Our World in Data

Economy Trump’s tariffs are hitting exports, early Korean data show

The effects of President Trump’s new tariffs are starting to be felt across the world, preliminary South Korean trade data suggest, as Seoul p...

Korean chipmakers SK Hynix bets on 3D HBM as next game-changer in AI chip race

SK Hynix Inc., the world’s top DRAM memory chipmaker, aims to redefine the competitive landscape in artificial intelligence memory chips with ...

Automobiles Kia EV3 named 2025 World Car of the Year; Hyundai Inster wins EV award

NEW YORK – Hyundai Motor Group, the world’s third-largest automaker, snagged top trophies for its low-cost electric vehicles at the 2025...

Shipping & Shipbuilding S.Korean shipbuilders rally as Trump hints at buying foreign ships

South Korean shipbuilding stocks soared on Friday on news that US President Donald Trump indicated that the world’s No. 1 economy may purchase...

Korean chipmakers SK chairman in Taiwan to deepen ties with TSMC

Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, the parent of SK Hynix Inc., is visiting Taiwan amid the threat of escalating US tariff threats, suggesting the ...

Mergers & Acquisitions Korea Zinc faces multiple legal, regulatory challenges in fight against MBK

Korea Zinc Inc. Chairman Choi Yun-birm appears to have kept his grip on the world’s largest zinc smelter after successfully fending off an MBK...

Real estate Warburg Pincus-Wide Creek Asset JV picks up 2nd Korean logistics asset

US private equity firm Warburg Pincus LLC and South Korean real estate manager Wide Creek Asset Management Co. are building a logistics center for l...

Automobiles Hyundai, GM near to unveiling EV, pickup truck sharing plan

Hyundai Motor Co. and General Motors Co. are expected to soon announce a vehicle-sharing deal about six months after they signed an agreement for th...

Korean chipmakers SK Hynix ships world’s first 12-layer HBM4 samples early

South Korean memory chip giant SK Hynix Inc. has begun delivering samples of the world’s most advanced, next-generation high bandwidth memory ...

Shipping & Shipbuilding HD Hyundai, Palantir chiefs discuss AI shipyard, defense technology

Chung Kisun, executive vice chairman of the world’s largest shipbuilder HD Hyundai Co., has met with Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir Technologies I...

Markets Mirae Asset launches world’s 1st passive target-date ETF

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. is set to introduce the world’s first passive target-date exchange-traded fund (ETF) this month to attract ...

Artificial intelligence AI data center with up to 3 gigawatts of power envisioned for South Korea

An investor group is planning one of the world’s largest data centers for artificial intelligence in South Korea, a sign of red-hot AI de...

Tech, Media & Telecom South Korea’s alternative data pioneer KED Aicel in full force

South Korea’s leading alternative data service provider Hankyung Aicel Inc. is poised to transform companies' and investors’ business an...

Beauty & Cosmetics Amorepacific's Aestura to enter US market with Sephora

South Korean beauty and cosmetics giant Amorepacific Corp. said on Wednesday that its derma cosmetic brand Aestura will enter the American market wi...

Korean startups DOR sets sights on TikTok-like virtual world for gamers  

South Korean startup DOR Corporation has thrown down the gauntlet to Discord, a popular global social platform for gamers, with its TikTok-like soci...

Korean Innovators at CES 2025 LG Electronics, Microsoft sign strategic partnership on AI agents

LAS VEGAS – South Korea’s top home appliance maker LG Electronics Inc. has signed a strategic partnership with US tech giant Micros...

Foreign exchange South Korea’s forex reserves drop to 5-year low in 2024

South Korea’s foreign exchange reserves shrank to a five-year low at the end of last year after the country’s foreign exchange authoriti...

Automobiles Hyundai, Kia sell 7.23 mn units together in 2024, eye more sales in 2025

Hyundai Motor Co. and its sibling Kia Corp. have set a target to sell a combined 7.39 million units around the globe this year with greater focus on...

Economy South Korea jumps to world’s No. 6 exporter; 2025 outlook dims

South Korea has sharply narrowed the gap in export value with Japan to a record low of $20.2 billion so far this year. But the country’s expor...

Economy South Korea becomes super-aged society faster than expected

One in five South Koreans is now 65 years old or older as the Asian country grapples with the demographic challenge of a rapidly aging population an...

Korean chipmakers SK Hynix develops high-capacity SSD for AI data center

SK Hynix Inc. unveiled on Wednesday its high-capacity solid-state drive (SSD) product PS1012 U.2, designed for AI data centers with 61 terabyte (TB)...

Artificial intelligence Samsung SDS to build AI-focused data center at Samsung Electronics’ plant

Samsung SDS Co., the information technology service unit of South Korea’s Samsung Group, plans to build an artificial intelligence data center...

Energy Samsung C&T, Sweden's Karnfull Next to team up for SMR

South Korea's Samsung C&T Corp. said Friday it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Swedish energy company Karnfull Next AB to jointl...

Mergers & Acquisitions Rebellions · Sapeon Korea merger, the first domestic AI chip unicorn

Rebellions Inc., a South Korean artificial intelligence chip design startup, officially merged with Sapeon Korea to form the first domestic AI chi...

Pension funds NPS enjoys 9.2% return as of Q3 on bullish US stocks

The National Pension Service (NPS), South Korea’s largest institutional investor, reported a preliminary 9.18% return from investments, equiva...

Electronics Samsung Electronics, LG Uplus to jointly develop ixi-O AI smartphone

South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. has joined forces with mobile carrier LG Uplus Corp. to unveil an AI smartphone embedded with a high...

North Korea Why North Korean soldiers are prepared to die in Russia

SEOUL—Ryu Seong-hyeon doesn’t need to imagine what the thousands of North Korean soldiers deployed to the Russian front line...

Bio & Pharma GC establishes generative AI platform Hey GC

South Korea's Green Cross Holdings Corp. (GC) said on Tuesday it established its generative AI standard platform Hey.GC.Hey.GC is designed to improv...

Electronics LG Display develops industry's most flexible display

LG Display Co., South Korea’s leading display maker under LG Electronics Inc., has developed the industry’s first display that can be st...

Retail GS Retail selects six startups to innovate retail biz

South Korea's GS Retail said on Friday it selected six startups—Studio Lab, Tilda, Oasis Business, YesPlzAI, Vessl AI, and Raondata—th...