Samsung Electronics' Exynos application processors (APs) accounted for 9 percent of global smartphone AP shipments in the second quarter, the highest level since the data was first compiled in 2024, industry data showed Friday. The figure was up 2 percentage points from the previous quarter and 3 percentage points from a year earlier, according to market researcher Counterpoint Research. APs, often described as the brains of mobile devices, handle core computing tasks needed to run operating systems and applications. The increase was driven by stronger Exynos shipments across both premium and mid-range smartphones. The flagship Exynos 2600, used in Samsung's Galaxy S26 series, contributed to growth in the premium segment, while Exynos chips used in the Galaxy A57 and A37 supported shipments in the mid-range segment. Taiwan's MediaTek, which makes Dimensity and Helio chipsets for a wide range of smartphones, led the market with a 31 percent share in the second quarter, data showed. U.S.-based Qualcomm, which makes Snapdragon chipsets, followed with 23 percent, while Apple, which designs its

Korean luxury automotive brand Genesis has unveiled its latest high-profile cultural initiative at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, filling the grand niches of the museum’s Fifth Avenue facade with four new monumental sculptures by Chinese artist Liu Wei. “The Genesis Facade Commission: Liu Wei, Speculation” opened Thursday (local time) and will remain on view through June 8, 2027, marking the third commission presented through Genesis’ multiyear partnership with the museum. Liu’s four works — “Speculation / Λ,” “Speculation / G,” “Speculation / c” and “Speculation / h” — draw on architectural fragments and bodily forms assembled from fiberglass composite, steel, aluminum alloy, polyurethane paint and bovine rawhide. The sculptures explore fragmentation, transformation and renewal, examining cycles of rupture and repair amid rapid social and cultural change. The human hand appears throughout the commission as a recurring motif, connecting recognizable forms with more fantastical ones while reflecting Liu’s interest in transformation, perception and imagina

Toss, Korea’s dominant financial super-app, has completed a proof of concept with the state-run Korea Minting, Security Printing and ID Card Operating Corp. for a blockchain-based public payment infrastructure connecting digital currency with existing payment systems, the companies said Friday. The project follows a memorandum of understanding signed in April and examines whether blockchain-based digital currency can work with existing public payment infrastructure. Toss and Korea Minting, Security Printing and ID Card Operating Corp. built a separate test environment for local love gift certificates and implemented the full payment process, from charging gift certificate tokens with blockchain-based digital currency to payments and merchant settlements. The system uses Optimism, an ethereum layer 2 network, to process transactions while linking digital currency transfers with transactions handled by existing payment systems. The companies also tested Privacy Boost, a privacy solution designed to protect sensitive transaction information from exposure on a public blockchain during paym

Global construction giant Hyundai Engineering & Construction (E&C) is stepping up its clean-energy push, heading a state-backed project to engineer large-scale green hydrogen facilities capable of generating over 100 megawatts of zero-carbon fuel. Hyundai E&C said Friday that its HMG Construction Research Institute will lead the project, which is being promoted by the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment. The project aims to develop a comprehensive design package covering plant systems, core processes and operating configurations for large-scale hydrogen production, with the goal of bringing the technology to a level suitable for demonstration and commercialization. Hyundai E&C will lead a consortium that includes Hyundai Engineering, Hyundai Motor, Hanwha Global, Korea Midland Power, Mirae Standards Research Institute, Seoul National University and Korea University. Hyundai E&C will be responsible for developing the basic engineering package and conducting an economic feasibility assessment, according to the company. The project will also use artificial intelligence and dynamic si

Hanwha Systems said Friday it has signed a contract with the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) to join, as the private-sector developer, a national system for tracking and predicting collisions among objects in orbit. The deal, signed Sept. 9, makes Hanwha Systems a system developer for the Korean Space Situational Awareness system (K-SSA) — a project under the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA), the country's space agency. Space situational awareness refers to observing and analyzing the position and orbit of objects in space to detect and forecast risks such as collisions or objects falling back to Earth. The company said the number of satellites in low Earth orbit has grown sharply in recent years, raising the risk of collisions between spacecraft and both artificial and natural objects in orbit — from defunct satellites to debris and meteoroids — and adding urgency to efforts to protect national space assets. Under the project, KASI will serve as the lead research institute, setting the mission, operating concept and system requirements for the K-SSA system

Hankook Tire & Technology said it has signed a four-year deal to keep supplying original equipment (OE) tires — tires installed on vehicles at the factory, before they reach dealers — to German trailer manufacturer Schmitz Cargobull, extending a partnership that dates back more than a decade. Under the agreement, which runs from July 2026 through June 2030, Hankook will supply truck and bus radial (TBR) tires for Schmitz Cargobull's new trailers across Europe, the company said. Hankook first began supplying OE tires to Schmitz Cargobull in 2013 and has since expanded the range of products it provides. Schmitz Cargobull, headquartered in Germany, is Europe's largest trailer manufacturer, with production plants across the continent, including in the United Kingdom, Spain, Lithuania, Romania and Turkey. The company makes refrigerated semi-trailers and dump trailers, among other commercial vehicle equipment, and is a major supplier to Europe's logistics industry. The tires supplied under the deal will use Hankook's Smartec platform, its top-tier TBR technology line. Products include the

Huawei Technologies expects a major domestic shift towards its artificial intelligence computing infrastructure for model training next year, as its Ascend processors gain ground on Nvidia in China despite supply constraints, according to rotating chairman Eric Xu Zhijun. “I believe that starting from next year, a lot of the AI model training will be based on the SuperPoD or SuperCluster based on Ascend 950DT,” Xu told reporters during the Huawei Connect 2026 conference in Shanghai on...

Gain City says the iPhone 18 Pro Max accounted for 78 percent of its iPhone sales since doors opened, with queues forming from 5.30am and Burgundy the colour of choice.

SIMBA is making Huawei central to its latest 10Gbps broadband offer, with Wi-Fi 7 built into the ONR (optical network router - which combines the function of a terminal and router) and two OptiXstar mesh nodes extending coverage around the home.

Apple’s new Pro iPhones arrive in Singapore on 18 September, while the foldable iPhone Duo follows in October with prices starting at S$3,099.

One of Dario Amodei’s key jobs is selling his company’s product to a public that is simultaneously enticed and horrified.

Doosan Corp., the holding company of Doosan Group which also operates an electromaterials business, will invest 970 billion won ($702.6 million) to expand its production capacity for copper clad laminates (CCLs), a key material for advanced semiconductor substrates. Doosan Corp. said in a regulatory filing Thursday that its board approved investment to expand the domestic and overseas production capacity of its electromaterials business unit. Under the plan, the company will invest 970 billion won by Dec. 31 next year to expand its production capacity in Korea and overseas. The investment is the largest in Doosan Corp.’s history and accounts for about 8 percent of its equity capital. CCL is a key material used in advanced chip substrates and printed circuit boards (PCBs) found in virtually all electronic devices. The market for the material has remained strong in recent months as demand continues to outpace supply across the broader semiconductor value chain. Doosan Corp. will spend 420 billion won to expand its domestic production lines for CCLs used in optical transceivers — device

LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo stressed “prompt and tenacious execution” in making investments in artificial intelligence (AI) businesses, asking affiliate CEOs to treat AI as a key factor that will determine the group’s future competitiveness. According to the group, Thursday, Koo made the comments during a meeting with LG affiliate presidents at the group’s training center in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, a day earlier. The meeting was attended by Koo and over 40 top executives of LG Electronics, LG Display, LG Innotek and other key affiliates. Participants explored how AI is bringing changes to the industrial and technological landscape and discussed investment priorities and execution plans to secure future competitiveness. “AI is no longer an area where we can selectively choose whether to respond,” Koo said. “It is the key pillar that will determine our future competitiveness. I ask our CEOs to focus on prompt and tenacious execution so that we can win in the future competition driven by AI.” During the meeting, participants reviewed past investments in areas including

KT said Thursday it has joined a government-led research project to develop design and construction solutions for "dark factories" — fully automated, unmanned plants that run around the clock using artificial intelligence (AI) across every stage of production. The project falls under a Ministry of Science and ICT initiative to build a research and development ecosystem for a software platform based on collaborative intelligence and physical AI. It aims to build a dark factory near Jeonbuk Innovation City in North Jeolla Province. Besides KT, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, LG Energy Solution, Harim Foods, Shinsung E&G and the Korea Productivity Center are taking part as joint research institutions. KT will develop a system built on modular edge AI data center infrastructure — compact, distributed AI data centers pre-assembled on factory floors — to generate and verify Sim-Ready synthetic data, or digital data usable in virtual simulation environments, along with an integrated environment for operating AI agents. Through the research, KT aims to resolve error

CJ ENM, the Korean entertainment powerhouse behind hits like "Parasite" and Studio Dragon dramas, is widening its reach into Central and Eastern Europe. Following its participation in the 2026 Korea-Poland Brand Week in Warsaw on Tuesday and Wednesday, the media company announced plans Thursday to accelerate content distribution and forge local production alliances across the region. The event was hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA). During the two-day event, CJ ENM signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korean Cultural Center in Poland and KOCCA to expand the reach of Korean content in the country. Under the agreement, the company plans to widen exchanges with European institutions and broaden the footprint of Korean content through screenings, promotional events and other programs. CJ ENM ran experience booths tied to its dramas "Lovely Runner" and "The Legend of Kitchen Soldier," letting visitors engage directly with the shows. It also held a special screening of "The Legend of Kitchen Soldier," alongsi

Senior executives from Hansae Yes24 Group attended a Korea-Uzbekistan business forum in Seoul as the conglomerate moves to expand investment and localize operations in Uzbekistan, the group said Thursday. Hansae Yes24 Holdings Vice Chairman Kim Suk-hwan, Hansae Vice Chairman Kim Ik-whan and Hansae Mobility CEO Sung Nag-gon joined the forum at the Shilla Seoul hotel on Tuesday. The event, jointly hosted by Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Korean Prime Minister Han Seong-sook, brought together government officials and business leaders from the two countries to discuss Uzbekistan’s investment environment and ways to broaden strategic economic cooperation. Hansae Mobility, one of the group’s future growth engines, has worked with Uzbekistan automaker UzAuto Motors since its early stages. The Korean company began localizing production of key automotive components late last year and started full-scale mass production this month. Hansae Mobility plans to invest a total of $25 million in Fergana Province. It has invested $13 million in the first phase this year and plans to add $1

Hanwha Systems will team up with the United Arab Emirates’ state-run defense conglomerate EDGE to establish an integrated air defense network, covering long- and medium-range capabilities as well as counter-drone defenses. According to Hanwha Systems, Thursday, the CEOs of the two companies signed a term sheet for the air defense network project during a ceremony in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday (local time). The term sheet outlines the direction of the planned introduction of weapons systems for the integrated air defense network and review agendas at each stage of the project. The two sides plan to determine details of the project in line with the direction of defense cooperation between the two countries. Through government approvals and consultations, the two companies will pursue establishing a local joint venture and discuss its operation and local production. Through the partnership, Hanwha Systems plans to expand its role from supplying individual weapons systems to participating in the integrated air defense network, by linking ground weapons systems, including the Chunmoo multiple roc

Korean Air has finalized contracts to purchase 103 next-generation Boeing aircraft and aircraft engines and maintenance services from U.S. companies in deals worth a combined $44.8 billion, completing a major U.S. procurement plan announced last year. The airline said Wednesday that it signed final agreements covering $36.2 billion worth of Boeing aircraft and $8.6 billion in spare engines and engine maintenance services from GE Aerospace and CFM International. The deals finalize the $44.8 billion U.S. purchase plan announced by Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Won-tae in Washington in August 2025, during President Lee Jae Myung's visit to the United States. Korean Air said the signing ceremony was held Tuesday at the Conrad Seoul hotel in Yeouido and jointly hosted with Boeing. Senior executives attending the event included Cho, Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Stephanie Pope and CFM International President and CEO Gaël Méheust. Government and financial officials from Korea and the United States also attended, including Korean Minister of Trade, Industry and Resources Kim Jung-k

Musinsa, the Korean e-commerce titan that built an empire out of Seoul’s trendsetting streetwear scene, is doubling down on physical retail in China. The company will open locations on Oct. 31 for both its flagship multibrand boutique and its private-label basic line, Musinsa Standard, side by side in Shenzhen — marking its expansion beyond eastern China into the country's southern fashion hub. The Korean fashion platform said Thursday that both stores will open at ONE AVENUE, a major mixed-use shopping complex in Shenzhen’s Futian central business district. The move marks Musinsa’s first offline expansion into southern China after establishing retail operations centered on Shanghai and Hangzhou. The company said Shenzhen, a major economic and industrial center in southern China, has a large population of young consumers with strong purchasing power. Musinsa Store will initially carry about 30 Korean fashion brands, with plans to add more based on customer response and demand. The store is intended to serve as an offline base for introducing Korean fashion labels to Chinese consume

Noul, a Korean medtech firm specializing in artificial intelligence (AI)-driven diagnostic tools, has entered the Indonesian market through its first supply agreement for an automated cervical cancer screening system as the Southeast Asian nation works to scale up preventive care. The company said Thursday it signed the agreement with an Indonesian medical device distributor and plans to supply at least 50 miLab CER units to local medical institutions and laboratory networks over three years. Noul said it will initially work with hospitals, screening centers and laboratory networks before seeking opportunities in Indonesia’s public procurement market. The company said it has secured regulatory approvals for miLab CER in several Southeast Asian markets, including Vietnam and the Philippines, providing a foundation for further expansion across the region. Indonesia, with about 280 million people, is Southeast Asia’s largest health care market, according to Noul, which said cervical cancer places a significant burden on women in the country. Noul said Indonesia plans to include cervical

Domestic sales of Samsung Electronics' new Galaxy Z foldable smartphone have increased following the unveiling of Apple's first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, industry sources said Thursday. Sales of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 in Korea rose about 10 percent in the week following the unveiling of the iPhone Duo from the previous week, according to the telecommunications industry. The increase is believed to have been driven in part by consumers who had delayed their purchases while waiting for Apple's new product and subsequently opted for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 instead. The iPhone Duo's price and hardware specifications are also considered factors in Korean consumers' purchasing decisions, they said. The iPhone Duo is priced at 3.29 million won ($2,380) for the 256-gigabyte model in Korea, more than 1 million won above the 2.28 million won price of the 256GB Galaxy Z Fold 8. The 2-terabyte iPhone Duo model is priced at 5.09 million won. The price gap in Korea is relatively wide compared with the United States, where the 256GB models of the two smartphones differ by about $100 in price.

POSCO Group Chairman Chang In-hwa is bringing together the group’s senior executives to map out the next phase of its three-pronged growth strategy, as geopolitical shifts and technological change reshape global competition for resources. The group’s annual POSCO Forum began Thursday and will run for two days in Incheon. The event brings together senior executives to discuss future growth and innovation while hearing from outside experts. This year’s forum will focus on turning the strategy announced in July into concrete action plans. Chang's three-part strategy centers on areas of industrial resources such as steel; strategic resources including lithium, cathode and anode materials and rare earths; and energy resources such as liquefied natural gas and renewable energy. “The ability to execute quickly is the key to survival at a time of major change, as geopolitics and technological paradigms are shifting,” Chang said. “To successfully implement the strategy and expand our businesses around resources, we need to anticipate the direction of change and find clear answers on w

JB Financial Group has teamed up with Upstage, a leading artificial intelligence (AI) company, to develop AI-based tools for practical use across the financial sector as part of its broader effort to accelerate company-wide AI transformation, the group said Thursday. JB Financial Chairman Kim Ki-hong and Upstage CEO Kim Sung-hoon signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday, laying the groundwork for cooperation in financial AI technology and new business opportunities. JB Financial identified AI transformation as one of its key priorities at its executive strategy meeting in August. The partnership will bring together the financial group and its major subsidiaries, including Jeonbuk Bank, Kwangju Bank and JB Woori Capital, to create a group-wide AI collaboration network. Using Upstage’s proprietary large language model (LLM) technology, the companies will work on developing AI agents customized for banking and other financial services. The two sides also agreed to pursue a range of joint projects, including developing and testing new AI applications for finance, exchanging employees

Korean Air is counting on its existing shareholder base to contain Hoban Group’s growing influence, as the builder continues to increase its stake in Hanjin KAL to challenge Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Won-tae's control over the aviation conglomerate. Hoban has raised its Hanjin KAL stake to 20.15 percent, just 0.42 percentage point below the 20.57 percent held by Cho and his related parties. The narrowing gap has fueled speculation that Hoban could eventually seek a greater role in the management of Korean Air, the flagship carrier controlled by Hanjin KAL. An official from the airline said the most favorable scenario for the company would be for Korea Development Bank (KDB) not to sell its stake. KDB has long held a 10.58 percent stake in Hanjin KAL. If the state-run bank continues to hold its stake, Cho’s side would retain a significantly larger bloc of friendly shares than Hoban, reducing the immediate threat to the current management’s control. Delta Air Lines, which holds a 14.9 percent stake in Hanjin KAL, is widely considered a long-term ally of Korean Air. KDB, which received

Grand Korea Leisure (GKL), the state-run operator of the foreigner-only Seven Luck casino brand, is teaming up with traditional market merchants ahead of Chuseok, Korea's harvest holiday, on a joint marketing campaign aimed at drawing foreign tourists and boosting local businesses, the company said. From Sept. 22-26, GKL will hold the "K-Traditional Market Dessert Festa" at its Seven Luck Casino Gangnam Coex branch, introducing foreign visitors to the food culture of Korea's traditional markets. About 10 stalls from the Yeongdong Traditional Market merchants association in Nonhyeon-dong, Seoul's Gangnam District, will serve visitors Korean snacks including rice cakes, sweet and crispy fried chicken, twisted doughnuts and steamed buns. The event will also give away 200 sets of hand-pressed, domestically produced sesame oil. GKL President Yoon Doo-hyun said the event aims to boost tourist satisfaction and support the local economy by giving foreign visitors to Seven Luck an unusual chance to experience Korean traditional snacks. The event follows a visit by employees from GKL's Seoul Dragon

SAN JOSE — "Stop playing games." Roblox game developer Gold Octopus, whose real name is Cho Young-gwang, says his parents rarely nagged him to stop playing games. While his parents were at work and often came home late, he spent his time on online games. The middle school student developed games before the platform became widely known in Korea. That childhood hobby became a profession, bringing the 20-year-old digital creator an income of more than 100 million won ($67,800). Roblox reported about 144 million daily active users in March, making it a major platform in the creator economy. Gold Octopus, an early developer on the platform, spoke with the Hankook Ilbo in an interview Friday at the Roblox Developers Conference 2026 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in California. He taught himself game development instead of going to college. He also taught himself Japanese and recently began collaborating with a Japanese company. The young developer built his reputation with his flagship game, Sol's RNG, winning Best Experience of the Year and Outstanding Creator of the Year at the

Naver has decided not to acquire a stake in Korea's largest food delivery platform, Baemin, four months after a report alleged that the mobile platform company was considering forming a consortium with Uber to take over Baemin. “We reviewed scenarios on acquiring a stake in Baemin, but we have decided not to proceed with the acquisition, due to changes in the business environment and other factors,” Naver said in a regulatory filing Thursday. The filing came in response to a news report in May that Naver and Uber were considering forming a consortium with a 20-80 ownership split to acquire a stake in Baemin operator Woowa Brothers from its German parent company, Delivery Hero. At the time, Naver said it was reviewing various measures to strengthen its business competitiveness and that no concrete decisions had been made. However, the situation changed when Uber agreed in July to acquire a 100 percent stake in Delivery Hero for $14.8 billion. If completed, the deal would also bring the German group’s wholly owned Korean subsidiary, Woowa Brothers, under Uber. Uber said the deal is ex

The alliance between Korea and the United States is expanding beyond its traditional security role, as the two countries deepen cooperation in trade, technology and other strategic industries, senior political and business leaders said at a gathering in Seoul on Thursday to mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. The Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) hosted the commemorative dinner in Seoul, bringing together about 180 officials from the political, business and military communities from both countries. Prime Minister Han Seong-sook, U.S. Ambassador to Korea Michelle Steel and U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson attended the event, along with former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Among Korean business leaders were Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin, Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Won-tae, LS Group Chairman Koo Ja-eun and Korea Zinc Chairman Choi Yun-beom. Ranking executives from Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor and LG also attended the event. The gathering highlighted the military foundation of the bilateral relationship. Six veterans of the 1950-53 K

Huawei Technologies on Thursday unveiled a new computing architecture that it says could make as many as 1 million processors work as a single computer, putting its UnifiedBus interconnect technology at the centre of an ambitious effort to rethink how large data centres are built. The Peerium Computing Architecture combines nested parallelism, unified memory addressing and peer-to-peer interconnect, with UnifiedBus serving as the high-speed fabric connecting processors, memory, storage and...

The Galaxy S26 series will receive the update first, bringing new Galaxy AI tools alongside other quality-of-life improvements.