State-run Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) said Monday it will keep electricity rates unchanged in the fourth quarter despite higher raw material prices and its financial difficulties. The adjusted fuel cost, a key component of electricity rates, will remain at the maximum level of 5 won per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for the October-December period, KEPCO said. KEPCO has kept the adjusted fuel cost at 5 won per kWh for 18 consecutive quarters since the third quarter of 2022. The adjusted fuel cost is set before each quarter within a range of plus or minus 5 won per kWh, based on energy prices, including coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG), over the previous three months. KEPCO said rates were due to rise by 7.3 won per kWh in the fourth quarter under the fuel cost adjustment formula. The decision to freeze rates is expected to further weigh on the company's finances. The company's financial difficulties began after it continued to supply electricity at prices below production costs as global energy prices surged between 2021 and 2023 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. KEPCO and its power

For many in Korea, the end of a major holiday means back to business — literally. In the days immediately following a major festive break, job seekers across the country launch into an intense hunt for their next career move, according to data released Monday by the hiring platform JobKorea, operated by Worxphere. Looking at resume postings and job applications around the last two years of Chuseok and Seollal — Korea's autumn harvest and Lunar New Year holidays, both multiday breaks when many workers return to hometowns — JobKorea found new resume registrations consistently spike on the first Monday after each holiday. The sharpest jump came after Chuseok 2024, when resume postings on Sept. 23 that year more than doubled the average weekday rate, and ran about 3.7 times the average daily rate during the holiday itself. Similar patterns followed: resume postings rose 46 percent above the weekday average on Feb. 3, 2025, the Monday after that year's Seollal; 20 percent after Chuseok 2025; and 29 percent after Seollal 2026. Job applications followed the same pattern, peaking on the fi

LG Energy Solution has completed the establishment of its energy storage system (ESS) production network in North America, accelerating its push to capture growing demand in the rapidly expanding ESS market. Following the opening ceremony for LG Energy Solution Michigan-Lansing on Aug. 18, the plant is now ramping up operations. The Lansing plant serves as a combined manufacturing hub for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries for ESS applications and nickel cobalt manganese batteries for electric vehicles (EVs), with an annual battery cell production capacity of more than 35 gigawatt-hours. The plant began producing pouch-type LFP batteries for ESS applications this year and plans to begin mass production of prismatic LFP batteries next year, marking LG Energy Solution's first prismatic battery production in North America. The company has also secured orders to supply EV batteries to Toyota. LG Energy Solution Michigan operates two production sites in the state, in Holland and Lansing. LG Energy Solution Michigan President Choi Dae-sik said that operating two plants in different locatio

Peugeot’s signature 308 Hybrid hatchback stands out with its impressive fuel efficiency and remarkably agile performance, offering a distinctive alternative in the compact hybrid segment. Powered by a 1.2-liter gasoline engine paired with a 48-volt battery system, the 308 Hybrid hatchback is capable of operating in electric mode for roughly half of typical city driving conditions. The vehicle delivers an official fuel economy rating of 15.2 kilometers per liter, boasting its efficiency-focused engineering. During a round-trip drive of approximately 400 kilometers between Seoul and Daejeon, the vehicle demonstrated exceptional real-world efficiency, with the fuel tank remaining more than half full upon completion of the journey. Some may question whether a 1.2-liter gasoline engine can provide sufficient performance. However, the moment the gas pedal is pressed, the electric motor intervenes instantly, delivering brisk and responsive acceleration that exceeds expectations. Depending on the battery’s state of charge, the 308 Hybrid can travel short distances using only the electric mot

Starbucks Korea has launched a customer-participation campaign to donate up to 1 million cups of coffee to people and communities in need. Under the “My Star Coffee” campaign, for every cup of Today’s Coffee purchased at Starbucks stores nationwide on Mondays, beginning Sept. 28, the company will donate an equivalent amount of coffee. The campaign is based on the idea of giving a cup of coffee to a personal “star” — someone who has offered quiet support and encouragement. For every cup of brewed coffee purchased by a customer, Starbucks will donate one additional cup of coffee to people and communities in need, allowing customers and the company to jointly build up the donations. The accumulated cups of “My Star Coffee” will be delivered to people serving local communities, welfare facilities, disaster and emergency sites, farms and other places in need. Starbucks said the initiative is intended to allow customers to take part in sharing activities through everyday coffee purchases, while extending support to people who contribute to their communities. The company’s mobi

Workers from Korea’s agricultural, livestock, fishery and forestry industries on Monday jointly launched an emergency committee to oppose the government’s potential entry into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). They argued that joining the trade pact would increase imports into Korea, threatening their market share and livelihoods. The launch of the CPTPP Task Force came as the government has yet to announce whether it will join the pact, which has been ratified by 12 countries, including Japan, Canada, Australia, Mexico and Vietnam. In June, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources denied a local media report that the government had decided to join the pact, saying it would “carefully consider joining the CPTPP, taking into account stakeholders’ views as well as domestic and external conditions.” Early last month, Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said the government would review the possibility of joining the pact. Later that month, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol said at a meeting of ministers of in

HiteJinro is bringing its snack trucks to fire stations across the country to provide meals, snacks and encouragement to firefighters working through fire and disaster response efforts. According to the company, it began the second half of this year’s program with a visit to Gwangjin District’s fire station in Seoul Sept. 2 and plans to visit four more stations in Daegu, North Gyeongsang Province, Busan and South Gyeongsang Province until the end of next month. The annual program brings snack trucks to fire stations providing meals, snacks and beverages to firefighters. “We prepared the second-half program to provide some encouragement to firefighters working in extreme heat and at disaster sites,” a company official said. “We will continue supporting firefighters for their efforts to protect public safety.” HiteJinro has been running the program annually since 2020, after signing a memorandum of understanding with the National Fire Agency (NFA) in 2018 to improve support for firefighters and raise public awareness of safety. This year, the company plans to visit a total of 17

KB Kookmin Bank and SAP Korea are joining forces to weave banking services directly into corporate software, betting that businesses will increasingly handle payments and cash management without leaving their enterprise systems. SAP Korea said Monday that it signed a memorandum of understanding with KB Kookmin Bank on Friday to develop software-as-a-service (SaaS) products and next-generation corporate banking services. The partnership will focus on three areas, including developing new SaaS products based on SAP Business Technology Platform by integrating third-party solutions and offering them under white-label arrangements. The companies also plan to connect enterprise resource planning systems with banking services so corporate customers can access financial services without separate procedures, an approach known as “invisible banking.” They will also pursue joint go-to-market strategies, using their infrastructure and sales networks to identify corporate customers and expand their services. SAP Korea and KB Kookmin Bank said they intend to build an embedded finance ecosystem that

Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics captured the top billing across half of eight home appliance categories in a new analysis of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated product recommendations, while specialized niche brands claimed the lead in the remaining four segments. AIBIX lab said Monday that it analyzed responses from ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Claude to measure the AI Brand Competitiveness Index (AIBIX) across 182 brands. Samsung and LG led categories including washing machines, dryers, air purifiers and cordless vacuum cleaners, while Coway, Roborock, Sony and Minix topped rental water purifiers, robot vacuum cleaners, wireless earphones and headphones, and food waste processors, respectively. LG scored 82.6 points in washing machines, 14 points ahead of Samsung, and 74.5 points in dryers, 6.4 points ahead of Samsung. Samsung narrowly led LG in air purifiers, 72.3 points to 70.8, while the two companies tied at 69.5 points in cordless vacuum cleaners. Coway scored 82.2 points in rental water purifiers, while Roborock scored 79.2 points in robot vacuum cleaners, leading Ec

Tech firm RLWRLD and supply chain giant CJ Logistics are joining forces to build smarter warehouse robots capable of handling the messy realities of modern logistics, with plans to eventually export their physical artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to overseas markets. RLWRLD said Monday that it signed a memorandum of understanding with CJ Logistics to jointly develop logistics-focused Robotics Foundation Model (RFM) technology and pursue commercialization from Korean operations to global markets. Under the agreement, the companies will select logistics processes for initial RFM deployment and conduct proof-of-concept tests to verify core robotic movements in real working environments. They plan to expand the range of applications and improve technical performance based on those tests, with a longer-term goal of commercializing Logistics as a Service, or LaaS. CJ Logistics has been expanding the use of physical AI in logistics operations, including deploying AI humanoid robots in actual workflows, according to RLWRLD. Logistics facilities present a particularly demanding environmen

Korean tobacco and consumer goods company KT&G was named the grand prize winner at the 2026 Korea IR Awards, securing the top accolade presented by the Korea Exchange’s investor relations service, the company said Monday. The award, presented as the Korea Exchange chairman's prize, was handed out Friday at KRX Market Square in Seoul's Yeouido financial district. Yoon Young-chan, head of KT&G's strategic planning division, accepted the award from Korea Exchange Chairman Chung Eun-bo. The Korea IR Service has handed out the awards since 2001 to companies recognized for active, efficient investor relations work that supports capital-market development through shareholder-focused management. KT&G was cited for an "open IR culture" in which executives present strategy directly to investors — on global business expansion, shareholder returns and growth investment — and fold investor feedback into management decisions, along with regular investor conferences, non-deal road shows and meetings with major domestic and international institutional investors. The company raised its interim divi

Audi has officially crossed the 300,000-vehicle sales mark in Korea, cementing its position as one of the country's most popular foreign luxury automakers. The German brand said Monday that cumulative registrations reached the milestone, making Audi only the third imported carmaker to achieve the feat in the Korean market. To mark the achievement, Audi Korea is launching a customer-appreciation program, called thAnk Q, with its nationwide dealer network, offering benefits and brand experiences as a way to thank its customers, the company said. Audi Korea attributed the growth partly to customer-engagement programs it has run this year, including Audi Open House, where customers can test-drive various models and services; Audi Venture, an outdoor lifestyle program; and Audi Summer Tour, a driving and lifestyle experience event. "Reaching 300,000 cumulative registrations here is a meaningful achievement made possible by the trust and support of the customers who have chosen Audi," Audi Korea President Steve Cloete said. "We will continue to strengthen customer satisfaction and long-term tru

The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) does not take Washington’s threat to bar Chairman Ju Biung-ghi from entering the United States seriously, brushing off escalating U.S. pressure over the watchdog’s regulatory crackdown on U.S.-listed Coupang, the head of the authority said Monday. “We will not be swayed by this, but will continue law enforcement in a nondiscriminatory manner,” Ju told reporters during a press conference in Sejong, referring to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee’s recent moves targeting alleged discrimination against U.S. companies. Ju’s comments come as the Coupang dispute has grown into a bigger source of tension in Korea-U.S. economic relations. The U.S. committee issued a report in July accusing Korean authorities of discriminatory treatment of Coupang, arguing that the company had been subjected to excessive investigations and penalties. A U.S. lawmaker subsequently introduced legislation that would restrict U.S. entry to foreign officials accused of using government authority to discriminate against American companies, explicitly citing the Coupang case a

Hyundai Engineering & Construction (E&C) has begun construction on Korea's first data center built exclusively for artificial intelligence (AI) workloads, the company said Monday, aiming to finish the project in a record 16.5 months. Hyundai E&C signed the main contract with AI Factory Pohang PFV, the project's special-purpose vehicle, and has started installing precast concrete — factory-made concrete components assembled on site, rather than poured in place — for the facility in Pohang's Gwangmyeong general industrial complex. Construction began in June, with operations targeted for the second half of 2027. The 40-megawatt facility will run on Nvidia graphics processing units (GPUs) and use liquid cooling, a system that circulates coolant directly to chips rather than relying on airflow, to handle the intense heat generated by AI servers — a first for a Korean data center, the company said. It is designed to run at roughly 10 times the power density of a typical cloud data center to accommodate Nvidia's upcoming "Vera Rubin" AI chips, with a power usage effectiveness rating —

Korean steelmakers are cautiously hopeful that voluntary production cuts by about 45 Chinese mills could ease the oversupply and price pressure that have squeezed their margins, although the impact will depend on how deeply and consistently output is reduced. “Reducing inventories and cutting production is certainly welcome and positive for the Korean steel industry,” an industry official said. “If China were to make a drastic cut of 200 million or 300 million tons, I think it would have a very positive effect on steelmakers around the world, including those in Korea.” The China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) recently called on about 45 steelmakers, including China Baowu Group, Ansteel Group, HBIS Group and Shougang Group, to adjust production and inventories based on actual orders and profitability rather than maintaining full production despite weak demand. The move comes as weak property and construction demand has left Chinese mills with high inventories and deteriorating profitability. China’s crude steel output fell 3 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2026, whil

Korea Zinc, the world's largest refined zinc smelter, said on Monday that its $7.4 billion U.S. manufacturing project has cleared an environmental impact assessment. The approval is expected to accelerate the company's plan to build a critical metals refinery in Clarksville, Tennessee, under the project name "Project Crucible," the company said in a press release. The facility is scheduled to begin test operations in 2029 and commercial production of 11 core minerals, 12 nonferrous metals and semiconductor-grade sulfuric acid the following year. Project Crucible is the first "FAST-41" project approved by the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council since Korea Zinc signed a memorandum of understanding with the state of Tennessee in May, the company said. "With Project Crucible now designated as a FAST-41 project, we are accelerating critical infrastructure development and improving government efficiency to move this project forward without unnecessary delays," Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said. In April, Korea Zinc said it had completed the acquisition of a local zinc smelter and other

HanmiGlobal, a global construction project management company, said Monday it is providing project management services for SK hynix's high-bandwidth memory (HBM) advanced packaging plant under construction in West Lafayette, Indiana. SK hynix held a groundbreaking ceremony Aug. 27 at Purdue University’s Holloway Gymnasium in West Lafayette for the facility, which will be the company’s first artificial intelligence memory production base in the United States. The project represents an investment of more than $4 billion. Construction began in March, with the cleanroom scheduled for completion in October 2028. HanmiGlobal has been involved in the project since the pre-construction stage in August 2024 and will oversee construction project management through completion of the cleanroom in 2028. Its responsibilities include design management, schedule and cost control, quality and safety management and risk management. The company also coordinates SK hynix’s Korean and U.S. partners involved in the project. As Korean high-tech companies expand their operations in the U.S., demand is grow

Only the Vivo X500 and X500 Pro Max are coming to Singapore’s shores. No sign of an Ultra yet.

The United States and China’s agreement to establish an official AI dialogue, including a proposed threat-notification system, marks a pragmatic step towards crisis prevention in their tech war, even as deep-seated divisions over chip access, model distillation and market dominance threaten to limit its impact, analysts said. Announced following high-level talks in New York on Sunday between US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Vice-Premier He Lifeng,...

Chinese and US negotiators made progress on artificial intelligence (AI) and trade ahead of President Xi Jinping’s visit to the White House later this week. “We had a very successful engagement with the Chinese on trade and AI,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters following Sunday’s eight-hour-long negotiations at JPMorgan Chase’s head office in New York. The talks had a “good atmosphere” and were “not bad”, said China’s Li Chenggang. Li’s promotion to international trade...

Neither Beijing nor Washington can win the race for artificial intelligence dominance without relying on other countries, a Bank of America analyst said ahead of this week’s high-stakes bilateral summit, citing deeply entangled global tech supply chains. While China’s advantages had emerged in areas like power grids and manufacturing equipment, the country remained reliant on overseas suppliers for advanced chips, memory and some high-end materials, said Matty Zhao, co-head of China equity at...

It’s paired with the release of an Instax Link Wide 2, which helps print the photos taken by the Pal 2 camera.

Sometimes, last-minute in-store shopping might be your best option.

When Chinese artificial intelligence developers want to train their next-generation frontier models, they all face the same daunting wall: they cannot legally buy the world’s most powerful AI chips. However, the country’s tech giants and start-ups have still managed to quietly keep pace with global rivals. Their secret is an elusive workaround: moving heavy training workloads across borders through the cloud. By setting up proxy entities in foreign jurisdictions, domestic firms have for years...

PAJU, Gyeonggi Province — Hyundai Motor is banking on the redesigned Tucson to help turn around its weakening sales momentum, putting one of its global best-selling SUVs at the center of its global sales strategy in the second half of the year. The automaker unveiled the fifth-generation Tucson on Friday, six years after the previous model was introduced, positioning the compact SUV alongside the redesigned Avante and the facelifted Grandeur as key models for its swift sales recovery. The launch comes at a difficult time for the carmaker. Its domestic sales plunged 41.1 percent in August from the previous year to its lowest level in 11 years, largely due to production disruptions caused by a prolonged labor strike. With its relatively affordable, high-volume models expected to provide a more immediate boost to its global sales, the launch of the highly sought-after SUV came at the opportune time for the carmaker. Tucson is particularly important because its role extends beyond the Korean market. It is one of Hyundai's major global volume models, giving the company an opportunity to use

LG Innotek has developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered system that recommends components suitable for use in new products, the company said Sunday. Completed recently after two years of development, the system analyzes vast amounts of internal and external component data using AI and allows users to compare specifications and prices at a glance. LG Innotek’s key products include camera modules, semiconductor substrates and automotive components, each of which can contain hundreds of individual parts. By using AI to speed up component selection while considering both price and performance, the company expects to strengthen its competitiveness. When users enter the specifications they need, the system searches through the data of more than 2 million components in its database and suggests parts with similar specifications. By providing information on components previously purchased by LG Innotek and from the external market, the system significantly broadens the search domain. A distinctive feature of the system is its reference price function. The AI analyzes actual purchase r

Samsung Electronics said Sunday it held its eighth annual technology forum in the United States to share its artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and business strategies with global developers. About 80 executives from Samsung Electronics and global information technology companies took part in the 2026 Tech Forum in Silicon Valley, the company said in a press release. Samsung brass, including President Roh Tae-moon, who heads its device experience (DX) division, and Chief Technology Officer Yoon Jang-hyun, presented the company's mid and long-term AI vision and business strategies and exchanged views with participants on recent technology trends. Yoon discussed how the combination of next-generation AI technologies and robotics could drive changes in the future, the company said. "AI is a driving force for delivering intelligent and hyper-personalized experiences across every aspect of consumers' daily lives and for driving innovation," Roh said, adding that Samsung aims to provide customers with the best possible AI experience.

Tickets for Korea’s high-speed KTX trains will be available for booking up to two months before departure starting next month, extending the current one-month window. Along with the booking window, KTX will introduce a set of operational improvements for foreign travelers next month to make the reservation process more convenient, the government said Sunday. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and KTX operator KORAIL, customers will be able to book seats up to two months in advance starting Oct. 1. The government said the extension is intended to make it easier for travelers to plan trips around the country. For foreign visitors in particular, many book flights to Korea at least two months in advance, but KTX tickets have only been available one month before departure, making it difficult to plan their itinerary within the country. “Travelers will be able to book KTX at the same time as purchasing airline tickets, making it easier to plan domestic trips and use KTX more conveniently,” the ministry said in a press release. “Korean travelers will also be a

Shinhan Financial Group is expanding its partnership with Vietnam’s Vingroup beyond motor vehicle finance into capital markets, it said Sunday. Shinhan Financial Chairman Jin Ok-dong met with Vingroup executives Thursday at Shinhan Bank Vietnam’s headquarters in Ho Chi Minh City to discuss new areas of cooperation. Vingroup, the Southeast Asian country’s largest private company by market capitalization, has interests ranging from real estate to electric vehicles. Shinhan’s relationship with the group has so far centered on vehicle finance, particularly for VinFast, its electric vehicle (EV) unit. Since 2024, Shinhan Bank Vietnam has provided a cumulative $100 million in loans to VinFast customers. Shinhan Vietnam Finance financed around 14,000 VinFast motorcycles in the first half of this year, with total financing reaching 15 billion won ($10.9 million). The two parties now plan to explore capital market opportunities, including equity and bond financing through Shinhan Securities Vietnam. Shinhan Bank Vietnam and Shinhan Vietnam Finance will also expand their vehicle finance bu

Bots like ChatGPT and Claude have proved adept at coding and generating bad fiction. But Instinct AI is proving it can get life administration done fast.