South Korea’s top four chaebol groups are gearing up to secure supply chain resilience and salvage their global businesses from the rising geopolitical uncertainties reshaping industrial dynamics. From expanding their public affairs organizations to hiring seasoned ex-government officials, the conglomerates are coming up with measures to minimize the impacts of increasingly protectionist policies around the world, especially in the US and Europe. Their spending on lobbying activities has

Industry July 17, 2023

South Korea’s top chaebol chiefs who accompanied President Yoon Suk Yeol on his state visit to Washington last week have returned with their hands full of hot-button issues, including the increasingly protectionist policies in the all-important US market. With no immediate breakthrough in related talks between the two countries, industry watchers say the business leaders seem to be in a rush to study the industrial implications of the summit talks and come up with follow-up measures. After

Industry May 1, 2023

South Korean chip suppliers and automakers have been left unimpressed by the summit between Presidents Yoon Suk Yeol and Joe Biden, after it failed to bring out any tangible measures to ease their concerns over Washington's increasingly protectionist policies. Holding a joint press conference after their summit on Wednesday, the two presidents announced their agreement on strengthening cooperation in advanced technology sectors, including chips, electric vehicles and batteries. But they did

Industry April 27, 2023

Amid the escalating US-China rivalry in recent years, South Korea’s conglomerates have struggled to strike a balance in their Chinese business. Even though no immediate breakthrough is seen in geopolitical tensions, Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor Group -- the nation’s top makers of smartphones and cars -- are seeking a turnaround in their reduced market shares in China, an all-important market that is too big to ditch. Samsung In its earnings guidance last week, Samsung pred

Industry April 12, 2023

Amid the budding efforts to patch up the rocky relationship between South Korea and Japan, major Korean firms are expected to see momentum grow for the revival of their ailing Japan business. Japan has long remained a graveyard for Korean companies, even for the most successful ones like Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor, because consumers there are known to prefer local brands and like Sony and Toyota -- who also happen to be Korean brands' archrivals in almost all sectors globally. Ov

Industry March 7, 2023