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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

GS E&C succeeds in land-based salmon farming demonstration

GS E&C has successfully demonstrated land-based farming of Atlantic salmon using its water treatment technologies, securing capabilities that can be applied and expanded to future aquaculture projects. Eco Aquafarm, a subsidiary established by GS E&C for land-based salmon farming, held a ceremony Wednesday to mark the successful completion of the demonstration project and showcased Atlantic salmon raised at Busan Smart Aquaculture Cluster ahead of commercial shipments. GS E&C CEO Huh Yoon-hong and officials from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and Busan city government attended the event, and tasted the land-raised salmon and were briefed on the company’s farming technologies. The cluster is a testbed facility capable of producing up to 500 tons of Atlantic salmon annually, with commercial shipments set to begin by the end of this year Eco Aquafarm was established in 2020 to develop a new business leveraging builder GS E&C’s water treatment technologies. Since then, the subsidiary has operated the entire farming process, from incubating Atlantic salmon eggs and raising fish, man

Sep 30, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
GS E&C succeeds in land-based salmon farming demonstration
Tech & Science

Korea's national AI model project adrift as government questions own blueprint

Korea’s national artificial intelligence (AI) foundation model project is showing signs of running aground, as the government, which launched the program and pushed it toward a final evaluation despite controversies, has begun questioning its own blueprint. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon wrote on Facebook on Tuesday night that the project will continue despite “various projections and speculation,” adding, “I believe Korea must also pursue frontier AI at the same time.” “The gap between countries that have frontier AI and those that do not could become far wider than it is today,” Bae wrote. “But pursuing frontier AI should not mean stopping the national foundation model project. Not all AI needed in industries has to be a massive frontier model. What is needed is AI optimized for each field after considering cost, speed, security and specialization.” Bae’s post came after reports that the ICT ministry is conducting a comprehensive review of the project’s direction, including whether to proceed with its final-round evaluation.

Sep 30, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
Korea's national AI model project adrift as government questions own blueprint
Companies

Lotte promotes shared growth with partner firms through practical support

Lotte Group is carrying out a range of practical measures to promote mutual growth with its partner companies. The group helps ease smaller partners’ financial burden by making payments for supplied goods ahead of major holidays, while supporting their overseas expansion through brand expo events. According to Lotte, the group has been making early payments to partner companies ahead of Korea’s major holidays every year since 2013, as expenses such as employee bonuses and payments for raw materials tend to pile up before the holidays. Before this year’s Chuseok holiday last week, Lotte paid 949.5 billion won ($701 million) to over 12,000 partner companies an average of eight days earlier than scheduled. Twenty-seven Lotte companies participated in the program, including Lotte Department Store, Lotte E&C, Lotte Global Logistics and Lotte Mart. Along with early payments, Lotte has been operating various programs to support partner firms’ sustainable growth. Lotte operates a 1 trillion won Shared Growth Fund to help reduce their interest burden on loans. The group also introduced Sh

Sep 30, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
Lotte promotes shared growth with partner firms through practical support
Tech & Science

Red ginseng gains attention for immune health amid flu surge

With the flu spreading earlier than usual this year, market interest is growing in products that may help support immune health, including red ginseng. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the number of patients with influenza-like illnesses reached 25.3 per 1,000 outpatients during the first week of September. This is nearly double the epidemic threshold of 12.9 and up sharply from 13.3 in late August. COVID-19 is also spreading alongside the flu. During the same period, 193 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19, more than triple the number four weeks earlier. Last year, the government issued a flu advisory on Oct. 17, but this year it issued the advisory on Sept. 11 and began its vaccination program on Sept. 21. Against this backdrop, consumers are showing growing interest not only in vaccination but also in products that support immune health as part of broader preventive care, with red ginseng among those drawing increased attention. Red ginseng has been officially recognized by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for seven potential health benefits, inclu

Sep 29, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
Red ginseng gains attention for immune health amid flu surge
Companies

Samsung Group invests $1 bil. in KKR-founded AI infrastructure firm

Samsung Electronics and five of its affiliates will invest $1 billion in Helix Digital Infrastructure, an artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure firm established by global investment firm KKR, as part of their efforts to strengthen their foothold in the broader data center ecosystem. Samsung Group said Tuesday that Samsung Electronics, Samsung C&T, Samsung SDS, Samsung SDI, Samsung Life Insurance and Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance will invest in Helix. Samsung Electronics will contribute $500 million, with the other affiliates investing the remaining $500 million. Helix was established in June as an AI infrastructure company providing integrated services across hyperscale data center development and operation, power generation, power transmission and distribution infrastructure, fiber-optic networks and other network infrastructure. It is led by CEO Adam Selipsky, former CEO of Amazon Web Services. The Samsung affiliates will join KKR, the Kuwait Investment Authority, Nvidia and U.S. power company Vistra as founding investors in Helix. The companies did not disclose details of thei

Sep 29, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
Samsung Group invests $1 bil. in KKR-founded AI infrastructure firm
Companies

Samsung Electro-Mechanics to invest $3.14 bil. for substrate plant in Sejong

Samsung Electro-Mechanics said Monday it will invest 4.27 trillion won ($3.14 billion) to expand its semiconductor substrate production capacity at its plant in Sejong, marking the largest amount of capital expenditure on a single product in the company’s history. According to its regulatory filing, the company will expand its production capacity for flip chip ball grid array (FC-BGA) substrates at the Sejong plant to meet growing demand from artificial intelligence (AI) servers. The investment will run from September 2026 through May 2028, with mass production on the new lines scheduled to begin in September 2028. This is part of the company’s commitment announced in July that it will invest 8 trillion won in the nation's central Chungcheong region, which includes Sejong, and 15 trillion won in the Busan area by 2040. FC-BGA is a highly integrated semiconductor substrate that connects high-performance chips — such as AI accelerators, graphics processing units and central processing units — to mainboards, transmitting electrical signals and supplying power. Demand for FC-BGA subst

Sep 28, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
Samsung Electro-Mechanics to invest $3.14 bil. for substrate plant in Sejong
Companies

Kakao names Kim Do-young as co-chair of group control tower

Mobile platform giant Kakao Group named Kakao Investment CEO Kim Do-young as co-chair of the group’s control tower, ahead of the planned spin-off of its flagship unit Kakao Corp. Kakao Group said Monday that its CEOs agreed to appoint Kim as co-chair of the Corporate Alignment (CA) Council. Kim will lead the council alongside existing CA Council Chair Chung Shin-a, who is also CEO of Kakao Corp. The group said the appointment is intended to ensure continuity in key decision-making and enhance organizational stability ahead of the spin-off. Kim and Chung will jointly oversee major decisions until the split, while strengthening group-wide coordination and execution. Kim is an investment specialist who built his career as an investment banking director at Samsung Securities. Before joining Kakao Group, he served as chief financial officer of Kolon Mobility Group from 2022 to 2025. The appointment is in line with the proposed spin-off of Kakao Corp. Under the plan, the company will be split into Kakao AI, which will oversee flagship messenger KakaoTalk, artificial intelligence (AI), advert

Sep 28, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
Kakao names Kim Do-young as co-chair of group control tower
Companies

Hanwha Solutions targets offshore wind cable materials market

Hanwha Solutions is strengthening its business foothold in China’s extra-high-voltage transmission and offshore wind markets, as part of efforts to accelerate the expansion of its global high-value-added cable materials business. Hanwha Solutions’ Wire & Cable Division participated in Wire China 2026, an international wire and cable exhibition held in Shanghai from Sept. 21-24, and showcased next-generation technologies including extra-high-voltage cable materials and circular solutions. Under the theme of “Best Quality, Better Planet,” Hanwha Solutions presented its high-performance cable materials technologies and sustainable circular solutions. In particular, Hanwha Solutions exhibited a cable model incorporating next-generation 500-kilovolt class super extra-high voltage cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) and semi-conductive materials, demonstrating its insulation reliability and materials technology for extra-high-voltage power transmission environments. Hanwha Solutions also unveiled its Closed Loop solution for circular XLPE, powered by its proprietary decrosslinking technol

Sep 28, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
Hanwha Solutions targets offshore wind cable materials market
Companies

Korea's first US investment hinges on long-term power buyers

As Korea confirmed a natural gas-fired combined-cycle power plant in Encinal, Texas, will be the first project under its $200 billion strategic investment commitment to the United States, power purchase agreements (PPAs) with potential power buyers are emerging as a key factor in determining the project’s commercial viability. In a National Assembly briefing on Tuesday, Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said the project will be worth $22.3 billion, with planned generating capacity reaching 6.3 gigawatts. The project will initially build a 1.4-gigawatt gas turbine power plant to assess actual demand and economic viability, before gradually expanding it with 4.9 gigawatts of more efficient combined-cycle generation capacity. The project will be funded entirely by Korea, while ownership will be split equally between Seoul and Washington. Electricity generated from the plant is expected to power artificial intelligence (AI) data centers in the region. In selecting the gas plant as the first project, the government considered “commercial reasonableness,” stipulated as a key condition in

Sep 23, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
Korea's first US investment hinges on long-term power buyers
Companies

SK Enmove, LG Electronics team up for immersion cooling technology

SK Enmove, a lubricant unit of SK On, and LG Electronics have teamed up to develop next-generation refrigerants, lubricants and immersion cooling technologies for applications across various industries. SK Enmove CEO Kim Wone-kee and LG Electronics Eco Solution Division President Lee Jae-sung signed a memorandum of understanding a day earlier to jointly develop new refrigerants, refrigeration lubricants and immersion cooling technologies for home appliances, commercial and industrial applications. Under the agreement, the two companies will jointly develop next-generation refrigerants in response to tightening global environmental regulations. The refrigerants will be designed to meet international environmental regulations and refrigerant standards, with a global warming potential below 150 and no per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. SK Enmove will develop refrigerant candidates, while LG Electronics will assess their commercial applicability using its experience with heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) products and systems in global markets. The two companies will also con

Sep 23, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
SK Enmove, LG Electronics team up for immersion cooling technology
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