to acquire Woongjin Coway Co. which is roughly valued at 2 trillion won ($1.68 billion).Korea Investment & Securities Co., the lead manager for the sale of the water purifier rental company, received a letter of interest (LO
Samsung Electronics has made it clear that it would not cut production of memory semiconductors such as DRAMs. In addition, the global semiconductor giant said it is difficult to assess the impact of Japan's export curbs on its semiconductor business, pledging it would minimize damage through va
The operating profit of Samsung Electronics Co. in the semiconductor business stood at 3.40 trillion won (US$2.87 billion) in the second quarter of this year, the lowest in three years after recording 3.37 trillion won in the third quarter of 2016. The company’s operating margin fell to 21.13 percen
Samsung Display has obtained a design patent for a triple-screen smartphone.According to LetsGoDigital, a Dutch online magazine specializing in IT, Samsung Display submitted a patent application for a smartphone with three extendable screens to the Korean Intellectual Property Office in August 2018
Standard & Poor's (S&P) announced on July 30 that it has maintained its credit rating on Samsung Electronics Co. at "AA-" and its rating outlook at “stable.”"We expect that Samsung Electronics will maintain its solid financial statement over the next two years despite the slowdown in the memory
Global rating agency Moody's has reconfirmed the corporate credit rating of SK Hynix Inc. at “Baa2,” but downgraded its rating outlook from “stable” to “negative.”This is because SK Hynix suffered a sharp drop in operating profit in the second quarter and Japan decided to control exports to Sout
Although the mutual evaluation unit of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has finished a due diligence on South Korean financial companies, domestic banks cannot relax until the final results come out in April next year. The on-the-spot inspection has been completed, but they now face a stricter
The TV war between Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics is shifting from QLED TVs versus OLED TVs to 8K TVs versus OLED TVs. Samsung Electronics, which launched the industry’s first 8K TVs last year, has been stepping up its efforts to dominate the world 8K TV market.8K TVs can achieve a resolutio
Tokyo has been ignoring Seoul’s proposals to hold talks to discuss Japan’s trade restrictions on South Korea. South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee told reporters on July 29 that she proposed to Japan's Trade Minister Hiroshige Seko that they meet on the sidelines of the ministerial conferen
Samsung SDS will make a full-scale foray into the Southeast Asian IT service market by becoming the largest shareholder of CMC, a large IT service company in Vietnam.Samsung SDS announced on July 28 that it signed an investment contract with CMC on July 26 under a strategic investment agreement. CMC
South Korea’s leading companies suffered an earnings shock in the first half of this year. The competitiveness of the country's major industries has been undermined due to anti-business and anti-market economic policies and a lower labor productivity amid deepening uncertainty from the trade war
South Korea and the United States are entering into a legal battle over the U.S. safeguard tariffs on South Korean washing machines at the World Trade Organization (WTO).The WTO formed a panel to settle the dispute in Geneva, Switzerland, on July 1, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and E
Chung Eui-sun, senior vice chairman of Hyundai Motor Group met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Jakarta on July 25 (local time) to discuss ways to promote cooperation.Chung is visiting Southeast Asian countries to check local markets."Hyundai Motor is one of the most enterprising companies a
As the Korean economy is slowing down amid growing concerns about a global economic downturn, foreign investors are withdrawing their funds from the domestic stock market for investment in bonds, which are risk-free assets.Foreign investors net sold 2.48 trillion won (US$2.10 billion) worth of KOSPI
The World Trade Organization (WTO) held a general board meeting in Geneva on July 23 and 24. There, Kim Seung-ho, head of the Office of International Trade and Legal Affairs of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of South Korea, pointed out that Japan’s export curbs on South Korea are rooted