my timesThe Korea Times
namhw

Nam Hyun-woo

Korea Times Business Reporter

Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.

Go to Email

Read more

Companies

SK hynix unions reject wage deal over stock-based bonuses

Production workers’ unions at SK hynix on Tuesday voted down a tentative agreement reached between their delegates and management, sending the issue of how much of their hefty performance bonuses should be paid in treasury shares back to the negotiating table. According to industry officials, the tentative agreement was rejected after 50.08 percent, or 7,535 members, of the two unions voted against it. The two unions represent production workers respectively at the Icheon plant in Gyeonggi Province and Cheongju plant in North Chungcheong Province. The approval rate stood at 49.92 percent, or 7,510 votes, leaving a margin of just 25 votes. About 94 percent of the unions’ combined 16,083 members participated in the vote. The company’s third union, which represents office workers, was scheduled to complete its own vote on the agreement on Tuesday afternoon, but regardless of the outcome, the tentative deal is expected to be scrapped, with labor and management returning to negotiations. The tentative agreement was reached last Thursday, calling for a 6.3 percent wage increase. For perf

Aug 25, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
SK hynix unions reject wage deal over stock-based bonuses
Companies

Cho Hyun-bum takes 1st step toward return to management of Hankook & Company

Cho Hyun-bum, chairman of Hankook & Company, the holding company of Hankook Tire & Technology, has taken his first public step toward returning to management after being released on parole last month, attending a groupwide strategy meeting focused on artificial intelligence transformation (AX). Cho attended the group’s affiliate innovation meeting held Thursday and Friday in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, the company said Monday. It marked his first publicly disclosed management-related activity since his release. The meeting brought together about 50 senior executives from Hankook & Company and other affiliates. Cho’s participation is seen as the beginning of his return to the group’s management, although the company said the meeting did not represent a full-fledged return and that a specific timeline has not yet been decided. Cho was released on parole on July 30, about a month before completing his prison term. He was convicted of embezzlement and breach of trust and sentenced to two years in prison, with the Supreme Court upholding the sentence in May. The two-day meeting covered si

Aug 24, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
Cho Hyun-bum takes 1st step toward return to management of Hankook & Company
Companies

Hanwha Group to invest $299 mil. into US defense subsidiaries

Hanwha Group will make investments worth $299 million (415 billion won) into its U.S. subsidiaries, as the group seeks to expand its presence in the country’s defense procurement market. According to industry officials Sunday, Hanwha Group recently decided to make investments into Hanwha Defense USA and Hanwha Futureproof, by subscribing to shares to be issued through rights offerings by the two companies. Among them, Hanwha Aerospace will invest $149 million in Hanwha Defense USA, the former’s wholly owned subsidiary which oversees the group’s land defense business in the U.S. The latest investment alone is about 30 percent larger than Hanwha Aerospace’s cumulative 159.7 billion won of investment into the subsidiary so far. Hanwha companies will also subscribe to a $150 million rights offering by Hanwha Futureproof, a unit focused on investing in strategic assets in the U.S. Hanwha Aerospace will contribute half of the amount, while Hanwha Ocean and Hanwha Systems will each cover 18.75 percent and Hanwha Solutions the remaining 12.5 percent. The investments are in line with Hanwh

Aug 23, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
Hanwha Group to invest $299 mil. into US defense subsidiaries
Companies

Kakao spin-off plan faces lingering investor distrust

Kakao’s ambitious plan to split its business into two entities handling its mobile messenger and investment businesses, respectively, is facing lingering investor distrust, with its stock price falling more than 7 percent to wipe out 1.8 trillion won ($1.3 billion) of market cap following the announcement on Friday. The mobile platform giant stressed that the restructuring will take the form of a spin-off, in which shares of the newly created company will be distributed to existing shareholders in proportion to their current stakes, so the measure is aimed at safeguarding shareholder value. However, investors remain skeptical over whether spreading Kakao’s businesses across multiple companies would help enhance corporate value, particularly when its existing artificial intelligence (AI) businesses have yet to generate earnings meeting market expectations. During a board meeting Friday, the company approved the spin-off plan to split Kakao into KakaoAI and KakaoX. Kakao plans to complete the spinoff by Jan. 1 next year, and relist KakaoAI on Jan. 27. KakaoAI will be a newly created en

Aug 23, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
Kakao spin-off plan faces lingering investor distrust
Companies

SK hynix labor, management reach tentative agreement for 2026 wages

Labor and management of SK hynix have reached a tentative agreement on 2026 wages, under which 60 percent of performance bonuses will be paid in treasury shares, the company said Thursday. SK hynix’s labor and management drew significant attention across the Korean industry last year when they agreed to use 10 percent of the company’s operating profit as a funding pool for performance bonuses and maintain the system for 10 years. Tensions escalated recently, however, after management proposed paying part of the bonuses in shares instead of entirely in cash, prompting the unions to threaten collective action. With the tentative agreement, the chipmaker has avoided immediate disruptions such as a general strike, but the risks of conflict remain because employees, dissatisfied with the decision, are moving to form a new union. SK hynix’s unions held delegate meetings on Thursday afternoon and informed union members that the tentative agreement calls for 60 percent of performance bonuses to be paid in treasury shares and the remaining 40 percent in cash. Of the portion paid in shares,

Aug 20, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
SK hynix labor, management reach tentative agreement for 2026 wages
Companies

LG CNS to deploy security robots at Seoul's Tower Palace

LG CNS is set to deploy four-legged security robots at Tower Palace, a luxury residential complex in southern Seoul, as the company seeks to commercialize physical artificial intelligence (AI) in real-world environments. LG CNS said Thursday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Tower PMC, a property management company specializing in high-end residential facilities, to establish a security robot service. Under the agreement, the two companies will conduct about two months of technology verification at Tower Palace before the robots begin actual operations in the fourth quarter. LG CNS will train the four-legged robots using data collected from the complex, including its layout, patrol routes and potential abnormal situations such as falls and fires. The robots will autonomously patrol common areas and underground parking lots. If they detect suspicious individuals or abnormal conditions, such as excessive heat from electric vehicles or charging facilities, they will alert the management office. Managers will also be able to communicate with the robots in real time through two-

Aug 20, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
LG CNS to deploy security robots at Seoul's Tower Palace
Companies

AMCHAM hosts US Ambassador Steel for 1st business community meeting

The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) hosted U.S. Ambassador to Korea Michelle Steel for an executive breakfast roundtable at its office in Seoul on Thursday, marking Steel’s first official engagement with the U.S. business community in Korea since assuming her post. The small-group roundtable brought together a select group of senior executives from leading U.S. companies across key industries in Korea. Steel heard directly from business leaders operating in Korea and discussed priorities for continued cooperation between the U.S. Embassy and AMCHAM. The discussion focused on key opportunities and challenges facing U.S. companies in Korea. Participants explored ways sustained engagement could strengthen bilateral trade and investment while fostering a more competitive, predictable and globally aligned business environment. The meeting also addressed potential areas of collaboration between the U.S. Embassy and AMCHAM, including Freedom 250 initiatives commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States. “We are delighted to welcome Ambassador Steel for her first of

Aug 20, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
AMCHAM hosts US Ambassador Steel for 1st business community meeting
Companies

SK hynix to buy back $28.6 bil. worth of shares in 3 months before cancellation

SK hynix said Wednesday it will buy back 40 trillion won ($28.6 billion) worth of its own shares within the next three months and will cancel them. The chipmaker said in a regulatory filing that it will begin buying back 24.07 million common shares Thursday at 1.66 million won per share through open-market purchases and complete the program by Nov. 19. This accounts for about 3.3 percent of the company’s 730 million outstanding shares. SK hynix plans to cancel all of the repurchased shares after completing the buyback. “We believe our shares are currently undervalued and have decided to buy back and cancel 40 trillion won worth of treasury shares to efficiently reallocate capital and enhance shareholder value,” the company said. “We are also considering measures to increase dividends, including higher regular dividends and special dividends.” In a press release issued after the filing, the company said it has also renewed its November 2024 shareholder return policy, which promised to return up to 50 percent of its cumulative free cash flow (FCF) from 2025 to 2027, by raising the

Aug 19, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
SK hynix to buy back $28.6 bil. worth of shares in 3 months before cancellation
Companies

LG Display, Samsung Display showcase next-generation OLED technologies at IMID

LG Display and Samsung Display are showcasing their latest OLED technologies at the International Meeting on Information Display (IMID) 2026 in Busan, highlighting advances in display quality, manufacturing efficiency and design flexibility. The three-day event began Wednesday at BEXCO and runs through Friday. LG Display will unveil FLiPP, or FMM-Less innovative Pixel Patterning, an OLED manufacturing technology that eliminates the need for conventional fine metal masks (FMMs). Developed after a year of research and development, FLiPP uses proprietary technology to pattern red, green and blue (RGB) OLED pixels without metal masks. Compared with panels produced using FMMs under identical conditions, FLiPP increases brightness by 1.6 times, extends panel lifespan by 2.4 times and reduces power consumption by 13 percent, according to LG Display. The improvements are attributed to a roughly 55 percent increase in the aperture ratio, or the proportion of the display area occupied by RGB pixels. Unlike conventional FMM production, which evaporates RGB organic materials through tiny holes in met

Aug 19, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
LG Display, Samsung Display showcase next-generation OLED technologies at IMID
Companies

Netmarble to unveil new collectible RPG Pearl in Blue at Tokyo Game Show

Netmarble will unveil its new collectible role-playing game (RPG) title Pearl in Blue at Tokyo Game Show (TGS) 2026. The event, slated for Sept. 17 to 21 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan, is one of the world’s biggest game shows. Pearl in Blue is a Japanese animation-themed romantic comedy, with players meeting a new heroine each month to develop new storylines. The title centers “Pearl,” a power that embodies desires hidden within the characters. Those capable of wielding the power of Pearl are called “Knights.” Players take on the role of a manager for characters who have yet to become Knights, accompanying them on their journey. Based on teasers, the game presents a combination of animation-style cutscenes and content focused on interactions between characters. During TGS 2026, Netmarble will showcase a playable demo version and run an interactive booth designed around the game’s universe. The company plans to gradually release more information through its dedicated TGS 2026 website, its Japanese X account and official YouTube channel. The game’s release date was not dis

Aug 19, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
Netmarble to unveil new collectible RPG Pearl in Blue at Tokyo Game Show
previous page
1112131415
next page

Top 5 stories

Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.