Global X, the New York-based provider of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), announced Tuesday the launch of a new fund that seeks to invest in the manufacturers of multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) and related components. A key building block of many modern electronic devices, MLCCs are used in artificial intelligence (AI) servers, electric vehicles, smartphones and other items. Roughly 85 percent of the global MLCC industry is controlled by five manufacturers based in Japan, Korea and Taiwan. The Global X MLCC & Electronic Components ETF provides exposure to all of these companies, which can be difficult for U.S. investors to access directly. Its portfolio includes Murata Manufacturing, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Yageo Corp., TDK Corp. and many others. "The manufacturers of these components sit at a genuine chokepoint in the AI supply chain and could be difficult to access directly through U.S.-listed shares," said Pedro Palandrani, head of product research & development at Global X. Global X has long been known for thematic ETFs, including innovations such as its AI and technology ETF,

Asiana Airlines passengers will be able to keep their existing mileage and use it on Korean Air-operated flights for 10 years after the two airlines merge, under a mileage integration plan approved by Korea’s antitrust regulator Monday. The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) approved Korean Air’s revised plan with conditions aimed at preserving customer benefits and expanding opportunities to redeem mileage following the carriers’ merger on Dec. 17. Under the plan, Asiana mileage will be managed separately for 10 years from the merger date, even after Asiana ceases to exist as a corporate entity. Customers will not have to immediately convert their Asiana mileage to Korean Air’s program. During the 10-year period, Asiana customers will retain the airline’s existing redemption standards and expiration rules. They will also be able to use their mileage across all Korean Air-operated routes for award tickets, seat upgrades, mileage-and-cash payments and shopping. Customers who choose to convert their Asiana mileage can do so at any time during the 10-year period. Flight-earned mileage wi

Software company Hancom plans to launch Nomadian, an artificial intelligence (AI) workforce platform that allows solo entrepreneurs to assemble teams of task-specific AI agents, targeting the U.S. market with a beta release planned for December. Hancom said Tuesday it has formed a dedicated task force to develop the web-based platform, which will be offered on a software-as-a-service (SaaS) basis, with a full subscription service planned for 2027 following the beta release. Nomadian is designed primarily for the growing number of solo entrepreneurs and small businesses in the United States, allowing users to hire AI agents for roles such as data analysis, content marketing and email marketing, and connect them to the tools they need. Users will be able to issue a task in a single sentence, prompting the platform to break it down into smaller tasks and assign them to appropriate AI agents, while they can also create custom agents for roles that are unavailable. The agents can produce documents, spreadsheets and presentations. The agents' work is displayed in a 3D virtual office, allowing

E-commerce giant Coupang Corp. said Tuesday it has launched an information-dedicated committee to overhaul its security system and bolster public confidence in the company. The move comes months after the company was slapped with a record fine of 624.7 billion won ($460 million) by the Korean government in June over a massive customer data leak late last year. "We will continue to improve our security system by incorporating the expertise and know-how of specialists, while striving to exceed global standards," a Coupang official said. The Information Security Advisory Committee consists of seven experts in information security, law, management and information technology (IT), the company said. They include Coupang Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Brett Matthes, Eumene Kang, a senior adviser at law firm Kim & Chang, and Kim Hyun-kyung, a professor at Seoul National University of Science and Technology. At their first meeting Tuesday, the committee members discussed changes in relevant laws and regulations, growing security threats in the market and possible countermeasures. U.S.-li

Korea's homegrown Nuri rocket will carry 15 satellites on its fifth launch next month, including five satellites that will form part of the country's first domestically launched microsatellite constellation, the space agency said Tuesday. The launch is scheduled for Oct. 7 between 12:23 p.m. and 1:23 p.m. from the Naro Space Center in Goheung, about 330 kilometers south of Seoul, with the exact time to be decided on launch day, the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) said. The payload consists of five New-space Earth Observation Satellite Constellation for National Safety (NEONSAT) as the primary payload and 10 CubeSats as secondary payloads. The five NEONSATs weigh about 500 kilograms combined, while the CubeSats weigh about 96 kilograms. The mission will be Nuri's first attempt to deploy multiple satellites performing the same mission sequentially into orbit. To prevent collisions, the five NEONSATs will be released in different directions at intervals of 35 to 40 seconds. "On its fifth launch, the Nuri rocket will attempt Korea's first satellite constellation launch mission," Park J

Inflation has thinned consumers’ wallets, yet budget and midrange smartphones are losing ground just when buyers need affordable options most. Soaring component costs, particularly for memory chips, are making it harder for manufacturers to sustain a low-margin, high-volume business model. As manufacturers focus on expanding their premium foldable phone lineups, consumers are increasingly turning to repairs and secondhand devices. iPhone 17e surpasses 1 million won Rising prices for budget and midrange smartphones are putting further pressure on consumers. According to smartphone industry observers Monday, Apple raised the price of its entry-level iPhone 17e, released in March, by 16.1 percent on Thursday, from 990,000 won ($726) to 1.15 million won. The company repriced the existing model as it launched its new iPhone 18 series at substantially higher prices amid so-called “chipflation” driven by global chip shortages. Samsung Electronics has also raised prices for its entry-level Galaxy A series. The Galaxy A37, released in Korea in June, costs 598,400 won, up 19.8 percent from la

China is surging ahead of the US in consumer AI adoption as technology giants like Tencent Holdings and Alibaba Group Holding embed artificial intelligence directly into popular everyday apps, even as American models lead in capability, according to Morgan Stanley. A survey conducted by the bank and published in a report on Monday showed that 80 per cent of Chinese respondents used AI for personal purposes at least weekly, compared with 54 per cent in the US. China’s generative AI user base grew...

When generative artificial intelligence first swept through China’s technology sector, workers faced a clear directive from management: use AI and use it often. Consuming vast numbers of AI tokens – the basic unit of computing power needed to process text or write code – became a badge of honour, with companies often viewing a high token count as a sign that employees were productive and taking initiative. But those computing allowances are now being sharply rolled back as China’s leading...

Choi Jae-boong, professor of interdisciplinary AI service design at Sungkyunkwan University, said education in the era of artificial intelligence (AI) should focus on cultivating humanity, while universities should move away from simply trying to restrict students’ use of AI and instead rethink how their curricula are designed. Choi shared such visions during his keynote speech at the 2026 Korea Times Global Conference at Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry building in Seoul, Tuesday. Under the theme of “Beyond AI: building human-centered leadership for the next era,” he stressed that AI innovation is an inevitable future and that both leadership and education must undergo a fundamental shift to prepare for it. “Many Big Tech companies carried out layoffs over the past several years, but when I looked at their headcounts again earlier this year, they had increased because the companies were hiring more AI talent,” Choi said. “However, the focus of Korean universities last year and even this year was how to prevent students from using AI to do their assignments. Almost no

Justice minister nominee Kim Seung-won said Tuesday, that if he is appointed, he will prevent information about an investigation by the police or prosecution from being “used politically.” His pledge is an apparent counterattack against independent Rep. Han Dong-hoon’s disclosure of probe materials about Kim’s alleged illegal lobbying activities. The justice minister nominee said Han, a former prosecutor, should disclose how he obtained the investigation materials. "If I am given the opportunity to serve as minister, I will correct [the practice of] the political use of investigative information," Kim said in his opening remarks at his confirmation hearing at the National Assembly. Kim, also a two-term lawmaker, was suspected of using his influence to lobby for the approval of a pharmaceutical company's COVID-19 clinical drug trial in October 2021, although prosecutors later suspended the indictment following an investigation. Han brought back the allegation after Kim's nomination was announced. Kim and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) then claimed that Han obtained con