OpenAI Korea ups 'Stargate' push with Samsung, SK

OpenAI Korea is accelerating efforts to establish a next-generation AI infrastructure in Korea through its “Stargate Project,” partnering with Samsung Group and SK Group to position the country as a critical node in the global AI supply chain, the company said Thursday. At his first press briefing since taking office in September, Kim Kyoung-hoon, general manager of OpenAI Korea, outlined the initiative as a major push to rapidly expand Korea’s AI ecosystem. “In Korea, we are advancing the Starg

Dec. 4, 2025

Samsung's GDDR7 wins Presidential Prize as key memory in AI era

Samsung’s 24-gigabit GDDR7 DRAM, introduced in late 2024, has received South Korea’s top government technology award just as it nears commercial deployment in next-generation graphics processing units and artificial intelligence systems. Awarded the Presidential Prize at the 2025 Korea Tech Festival on Wednesday, Samsung’s chip is recognized for both technical innovation and its growing role in the AI hardware market. Built on a 12-nanometer process, the GDDR7 chip delivers a peak bandwidth of 4

Dec. 3, 2025

LG Innotek to showcase auto tech vision at CES 2026

LG Innotek will use CES 2026 to introduce a more consumer-facing vision of its automotive technology, unveiling integrated systems for autonomous driving and electric vehicles that go beyond its traditional role as a camera component supplier for global device brands like Apple. The company said Wednesday that it plans to install two full-scale vehicle mockups at the entrance of the Las Vegas Convention Center West Hall during CES, formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show, which runs from

Dec. 3, 2025

[Gadget Review] Galaxy Z TriFold blurs line between phone and tablet

Samsung Electronics has pushed the foldables category into uncharted territory with the Galaxy Z TriFold — its first triple-folding smartphone and arguably its boldest experiment in mobile design since the original Galaxy Fold. Unveiled Tuesday, the device blurs the line between phone and tablet more seamlessly than any Samsung model to date, signaling a new phase in form factor evolution. Fully unfolded, the Galaxy Z TriFold reveals a 10-inch display, delivering a viewing experience comparable

Dec. 2, 2025

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

CJ OliveNetworks drives AI shift with smart factory tech

CJ OliveNetworks is stepping up efforts to drive digital transformation in Korea’s food and beverage industries, leveraging smart manufacturing and logistics technologies to help companies accelerate AI-powered operations, the company said Tuesday. The push draws on the company’s technological expertise gained from developing and operating information technology services across the CJ Group. Korea’s premium distilled soju brand Hwayo has adopted CJ’s Factory One smart factory system at its Yeoju

Dec. 2, 2025

Triple play: Samsung opens future of phones with Galaxy Z TriFold

Samsung Electronics on Tuesday unveiled the Galaxy Z TriFold, its most ambitious entry yet in the foldables category — a device the tech giant hopes will reinvigorate a global smartphone market weighed down by stagnant demand and limited innovation. At a press event in Seoul, Lim Sung-taek, Samsung’s vice president of domestic sales, described the TriFold as “the most advanced and innovative product the company has ever created,” positioning it as a demonstration of Samsung’s engineering leaders

Dec. 2, 2025

Hanwha unveils W100b Jeju satellite megahub

SEOGWIPO, Jeju Island — Hanwha Systems on Tuesday held an official completion ceremony for the Jeju Space Center on the Hawon Techno Campus located in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, signifying the opening of Korea’s biggest private-led satellite manufacturing facility. With an investment of about 100 billion won ($68 million), Hanwha Systems established the Jeju Space Center with a satellite development and assembly bloc, a satellite function and condition testing facility, a satellite assessment clean

Dec. 2, 2025

Korea protests Canada’s steel quota cuts

South Korea has lodged a strong complaint with Canada over its decision to tighten tariff-rate quota, or TRQ, measures on steel imports, urging Ottawa to withdraw the policy immediately, the Trade Ministry said Monday. Vice Trade Minister Park Jung-sung delivered Seoul’s formal protest during a meeting in Seoul with Alexandra Dostal, senior assistant deputy minister at Canada’s Innovation, Science and Economic Development Ministry. The two officials discussed bilateral trade issues, including Ca

Dec. 1, 2025

‘Unrivaled end-to-end solutions’: Merck aims to anchor Korea’s R&D ecosystem

Basic science is regarded as the starting point for numerous industries as it is essential not only to discovering new drugs but also to advancing cutting-edge technologies such as semiconductors and secondary batteries. With a portfolio of about 300,000 reagents and chemicals, Merck, which has been practically “everywhere,” looks to further bolster its presence in Korea. “Our biggest distinction is that we are capable of offering a broad selection of consumables ranging from chemistry to biolog

Nov. 30, 2025

AmCham, NTS discuss tax reforms to improve Korea's investment edge

The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea held a roundtable on Friday to discuss tax reforms to bolster Korea's appeal to global investors, inviting National Tax Service Commissioner Lim Kwang-hyun to share the government's tax policy priorities. During the roundtable in Seoul, AmCham Chairman and CEO James Kim pointed to the uncertainties foreign companies face in areas such as audit procedures, tax interpretation and filing requirements. "Foreign companies also hope to be treated under the sam

Nov. 28, 2025

Google's AI chip push spurs hope for Samsung, SK hynix

As Google emerges as a formidable new force in the artificial intelligence hardware space with its tensor processing units, expectations are rising that surging demand for high-bandwidth memory could benefit South Korean semiconductor giants such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. According to industry sources on Friday, Google is actively seeking to supply its TPU chips -- already deployed in its in-house AI model Gemini 3 -- to other Big Tech firms, including Meta, the parent company of Face

Nov. 28, 2025

LGE earmarks W200b for shareholder returns, plans to retire all treasury shares

LG Electronics said Friday it will commit a total of 200 billion won ($143 million) to shareholder returns over the next two years, and retire all remaining treasury shares after approval at next year’s annual general shareholders' meeting. The announcement came as part of the company’s disclosure on the progress of its value enhancement plan unveiled last year. LG said the update is intended to keep the market informed of how the plan is being executed. Under the new commitment, the company sai

Nov. 28, 2025

[Finance Awards] Woori Bank brings inclusive finance to digital wallets

Woori Bank in October partnered with Samsung Electronics to launch Samsung Wallet Money & Points, a new digital payments service designed to better serve underage users and foreign residents in Korea, who often face hurdles accessing traditional cashless payment systems. The bank serves as the exclusive operator of the new service. Samsung Galaxy smartphone users can link a bank account or top up their balance to make payments without a physical card, while earning reward points on each transact

Nov. 27, 2025

Naver, Dunamu map W10tr plan to build global fintech powerhouse

South Korea’s top internet platform Naver and crypto heavyweight Dunamu have pledged to invest a combined 10 trillion won ($6.8 billion) over the next five years, laying out expansion plans and global ambitions ahead of their planned merger. The announcement came at a joint press briefing Thursday, a day after the boards of Naver Financial and Dunamu approved a share-swap deal that will place the crypto operator under Naver Financial’s full ownership. The event, held at Naver’s Pangyo headquarte

Nov. 27, 2025