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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.

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Companies

SK hynix pledges to return $75 bil. to shareholders

SK hynix on Wednesday announced a 100 trillion won ($75 billion) shareholder return plan for this year, in order to address the mismatch between its sluggish share price and record-breaking earnings performance. The decision was announced as the company's revenue and operating profit for the third quarter recorded 104.6 trillion won and 83.33 trillion won, up 328 percent and 632 percent year-on-year, respectively. During its third-quarter earnings call, the company said it plans to return 100 trillion won to shareholders, including at least 30 trillion won in cash dividends and more than 60 trillion won through share buybacks and cancellations. “We believe our shares are undervalued, as their current price does not fully reflect the profits and cash flow the company is generating," the company said. "Under these circumstances, we believe repurchasing and canceling our shares is an effective way to increase value per share." It said it would continue repurchasing shares every quarter within its annual buyback plan and the board would determine the size of quarterly repurchases. The plan i

Oct 28, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
SK hynix pledges to return $75 bil. to shareholders
Companies

AMCHAM workshop explores AI-ready workforce, CEO risks

The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) held its HR Workshop 2026 at the Grand Hyatt Seoul on Tuesday, bringing together about 100 business leaders and professionals to discuss artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, workforce transformation and corporate risk management. Under the theme “AI-Ready Workforce: Leading People & Managing Risk in the Age of AI,” the workshop explored how companies can use AI to improve productivity and employee capabilities while addressing legal and organizational challenges. “AI is changing how we work. Our job as leaders is to make that change work for our businesses and our people,” AMCHAM Chairman and CEO James Kim said. “Employees need the skills and confidence to use [AI tools] well, while leaders need to set clear expectations and manage risk.” Rep. Cho Kyoung-tae, co-chair of the Korea-U.S. Parliamentary Union, emphasized the importance of investing in future talent and strengthening risk management alongside technology adoption. In a keynote presentation, Lee Sang-im, director of the Vocational Skills Policy Division at the Min

Oct 27, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
AMCHAM workshop explores AI-ready workforce, CEO risks
Companies

Lee Jae-yong's 4-year bet on chips pays off as Samsung profit surges

Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong on Tuesday marked his 4th anniversary at the helm of Korea’s largest conglomerate. With Samsung Electronics set to become one of the world’s most profitable companies with over 100 trillion won in operating profit in the third quarter, Lee’s efforts to restore the company’s competitiveness in semiconductor and foster future growth businesses are becoming increasingly evident. According to Samsung Electronics, the company will not hold an official ceremony to celebrate the anniversary, and Lee will also not issue a separate statement. Lee was promoted from vice chairman to executive chairman on Oct. 27, 2022, but both before and after his promotion, he has generally refrained from making public statements about the company at formal events, focusing instead on visiting business sites and meeting employees. When Lee has spoken publicly, it has generally been at times when the company faced a crisis. Upon taking on the chairmanship, he wrote a message calling for investments in technologies that did not yet exist. In March last ye

Oct 27, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
Lee Jae-yong's 4-year bet on chips pays off as Samsung profit surges
Companies

P&G Korea expands social contribution for visually impaired

P&G Korea is expanding its community outreach by improving access to household products for visually impaired people and recycling plastic waste into public amenities such as benches. P&G Korea, the Korea Consumer Agency and a council of participating businesses jointly held a donation ceremony for household products with braille labels and a safety education session on Oct. 15 to mark the 47th White Cane Safety Day, which honors the achievements of blind and visually impaired people and celebrates the white cane as a universal symbol of their independence. Since 2022, P&G Korea has supported visually impaired people by providing household products and funding the production of braille tags and stickers. The company has donated 15 million won ($10,600) worth of household products, including Downy fabric enhancers and Head & Shoulders hair care products, as well as 2 million won to support the production of braille tags and stickers. This year, P&G Korea held its first household product safety education session for visually impaired students. The session was held for preschool and elemen

Oct 26, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
P&G Korea expands social contribution for visually impaired
Companies

Samsung SDI, Alpha Omega Power sign 1-GWh ESS supply deal

Samsung SDI said Monday that its U.S. subsidiary, Samsung SDI America, has signed a 1-gigawatt-hour agreement to supply energy storage systems (ESS) to Alpha Omega Power, a U.S. utility-scale battery storage developer and independent power producer. The latest deal brings the total volume of agreements between the two companies to 1.5 gigawatt-hours, including an initial contract signed late last year. Alpha Omega Power plans to deploy the systems in large-scale power projects aimed at strengthening grid reliability and meeting rising electricity demand. Construction is scheduled to begin next year in the Western Electricity Coordinating Council and Electric Reliability Council of Texas markets. Under the latest agreement, Samsung SDI will supply its Samsung Battery Box 1.7, an integrated ESS equipped with nickel-cobalt-aluminum batteries. All cells and modules will be manufactured at the StarPlus Energy plant in Kokomo, Indiana, with deliveries scheduled to be completed by the end of this year. Samsung Battery Box 1.7 offers 17 percent higher energy density than its predecessor, Samsung

Oct 26, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
Samsung SDI, Alpha Omega Power sign 1-GWh ESS supply deal
Companies

Samsung, SK hynix shareholder return policies in focus ahead of Q3 earnings

Shareholder return policies of Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are gaining market attention ahead of their announcements for third-quarter earnings, as investors see them as a key way to address the mismatch between the chipmakers' record-breaking profits and their sluggish share prices. Samsung Electronics is set to announce its three-month financial results during its earnings call on Thursday, while SK hynix said it will announce its results on its earnings call on Wednesday. Earnings are expected to be exceptionally strong, as surging demand for memory chips and continued supply bottlenecks have driven up average selling prices across the memory chip market. In its earnings guidance released Oct. 8, Samsung Electronics estimated third-quarter revenue of 195 trillion won ($146.96 billion) and operating profit of 107.4 trillion won. If realized, the company will become the first Korean company to surpass 100 trillion won in quarterly operating profit. SK hynix is expected to post 98.23 trillion won in revenue and 76.96 trillion won in operating profit during the same period, according

Oct 26, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
Samsung, SK hynix shareholder return policies in focus ahead of Q3 earnings
Tech & Science

PHP security flaws alarm Korean government, companies

The Korean government has issued a nationwide security alert to businesses and website operators over critical vulnerabilities in PHP, a programming language widely used to build websites and web services, as the flaws spark widespread alarm across the globe amid concerns that they could rank among the most severe software vulnerabilities in history. Experts warned that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and individual business owners operating websites without dedicated cybersecurity personnel could be particularly vulnerable. They strongly recommended prompt security updates, noting that a vulnerability in one company's website could also affect other businesses whose websites are hosted on the same server. In a statement released Thursday, the Ministry of Science and ICT urged domestic companies and institutions operating PHP-based websites to immediately apply security updates. “The latest PHP vulnerabilities could affect a vast number of websites in Korea. An extremely urgent response is required as exploit code is already publicly available," Deputy Prime Minister and Min

Oct 22, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
PHP security flaws alarm Korean government, companies
Companies

Samsung chairman visits UAE, encourages employees

Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong visited the Al Dhafra gas-fired power plant construction site in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Wednesday (local time) to inspect construction progress and encourage employees working in the Middle East. Lee toured key facilities, checking construction schedules and safety measures, before meeting with executives from Samsung C&T and Samsung E&A to discuss regional market trends, growth strategies and new business opportunities. The Al Dhafra power plant is being built by Samsung C&T in a consortium with local construction firm Trojan General Contracting. It is designed to meet rising electricity demand amid the UAE's industrial growth and is expected to support energy-intensive industries, including artificial intelligence (AI) data centers. Samsung C&T previously demonstrated its construction capabilities through the Barakah nuclear power plant project in the UAE, while Samsung E&A uses the country as a key hub for its Middle East and Africa operations, undertaking projects in refining, gas and petrochemicals. Korea and

Oct 22, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
Samsung chairman visits UAE, encourages employees
Companies

Merck opens new semiconductor materials facility in Korea

Merck opened a new production facility for key materials used in semiconductor deposition in Eumseong County, North Chungcheong Province, Thursday, underscoring its commitment to expanding its presence in Korea's chip industry and strengthening a local-for-local supply chain. According to the company, the new facility produces molybdenum precursor solutions used in semiconductor manufacturing. New Merck Electronics CEO Benjamin Hein, Head of Thin Films Business Bing Han and other company executives attended the opening ceremony, while North Chungcheong Province Gov. Shin Yong-han delivered a congratulatory video message. This marks Hein's first visit to Korea since his appointment as Merck's Electronics CEO in May. During a press conference a day before the opening ceremony, Hein said customers increasingly want integrated solutions backed by local support, requiring closer cooperation between Merck's materials business and its delivery systems and services business. "What customers expect is that you provide an integrated solution. They don't just want to buy the precursor. They don't

Oct 22, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
Merck opens new semiconductor materials facility in Korea
Companies

Is AI investment slowing Naver's profits?

The outlook for internet giant Naver’s third-quarter earnings is turning gloomy, with analysts expecting operating profit to decline by double digits, citing spending on artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and the slow monetization of AI services. According to market tracker FnGuide, the brokerage consensus estimate for Naver's third-quarter operating profit stood at 500 billion won ($377.5 million), down 12.4 percent from 570.66 billion won a year earlier, as of Wednesday. This contrasts with the projected 12 percent increase in revenue to 3.51 trillion won from 3.14 trillion won over the same period. Among the various factors, rising costs appear to be the biggest contributor to the decline. These include increased marketing expenses for Naver's commerce business, World Cup broadcasting rights costs reflected in the third-quarter results and higher depreciation expenses stemming from investments in graphics processing units (GPUs). Naver categorizes its operating expenses into development, operations, partnership, infrastructure and marketing costs. Of these, infrastructure e

Oct 21, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
Is AI investment slowing Naver's profits?
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