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• ↓ US, Japan emerge as Korean chipmakers' production bases amid AI boom
• ↓ Controversies jeopardize confirmation prospects for Lee's Cabinet nominees
• ↓ COVER STORY From Tiger to Align, shareholder activism takes root in Korea
• ↓ Hyundai bets big on steel to anchor US strategy
• ↓ Nicotine-like products expose blind spot in e-cigarette rules
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"The United States and Japan are emerging as the next key production bases for Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, as the chipmakers accelerate capacity expansion to meet surging demand for artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors. Both countries offer advantages, with the U.S. allowing greater proximity to major customers including Nvidia and Tesla, as well as incentives that could help offset investment costs and potentially reduce exposure to semiconductor tariffs from the Donald Trump administration. Japan has a well-established ecosystem of chip equipment and materials suppliers, reliable power and water supplies in some regions and substantial government subsidies for semiconductor investments. For chipmakers, the choice of location extends beyond customer proximity, with reliable supplies of electricity and water and government incentives becoming increasingly important as companies commit billions of dollars to new fabs. “Companies look closely at incentives, including infrastructure and subsidies,” an industry official said. “They first need to assess whether water and ele"

"Two minister nominees are facing mounting questions over whether they can survive their confirmation hearings, as a series of controversies and corruption allegations have drawn growing public criticism. If even one of them fails to pass the hearing or steps down from the nomination, it will deal a blow to President Lee Jae Myung, who hoped the Cabinet reshuffle would help him regain momentum for his policies amid falling approval ratings. Lee nominated Kim Seung-won, a two-term lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and a former judge, as his next justice minister, to oversee follow-up measures for reforms related to the prosecution and new criminal justice system, which are set to take effect Oct. 2. Kim, however, has come under intensifying scrutiny over allegations that he improperly used his influence as a lawmaker in October 2021 to help a pharmaceutical company obtain approval for a COVID-19 drug trial. He allegedly received a request from a broker with ties to Genencell to help speed up the approval process, after which he contacted the head of the Ministry of F"

"When a U.S. fund began challenging SK Telecom in 1999, corporate Korea was only beginning to learn what shareholder activism looked like. The country had only recently emerged from the depths of the Asian financial crisis, and its capital markets were opening rapidly to foreign investors. Tiger Management built a 6.6 percent stake in the country's largest wireless carrier and pressed for changes, including stronger external oversight and a greater say in how the company was run. The Chey family, one of Korea's chaebol dynasties and the controlling family behind SK Group, spent about 2 trillion won defending its grip on the group. Within months, Tiger had reaped about 630 billion won ($463.6 million) from selling its stake. The idea that an outside investor could buy into a major Korean company and publicly demand change was still novel — and deeply unsettling to many companies. Tiger's windfall only deepened suspicions that foreign funds were enriching themselves at Korea's expense. That wariness persisted. Sovereign challenged SK Corp. in 2003. Carl Icahn took on KT&G in 2006. Elliott"

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Latest in

US, Japan emerge as Korean chipmakers' production bases amid AI boom

Controversies jeopardize confirmation prospects for Lee's Cabinet nominees

COVER STORY From Tiger to Align, shareholder activism takes root in Korea

Hyundai bets big on steel to anchor US strategy

Nicotine-like products expose blind spot in e-cigarette rules