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?
Shinhan chair's Ddangyo bet: How finance giant disrupted food delivery
When Shinhan Financial Group Chair Jin Ok-dong sent his bank into the food delivery business, critics scoffed at the idea of a financial giant chasing chicken-and-beer orders. But four years later, Ddangyo — Shinhan’s ultra-low-fee delivery app — is rewriting the rules of competition in Korea’s delivery market and reframing how a bank can wield its power for social impact. For Jin, Ddangyo was never about chasing tech multiples. It was a business expression of his long-held principle that financ
Dec. 3, 2025 - 14:52:23
How ex-employee exposed 33.7 million users: Coupang's security gaps explained
Fear is mounting over large-scale personal data breaches in Korea, with the latest incident at Coupang exposing information from 33.7 million users. The leak — believed to have been carried out by a former insider — has raised broader questions about how vulnerable major platforms remain despite heavy spending on cybersecurity. This explainer breaks down what happened, why insider attacks are uniquely hard to prevent, and what experts say needs to change. The leak affected nearly every Coupang u
Dec. 2, 2025 - 15:36:47
Is Coupang too deeply embedded? Users conflicted over next steps
The fate of South Korea’s largest e-commerce platform, Coupang, hangs in the balance after a devastating data breach that exposed nearly all of its 33.7 million user accounts, a crisis of exceptional weight given how embedded the platform is in the daily lives of millions. There is outrage among the nearly three-quarters of the population affected by the cybersecurity lapse that led to the leakage of consumer data, including names, phone numbers, email addresses and shipping addresses. But many
Dec. 2, 2025 - 15:03:33
Hyundai Motor turns to local CEOs in high-stakes Asian reset
Hyundai Motor Co. is undertaking its most sweeping overhaul of Asian leadership since appointing Jose Munoz as its first foreign CEO last year — a move that reflects a broader strategic pivot toward deeper localization, as the automaker confronts intensifying US tariff risks and mounting pressure from Chinese EV competitors. By naming new local chiefs in China, Japan and India, Hyundai aims to accelerate decision-making in three of its most complex and strategically sensitive markets. But the sh
Dec. 1, 2025 - 15:25:23
Why Chey Tae-won is betting on Korea–Japan economic alliance
One of the key messages Chey Tae-won, chair of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry and SK Group, has been emphasizing most fervently in recent months is the need for stronger cooperation between South Korea and Japan. As leader of the nation’s largest business lobby, Chey’s argument is blunt: Both East Asian neighbors are hitting the limits of their existing growth models, grappling with stagnant domestic economies, aging populations and rising global trade barriers. They can no longer af
Nov. 30, 2025 - 16:16:36
4th Nuri mission moves Korea toward commercial spaceflight
South Korea was set to launch its fourth Nuri rocket, or KSLV-II, early Thursday, marking a pivotal moment in the country’s bid to transition from a state-led space program to the commercially driven “New Space” model. After three successful missions between 2021 and 2023, the fourth flight represents more than a routine deployment. It is the first launch in which Hanwha Aerospace — not the government — is leading rocket production, assembly and supply-chain management, using technology formally
Nov. 26, 2025 - 15:20:58
Has Korea’s Nvidia fever gone too far for the won?
As the Korean won struggles to gain ground against the US dollar despite a record trade surplus and strong foreign buying of local equities, attention is turning to an unlikely culprit: Korean retail investors piling into US stocks. The won has been sliding since July, losing nearly 100 won per dollar over four months. On Nov. 13, it briefly touched 1,475.4 won per dollar, its weakest point in seven months, before verbal intervention from authorities nudged it back toward the 1,450 range. Still,
Nov. 20, 2025 - 15:41:15
Real work begins after Korea-US fact sheet finalized
After months of negotiations, South Korea and the US released their long-delayed joint fact sheet Friday, detailing trade and security agreements and alleviating some uncertainties about tariffs that had weighed on the export-dependent country. The document, released by the White House, put into writing guidelines that the two countries broadly agreed upon in July and finalized during the Oct. 29 summit between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump. The fact sheet fo
Nov. 19, 2025 - 15:26:16
Why big tech is betting billions on South Korea’s AI future
South Korea has emerged as a magnet for major US technology companies in recent months, with Nvidia, OpenAI and Amazon Web Services pouring billions into investments and clinching strategic partnerships to expand the country’s AI infrastructure. Observers say the country offers a rare combination of advantages as Washington and Beijing battle for tech supremacy. Home to top-tier chipmakers and automakers, South Korea — a key US ally and Asia's fourth largest economy — provides manufacturing prow
Nov. 10, 2025 - 14:50:50
How 260,000 Nvidia chips could redefine Korea’s AI ambitions
South Korea’s plan to secure 260,000 of Nvidia’s latest Blackwell AI chips, in a deal worth up to $10 billion, marks one of its boldest steps yet to build world-class artificial intelligence infrastructure. But beyond the record figure, the deal underscores both Korea’s rising AI ambitions and the challenges ahead. Announced during Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s visit to Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, for the APEC summit, the agreement represents one of the largest GPU allocations ever made to
Nov. 2, 2025 - 14:39:40
Chilly like late fall, but trees are still green. What's going on?
Seoraksan saw its first snowfall on Monday, with temperatures dipping below zero degrees Celsius. In the cities, people bundled up in scarves and padded jackets as morning temperatures fell two to seven degrees below seasonal averages. Yet along Seoul’s tree-lined streets, hints of summer still lingered. The maples and gingkoes that usually herald autumn remained stubbornly green. Autumn in South Korea is famed for its fiery colors, when, by mid- to late October, crimson maples and golden gingko
Oct. 21, 2025 - 09:00:00
Naver Financial–Dunamu merger talks heat up despite valuation gap
A long-anticipated merger between Naver Financial and Dunamu could take shape as early as this month, potentially marking one of South Korea’s most consequential fintech deals — though one clouded by valuation gaps and diverging shareholder interests. According to industry sources Sunday, negotiations have accelerated in recent weeks, with the share swap ratio emerging as the central sticking point. The two unlisted firms differ sharply in corporate scale and profitability, complicating efforts
Oct. 19, 2025 - 15:27:34
What Mirae Asset’s win over Brookfield means for Korean real estate
After nearly three years of legal dispute, South Korea’s Mirae Asset Global Investments has won an international arbitration case against Canada’s Brookfield Asset Management over the return of a 200 billion won ($140 million) down payment for the failed acquisition of the International Finance Center Seoul. On Monday, the Singapore International Arbitration Center ordered Brookfield to return the full down payment to Mirae Asset, along with interest for the delay and all arbitration-related cos
Oct. 14, 2025 - 15:23:45
How Korea’s treasury share reform diverges from global norms
The Democratic Party of Korea’s push to mandate that listed companies cancel treasury shares is raising questions over compatibility with global standards, as major economies generally allow companies to hold such shares under certain conditions. The concerns come as the Democratic Party, leveraging its majority control at the unicameral parliament, seeks to pass the third revision to the Commercial Act, requiring companies to retire treasury shares within fixed deadlines. Treasury shares are sh
Sept. 22, 2025 - 14:05:33
Can company-run graduate schools fuel Korea’s tech ambitions?
When Shin Dong-hwa, a senior researcher at LG Energy Solution, began classes at LG AI Research's new graduate school, his focus was not on an abstract thesis but on a stubborn challenge from his lab: how to use artificial intelligence to accelerate cathode material design at the atomic level. “In the workplace, I rarely had the chance to study theory and mostly focused on applying pre-built models," said Shin, who graduated from the program this February. "Through the master’s program, I was fin
Sept. 16, 2025 - 12:11:42
