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  • Tech & Science

    Hyosung launches hyperscale AI data center in Seoul

    Hyosung Group is expanding its push into artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure with the launch of a hyperscale data center in Seoul, marking its entry into Korea’s fast-growing data center market. The company announced Wednesday that Hyosung-STT GDC, a joint venture between Hyosung Heavy Industries and Singapore-based operator ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC), opened STT Seoul 1, a 30-megawatt data center, in Geumcheon District, Seoul, the previous day. Designed to support cloud and AI workloads, the new facility combines Hyosung’s power infrastructure expertise with STT GDC's global standards in data center design, operation and service management. The facility is capable of accommodating increasingly power-intensive and high-density computing environments driven by generative AI applications. The company explained that one of the center's biggest advantages is its location in Seoul, where securing large-scale power capacity has become increasingly difficult due to energy regulations and grid constraints, providing low-latency connectivity to major business districts

    2 MIN READBy Lee Gyu-lee
    Hyosung launches hyperscale AI data center in Seoul
  • Companies

    Samsung Display showcases next-generation XR displays at AWE USA

    2 MIN READBy Nam Hyun-woo
    Samsung Display showcases next-generation XR displays at AWE USA
  • Tech & Science

    SK hynix ships 12-high HBM4E samples to customers

    2 MIN READBy Nam Hyun-woo
    SK hynix ships 12-high HBM4E samples to customers
  • Tech & Science

    Anthropic opens Seoul office to expand ties with Korean AI ecosystem

    3 MIN READBy Nam Hyun-woo
    Anthropic opens Seoul office to expand ties with Korean AI ecosystem
  • Companies

    'Wide Cup' fuels World Cup fever among Korean fans

    2 MIN READBy Ko Dong-hwan
    'Wide Cup' fuels World Cup fever among Korean fans
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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.

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Companies

AnalysisWhy Samsung labor unions’ strike plan means more than corporate dispute for Korea

The global tech industry is paying close attention to Samsung Electronics labor unions’ threat to launch a strike on May 21 unless the company removes a cap on performance-based bonuses. Beyond the potential losses that the strike could inflict on Samsung — estimated at around 1 trillion won ($680 million) a day — and possible disruptions in the memory chip supply chain worldwide, the threat poses a broader test for Korea: It raises questions over how exceptional corporate gains should be shared, what precedent the dispute could leave behind and how public sentiment and political interests may shape that outcome. Another point making this strike threat notable is the limited support it has drawn. Even considering that the union leading the dispute among the company's five unions — Samsung Electronics Labor Union (SELU) — is not affiliated with either of Korea’s two umbrella labor groups, politicians and civic groups have largely refrained from voicing solidarity. Even the labor-friendly Lee Jae Myung administration has signaled opposition to the potential strike, indicating

Apr 30, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
Why Samsung labor unions’ strike plan means more than corporate dispute for Korea
Business

Seoul addresses concerns over planned review of USMCA to Mexico

South Korean Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo held a meeting with Mexico's ambassador to Seoul on Thursday to address concerns over the planned review of a trilateral trade pact between Mexico, the United States and Canada, Yeo's office said. In the meeting with Carlos Penafiel Soto, Yeo delivered Korean companies' concerns over the first joint review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), scheduled for July, which is expected to raise trade uncertainties, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources. Under the USMCA, Mexico has served as a major manufacturing hub for South Korean automobile and home appliances companies. Korean companies there have imported intermediate goods to produce finished goods in Mexico for export to the rest of North America. Yeo also addressed concerns in relation to Mexico's tariff hikes, asking for the Mexican government's support for Korean companies operating in the Latin American nation. Mexico began imposing higher tariffs on imports of automobiles, auto parts, textiles, steel and other goods from countries that do not have a free trade agr

Apr 30, 2026By Yonhap
Seoul addresses concerns over planned review of USMCA to Mexico
Companies

Samsung Electronics posts record $38.5 bil. Q1 operating profit on AI chip boom

Samsung Electronics reported 57.23 trillion won ($38.55 billion) in operating profit and 133.87 trillion won in sales for the first quarter of the year, driven by strong demand for memory chips amid the global expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. The company said Thursday in a regulatory filing that both figures marked sharp year-on-year increases of 69.16 percent and 756.1 percent, respectively, setting new quarterly records. Among its business divisions, Device Solutions alone reported 81.7 trillion won in sales and 53.7 trillion won in operating profit. The company attributed the robust numbers to its memory business, which is enjoying a supercycle due to strong demand for high-value-added AI products. In the first quarter, the company became the industry’s first to mass-produce and ship high-bandwidth memory 4 (HBM4) and next-generation low-power memory module Small Outline Compression Attached Memory Module 2 (SOCAMM2), adding to solid gains from rising prices for legacy DRAM products. During an earnings call, the company said the average selling prices of DRA

Apr 30, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
Samsung Electronics posts record $38.5 bil. Q1 operating profit on AI chip boom
Companies

InterviewCEO repositions BNCERA for global markets at Aesthetic Medicine Congress

BNCERA Aesthetic Medicine Congress 2026 in Incheon was a flashpoint for BNCERA CEO Jaha Zoda and his aesthetic medicine products company. More than 200 physicians, distributors and other industry professionals from 23 countries gathered at Paradise City Hotel from Monday to Friday to hear about the company’s latest breakthroughs. The event began a day after the company hosted an opening ceremony for its first Korean manufacturing plant in the city’s Namdong District, establishing a pipeline for the company’s product lineup under its Tesoro Pro signature brand including fillers, fat dissolvers and skin boosters. The congress gave a preview of BNCERA’s next-generation hyaluronic acid filler platform that is now in development. The new ATHEVA lineup is scheduled for market launch next year. Zoda said the platform’s technological strengths speak for themselves, citing controlled formulation, refined purity, predictable injection behavior and indication-oriented design, while dismissing the superlatives often used in filler marketing. “We kept asking one question during its develo

Apr 30, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan
CEO repositions BNCERA for global markets at Aesthetic Medicine Congress
Companies

BNCERA launches Incheon plant, spurs beauty medicine market

INCHEON — Aesthetic medical product developer BNCERA opened its first manufacturing plant in Korea in Incheon Tuesday, accelerating its production capacity for its key lineups of fillers, skin boosters and more. Nestled in Namdong District of the western port city, the plant was built as a strategic base, allowing the company to respond to growing global demand. Designed and built in accordance with GMP principles, the facility supports strict quality control, process stability and product safety, while BNCERA continues the relevant GMP suitability recognition procedures, supporting BNCERA’s goal of establishing a stable supply system and strengthening quality competitiveness in line with international standards. Key BNCERA executives including Chairman Rahmat Bozorov, co-founders Fred Bozorov, Andrew Parviz and Jaha Zoda, as well as representatives from Namdong District Office and Incheon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, participated in the ceremony. More than a hundred executives and officials from BNCERA's partner companies here also attended the event. Park Joo-bong, chairman o

Apr 30, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan
BNCERA launches Incheon plant, spurs beauty medicine market
Companies

How made-in-China captures one-third of Korea's EV market

HONG KONG — Electric vehicles (EVs) made in China now account for one in every three new EV registrations in Korea, as Tesla’s Shanghai-built models power the surge and Chinese carmakers start to gain traction. Chinese auto manufacturers have further room to expand, analysts said, supported by higher fuel prices linked to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and looser restrictions than traditional target markets. Still, they cautioned that tightening subsidy regimes could slow the pace of expansion. Sales of China-made EVs in Korea soared to 25,000 units in the first quarter of 2026, marking a 286.1 percent increase from a year earlier, according to data from the Korea Automobile and Mobility Association. Over the same period, Korean carmakers sold around 51,000 units, but grew at a much slower pace of 126.1 percent. The market share of EVs manufactured in China surged from 4.7 percent in 2022 to 33.9 percent last year, while that of Korean EVs fell from 75 percent to 57.2 percent, according to data released on April 22. “Most (Chinese) firms have identified overseas expansion as a growth

Apr 30, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
How made-in-China captures one-third of Korea's EV market
Companies

GM Korea clears exit rumor with strong commitment to local production

CHANGWON, South Gyeongsang Province — General Motors (GM) Korea has dismissed rumors of its potential withdrawal, reaffirming its strong commitment to local production — a move positioning Korea as a strategic hub for small SUVs for export, senior executives from the carmaker said. In a guided tour of its key production line in Korea, the carmaker underscored that its Changwon factory hits an operation rate of around 95 percent throughout the year. The factory holds a symbolic title as the nation’s biggest auto production line in terms of the number of vehicle exports. The plant started mass production of GM Korea’s mega-hit Chevrolet Trax Crossover in 2023, maintaining the status for three consecutive years until 2025, driven by the vehicle’s solid sales in the United States. “We will not engage in words, but we will respond to any rumors,” GM International Operations Vice President of Manufacturing Asif Khatri said during a media briefing at the factory. He is in charge of the carmaker’s global manufacturing. “We have very strong demand for the vehicles that we are pr

Apr 30, 2026By Lee Min-hyung
GM Korea clears exit rumor with strong commitment to local production
Companies

Kolmar becomes 1st cosmetics ODM named large biz group

Kolmar Group has been designated as a large business group by the Fair Trade Commission, becoming the first cosmetics original development manufacturing (ODM) company to join the category. The milestone comes 36 years after founder Yoon Dong-han launched the company in 1990 with just four employees. As of the end of last year, Kolmar Group’s total assets reached 5.24 trillion won ($3.8 billion), surpassing the 5 trillion won threshold required for the designation as a large business group. By affiliate, Kolmar Korea held assets worth 1.53 trillion won, followed by HK inno.N with 2.1 trillion won, Kolmar Holdings with 546.1 billion won and Kolmar BNH with 520.6 billion won. The group has diversified from cosmetics into pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and functional health foods, while expanding globally to drive growth. Kolmar Korea posted record-breaking results last year, logging 2.72 trillion won in consolidated sales and 239.6 billion won in operating profit, both up by double digits from a year earlier. HK inno.N joined the “1 trillion won club” with revenue of 1.1 trillion won, s

Apr 29, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan
Kolmar becomes 1st cosmetics ODM named large biz group
Tech & Science

LG Electronics logs record $16.1 bil. Q1 sales on appliances, auto growth

LG Electronics posted its highest first-quarter revenue of 23.7 trillion won ($16.05 billion) as its home appliances and vehicle solutions business divisions hit a combined 10 trillion won in quarterly revenue for the first time. The company announced Wednesday that first-quarter revenue rose 4.3 percent from a year earlier, while operating profit surged 32.9 percent to 1.67 trillion won, recording the third-highest operating profit for the period. The performance represents a sharp turnaround from the previous quarter's loss, demonstrating what the company described as strengthened core business competitiveness despite ongoing economic uncertainty. The company said its core businesses, including home appliances and TVs, delivered solid performance, while its vehicle solutions business maintained steady momentum. The Home Appliances Solution Division, which includes all home appliances except TVs and air conditioners, posted revenue of 6.94 trillion won and operating profit of 569.7 billion won, with an 8.2 percent operating margin, marking its highest quarterly revenue ever. "Growth was

Apr 29, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee
LG Electronics logs record $16.1 bil. Q1 sales on appliances, auto growth
Business

EcoPro BM sustains profit growth on demand for AI, EV batteries

EcoPro BM extended its run of profitability in the first quarter, buoyed by a rebound in European electric vehicle (EV) demand and a surge in energy storage needs tied to artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. The battery materials maker said Wednesday it posted revenue of 605.4 billion won ($409 million) and an operating profit of 20.9 billion won for the January-March period. While revenue dipped slightly from a year earlier, operating profit rose sharply from 2.3 billion won, reflecting improved margins. The company said increased shipments of cathode materials for EVs in Europe helped drive results, alongside rapid growth in demand for energy storage systems (ESS), used to stabilize power supply for data centers. Sales of cathode materials for ESS applications jumped 140 percent from a year earlier, the company said, as global investment in AI infrastructure accelerated. Demand tied to power applications, including electric tools and e-bikes, also rose 44 percent on-year. EcoPro BM said it expects momentum to continue as it prepares to begin mass production at its Hungary plant

Apr 29, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
EcoPro BM sustains profit growth on demand for AI, EV batteries
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