Samsung Electronics will pay out 30 trillion won ($22.5 billion) in dividends for the third quarter, increasing its dividend per share more than 12-fold in a move to address the mismatch between its sluggish share price and record-breaking earnings performance. The company reported an operating profit of 107.44 trillion won and revenue of 195.25 trillion won for the July-September period, up 783.1 percent and 126.9 percent year-on-year, respectively, on Thursday. The chipmaking Device Solutions Division accounted for most of the profit, logging 147.1 trillion won in sales and 106.5 trillion won in operating profit. However, investors reacted with disappointment, as the company had already signaled plans to increase its dividends and delayed the announcement of additional shareholder return measures until next year. Samsung Electronics shares closed at 232,000 won on Thursday, down 4.13 percent. At a board meeting, Samsung Electronics approved a quarterly dividend of 4,601 won per share for both common and preferred shares, more than 12 times its quarterly payout of around 370 won per sh

Korea’s electric vehicle (EV) market is showing clear signs of crossing the chasm before mass adoption, as lower-cost models and surging fuel expenses make EVs increasingly attractive to consumers. The trend is seen in the increasing demand for used EVs. Their growing popularity could also help ease concerns over resale values — which was considered one of the longstanding obstacles blocking widespread EV adoption. As demand strengthens and prices stabilize, prospective buyers may become less wary of losing money when selling their vehicles, potentially supporting further growth in new EV sales. According to K Car, the country’s major used car sales platform, used all-electric cars took an average of 81 percent as long to sell as internal combustion engine vehicles during the January-September period. In other words, used EVs sold 19 percent faster than their gasoline- and diesel-powered counterparts. EVs also accounted for a share of K Car’s total used car sales that was approximately 32 percent higher than a year earlier during the same period, indicating that consumer interest

French food and beverage brands gathered in Seoul to court health-conscious Korean consumers, with a record 19 companies taking part in Business France’s Food Experience 2026 exhibition at the French ambassador’s residence and the Kim Chung-up Pavilion, Monday. Now in its fifth year, Food Experience is a business-to-business event connecting French companies with Korean importers, distributors and food service industry professionals. Coinciding with the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries this year, the event featured a record 19 brands, presenting a wide range of products, from those already available in Korea to brands yet to enter the market. A particular focus this year was on companies from Occitania, a major food-producing region in southern France with diverse landscapes stretching from the Mediterranean coast to the Pyrenees and inland agricultural areas. Among them was beverage brand Gopy, which showcased ginger drinks positioned as a milder alternative to Korean ginger. "In France, it is now like a fashion," Anisa Maleck, Gopy's export manage

Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings is using Southeast Asia as a launch pad to take its “cost-effective” artificial intelligence tools global, fronted by its workplace assistant WorkBuddy, amid cutthroat competition at home. The company was targeting existing regional customers of its cloud computing and big data services, particularly in markets such as Indonesia, according to Dowson Tong, CEO of Tencent’s Cloud and Smart Industries Group. The international push coincided with triple-digit...

The Android XR-powered glasses bring Gemini AI, virtual screens and immersive entertainment into a lightweight design, with shipments starting in mid-November.

Shen Jiaoqi, a banker living in southern China’s Guangdong province, cannot stop watching microdramas. The shows are so addictive that she sometimes spends entire days gazing at her phone. One time, she even kept watching while she showered. “Honestly, I was watching for the eye candy rather than the plots,” she said. “The AI has really made the characters look stunning.” Shen is far from alone. Microdramas have exploded in popularity in China over the past few years, offering viewers a quick...