From Seoul to New York: Chip ‘kkanbu’ meet again

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won are expected to meet Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in New York later this month as they attend The Korea Society's annual gala on Sept. 28. Lee and Chey recently accepted invitations to the event, according to industry sources Friday. Huang will receive this year's Van Fleet Award in recognition of his contributions to Korea-US relations. Lee and Chey are expected to attend the ceremony and congratulate the Nvidia chief in pe

2026-09-04 11:25:30:00

LG chief’s adoptive mother loses bid to sever ties

The Seoul Family Court on Thursday rejected an attempt by Kim Young-sik, widow of late LG Group Chair Koo Bon-moo, to legally sever her adoptive relationship with LG Group Chair Koo Kwang-mo. The court dismissed Kim’s suit without disclosing its reasoning. Kim filed the case in November 2024 amid a separate legal battle over the division of her late husband’s estate. Koo Kwang-mo is the biological son of Koo Bon-neung, chair of Heesung Group and younger brother of Koo Bon-moo. The late LG chief

2026-09-03 14:52:46:00

Beyond HBM: Samsung, SK hynix target AI data center storage

Rapid AI data center expansion is pushing Samsung Electronics and SK hynix to compete over high-capacity enterprise solid-state drives, as the AI infrastructure race moves toward storage solutions. For much of the AI boom, investment has focused on computing power required to accelerate AI model training, particularly graphics processing units (GPUs) and high-bandwidth memory (HBM). But as large language models become more complex and AI inference services expand, the industry faces another chal

2026-09-02 14:55:17:00

W1tr AI unicorn Wrtn begins IPO preparations

South Korean AI startup Wrtn Technologies has begun preparations for an initial public offering, seeking capital to accelerate its overseas expansion after rapid growth in North America. Wrtn recently sent requests for proposals to major Korean securities firms to select lead underwriters, the company said Tuesday. It plans to appoint IPO advisers this month and map out the listing process, with a market debut targeted for 2028 or later. The preparations follow a 100 billion won ($73 million) Se

2026-09-02 11:36:43:00

Samsung unveils memory road map at Semicon Taiwan

Samsung Electronics on Tuesday unveiled a next-generation memory strategy at Semicon Taiwan 2026, betting on 3D architectures to boost capacity, bandwidth and energy efficiency as artificial intelligence workloads place growing demands on memory systems. Choi Jang-seok, head of the memory product planning team at Samsung Electronics, presented the road map in a keynote speech at the Memory Executive Summit in Taipei, a day before the main Semicon Taiwan exhibition opened. Samsung calls the strat

2026-09-01 14:38:33:00

Korea’s AI chief puts execution at heart of national AI push

Presidential Council on National Artificial Intelligence Strategy Standing Vice Chair Ha Jung-woo said Monday the government would shift its AI policy focus from setting strategies to delivering results that businesses and the public can feel. At his first press briefing following his appointment Sunday, Ha said Korea had reached a point where it needs to turn its AI ambitions into concrete outcomes if it is to emerge as a leading player in the global AI race. “The council has so far focused on

2026-08-31 18:37:11:00

Korea’s AI chief vows results, not just strategy

Ha Jung-woo, standing vice chair of the Presidential Council on National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, pledged Monday to put execution at the center of Korea’s bid to become one of the world’s top three AI powers. In his inaugural address, Ha identified semiconductors, physical AI and AI data centers as the three pillars of the government’s strategy. “The world is entering a new era shaped by AI,” Ha said. “The council must set the country’s AI vision and serve as the center of national AI g

2026-08-31 15:06:52:00

[Photo News] LG’s AI idols spin up washer buzz

LG Electronics said Monday that it has launched AI-Dol, a virtual idol group created to promote its AI WashCombo all-in-one washer-dryer to young consumers. Each member represents a key feature of the appliance, including its large capacity and artificial intelligence-powered washing and drying functions. The group also previewed its song “I Wash” on Instagram ahead of its debut. (LG Electronics)

2026-08-31 14:57:15:00

YMTC to boost NAND output as Korean rivals hold back

China’s Yangtze Memory Technologies is forecast to increase NAND wafer output by nearly 25 percent next year, as it seeks to catch up with its Korean rivals, whose major expansions are not expected until 2028. Market tracker Omdia expects YMTC’s annual NAND output will rise by 486,000 wafers, from 2.01 million this year to 2.50 million in 2027, according to industry sources Sunday. The expansion will be driven largely by the company’s third plant in Wuhan, which is scheduled to begin initial ope

2026-08-30 14:18:05:00

Samsung, SK hynix tax payments surge 167% on chip boom

Samsung Electronics and SK hynix paid a combined 11.21 trillion won ($7.99 billion) in corporate taxes in the first half, up 167 percent from a year earlier, as the AI-driven chip boom translated into higher tax bills. According to regulatory filings Sunday, Samsung paid 3.99 trillion won, up from 1.12 trillion won a year earlier. SK hynix paid a record 7.22 trillion won, more than double the previous year’s 3.07 trillion won. The combined total was the second-highest for any first half, trailin

2026-08-30 13:49:19:00