The Korea Times

CES 2026 SK hynix unveils 16-high 48Gb HBM4

SK hynix will unveil its next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) memory solutions at CES 2026 Tuesday, showcasing its latest high-bandwidth memory (HBM) product, a 16-high 48-gigabyte HBM4, for the first time in the world. The latest memory chip is a successor to the 12‑high 36-gigabyte HBM4 that delivers a data rate of 11.7 gigabits per second. The chip development is on track to meet consumer timelines. Sixteen-high HBM4 is widely viewed as a major technical achievement, as stacking 16 layers dramatically increases manufacturing difficulty compared with 12-high products. That is because 16-high chips require thinner spacing between DRAM dies, tighter control of wafer warpage and much more precise alignment and interconnect bonding. They also require more complex thermal management. At its CES 2026 booth, the company also displayed a graphics processing unit (GPU) module equipped with 12-high 36-gigabyte HBM3E for Nvidia's latest AI server units to demonstrate how the memory operates within a real AI environment. The 36-gigabyte 12-high HBM3E is SK hynix's flagship product curre

Jan 6, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee

[CES 2026] SK hynix unveils 16-high 48Gb HBM4

Companies

JobKorea closes Jobplanet acquisition, accelerates AI-driven shift

JobKorea has completed the acquisition process for the job search platform Jobplanet. The company announced on Monday that the acquisition process was closed as of Dec. 31, making Jobplanet officially a subsidiary of JobKorea starting the next day. With the acquisition, the company is set to move beyond a model centered on job posting and accelerate its transformation into an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven platform that integrates corporate insights and career data. “This acquisition is a strategic decision to become an AI-driven career partner that supports job seekers not only after hiring but also with making decisions to apply,” JobKorea CEO Yoon Hyun-jun said. “Building on the data and technological capabilities we have accumulated as Korea’s leading recruitment platform, JobKorea will further solidify its leadership in the human resources-tech market.” By combining JobKorea’s extensive recruitment database with Jobplanet’s company reviews and work environment insights, the company said, it will deliver AI-based support that not only recommends suitable job opport

Jan 5, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee

JobKorea closes Jobplanet acquisition, accelerates AI-driven shift

Tech & Science

How newly revised AI Basic Act will reshape Korea's AI landscape

Korea’s recently revised Framework Act on the Development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Creation of a Foundation for Trust, widely known as the AI Basic Act, is set to take effect on Jan. 22, marking a turning point in the country’s approach to governing rapidly advancing AI technologies. The act, passed on Tuesday, tightens oversight of AI-generated content and high-impact systems while expanding support for research and startups, a move expected to reshape how companies govern and innovate in AI by combining stronger risk controls with measures to promote innovation and digital inclusion. Watermarks mandate, high-impact AI One of the most immediate changes is the introduction of mandatory disclosure for AI-generated content, requiring AI service providers — defined as entities that develop or use AI for commercial purposes — to notify users through notices or technical measures such as watermarks. The requirement is intended to curb deepfake abuses, misinformation, deceptive advertising and other misuses of generative AI technologies. The law also defines high-impact

Jan 2, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee

How newly revised AI Basic Act will reshape Korea's AI landscape

Tech & Science

Naver, Kakao gear up for agentic AI era in 2026

After spending last year overhauling their artificial intelligence (AI) business, Korea's two internet giants, Naver and Kakao, are now accelerating their push toward redefining their flagship search and messaging services through agentic AI. Both companies spent 2025 strengthening the application of their AI technologies, embedding large language models (LLMs) across their ecosystems to improve user engagement in their existing services. Building on these foundations, they are now positioning their AI systems to operate proactively as agentic AI, which can understand user intent, plan actions by itself and execute tasks without direct prompts from users. In November, Naver unveiled Agent N, a personalized and integrated AI agent, as its core AI strategy to leverage the company’s vast data and translate it into real actions within Naver services. It is designed to seamlessly connect Naver’s services from search and maps to calendar, reservations and content. “Users will no longer need to worry about which words to type for search. Instead, simply by conversing with Agent N, the AI

Jan 2, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee

Naver, Kakao gear up for agentic AI era in 2026

Tech & Science

US claims Korea's new network law will negatively impact American tech giants' business

The Donald Trump administration is intensifying criticism over Korea’s recent revision of the Information and Communications Network Act, which it claims impacts U.S. platform operators and undermines freedom of expression. Concerns are mounting that the revised law — dubbed an “anti-fake news” measure — could become another point of contention between the two countries, particularly over what the U.S. characterizes as Korea’s nontariff barriers in digital services. U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers warned that the amendment could undermine tech cooperation in a post on X, formerly Twitter, Tuesday. “South Korea’s proposed amendment to its Network Act, ostensibly focused on redressing defamatory deepfakes, reaches much further — and endangers tech cooperation,” she wrote. “Deepfakes are understandably concerning, but it’s better to give victims civil remedies than give regulators an invasive license for viewpoint-based censorship.” The revised bill was passed by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea-led National Assembly and approved

Jan 1, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee

US claims Korea's new network law will negatively impact American tech giants' business

Korea in talks with US over 'anti-fake news' law

Companies

Coupang data breach fallout hits Coupang Play

E-commerce giant Coupang’s massive data breach affecting the personal information of 33.7 million users is now spilling into the company’s ecosystem, resulting in users opting out of its streaming service, Coupang Play. According to industry tracker IGAWorks, Coupang Play’s daily active users dropped to around 750,000 as of Dec. 23, down from its usual range of 800,000 to 1 million in 2025. In particular, Coupang Play’s daily active users peaked at between 1.18 million and 1.28 million on Nov. 29 and 30, when Coupang disclosed the breach, before falling to 990,000 on Dec. 1. The sharp swing suggests that user activity on the platform was affected by the fallout from the data leak. On a weekly basis, the downtrend is even more evident, with weekly active users falling from 4.09 million at the end of November to 3.46 million by mid-December, a drop of more than 600,000 users in less than a month. The dip stems from a strategy that bundles services such as Coupang Eats and Coupang Play with free shipping and returns under a single monthly subscription called WOW. When users cancel t

Dec 31, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee

Coupang data breach fallout hits Coupang Play

Tech & Science

Consortia unveil models for national AI project

Five consortia participating in Korea’s national artificial intelligence (AI) foundation model project unveiled their models as the first-stage outcome, marking a major step forward in the nation’s ambition to become one of the world’s leading AI powerhouses. During a presentation event for the project at Coex in southern Seoul Tuesday, five teams — led by Naver Cloud, Upstage, SK Telecom, LG AI Research and NC AI — introduced their initial models and road maps for further development. The project, which kicked off in August, aims at building independent, globally competitive foundation AI models, with the government investing around 200 billion won ($136 million) to support the consortia with high-performance graphics processing units (GPUs), datasets and R&D personnel. The government will conduct evaluations twice a year, removing one team each time until only two finalists remain by the first half of 2027. Drawing more than 1,000 industry leaders and researchers, the event featured team presentations, along with booths to demonstrate developments to the general public. “Man

Dec 30, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee

Consortia unveil models for national AI project

Films

‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ scores global box-office success in 4DX and SCREENX

Sci-fi tentpole “Avatar: Fire and Ash” is proving its box-office power in global markets, posting standout results across premium formats including SCREENX, 4DX and ULTRA 4DX. CJ CGV announced Tuesday that the blockbuster film posted the highest opening-weekend seat occupancy rate among this year’s releases worldwide in SCREENX, 4DX and ULTRA 4DX theaters. The occupancy rate for 4DX theaters in the opening weekend alone was nearly double the average of any films released this year, while ULTRA 4DX, which combines features of SCREENX and 4DX, reached about 2.5 times the average, underscoring audiences’ strong demand for premium cinema. "'Avatar: Fire and Ash' has clearly demonstrated the value of premium-format viewing experiences not only in Korea but around the world," CJ 4DPLEX CEO Bang Jun-sik said. "We’ll continue strengthening our globally competitive special-format theaters going forward." The film's performance in North America has also been notable. During its opening week, the share of box office for SCREENX and 4DX was more than 1.5 times higher than the average share

Dec 30, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee

Tech & Science

LG Electronics seeks growth momentum with humanoid robots

LG Electronics is accelerating its push into humanoid robots as it searches for a new growth engine, debuting a new humanoid home robot LG CLOiD at CES 2026 as pressure mounts on its core businesses. With global logistics costs rising and demand slowing, the company is expected to post an operating loss in the fourth quarter, underscoring the limits of a portfolio still heavily weighted toward TVs and home appliances. According to financial data provider FnGuide, LG Electronics’ fourth-quarter is expected to see revenue at around 23.5 trillion won ($16.4 billion) to 23.6 trillion won, with its operating losses projected to exceed 180 billion won. While sales are expected to rise slightly from a year earlier, one-off costs such as a large-scale voluntary retirement program estimated to cost about 300 billion won, are projected to weigh on profitability. Though analysts say the setback is temporary, structural challenges remain. The company’s mainstay home appliance sector is continuing its sluggish seasonal performance, while the global TV market suffers from oversaturation and price c

Dec 29, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee

LG Electronics seeks growth momentum with humanoid robots

Tech & Science

KEPCO to showcase power grid innovation at CES 2026

Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) will join CES 2026 as the world's first utility company to set up its own booth at the tech fair’s main venue. Through the event, the state-run utility company seeks to redefine itself as a technology-driven energy solutions provider. During the exhibition, slated for Jan. 6 to 9, KEPCO will operate its Energy & Solution Pavilion at Las Vegas Convention Center, featuring immersive content designed to visualize the entire power value chain, from generation and transmission to distribution and consumption. A centerpiece of the exhibition will be an electric turtle ship, a modern reinterpretation of Korea’s historic warship. Visitors will experience a 6.5-minute immersive video journey inside the structure through KEPCO’s core technologies, offering a vivid sense of how advanced energy systems are applied in everyday life. There will also be an interactive power value chain kiosk to help visitors trace the process from generation to consumption while highlighting electricity’s central role in both industrial and urban life. The featured technologie

Dec 28, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee

Lee Gyu-lee

Read more

CES 2026 SK hynix unveils 16-high 48Gb HBM4

JobKorea closes Jobplanet acquisition, accelerates AI-driven shift

How newly revised AI Basic Act will reshape Korea's AI landscape

Naver, Kakao gear up for agentic AI era in 2026

US claims Korea's new network law will negatively impact American tech giants' business

Coupang data breach fallout hits Coupang Play

Consortia unveil models for national AI project

‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ scores global box-office success in 4DX and SCREENX

LG Electronics seeks growth momentum with humanoid robots

KEPCO to showcase power grid innovation at CES 2026

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