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Lee Gyu-lee

Korea Times Business Reporter

Lee Gyu-lee is a business writer at The Korea Times, focusing primarily on IT & telecommunications, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA. Prior to this, she has covered a wide range of cultural news, from film, television and K-pop to lifestyle and fashion.

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Companies

Gangnam Unni expands offline with foreigner-friendly center

Healing Paper, the operator of the aesthetic medical platform Gangnam Unni, is expanding offline as it opens its first Unni Guide center in Gangnam District, Seoul, dedicated for international visitors seeking dermatology and plastic surgery services in Korea. The move marks the company's first major step toward integrating its online platform with offline services, leveraging its data and user insights accumulated over 11 years. Spanning two floors, the center offers personalized guidance, clinic booking support and K-beauty experiences, including skin analysis and product demonstrations of skin care and home-use beauty devices. “We plan to actively leverage the experience we’ve accumulated with Gangnam Unni in Korea and Japan to expand technology and infrastructure that make medical information more transparent for patients globally,” Healing Paper CEO Hong Seung-il said. “This center will connect the online platform with offline experiences to establish a convenient and standardized K-beauty service model that attracts more international patients.” A key feature of the center

Mar 5, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee
Gangnam Unni expands offline with foreigner-friendly center
Tech & Science

National AI model project race heats up as consortia expand new AI partners

The government-led artificial intelligence (AI) foundation model project is intensifying its race as the four consortia in the second-round evaluation bulk up with new specialized partners spanning 3D AI, large language model (LLM) inference chips and high‑end training data. The Ministry of Science and ICT recently selected a consortium led by Motif Technologies to advance to the project’s second round, filling a vacant slot after only three teams — LG AI Research, SK Telecom and Upstage — moved on from the first round of evaluations in January. Each consortium is now rushing to bring in partners that boost its technical edge ahead of the next evaluation, evolving a model-building contest into creating a globally competitive sovereign AI stack from models to real-world deployment. LG AI Research announced on Feb. 25 that AI infrastructure and solutions provider Elice has joined its consortium to help commercialize its model K-EXAONE across public and private sectors. Elice will leverage its modular data center infrastructure to expose the AI model through stable application progr

Mar 5, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee
National AI model project race heats up as consortia expand new AI partners
Tech & Science

AI emerges as key player in modern warfare

Artificial intelligence (AI) has moved closer to the center of modern warfare, as evidenced by its role in the recent U.S.-Israeli military strike on Iran. No longer confined to serving as a purely analytical tool, AI functioned as an operational support layer that helped compress the time between intelligence gathering and battlefield execution. According to U.S. media reports, the U.S. military used Anthropic’s AI model Claude for “intelligence assessments, target identification and simulating battle scenarios” during the massive joint U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran. Palantir’s Gotham data platform is said to have played a key role in pinpointing key military facilities of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its leadership hideouts. In practice, when Palantir organized and summarized vast volumes of defense‑related data from satellites, signals intelligence and other classified sources, Claude then supported commanders by using that information to compare and analyze different operational scenarios. Experts say the episode underscores a broader trend: AI’s role in

Mar 4, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee
AI emerges as key player in modern warfare
Others

Middle East conflict raises alarm on Korea's oil dependence

The U.S.-Israel attack on Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes across the Middle East have turned the Strait of Hormuz into a critical flash point, reigniting concerns over Korea’s heavy dependence on energy imports from the region. With the strategic waterway accounting for roughly 27 percent of global seaborne oil trade, fears are mounting that any disruption could jolt energy markets and threaten supply stability. In the aftermath of the attack, the government said Tuesday it will seek to secure oil supplies from outside the Middle East in response to a possible closure of the Strait of Hormuz, while emphasizing that Korea currently holds sufficient oil reserves. While the U.S. military Central Command denies the strait has been closed, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has been escalating their threats against shipments, saying they “will set those ships ablaze,” raising the specter of a prolonged disruption to one of the world’s most vital oil export routes. Any closure would directly disrupt crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments from the Persian Gulf. Korea reli

Mar 3, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee
Middle East conflict raises alarm on Korea's oil dependence
Companies

Korean companies step up safety measures after Iran strikes

Korean companies operating across the Middle East are scrambling to shore up contingency plans, as turmoil deepens across the region following U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran that led to the death of its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Major conglomerates with operations in Iran, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are moving swiftly to secure the safety of employees and assess business risks. Samsung Electronics said it has so far confirmed no casualties among its employees in the Middle East, including Iran. “At this point, we have not identified any damage or casualties,” the company's official said. “We plan to do everything possible to ensure the safety of our employees.” LG Electronics has confirmed the safety of its regional staff and implemented protective measures. It evacuated a Korean employee stationed in Iran last week, while those in the Israel branch are preparing to depart in line with embassy guidance. The company has also issued travel warnings to its employees in other Middle Eastern countries and advised them to take safety preca

Mar 1, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee
Korean companies step up safety measures after Iran strikes
Others

KITA warns of logistics risks if Strait of Hormuz blocked

Korea could face serious uncertainty in its export and import logistics if Iran blocks the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) said Sunday. KITA held an emergency meeting at its Trade Tower headquarters, presided over by Chairman Yoon Jin-sik, to review potential risks amid escalating U.S.-Iran tensions and discuss contingency measures. The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway linking the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, is a vital route for global oil. About 27 percent of the world’s seaborne oil passes through its 55-kilometer width, with tankers able to navigate only a 10-kilometer channel within Iranian waters. Following the joint U.S.-Israeli military operation, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned that no ships would be allowed to transit the waterway. Korea imports 70.7 percent of its crude oil and 20.4 percent of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Middle East, making energy supplies highly vulnerable to any blockade. KITA noted that while alternative routes via major Omani ports are possible, their practical feasibility is uncerta

Mar 1, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee
KITA warns of logistics risks if Strait of Hormuz blocked
Tech & Science

KT, LG Uplus face lingering fallout over hacking incidents

Korea’s two major telecom companies, KT and LG Uplus, continue to grapple with the fallout over hacking incidents and data breaches that triggered customer departures and mounting pressure for tougher sanctions. KT has extended the deadline for customers to apply for early termination fee refunds after complaints that some users were unable to file claims before the previous cutoff on Jan. 31. It announced on Friday that it will accept refund requests until June 30. The company offered to waive early termination fees between Dec. 31 and Jan. 13 and refunds for subscribers who had already canceled their service after Sept. 1. The fee waiver was a follow-up measure to a major hacking incident in September. The breach involved illegal femtocell base stations that intercepted authentication signals to steal subscriber information and make unauthorized small mobile payment charges totaling about 243 million won ($155,700). In the process, the phone numbers and mobile identity data of 22,227 users were compromised. The latest extension applies only to customers who have already left the carr

Feb 28, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee
KT, LG Uplus face lingering fallout over hacking incidents
Tech & Science

POSCO E&C deploys autonomous robots for post-construction cleanups

POSCO E&C said Friday it is deploying artificial intelligence (AI)-powered autonomous cleaning robots at a redevelopment project of an apartment complex in Seocho District, Seoul, to improve efficiency in construction-site maintenance and quality control. This rollout marks a concrete step in the POSCO Group’s broader push to reorient its operations and workflows around AI. By extending its AI-driven transformation into post-construction phases, the company said it is broadening its digital strategy beyond traditional building processes. The cleaning robot, developed in partnership with robotics company Clobot, maps spatial data and learns movement patterns to systematically clean community spaces across the residential complex. “The implementation of autonomous cleaning robots marks a meaningful step in expanding robots' role from construction sites to the actual living spaces of residents,” Choi Jong-moon, head of POSCO E&C's R&D Center, said. “We will continue to broaden our use of AI and robotics step-by-step to lead the construction industry transition toward more intellige

Feb 27, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee
POSCO E&C deploys autonomous robots for post-construction cleanups
Companies

Foreign chambers urge clarity on labor law ahead of March 10 rollout

Foreign chamber leaders raised concerns and called for continued clarity and communication as a revised labor law takes effect next month. The industry and labor ministries met Thursday with leaders of seven major foreign chambers of commerce to hear concerns and clarify policy direction for foreign businesses and investors ahead of the March 10 implementation of the revised Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act, known as the “yellow envelope law.” Held in Seoul, the meeting brought together Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan and Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon with heads of the American, European, German, French, British, Japanese and Chinese chambers. The newly revised act extends the legal scope of employer responsibility and labor disputes, while curbing corporate capacity to file large-scale damage claims against workers participating in strikes. The act has been drawing mixed responses since it passed last September, with businesses raising concerns that differing interpretations of the law could trigger various issues, such as more bargaining demands between contractors an

Feb 26, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee
Foreign chambers urge clarity on labor law ahead of March 10 rollout
Others

AMCHAM, US embassy sign MOU for Freedom 250 commemoration

The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) and the U.S. Embassy in Seoul signed a memorandum of understanding Wednesday to collaborate on commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States through the Freedom 250 initiative. The partnership reflects the strength and breadth of the alliance between the Republic of Korea and the United States, which has evolved from a security partnership into a comprehensive, forward-looking relationship spanning trade, technology, education, culture and people-to-people exchanges. Under the agreement, AMCHAM and the embassy will jointly promote shared democratic values, showcase American innovation and entrepreneurship and deepen public understanding of the bilateral relationship. The two sides plan to host a series of commemorative programs and high-level dialogues highlighting the significance of Freedom 250 and the continued pursuit of shared prosperity. Freedom 250 is a yearlong commemoration marking the 250th anniversary of the United States, honoring the ideals of liberty, democracy and innovation while highlighting t

Feb 26, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee
AMCHAM, US embassy sign MOU for Freedom 250 commemoration
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