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China Factor In series
An analytical series on how China’s rise is reshaping competition across Korea’s key industries
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China Factor In series
An analytical series on how China’s rise is reshaping competition across Korea’s key industries
Would you like to subscribe?
China’s CXMT IPO clouds memory upcycle outlook
China’s largest DRAM maker, ChangXin Memory Technologies, is accelerating plans for an initial public offering on Shanghai’s Star Market, aiming to raise about 29.5 billion yuan ($4.3 billion) to fund capacity expansion. The planned listing — expected as early as June, according to industry sources — is sharpening focus on the supply outlook in the global memory market, as new capacity could arrive just as the current upcycle begins to mature. CXMT is expected to use the proceeds to build additi
April 5, 2026 - 12:35:07
LG’s budget OLED vs China’s mini-LED: Enough to win?
You're in an electronics store with $1,500 to spend. On your left, a 65-inch LG OLED with blacks so deep they seem to swallow light. On your right, a 75-inch TCL mini-LED that is 10 inches bigger and impossible to ignore. Increasingly, people are picking the bigger screen. Mini-LED shipments and revenue have overtaken OLED in the super-premium TV segment in recent years, according to Counterpoint Research, with shipments of 75-inch-plus premium sets surging 79 percent year-on-year in early 2025.
April 1, 2026 - 14:46:42
Hyundai Motor ramps up EV push in China amid US tariff pressure
Hyundai Motor Company is ramping up its electric vehicle push in China, setting an aggressive target to sell more than 40,000 eco-friendly vehicles this year as it seeks to reduce reliance on the US market amid rising tariff pressures. According to industry sources Monday, the automaker plans to boost production of eco-friendly vehicles at its joint venture, Beijing Hyundai, to 41,500 units in 2026 — a more than 33-fold increase from a year earlier. As a result, such models are expected to accou
March 30, 2026 - 15:01:06
Unitree’s Shanghai listing tests Boston Dynamics: boom or bubble?
China’s leading humanoid robotics company is accelerating plans for an initial public offering on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, widely seen as the world’s first listing of an advanced humanoid robot maker. Unitree Robotics' debut would not only mark a milestone for China’s humanoid robotics ecosystem but also set a benchmark for corporate valuation in this rapidly expanding sector. For competitors such as Hyundai Motor Group’s US-based robotics subsidiary Boston Dynamics, which is gearing up for
March 30, 2026 - 14:08:52
Why China will decide Musinsa’s global ambitions
Just half a year ago, Musinsa had no meaningful presence in China. Today, through a joint venture with the country's largest sportswear conglomerate, it has planted two Shanghai stores and a fast-growing e-commerce storefront, with a third outlet opening later this month. The build has been swift by any measure, signaling what Asia's largest economy means for Korea's leading fashion platform. It is the stage on which Musinsa intends to go global and — in the longer arc — achieve 100 stores by 20
March 25, 2026 - 09:58:46
Korea stands ready to step in as US military moves to ditch Chinese batteries
US efforts to reduce reliance on Chinese battery supply chains are expanding beyond electric vehicles and energy storage into the defense sector, opening new opportunities for Korean battery makers navigating a slowdown in EV demand. The US Department of Defense signaled its intent to deepen partnerships with Korea to standardize batteries for military use at a Korea-US defense battery cooperation seminar held during InterBattery 2026 in Seoul earlier this month — a move aimed at lowering costs
March 23, 2026 - 15:18:28
China’s OLED surge revives LCD lessons for Korea
China is poised to overtake South Korea in OLED production capacity by 2029, raising fresh concerns that the industry could gradually shift toward price-driven competition — echoing the trajectory of the LCD market. According to industry tracker Counterpoint Research, Chinese panel makers are rapidly expanding investments in next-generation production lines, including 8.7-generation fabs, narrowing the gap with Korean rivals faster than expected. Lee Jae-ho, a senior analyst at Counterpoint Rese
March 22, 2026 - 14:59:25
Humanoid race with China may be won by the hand, not on foot
Earlier this month, Seoul's COEX hosted an event whose name said it all: the China Humanoid Conference, "First Journey to Korea." Unitree, Fourier, Leju and Huawei presented humanoids already working in Chinese factories and retail stores. It felt less like an introduction than a declaration. The Korean engineers in the audience knew the scoreboard: China ships the vast majority of the world's humanoids, with over 140 companies in the race. On volume and speed, the contest was over. Not everyone
March 19, 2026 - 14:55:36
China link roils Korea Zinc control battle
Ahead of Korea Zinc’s March 24 annual shareholders' meeting, scrutiny of China Investment Corp.’s investment in MBK’s Fund VI has resurfaced as the ownership fight between the Young Poong-MBK alliance and Korea Zinc further intensifies. Young Poong, Korea Zinc’s largest shareholder, joined forces with MBK in 2024 to challenge Chairman Choi Yun-beom, setting up the current contest for control. With Young Poong and MBK seen as holding the larger stake and Choi relying on friendly shareholders and
March 17, 2026 - 15:15:27
Aggressive outreach drives Chinese biotech success: McKinsey's Shanghai analyst
China’s biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are rapidly expanding their global presence, driven not only by strong drug pipelines but also by increasingly aggressive outreach to international partners, according to a China industry expert. “If you look at the first two months of licensing or cross-border deals from Chinese innovators, the volume has already exceeded that of the first quarter last year,” said Fangning Zhang, a partner at McKinsey & Company’s Shanghai office, in an inter
March 16, 2026 - 14:43:11
TCL turns to LG Display for its first OLED monitor
LG Display has begun supplying organic light-emitting diode panels to Chinese electronics maker TCL for the first time, marking a notable partnership as the Chinese firm moves into the premium OLED monitor market. According to industry sources Monday, TCL’s newly released 32X3A — the company’s first OLED monitor — is equipped with a panel supplied by LG Display. The Korean display maker is understood to have started shipments in January. The 32-inch monitor supports 4K resolution and a 240-hertz
March 16, 2026 - 14:27:53
Why Korean investors are piling into China robotics ETFs
As Korean companies try to reduce exposure to China amid rising geopolitical tensions, Korean retail investors are doing the opposite — increasing their bets on China’s humanoid robotics industry. The contrast highlights a widening gap between corporate strategy and investor sentiment, as many investors see China’s dominance in manufacturing and supply chains as a key advantage in the emerging robotics economy. Humanoid robotics has quickly become one of the most closely watched technology battl
March 12, 2026 - 15:11:45
Korea has five years to act on AI gap with China: KAIST professor
As China accelerates its advance in foundation models, South Korea is not far behind in frontier model performance, according to Shin Jin-woo, ICT endowed chair professor at the Kim Jaechul Graduate School of AI at KAIST. But performance is not the real issue. “The technology gap is often exaggerated,” Shin said in a recent interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul. “Based on the time required to absorb and reproduce publicly released technologies, the difference is closer to half a year.” Becaus
March 10, 2026 - 15:06:48
After DeepSeek: China shifts from breakthrough to AI scale
One year after DeepSeek unsettled the global AI landscape and signaled that China had narrowed the gap with the US in generative artificial intelligence, the question is no longer whether China can compete. It is whether China is beginning to define the architecture of the next AI order. “The difference between adopting AI and defining its architecture is huge,” said Ahn Jun-mo, a professor of public administration at Korea University. “Countries that set the standards have the power to shape ec
March 10, 2026 - 15:06:07
‘Buy European’ push highlights reliance on China EV supply chain
The European Union’s newly proposed Industrial Accelerator Act — often described as Europe’s answer to the US Inflation Reduction Act — appears less aggressive toward Chinese electric vehicles than expected. Rather than curbing China’s grip on the EV supply chain, the policy highlights how difficult it may be for Europe to reduce its reliance on Chinese batteries and components — a reality that could create fresh challenges for Korean automakers and battery makers in the world’s second-largest E
March 5, 2026 - 15:32:02
