South Korea

Demand for a wide range of semiconductors has dropped sharply after prolonged supply shortages. (Photo by Wataru Ito)
Semiconductors

Intel, Samsung, Micron brace for slump as chip cycle tips downward

Economic slowdown chills tech demand, leaving semiconductor inventories glutted

29 October 2022
U.S. and South Korean forces conducted a bombing drill in early October. (Photo by Yonhap via Reuters)
International relations

U.S., South Korea to hold Vigilant Storm drill with F-35s, U-2 spy plane

Air exercise next week to involve over 240 aircraft, including Australian tanker

29 October 2022
Lee Jae-yong takes over Samsung's top leadership role at a challenging time for the global tech giant.
Technology

Samsung's future: Five challenges for Chairman Lee Jae-yong

Tech tycoon faces chip downturn, underscoring need for new growth engines

28 October 2022
Lee Jae-yong has been promoted to chairman of  Samsung Electronics.
Semiconductors

Samsung promotes Lee Jae-yong to chairman in bid for 'stability'

Move comes as tech company's Q3 net profit fell 23% amid chip, smartphone slump

27 October 2022
The OLED panel industry has struggled as many consumers see no need to upgrade from LCD televisions. (Photo courtesy of LG Display)
Electronics

Post-COVID chill drives LG Display to record loss

Pressure to reshape business mounts as Chinese rivals catch up on OLED

27 October 2022
An employee leaves an SK Hynix office in Seongnam, South Korea. The company's operating profit totaled 1.7 trillion won ($1.2 billion) for the three months through September, down 60.3% from the year before, while revenue fell 7.0% to 11.0 trillion won year on year. 
Semiconductors

SK Hynix weighs future of China chip plant after U.S. tech curbs

South Korean chipmaker's situation 'very uncertain' due to export controls

26 October 2022
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden seem to have different views on possible redeployment of U.S. nuclear arms in South Korea. (Photo courtesy of South Korean presidential office)
Comment

Geopolitical tension fuels nuclear-sharing debate in South Korea

Public eager for nuclear deterrent but U.S. still reluctant to redeploy arms

26 October 2022
Samsung and SK Hynix are under pressure to reassess their production strategies following the latest U.S. chip curbs on China.
Semiconductors

Samsung and SK Hynix face China dilemma from U.S. export controls

Memory chipmakers have 1-year waiver for Chinese operations, but what then?

25 October 2022
Nextrans started investing in Vietnam in 2015 and is now one of the most active foreign venture capital firms in the country. (Source image from Nextrans Facebook)
DealStreetAsia

South Korea's Nextrans to launch $50m Vietnam-focused fund

Company looking to invest in high-growth tech startups

25 October 2022
Hyundai Motor revenue rose in the third quarter but profit declined largely due to the recall of millions of cars with faulty Theta engines.
Automobiles

Hyundai Motor Q3 profit falls on engine recall provisions

Revenue rose 30.6% boosted by strong electric vehicle sales

24 October 2022
A man walks beside a damaged Korean Air plane after it overshot the runway at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport in Cebu, central Philippines, on Oct. 24.
Transportation

Korean Air plane overshoots runway, shuts Philippine airport

Dozens of flights canceled at Mactan-Cebu; no injuries reported

24 October 2022
LG Chem is ramping up research in the growing biopharmaceutical field. (Photo courtesy of LG Chem)
Business deals

LG Chem expands pharma push with $566m deal for U.S. drugmaker

Aveo's kidney cancer treatment poised for sales growth

21 October 2022
South Korean and U.S. troops practice rebuilding damaged bridges and transporting military equipment across rivers in Yeoju on Oct. 19.  (Photo by Junnosuke Kobara)
International relations

U.S., South Korea step up drills on watch for Pyongyang nuclear test

Latest exercises follow barrage of North Korean missile and artillery displays

20 October 2022
South Korean internet giant Kakao said on Oct. 19 that Namkoong Whon, one of its two CEOs, has stepped down. (Source photos by Getty Images and Yuki Kohara)
Telecommunication

Kakao CEO Namkoong resigns in aftermath of service outage

Company's perceived bungling after data center fire drew public, government ire

19 October 2022
Tens of thousands attended the BTS concert in Busan, with 49 million more tuning in from around the world via livestream. (Photo courtesy of Hybe)
Media & Entertainment

BTS free concert draws worldwide 'Army' decked out in purple

Busan event marked milestone for K-pop sensation amid news of military induction

19 October 2022
Gopizza currently has 60 outlets across South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, India and Hong Kong.(Screenshot from Gopizza Facebook page)
DealStreetAsia

South Korea pizza chain raises $25m for bigger slice of India market

Gopizza wants 100 stores in India by 2023, up from 15 now

18 October 2022
Kakao apps are widely used in South Korea.
Telecommunication

South Korea's Kakao shares plunge after weekend data center fire

Service 'blackout' draws rebuke from country's president over market dominance

17 October 2022
Commuters in Seoul in September 2021: Korean women remain constrained by deep-seated traditional values.
Opinion

Women, not robots, are the answer to South Korea's labor troubles

Transition to service-driven economy offers chance to improve gender balance

17 October 2022
Members of South Korean K-Pop band BTS discuss anti-Asian hate crimes and other issues during a daily briefing at the White House in Washington on May 31. 
Politics

In or out? Issue of BTS military duty roils South Korean politics

Deadline looms for decision on whether K-pop band should be exempted

15 October 2022
Founded seven years ago, Goodwater Capital has invested in more than 25 countries. (Source image from Goodwater Capital Facebook)
DealStreetAsia

U.S. venture capital firm investing in Asia seeks $1bn for funds

Goodwater Capital placed bets in over a dozen Asian tech players last year

14 October 2022
Yoon Suk-yeol, now South Korea's president, announces a campaign pledge to resume nuclear power as he visits two reactors whose construction had been halted in the coastal county of Uljin, 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Dec, 29, 2021. (Yonhap)
Energy

South Korea industry faces biggest electricity price hike since 1980

Economy at turning point as energy rally and weak won drive up cost of power

14 October 2022
Workers at an SK Hynix plant in Icheon, South Korea: The chipmaker says it has obtained a waiver to continue using U.S.-made chip equipment in China.
Semiconductors

Taiwanese exec warns of tech 'casualties' from U.S.-China row

SK Hynix wins 1-year exemption from Washington's tighter export rules

12 October 2022
The Bank of Korea began raising rates earlier than many of its regional peers. (Photo by Takaki Kashiwabara) 
Inflation

South Korea lifts rates again as board split on speed of easing

50 basis point hike is aimed at slowing inflation and currency slide against the dollar

12 October 2022
The Statue of Peace on display at a gallery in Nagoya on Aug. 24: The artwork can and should be a catalyst for robust, open debate on the complex, colonial past of Korea-Japan relations.
Opinion

Japan and South Korea are better off discussing differences

Nagoya and Philadelphia debates on Statue of Peace show value of dialogue

11 October 2022
A missile launch is seen at an undisclosed location in North Korea, in this undated photo released on Oct. 10 by the Korean Central News Agency.
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea missile salvo points to death of denuclearization goal

'Our state as a nuclear nation has become irreversible': Kim Jong Un

11 October 2022