Cyberattacks surge across Korean public sector as breaches spread beyond business

Cyberattacks against South Korean government agencies and local authorities surged in the first seven months of this year, adding to a run of security incidents that has already hit some of the country’s biggest companies. Security systems at 44 central government agencies and 17 metropolitan and provincial governments flagged 1.57 billion suspected attacks from January through July, according to data obtained by Democratic Party lawmaker Park Jung-hyun. That works out to about 7.4 million a day

2026-09-18 14:55:08:00

SK moves 3 vice chairs to SK hynix as global chip stakes rise

SK Group has moved three vice chairmen to SK hynix, an unusual concentration of senior leadership at the chipmaker as it expands its global business and navigates a more complex geopolitical landscape. So Jin-woo, who has overseen SK’s China operations; Yu Jeong-joon, who has led its North American operations; and Lee Hyung-hee have transferred from holding company SK Inc. to SK hynix, industry sources said Friday. Jang Dong-hyun, vice chairman of SK Ecoplant, is now the only non-family vice cha

2026-09-18 14:51:49:00

Samsung's Rainbow Robotics isn’t rattled by US robot curbs

Samsung Electronics subsidiary Rainbow Robotics has halted US shipments of its RB-Y1 mobile humanoid robot under new American restrictions on foreign-made advanced robots, forcing the company to seek conditional approval and prepare a plan for future production in the United States. The company said shipments scheduled for August and September have been delayed, with some impact on sales expected in the near term. It plans to submit its application this month and believes exports can resume once

2026-09-17 14:57:51:00

Samsung’s foldable lead faces the Apple test

Samsung Electronics has spent seven years developing the Galaxy Z Fold from an experimental device into one of the world’s best-known foldable smartphones. Next month, for the first time, it will face an iPhone built around the same book-style idea and priced almost directly against it in the US. Apple surprised the market last week by setting the 256-gigabyte iPhone Duo at $1,999, well below prelaunch estimates of around $2,500. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold8 launched at $1,899.99. That leaves only a

2026-09-16 14:57:17:00

Beyond North Korea, Seoul’s spy law targets tech theft

South Korea’s expanded espionage law took effect Sunday, giving prosecutors a new route to pursue serious foreign-linked theft of state secrets, including potentially sensitive semiconductor and artificial intelligence technologies, as national security crimes. The revised Criminal Act adds Article 98-2, which applies when a person, under the direction, inducement or other communication of a foreign country or equivalent organization, searches for, collects, discloses, transfers or brokers state

2026-09-14 15:07:31:00

Honam seen as key test for Korea’s regional AI-industrial strategy: ministry official

South Korea plans to invest in Honam AI infrastructure to create a new industrial growth axis outside the Seoul metropolitan area, linking data centers with advanced manufacturing and region-specific industries, a senior industry ministry official said Thursday. Lee Min-woo, head of the industrial growth office at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, said the government sees regional investment as part of its response to slowing potential growth and the rapid restructuring of global in

2026-09-13 14:18:12:00

Forum puts power, talent at center of southwest chip push

South Korea’s plan to establish a major semiconductor production base in the southwest is taking shape, with government officials and industry experts saying its success will depend on whether power, water, permits, talent and supplier networks can be put in place in time to support future corporate investment. Those issues were at the center of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special Metropolitan City Semiconductor and AI Transformation Global Forum, held at the Gwangju Chamber of Commerce and I

2026-09-13 13:55:01:00

German economic counselor urges long-term approach to Honam chip cluster

Jeonnam-Gwangju should develop research, supplier and workforce networks alongside new semiconductor fabs if it wants the planned cluster to remain competitive over the long term, Germany’s economic counselor in Seoul said Thursday. Dennis Bloch, counselor for economic affairs at the German Embassy in Seoul, made the remarks at the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special Metropolitan City Semiconductor and AI Transformation Global Forum in Gwangju. He drew on his experience of Silicon Saxony, Europe’

2026-09-13 11:14:46:00

Daewoo E&C chief pledges W10b for Honam semiconductor, AI cluster

Jung Won-ju, chair of Herald Media Group, Jungheung Group and Daewoo Engineering & Construction, has pledged 10 billion won ($7.4 million) to support the development of a semiconductor and artificial intelligence cluster in southwestern Korea. Jung said the Lee Jae Myung administration’s three megaprojects for the Honam region, which comprises the Jeolla provinces and Gwangju, could create new growth opportunities and help address structural challenges including youth outflows, population declin

2026-09-11 15:20:13:00

Why Apple’s first foldable may be its most Korea-dependent iPhone yet

Apple spent years waiting for foldable phones to become good enough for an iPhone. When it finally moved, however, it reportedly put the part that makes the phone fold in the hands of a single supplier: Samsung Display. That gives iPhone Duo, unveiled Wednesday at a starting price of $1,999, an unusual supply-chain profile. Apple still sources major components from around the world. But the part most closely tied to its new form factor is also one of the hardest to replace outside Korea. "With t

2026-09-10 11:14:18:00