Samsung Electronics, a leading tech giant in smartphones and semiconductors, is seen implementing austerity measures, reducing headcounts and downsizing celebratory events as it falls behind global peers in its core product markets. On Wednesday, Bloomberg reported Samsung Electronics is expected to lay off about 10 percent of its total overseas staff of 147,000, with the latest headcount cut being carried out in its headquarters in Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. The company already

Apple’s latest flagship smartphone series -- the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max -- debuted in Korea on Sept. 20 as the US tech giant included the country among the first regions for its newest phones’ launch. Since the first iPhone debuted here in 2009, it marks the first time that Korea has been included in the list of the first countries to have new iPhones. Despite the early release, Korean sales remain lukewarm. Coupang, a major online seller, saw

Seoul shares opened lower Wednesday tracking overnight losses on Wall Street amid growing concerns over an all-out war in the Middle East after Iran attacked Israel with missiles. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 0.89 percent, or 23.04 points, to 2,570.23 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, US shares tumbled after Iran fired missiles directly at Israel, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average losing 0.41 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite plunging 1.53 perce

Telecom carriers can further expand their roles in the era of artificial intelligence as they hold the lead in offering diverse services, KT CEO Kim Young-shub said at a mobile conference in Seoul on Tuesday, saying collaboration with tech rivals is crucial to boost service quality. "AI-based services have already been realized across all areas, including telecommunications, health care, public transportation, manufacturing and logistics," Kim said in his keynote speech at this year�

Seoul shares fell by more than 2 percent Monday as investors remained on the sidelines ahead of the releases of key economic data in the United States later this week. The local currency ended at a 9-month high against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index dropped 2.13 percent, or 56.51 points, to 2,593.27. Trading volume was moderate at 352.4 million shares worth 10.5 trillion won ($8.03 billion), with losers outnumbering winners 708 to 181. Institutions and foreign inv

Koramco REITs Management & Trust, a real estate asset manager based in Seoul, has completed the sale of a landmark property to Samsung SRA Asset Management for 1.1 trillion won ($841 million), marking South Korea's largest commercial real estate deal this year. The Asset is an 81,117-square-meter skyscraper located in the Gangnam Business District in southern Seoul. The office property forms part of Samsung Town, an office complex housing the affiliates of Korea’s top conglomera

The leaders of South Korea and Slovakia agreed to elevate their ties by establishing the strategic partnership on Monday, at a summit held during the Slovak leader's visit to Seoul. Describing Slovakia as "an important European partner that shares common values in the face of the complex global crises," President Yoon Suk Yeol said during the summit in his office with Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico in Seoul that the strengthened diplomatic engagement would allow the tw

Seoul shares opened slightly higher Monday, led by gains in battery and steel shares. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 0.05 percent, or 1.3 points, to 2,651.08 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Battery and steel shares led the overall gains, with industry leaders LG Energy Solution and Posco Holdings increasing 2.53 percent and 1.94 percent, respectively. Bio and internet service operators also added momentum. Samsung Biologics rose 0.91 percent, and top internet portal ope

Seoul shares closed lower Friday as investors took profit following strong gains in recent sessions despite overnight success on Wall Street. The local currency rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index slipped 0.82 percent, or 21.79 points, to 2,649.78. Trading volume was moderate at 402.1 million shares worth 11.4 trillion won ($8.65 billion), with losers outnumbering winners 457 to 414. Institutions dumped a net 421.6 billion won worth of local shares, while

Seoul shares opened slightly higher Friday, as chip shares gained traction bolstered by overnight gains on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 0.04 percent, or 1.03 points, to 2,672.6 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, major US indexes gained ground thanks to the surprise earnings result of Micron Technology lifting artificial intelligence-related shares. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.62 percent, the S&P 500 increased 0.4 percent, and the t

Seoul shares ended nearly 3 percent higher Thursday as tech stocks advanced, with hopes for additional rate cuts by the Federal Reserve lifting investor sentiment. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index jumped 2.9 percent, or 75.25 points, to 2,571.57. Trading volume was moderate at 317.46 million shares worth 11.4 trillion won ($8.6 billion), with gainers far outnumbering winners 747 to 140. Overnight, US stocks ended mixed. The Dow Jones Indu

SK hynix, the world's second-largest memory chip-maker, said Thursday it has started mass production of the world’s first 12-layer high bandwidth memory chips, solidifying its competitive edge over its global rivals -- Samsung Electronics and Micron Technology. The new 36-gigabit 12-layer HBM3E chip will be supplied to its customers, including US AI chip giant Nvidia, within the year, about six months after delivering an 8-layer HBM3E product to customers for the first time in the ind

Seoul shares opened higher, backed by a rally in tech shares, after a mixed close on Wall Street, on hopes for additional US rate cuts. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 1.83 percent, or 47.60 points, to 2,643.92 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.7 percent to 41,914.75, but the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 0.04 percent to 18,082.21. On Wednesday, a Federal Reserve official said it will be appropriate for the US central b

Seoul shares ended more than 1 percent lower Wednesday to end their six-day winning streak as investors were disappointed with a new stock index to be launched next week. The local currency rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index declined 1.34 percent, or 35.36 points, to 2,569.32. Trading volume was moderate at 441.8 million shares worth 11.4 trillion won (US$8.6 billion), with losers outnumbering winners 516 to 355. Retail investors and institutions bought a

The Korean equity market reacted to the launch of an index developed to address domestic companies' undervaluation with investors showing a preference for stocks included in the new index. Following the Korea Exchange’s unveiling of the Value-up Index, comprised 100 Korean stocks with stellar corporate value, on Tuesday, those that made the list, including Samsung Electronics and SK hynix showed a strong start in Wednesday morning trading. SK hynix and Samsung Electronics had gained