AJP Asia Intelligence Agency
Naver posts 16% revenue jump as AI-driven growth accelerates in Q1 Naver posts 16% revenue jump as AI-driven growth accelerates in Q1

Naver reported a 16.3 percent rise in first-quarter revenue, buoyed by robust demand for AI-integrated services and a sharp uptick in its consumer-to-consumer commerce business. The company reported through regulatory filings Thursday that consolidated revenue for the January to March period climbed to 3.24 trillion won ($2.17 billion), while operating profit edged up 7.2 percent to 541.8 billion won, as heavier infrastructure spending to bolster AI capabilit

LG Electronics pivots to subscriptions, auto as profit engine strengthens LG Electronics pivots to subscriptions, auto as profit engine strengthens

LG Electronics is weathering a global spending slowdown by rapidly expanding subscription-based rentals for premium home appliances and scaling its vehicle solutions business, as demand grows for smarter mobility and recurring revenue models, its quarterly breakdown showed Wednesday. The first-quarter results underscored a structural shift in earnings quality, with high-margin recurring income from appliance subscriptions and a solid order backlog in the

Court to rule on Samsung Electronics injunction against strike by mid-May Court to rule on Samsung Electronics' injunction against strike by mid-May

A South Korean court said Monday it will decide by May 20 whether to grant an injunction filed by Samsung Electronics to block what the company describes as "illegal" industrial action by its labor unions. The decision by the Suwon District Court is expected just one day before the unions’ scheduled general strike on May 21. During a closed-door hearing, Samsung Electronics management argued that any work stoppage would cause &qu

Samsung mulls TV pullout option after smartphone-like defeat in China Samsung mulls TV pullout option after smartphone-like defeat in China

Samsung Electronics is weighing a pullout from its TV business in China, in what would mark a second setback in the world’s second-largest market after its retreat from smartphones. Samsung Electronics said Tuesday that “no such decision has been finalized,” responding to speculation over a possible withdrawal. A company spokesperson said market conditions in China are under review, but denied reports of a full exit from its TV and home a

Samsung, SK hynix morph into AI foundries as Big Tech reshapes chipmaking Samsung, SK hynix morph into AI foundries as Big Tech reshapes chipmaking

The traditional line between memory makers and foundries is rapidly blurring as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix pivot toward customized chip production to meet surging artificial intelligence demand. As AI workloads grow more specialized, Big Tech clients are no longer buying standardized memory at scale but demanding tightly integrated, tailor-made solutions such as High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) co-designed with their own architectures — forcing Korea

Samsung union flags 18% output hit, raises stakes with 18-day strike threat Samsung union flags 18% output hit, raises stakes with 18-day strike threat

Unionized workers at Samsung Electronics said last week’s rally cut memory output by nearly 20 percent, signaling the scale of disruption a looming 18-day strike could unleash on global chip supply. In a statement Monday, Choi Seung-ho, head of the company’s Enterprise Union branch, said a hours-long rally on April 23 led to a 58 percent drop in foundry production and an 18 percent decline in memory chip output, based on overnight wafer transfer

Strike could deal heavy blow to Samsung, academic warns Strike could deal heavy blow to Samsung, academic warns

A looming large-scale strike by unionized Samsung Electronics workers, amid an ongoing compensation dispute, could lead to significant economic losses, disrupting global supply chains if it goes ahead next month, according to an academic analysis. The chip giant's labor union has threatened to stage a three-week strike from May 21 to June 7 if negotiations fail. Speaking at a forum in southern Seoul last week hosted by think tank Ahnmin Institute for P

Koreas chip irony: record Samsung Elec shares and mass workers rally Korea's chip irony: record Samsung Elec shares and mass workers rally

On the same day the KOSPI scaled a record high and South Korea posted its strongest quarterly growth in five years, tens of thousands of workers at the very heart of that boom took to the streets — protesting what they called a widening gap between record profits and compensation. “Even at this very moment, our colleagues are leaving,” shouted Thursday Woo Ha-kyung, acting head of the National Samsung Electronics Union, her voice hoarse

SK hynix redefines chip profit with 72% margin on HBM supremacy SK hynix redefines chip profit with 72% margin on HBM supremacy

Regardless of the headline figures, SK hynix reigns as the most profitable chipmaker in the world and will likely stay so through the year as it consolidates leadership in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) critical to the AI transition through aggressive spending from its enhanced firepower. The Korean pure-play memory maker will test upgraded HBM4E prototypes in the second half for potential rollout next year depending on client demand, according to executives du

SK hynix Q1 profit nearly doubles from last best Q4 to record $25 bn SK hynix Q1 profit nearly doubles from last best Q4 to record $25 bn

SK hynix, a front-runner in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips designed for AI accelerators, delivered its best-yet quarter ended March with its three-month operating profit nearly doubled from the previous best and its top-line also at a record high. According to its disclosure Thursday, SK hynix’s quarterly operating profit of 37.61 trillion won ($25.4 billion) came in well above the market consensus of 34.9 trillion won compiled by FnGuide, nearly do