KH Explains In series
Major issues broken down to the basics.
#Explained
# Issues
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KH Explains In series
Major issues broken down to the basics.
Would you like to subscribe?
From slump to surge: Renault Korea’s strategic turnaround
Once struggling with shrinking sales and an aging lineup, Renault Korea is now reemerging as one of the most resilient foreign carmakers in South Korea — not by retreating, but by upgrading its role within the global group. At a time when global supply chains remain volatile, and Korea’s position as an export base is under pressure, Renault Group is doing something few rivals have: turning its Korean unit into a development and production hub for next-generation vehicles. The shift is part of Re
Feb. 18, 2026 - 14:13:19
15,000 invited to BTS’ free Gwanghwamun concert — how can the rest watch?
BTS' free concert at Gwanghwamun Square in March will have 15,000 invited fans, organizers said Wednesday. But how can those in Seoul without a ticket watch? The question has been raised as an estimated 260,000 people are projected to gather near the venue — more than 11 times the square’s official capacity of 18,000. For fans who were not among the 15,000 ticket holders, the concert will be broadcast live on large digital billboards installed on buildings surrounding Gwanghwamun Square, in cent
Feb. 11, 2026 - 15:12:37
Korean battery-makers face US EV reality check
Korea’s leading battery-makers are reworking their North American playbooks, shifting from electric vehicle batteries to energy storage systems, as US automakers retreat from aggressive electrification targets and dissolve joint ventures. However, with EV batteries long serving as their main profit driver, a prolonged downturn in the sector is raising concerns that the strategic shift may not be enough to sustain meaningful growth. According to Bloomberg on Wednesday, Stellantis is exploring an
Feb. 11, 2026 - 14:59:51
Beyond a ‘fat finger’: Bithumb and the hidden risks of crypto exchanges
A bitcoin misallocation at South Korea’s major cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb has laid bare structural vulnerabilities in centralized crypto trading, where internal ledger entries can become market-moving events within minutes. The incident occurred during a routine event payout. An intended reward of 2,000 won ($1.20) per user was mistakenly entered as 2,000 bitcoin, resulting in about 620,000 bitcoins being credited to 249 customer accounts. Bithum said it intervened in just minutes, but abou
Feb. 9, 2026 - 15:22:05
What Samsung means by ‘agentic AI’ in upcoming Galaxy S26
Samsung Electronics celebrated record fourth-quarter earnings last month, largely due to booming memory chip demand, but the picture was less triumphant for its smartphone division. The Mobile Experience, or MX, unit reported its weakest quarterly operating profit in three years under mounting pressure from soaring component costs. Still, one line buried deep in Samsung’s earnings release stood out: “MX will expand sales centered on flagship products with the launch of Galaxy S26, and strengthen
Feb. 9, 2026 - 11:54:47
Samsung, SK paths diverge on high-bandwidth flash
As the artificial intelligence market pivots toward inference, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are moving to develop high-bandwidth flash, a so-called extension of high-bandwidth memory, though their strategies in this next phase of the AI memory race diverge. With HBM now a key component of AI chips, the two Korean memory makers are seeking an early foothold in the next-generation memory cycle. “The NAND market has faced a prolonged slowdown driven by weak demand and falling prices, but HBF co
Feb. 4, 2026 - 15:23:26
Hyundai Motor’s humanoid push meets labor wall
“Not a single robot will be allowed onto the factory floor without a labor-management agreement.” That warning, issued Jan. 22 by Hyundai Motor Group’s labor union and reiterated a week later, has cast a shadow over the automaker’s much-hyped push into humanoid robotics — and may offer a preview of a broader labor challenge facing the global auto industry. At issue is Atlas, the humanoid robot developed by Boston Dynamics, which Hyundai plans to begin deploying at its new plant in Georgia from 2
Jan. 30, 2026 - 16:32:12
Galaxy AI vs. Siri: Samsung's head start meets Apple's AI reset
If Samsung were to design its ideal Galaxy AI user to showcase a product launch, they might look a lot like Kim Duk-jin, a professor at Sejong Cyber University who has spent over a decade helping Korean audiences make sense of new technologies. Since 2024, he has relied on numerous Galaxy AI features in both his work and everyday life, which he shares widely through lectures and national media. But in early 2025, Kim also bought an iPhone 16 Pro — not to switch platforms, but out of curiosity ab
Jan. 28, 2026 - 18:16:19
Why Cha Eun-woo's W20b tax bill is not just about the money
Cha Eun-woo’s tax case has drawn attention not only for the record 20 billion won ($13.8 million) levy, but for red flags that have raised questions about possible intentional misconduct, triggering a sharp shift in public sentiment toward the once untarnished actor-singer. Public reaction to the 29-year-old star’s delayed apology this week — coupled with his decision to retain a top law firm while sidestepping key allegations — has intensified scrutiny and signaled that reputational fallout may
Jan. 27, 2026 - 18:14:20
How Canada’s submarine race became a Hyundai–Volkswagen contest
Hyundai Motor Group has become an unexpected “wild card” in South Korea’s all-out bid to win Canada's multibillion-dollar submarine contract, after Ottawa signaled it wants not only warships, but also major industrial investments, including the possibility of a Hyundai auto plant on Canadian soil. According to defense industry officials, Canada has floated a condition for its Canadian Patrol Submarine Project -- a planned purchase of up to 12 new diesel-powered submarines to replace the country’
Jan. 22, 2026 - 13:53:06
Behind Hyundai’s Atlas, battery race is taking shape
The rapid rise of physical AI robotics has put Hyundai Motor Group’s Atlas humanoid in the spotlight. But as humanoid robots move from demonstrations toward real-world deployment, attention is increasingly shifting to a less visible constraint: the batteries that will determine how long, how reliably, and how safely these systems can operate. LG Energy Solution and Samsung SDI, already integrated into Hyundai’s broader robotics ecosystem, are emerging as key contenders. While batteries account f
Jan. 21, 2026 - 15:00:40
Korea’s sovereign AI push stumbles over ‘from scratch’ rule
South Korea’s ambitious state-led project to foster a sovereign AI model is facing mounting skepticism, as rigid criteria for technological independence and shifting evaluation standards have led to the disqualification of key participants — undermining trust and weakening momentum behind the initiative. The project, designed to propel Korea into the global AI top-tier alongside the US and China, aims to cultivate homegrown large-scale AI models and designate a select group of companies to recei
Jan. 20, 2026 - 11:01:16
Is US Navy MRO real growth market for Korean shipbuilders?
Major South Korean shipbuilders are piling into US Navy maintenance, repair and overhaul contracts, betting the work could evolve into a more stable revenue stream to cushion against the volatility brought by commercial shipbuilding's boom-and-bust cycle. The momentum especially picked up steam after Seoul and Washington launched a joint shipbuilding cooperation project — "Make American Shipbuilding Great Again," or MASGA — under which Korean firms will take part in reviving US' commercial and m
Jan. 19, 2026 - 15:16:48
How Hyundai’s humanoid robots stole the spotlight at CES
Few expected a legacy automaker to dominate the conversation at one of the world’s largest tech shows. Yet at CES 2026, Hyundai Motor Group turned humanoid robots into one of the event’s defining buzzwords. Over four days in Las Vegas, more than 20,500 visitors — up 28 percent from two years earlier — queued to see Hyundai’s expanding robotics lineup, from the four-legged Spot robot and the MobED mobility platform to the headline-grabbing Atlas humanoid. Among the 38 companies listed in the huma
Jan. 15, 2026 - 15:04:40
How Hyundai Motor's ambitious GBC project finally moved forward
Following more than ten years of delays, redesigns and contentious negotiations, Hyundai Motor Group’s stalled headquarters project in southern Seoul has finally received the green light, reviving one of the city’s most ambitious urban redevelopment initiatives. Seoul Metropolitan Government said Tuesday that it had finalized all negotiations with the carmaker on Dec. 30 for the construction of the Global Business Complex in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul, clearing the way for construction to res
Jan. 12, 2026 - 11:29:17
