Business - The Korea Times

HD Hyundai kicks off new year with employees at chairman’s meeting

HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun broke tradition Monday by inviting rank-and-file employees to the company's New Year's meeting, in an effort to encourage communication across the group. The shipbuilding group said it hosted the Opening 2026 event at its headquarters in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, reflecting the chairman’s intent to simplify the celebration and communicate more directly with employees. Around 300 workers, including those born in the year of the horse, attended the event after expressing interest in meeting with the chairman. "Your honest feedback will help make the company’s direction clearer and stronger," Chung told employees. "I will continue to hold similar gatherings to openly exchange ideas and opinions with everyone." HD Hyundai said Chung took notes during the session and personally responded to employee questions. When asked about the company’s greatest achievement in 2025, he cited the proactive restructuring of its shipbuilding, construction equipment and energy businesses, alongside continued investments in next-generation technologies. Since being appoi

Jan 5, 2026By Park Jae-hyuk

HD Hyundai kicks off new year with employees at chairman’s meeting

CES 2026 Samsung reveals AI-driven lifestyle vision at CES

LAS VEGAS — Samsung Electronics on Sunday (local time) unveiled its vision for an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven lifestyle, introducing a new lineup of AI-powered devices and services at its The First Look event ahead of the CES 2026 technology fair. At the event, the Korean tech giant introduced its new theme, “Your Companion to AI Living,” positioning AI not as a standalone feature but as a core philosophy linking product development, operations and user experience across its ecosystem. Roh Tae-moon, CEO and head of Samsung’s Device Experience Division, said the company’s extensive lineup of connected, AI-enabled devices gives it a competitive edge in delivering what he described as a “true companion experience.” "Our mission is clear: to be Your Companion to AI Living," Roh said. "We will embed AI across every category, product, and service to deliver a seamless, unified AI experience and be at the forefront to deliver the power of innovation to more people — everywhere." Samsung placed strong emphasis on AI-driven entertainment, led by its display business. Yong Se

Jan 5, 2026By Kang Seung-woo

[CES 2026] Samsung reveals AI-driven lifestyle vision at CES

CES 2026 Hyundai Motor’s autonomous mobility robot wins innovation award at CES

LAS VEGAS — Hyundai Motor’s first autonomous mobility robot platform has won a top innovation award from the CES 2026 for its versatile commercial use and safe yet precise driving performance in most terrains, the carmaker said Sunday (local time). A concept model of the Mobile Eccentric Droid (MobED) was first unveiled at CES 2022, and it took three years for the carmaker to reveal the end product. The self-driving robot will be mass-produced and available for sale in the first quarter of this year. The robot — developed by Hyundai Motor Group’s Robotics LAB — received the Best of Innovation Award in Robotics from the show’s organizer, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). This is the first time the carmaker has won the award, considered the highest-ranking recognition for innovation. The robot is 115 centimeters long with a width of 74 centimeters. It is capable of driving at a speed of up to 10 kilometers per hour. On a single charge, the MobED can operate for more than four hours. The carmaker touted the robot’s technological excellence, in particular its advanced

Jan 5, 2026By Lee Min-hyung

[CES 2026] Hyundai Motor’s autonomous mobility robot wins innovation award at CES

Samsung chief's stock value more than doubles amid chip boom in 2025

Samsung Electronics Co. Chairman Lee Jae-yong saw the value of his stock holdings more than double in 2025 on the back of strong gains in the South Korean tech giant's share price amid the global artificial intelligence (AI) boom, data showed Monday. The combined value of Lee's stock assets came to 25.8 trillion won ($17.8 billion) as of Friday, up 13.9 trillion won from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Korea CXO Institute. The increase came as the value of Lee's stake in Samsung Electronics jumped 7.3 trillion won over the period to 12.5 trillion won amid the company's robust performance in the semiconductor sector. Shares of Samsung Electronics closed at 128,500 won per share Friday, compared with 53,400 won a year earlier. Celltrion Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Seo Jung-jin followed, with the value of his shares reaching 13.6 trillion won as of Friday, up 3.2 trillion won over the one-year period. Kim Beom-su, founder of Kakao Corp. and Chung Mong-joon, the largest shareholder of HD Hyundai, each saw the value of their stock assets rise by more than 2 trillion won

Jan 5, 2026By Yonhap

Samsung chief's stock value more than doubles amid chip boom in 2025

CES 2026 Advanced AI, robotics set to steal limelight at CES 2026

LAS VEGAS — Advanced artificial intelligence (AI) solutions and cutting-edge robotics will take center stage at the CES 2026 tech fair, with renowned global firms set to showcase their latest outcomes in the two lucrative domains. The AI has swept all across the global tech industry for the past year with the rapid rise of large language models and their penetration into every corner of industry. For this year’s CES, physical AI is expected to steal the limelight. The term refers to the combination of AI and robots or other forms of physical systems, such as machines. Humanoid robots are one of the most representative forms of physical AI, which enables robots to think and behave similar to human beings in a real-world environment. Hyundai Motor Group is one of the front-runners in physical AI. The carmaker’s robotics arm, Boston Dynamics, is scheduled to unveil Atlas, its next-generation electric humanoid robot, during the tech fair for the first time. The carmaker hopes to position itself as a powerhouse of physical AI through the commercialization of humanoid robots. At CES 2024,

Jan 5, 2026By Lee Min-hyung

[CES 2026] Advanced AI, robotics set to steal limelight at CES 2026

Naver tops 60% in Korea's search market: data

Naver's share in Korea's search market surpassed 60 percent last year, supported by the rollout of new artificial intelligence (AI) services, industry data showed Sunday. Naver accounted for 62.86 percent in the local search market in 2025, up from 58.14 percent a year ago, according to the data from corporate tracker InternetTrend. It marked the first time since 2022 that Naver's market share exceeded the 60 percent level. Google came in next with a share of 29.55 percent, followed by Microsoft's Bing at 3.12 percent and Daum at 2.94 percent. Insiders said Naver's rebound in its market share was driven by the company's AI search tools that provide up-to-date information on areas that include health and stock markets.

Jan 4, 2026By Yonhap

Naver tops 60% in Korea's search market: data

Musinsa ridicules Coupang's 'stingy' compensation

Musinsa has joined the public ridicule of Coupang’s plan to compensate users affected by last November’s data breach with 50,000 won ($35) vouchers that can only be used on Coupang’s services, by handing out 50,000 won vouchers to all of its own users “for no particular reason.” The fashion platform began handing out 50,000 won vouchers to all its users on Thursday, using Coupang’s brand colors — red, orange, green and blue — in an ad for its New Year’s event. Each Musinsa user can receive two 20,000 won vouchers that can be used on Musinsa Store, its main shopping platform, and Musinsa Shoes and Player, which covers sportswear and footwear, as well as two 5,000 won vouchers that can be used on Musinsa Beauty for cosmetics and Musinsa Used for secondhand items. Coupang, where 33.7 million users' data was exposed in a massive breach, has invited criticisms with its plan to compensate customers with two 20,000 won vouchers that can be used on its less popular platforms — flight and hotel booking service Coupang Travel and luxury shopping platform R.LUX. For its main sh

Jan 4, 2026By Park Jae-hyuk

Musinsa ridicules Coupang's 'stingy' compensation

Samsung Biologics to attend 2026 J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference

Samsung Biologics said Sunday it will attend the upcoming 2026 J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, marking the 10th consecutive year the company has been officially invited to the event. Slated for Jan. 12 to 15 in San Francisco, the event is the biopharmaceutical industry's most prestigious investment conference, with more than 8,000 attendees from 1,500 pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and other health care companies. This is the 10th year that Samsung Biologics has been officially invited to take part in the event. The contract drug manufacturer will deliver its presentation at the Grand Ballroom of the Westin St. Francis Hotel at 3 p.m. on Jan. 13 (local time). The organizers extend official invitations to about 500 leading companies in the industry, granting them presentation slots. Among the venues, the Grand Ballroom is considered the conference’s most important stage, with only 25 companies given the opportunity to present there. Samsung Biologics is scheduled to present on the second day of the event, alongside leading global pharmaceutical firms such as GSK, AstraZeneca and E

Jan 4, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo

Samsung Biologics to attend 2026 J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference

CES 2026 LG Electronics to unveil AI home robot ‘LG CLOiD’ at CES 2026

LAS VEGAS — LG Electronics will unveil its next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) home robot, LG CLOiD, at CES 2026 when it opens Tuesday (local time) in Las Vegas, the company said Sunday. The robot embodies LG’s vision for the future of AI-powered homes, demonstrating how intelligent machines can autonomously manage household chores, control home appliances and interact naturally with residents by understanding their routines and surrounding environment. The debut of LG CLOiD aligns with LG Electronics’ long-term goal of achieving a “Zero Labor Home, Makes Quality Time” — a living space where advanced appliances and services free people from routine housework and allow them to focus on higher-value activities. LG has been steadily advancing its vision of AI-enabled appliances through its UP appliances platform that provides continuous software updates and subscription-based services designed to reduce maintenance burdens. Visitors at CES 2026 will experience how LG CLOiD brings the Zero Labor Home concept closer to reality. In one demonstration, the robot prepares brea

Jan 4, 2026By Kang Seung-woo

[CES 2026] LG Electronics to unveil AI home robot ‘LG CLOiD’ at CES 2026

Almonty boosts US national security with Sangdong tungsten mine

Almonty Industries, a global producer of tungsten concentrate in conflict-free regions, is digging deep to form an alliance with the United States by becoming an exclusive provider of the strategic earth mineral for the country. The U.S.-based company is currently restoring the closed Sangdong mine in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province, to make it a key tungsten production facility. Outside China, which supplies over 80 percent of the mineral to the world, the Korean mine has the world’s most promising reserve of scalable quantity and rare quality, according to the firm, which spent years testing samples from the mine and the mountainous region around the mine. As the U.S. is seeking to reduce its need for tungsten and other critical minerals from China, Russia and North Korea for defense purposes starting 2027, Almonty has become a critical partner for the U.S. government and firms. Lewis Black, chairman of Almonty Industries, joined a Nasdaq Opening Bell event on Nov. 26 (local time) alongside key company executives. The event, livestreamed on Nasdaq Watch and CNBC, came months after the co

Jan 4, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan

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