The Korea Times

SK hynix lists ADRs on Nasdaq to expand global AI presence

SK hynix has listed its American depositary receipts (ADRs) on the Nasdaq stock market, marking a move to expand its presence in global capital markets and strengthen its position as a key supplier in the artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor ecosystem. The Korean memory chipmaker held an opening bell ceremony at the Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square, New York, on Friday (local time) to commemorate the start of ADR trading. The event was attended by SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, SK Square Executive Vice Chairman Chey Jae-won and SK hynix CEO Kwak Noh-jung, among other senior executives from the group and company. The offering consists of 177.9 million ADRs priced at $149 each, raising about 40 trillion won ($26.5 billion). Each ADR represents one-tenth of a common share listed on the Seoul stock market. ADRs are certificates issued by a U.S. depositary bank that represent shares of foreign companies and trade on U.S. stock exchanges. They allow overseas companies to access U.S. investors while enabling Americans to invest in foreign stocks without opening overseas accounts or deal

Jul 10, 2026By Kang Seung-woo

SK hynix lists ADRs on Nasdaq to expand global AI presence

Opinion

Time to rein in youth social media use

Smartphones and social media have become inseparable from young people's daily lives, serving as primary gateways to learning, entertainment and social interaction. But their benefits come with growing costs: addiction, anxiety, declining academic performance, cyberbullying and exposure to harmful content. Korea can no longer afford to ignore these risks. It is time to begin a serious discussion about introducing reasonable safeguards for minors' use of social media. Recent developments in the education sector underscore the growing urgency of the issue. Newly elected superintendents across the country have embraced "smartphone-free schools" as a key policy. Gyeonggi Province plans to restrict mobile phone use not only during classes but also throughout breaks and lunchtime, while Gangwon and North Jeolla provinces are rolling out smartphone-free school initiatives and digital detox programs. These are more than educational experiments. Schools have increasingly reported that excessive smartphone use disrupts learning, fuels conflicts among students and facilitates cyberbullying. Altho

Jul 1, 2026By Kang Seung-woo

Opinion

Mythos shift

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the cybersecurity landscape, compressing tasks that once required days of research and coordination into seconds. As a result, corporate cybersecurity has quickly evolved into a national policy concern, fueled in part by a new generation of security-focused AI known as the Mythos model. For decades, cybersecurity has operated along a familiar axis: time. Vulnerabilities were discovered, analyzed, patched and updated in a continuous cycle. The underlying assumption was simple: If defenders could identify weaknesses first, they could secure systems before attackers had the chance to exploit them. The Mythos model challenges that premise. As vulnerability detection, exploit generation and even execution become increasingly automated, cybersecurity is shifting from a question of thoroughness to one of speed. The prospect of attacks succeeding before defenders even recognize the threat is no longer theoretical — it is becoming a plausible reality. This shift matters because cyber incidents rarely stop at a single company. Mode

Apr 22, 2026By Kang Seung-woo

Companies

Hanwha Aerospace seeks to acquire Poongsan munitions biz

Hanwha Aerospace has joined the bid to acquire the munitions business of domestic arms manufacturer Poongsan, signaling a potential expansion into full-scale weapons production. According to industry sources on Friday, Hanwha Aerospace submitted a final bid in a private tender for Poongsan’s munitions division, which produces a range of ammunition from small-caliber rounds to large artillery shells. The company is widely known for producing 155-millimeter shells used in the K9 self-propelled howitzer, a system exported to several countries, including Poland and Romania. Industry sources say Hanwha Aerospace appears to be the only serious bidder in the current process. If the acquisition is completed, the company could achieve vertical integration across ammunition production and weapons platform development and export. However, Hanwha Aerospace declined to comment. Poongsan has maintained a cautious stance, saying that it is reviewing various options to enhance corporate and shareholder value, including potential restructuring, but that nothing has been finalized. Poongsan said in a reg

Apr 3, 2026By Kang Seung-woo

Hanwha Aerospace seeks to acquire Poongsan munitions biz

Companies

PHOTO Samsung launches Galaxy Book 6

Models pose with Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Book 6 laptops in this handout photo released Wednesday. The product is the latest in the Galaxy Book 6 series, which also includes the Galaxy Book 6 Ultra and the Galaxy Book 6 Pro, both already on the market. Prices range from 1.6 million won ($1,200) to 2.51 million won, depending on specifications such as the CPU, graphics card and memory. The product comes in gray and silver.

Apr 1, 2026By Kang Seung-woo

Companies

Musk makes rare direct appeal to Korea’s chip designers

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, is personally spearheading a recruitment drive in Korea, issuing a rare direct appeal to semiconductor professionals in the country. On Tuesday (local time), Musk reposted a hiring announcement from Tesla Korea on X, adding a Korean flag emoji and writing, “If you're in Korea and want to work on chip design, fabrication or AI software, join Tesla!” Tesla Korea had posted the job listing a day earlier, seeking artificial intelligence (AI) chip design engineers. The company said the project involves developing AI chip architecture for what it hopes will become the world’s highest-level mass-produced AI chips with the largest production volume globally, and invited applications from candidates with expertise in AI chip development. Applicants are required to submit descriptions of the three most challenging technical problems they have solved, according to the notice. While Musk has previously shared Tesla-related hiring posts, it is unusual for him to explicitly single out semiconductor professionals in a specific country. Industry observers view the move as p

Feb 18, 2026By Kang Seung-woo

Musk makes rare direct appeal to Korea’s chip designers

Companies

LG Energy Solution to take full control of Canadian battery JV with Stellantis

LG Energy Solution said Friday it will acquire the full stake in its joint venture with multinational automaker Stellantis, making the firm a wholly owned subsidiary. In a regulatory filing, the Korean battery maker said it will acquire Stellantis’ 49 percent stake in NextStar Energy for just $100, effectively gaining full ownership of the joint venture originally established in 2022 in Ontario, Canada. Industry analysts described the deal as highly favorable, noting that Stellantis’ initial investment in the joint venture totaled $980 million. This means LG Energy Solution secured a fully operational factory at a fraction of the cost. LG Energy Solution plans to use the NextStar Energy facility as a key production hub for energy storage system (ESS) batteries, targeting the rapidly growing North American ESS market. Despite the ownership change, LG and Stellantis will continue their business cooperation, with Stellantis still set to receive electric vehicle (EV) batteries produced at the Canadian plant. “Full ownership of NextStar Energy will enable us to respond swiftly to growi

Feb 6, 2026By Kang Seung-woo

LG Energy Solution to take full control of Canadian battery JV with Stellantis

Companies

PR ONE signs exclusive partnership with PROI Worldwide in Korea

PR ONE, an integrated communications firm in Korea, said Tuesday it has signed an exclusive partnership with PROI Worldwide, the world’s fifth-largest communications group by revenue, becoming PROI’s sole partner in Korea. The deal aims to strengthen PR ONE’s global competitiveness by combining its local market expertise with PROI’s international network, supporting both foreign companies entering Korea and Korean firms expanding overseas. PROI Worldwide operates a network of 90 independent agencies in 65 countries across North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. “Our partnership with PROI marks an important milestone in our global expansion,” said Cho Jae-hyung, CEO of PR ONE. “We aim to build scalable business models and accelerate growth.” Angela Scaffidi, global chair of PROI Worldwide, said PR ONE’s market insight and track record align well with PROI’s global strategy. Founded in 2006, PR ONE has completed more than 2,200 projects and provides services including media relations, crisis management, integrated marketing communi

Jan 27, 2026By Kang Seung-woo

PR ONE signs exclusive partnership with PROI Worldwide in Korea

Opinion

Illusion of 'no less favorable' status

The Donald Trump administration has taken its next step in a trade offensive, this time targeting semiconductors. Tariffs are the stated justification; the real objective is to force production onto U.S. soil. On Jan. 14, Trump signed a proclamation imposing a 25 percent duty on certain artificial intelligence (AI) chips. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick followed with a blunt warning: “Everyone who wants to build memory has two choices: They can pay a 100 percent tariff, or they can build in America.” Diplomacy has given way to coercion. The target is unmistakable: memory semiconductors. DRAM and NAND, along with high-bandwidth memory (HBM) critical to AI, are squarely in the crosshairs. Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, which dominate the global market, are under direct pressure. For the first time, the U.S. has openly signaled its intent to pull memory production onto domestic soil, escalating the semiconductor battle to a new level. The more serious problem is not the absence of assurances, but their emptiness. Last year’s Korea-U.S. joint fact sheet explicitly states tha

Jan 21, 2026By Kang Seung-woo

Tech & Science

WBF, Moonsook foundation renew support for women in science

The Women’s Bioscience Forum (WBF) and the Moonsook Science Foundation have reaffirmed their partnership to support and foster outstanding women scientists through the Moonsook Saebyul Award. On Friday, the two organizations extended their memorandum of understanding (MOU) at the foundation's office in Seoul, confirming their commitment to jointly operate the award and maintain a broader framework of cooperation. The renewed agreement builds on the original MOU signed in 2024, which aims at strengthening support for women in the life sciences. Established in 2005, the award recognizes and encourages exceptional researchers in the domestic life sciences field, including doctoral students, research assistants with master’s degrees and postdoctoral researchers. Since its inception, 66 women have received the award. Since 2024, Moonsook has sponsored the program, granting 1 million won ($700) each to three doctoral researchers and 2 million won each to two postdoctoral researchers. Founded in 2001, WBF is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening national competitiveness in li

Jan 16, 2026By Kang Seung-woo

Kang Seung-woo

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SK hynix lists ADRs on Nasdaq to expand global AI presence

Time to rein in youth social media use

Mythos shift

Hanwha Aerospace seeks to acquire Poongsan munitions biz

PHOTO Samsung launches Galaxy Book 6

Musk makes rare direct appeal to Korea’s chip designers

LG Energy Solution to take full control of Canadian battery JV with Stellantis

PR ONE signs exclusive partnership with PROI Worldwide in Korea

Illusion of 'no less favorable' status

WBF, Moonsook foundation renew support for women in science

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