The Korea Times

FORUM S4 Capital chairman says AI forces business reset, calls for faster execution

Martin Sorrell, chairman of S4 Capital and founder of WPP, the world's largest advertising and marketing services company, warned Tuesday that traditional business models built on scale, global reach and cheap capital are no longer fit for an era where artificial intelligence (AI) is forcing a “structural reset,” urging companies to redesign their operating models around speed, automation and AI-driven execution. Speaking at The Korea Times Forum, co-hosted by GR Korea and held in Seoul under the theme "Made in Korea: Global and AI enablement," Sorrell said businesses are facing a permanent shift rather than a cyclical disruption as geopolitical tensions, industrial policy and technological competition reshape global commerce. The event was co-hosted by GR Korea. “For years, global business leaders operated in a world of highly optimized globalization — frictionless supply chains, low inflation and expansion defined largely by scale and capital access. That world has fundamentally changed,” Sorrell said during his keynote speech. He noted that geopolitical fragmentation, the r

Jun 9, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee

[FORUM] S4 Capital chairman says AI forces business reset, calls for faster execution

Companies

GS E&C partners with Daedong Robotics to develop AI field robots

GS E&C has joined hands with Daedong Robotics to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered automation technologies at construction sites. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding on Friday at GS E&C's research and development center in Seoul to collaborate on the development of construction-site automation solutions utilizing AI field robots, the builder said Tuesday. The partnership will begin with pilot projects deploying Daedong Robotics' autonomous mobile robots at construction sites and expand toward the joint development of robot models optimized for the construction environment. The initiative is aimed at verifying the applicability of physical AI technologies — AI systems capable of performing real-world tasks such as movement, transportation and repetitive operations — in construction settings. Under the agreement, the companies will explore the use of robots in areas where practical challenges persist, including material transportation and repetitive, labor-intensive tasks. Through on-site demonstrations, they plan to gradually validate t

Jun 9, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee

GS E&C partners with Daedong Robotics to develop AI field robots

Companies

KOTRA, SK Biopharmaceuticals join forces to back 'K-bio' expansion in US

The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and SK Biopharmaceuticals are teaming up to help domestic biotech firms expand into the United States, stepping up efforts to deepen Korea’s presence in the world’s largest biotechnology market. The initiative comes as K-bio exports hit a record $16.4 billion in 2025, underscoring the sector’s growing global competitiveness. Building on its recent launch of the K-Bio Global Innovation LinX initiative in Korea with the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) and Hallym University, KOTRA announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding with SK Biopharmaceuticals and the New York-New Jersey chapter of the Korean American Society in Biotech and Pharmaceuticals (KASBP) on Friday to establish a local collaboration framework in the U.S. “K-bio exports and its global standing are gaining traction not only in the U.S., the world’s largest biotech market, but also across other advanced markets such as Europe,” KOTRA CEO Kang Kyung-sung said. “With this public-private one-team partnership now established both domesti

Jun 8, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee

KOTRA, SK Biopharmaceuticals join forces to back 'K-bio' expansion in US

Tech & Science

LG Uplus targets $3.2 bil. in AI data center orders by 2030

LG Uplus unveiled its artificial intelligence (AI) data center infrastructure strategy at its facility under construction in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, targeting 5 trillion won ($3.2 billion) in cumulative orders by 2030 as it pushes to scale its AI infrastructure business. The company said Friday it aims to establish a new standard for AI infrastructure by leveraging groupwide One LG synergies and showcasing the global competitiveness of its in-house technologies. As AI workloads shift from model training to inference, data centers are contending with rising power demands, more variable workloads and intensifying thermal constraints. To address these challenges, LG Uplus introduced its “ACE on Trust” strategy for the Paju AI data center, which is set to span roughly 150,000 square meters. The initiative centers on agility, capacity and efficiency built on a foundation of operational reliability, aimed at defining a new standard for AI infrastructure. For agility, the company will adopt a prefabricated modular data center construction method to accelerate deployment timelines. The appr

Jun 7, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee

LG Uplus targets $3.2 bil. in AI data center orders by 2030

Tech & Science

LG Innotek to expand chip substrate plant in Vietnam

LG Innotek is expanding its semiconductor substrate manufacturing footprint to Vietnam with a new production plant as part of a broader strategy to diversify production and scale up its package solutions business. The company said that it signed a memorandum of understanding at the company’s headquarters in Gangseo District, Seoul, with the city of Hai Phong to build a semiconductor substrate production facility in northern Vietnam. The new facility, scheduled to begin construction in July and be completed in May 2027, will span about 330,000 square meters, roughly equivalent to 45 soccer fields. The expansion will be funded directly by LG Innotek’s Vietnamese subsidiary. The plant will produce a range of advanced semiconductor substrates, including radio frequency system-in-package (RF-SiP), flip chip-chip scale package (FC-CSP), and flip chip-ball grid array (FC-BGA). “Under the dual-manufacturing strategy, our local facility in Gumi will serve as a mother factory dedicated to developing new technologies and producing new models and high-value products, while the expanded Vietnam

Jun 4, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee

LG Innotek to expand chip substrate plant in Vietnam

Companies

HD Construction Equipment signs major bulldozer supply deal with Polish military

HD Construction Equipment has secured a major contract to supply bulldozers to the Polish military, marking its first large-scale win in a European defense procurement project. The company announced on Thursday that it has been selected as the final supplier for a tracked bulldozer project led by a regional logistics base within the Polish Army. The deal covers 50 units of 15-ton DEVELON bulldozers worth about 27 billion won ($17.7 million), with potential for additional orders. The latest agreement marks a key milestone for the company, coming just two years after it entered the European bulldozer market and signaling its successful debut in the region’s highly demanding military procurement sector. The company said it prevailed against leading U.S. and European manufacturers to win the contract, citing its ability to meet tight delivery schedules and provide rapid and organizationwide technical support as key advantages. “This contract demonstrates that our products have been recognized locally in Europe not only for performance and quality but also for supply capability by meeting

Jun 4, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee

HD Construction Equipment signs major bulldozer supply deal with Polish military

Companies

KEPCO wins $1.4 bil. Saudi cogeneration project from Aramco

Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) has secured another cogeneration project in Saudi Arabia, strengthening its foothold in the Middle East’s fast-expanding energy market. The state-run utility announced on Wednesday that it signed power and steam purchase agreements with oil giant Saudi Aramco to construct and operate Phase 2 of Saudi Arabia’s Jafurah cogeneration power plant. It also finalized an engineering, procurement and construction contract with Doosan Enerbility for the plant. The project involves building a 331-megawatt cogeneration facility capable of producing about 465 tons of steam per hour by June 2029. The facility will supply electricity and steam to Aramco for 17 years, generating an estimated 2.1 trillion won ($1.4 billion) in revenue over the contract period. The deal builds on KEPCO’s earlier contract for the Jafurah Phase 1 cogeneration project, a 317-megawatt plant secured in 2022, which is scheduled for completion later this month. “KEPCO secured the Phase 2 project on a sole-source basis, underpinned by its proven execution capabilities demonstrated in Phas

Jun 3, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee

KEPCO wins $1.4 bil. Saudi cogeneration project from Aramco

Tech & Science

Korea joins Anthropic’s Project Glasswing for Mythos cybersecurity AI model

Korea is joining Anthropic’s cybersecurity initiative Project Glasswing, which will give the country access to the company’s advanced artificial intelligence (AI) model Claude Mythos as part of a broader expansion aimed at strengthening global cyber defenses. Anthropic announced Tuesday (local time) that it is expanding the project, a collaborative cybersecurity program built around its Mythos model, to around 150 organizations across 15 countries, significantly widening access beyond its initial cohort of roughly 50 institutions. Mythos, unveiled in April, is a security-focused AI model designed to identify software vulnerabilities at an expert level. Under the latest expansion, the Ministry of Science and ICT will participate in the program through the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), the state-run agency for cyber incident response and digital security. “We are aware that KISA has joined Project Glasswing and secured access to the Mythos model,” a ministry official said. KISA is expected to be granted access to the Mythos Preview model and its related tools, such as Cl

Jun 3, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee

Korea joins Anthropic’s Project Glasswing for Mythos cybersecurity AI model

Companies

Gov't to streamline EUV equipment approvals for chipmakers

The government will significantly streamline approvals for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment used in key semiconductor processes, sharply cutting inspection times for major chipmakers, including Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, as they ramp up production capacity. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources said the revisions to the enforcement decree governing high-pressure gas safety have been approved during the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday and are expected to take effect immediately after they are formally announced next week. The amendment allows semiconductor manufacturing tools that meet global safety standards, including EUV lithography systems, to be classified as specified equipment instead of as general high‑pressure gas manufacturing facilities subject to stricter regulation. Under the changes, inspection and approval procedures for EUV equipment imports are expected to shorten from 34 days to as few as nine days, reducing delays by up to 25 days for each system. The ministry also expects the revised framework to cut pressure and leak‑test fees charged by o

Jun 2, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee

Gov't to streamline EUV equipment approvals for chipmakers

Companies

HanmiGlobal to host global summit on AI-driven future of project management

Construction project management (PM) firm HanmiGlobal will host an international summit on artificial intelligence (AI)-driven innovation in the industry this month to mark its 30th anniversary. The company said that the summit, scheduled for June 19 at the POSCO Center in Seoul's Gangnam District, will bring together global industry and academic experts to explore the evolving role and strategic shifts in construction management in the AI era. HanmiGlobal, widely recognized as the first company to introduce PM practices to Korea, will outline the next phase of growth for the sector. David Whysall, chief operating officer of U.K.-based Turner & Townsend, will deliver the keynote address, discussing the firm’s growth strategy and the evolving role of PM in an AI-driven environment. Andre Borrmann, civil engineering professor at the Technical University of Munich and Rafael Sacks, a civil and environmental engineering professor at Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, will join as guest speakers to share latest research on AI applications in construction and case studies. Following t

Jun 2, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee

Lee Gyu-lee

Read more

FORUM S4 Capital chairman says AI forces business reset, calls for faster execution

GS E&C partners with Daedong Robotics to develop AI field robots

KOTRA, SK Biopharmaceuticals join forces to back 'K-bio' expansion in US

LG Uplus targets $3.2 bil. in AI data center orders by 2030

LG Innotek to expand chip substrate plant in Vietnam

HD Construction Equipment signs major bulldozer supply deal with Polish military

KEPCO wins $1.4 bil. Saudi cogeneration project from Aramco

Korea joins Anthropic’s Project Glasswing for Mythos cybersecurity AI model

Gov't to streamline EUV equipment approvals for chipmakers

HanmiGlobal to host global summit on AI-driven future of project management

Top 5 stories