Second Talent Reports 52% Rise in APAC AI Hiring Demand in Updated Salary Index

Korean steelmaker POSCO and shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean are teaming up to build a demonstration liquified natural gas (LNG) carrier equipped with high-manganese steel cargo tanks, aiming to strengthen Korea’s technological competitiveness in a market long dominated by foreign technology. LNG fuel tanks store the fuel used to power LNG-fueled vessels, while cargo tanks on LNG carriers are large storage systems that hold the LNG itself for transportation overseas. According to POSCO, the two companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at the shipbuilder’s Geoje shipyard to develop the demonstration vessel. The signing ceremony was attended by senior executives from both sides, including POSCO President Lee Hee-geun and Hanwha Ocean CEO Kim Hee-cheul. The partnership comes amid expectations of rising LNG demand as countries seek lower-carbon energy sources, fueling demand for LNG carriers. Korean shipbuilders, however, remain dependent on foreign technology for cargo tanks, a key component of the vessels. Under the MOU, the companies will develop cargo tanks using POSCO’s high-m

A recent hacking incident involving commercial refrigerators at supermarkets in France is highlighting the importance of cybersecurity for connected equipment among Korean businesses, as companies increasingly rely on interconnected and centrally controlled systems for their operations. Industry officials said Thursday that the attack compromised supermarket refrigeration systems, but the underlying issue is the growing reliance of commercial equipment on network connectivity. They stressed the need to strengthen security across both hardware and software to ensure that no loopholes emerge anywhere in the system. The incident affected hundreds of supermarkets in France, where hackers reportedly gained remote access to centralized refrigeration control systems and manipulated temperatures, forcing retailers to discard spoiled food. Danish manufacturer Danfoss, which supplied the affected systems, attributed the incident to outdated equipment that had not received security updates. Retail chains, including supermarkets, use commercial refrigeration equipment. In Korea, major electronics c

Hanwha Systems' laser air defense weapon Cheongwang successfully intercepted three out of three target drones in a live-fire demonstration, highlighting the company's efforts to expand its presence in the global air defense market. The company said Thursday that Cheongwang, also known as the Laser Air Defense Weapon Block-I, and a vehicle-mounted high-energy laser cannon intercepted the drones during the Army’s Army TIGER+ integrated combat exercise in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province, on Wednesday. About 500 people attended the exercise, including the Army chief of staff, military officials, academics and industry experts. Cheongwang and the 30-kilowatt-class vehicle-mounted laser cannon achieved a 100 percent interception rate against the three drones. Small, low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have emerged as growing battlefield threats, serving both reconnaissance and surveillance purposes and as attack weapons. Laser weapons are gaining attention as next-generation air defense systems capable of countering drone swarms while addressing some limitations of conventional missile-b

Shinhan Financial Group is seeking to bolster its nonbank operations by acquiring Lotte Insurance, but analysts cautioned Thursday that a meaningful contribution to group earnings may take time, as the insurer could require substantial additional capital to strengthen its financial position. Concerns over the cost of the deal weighed on Shinhan shares, which plunged 4.31 percent Wednesday following Tuesday’s announcement and fell a further 0.84 percent Thursday. The group agreed Tuesday to purchase a 77.04 percent stake in Lotte Insurance from private equity firm JKL Partners for 693.3 billion won ($514.6 million). After securing regulatory approval, it plans to acquire the remaining shares and eventually merge the insurer with its existing subsidiary, Shinhan EZ General Insurance. Lotte Insurance has 14 trillion won in assets and 3.34 million customers, giving Shinhan a substantially larger foothold in non-life insurance. The financial group aims to raise annual profit from the business to at least 120 billion won within three years. But market analysts warned that the insurer’s wea

The Financial Services Commission’s (FSC) planned relocation to the administrative city of Sejong next year is raising concerns across the financial industry about potential disruptions to communication with regulators and the resulting operational inefficiencies, industry officials said Thursday. Industry officials are particularly concerned that the move could make it harder for banks and securities firms, most of which are headquartered in Seoul, to consult financial authorities on regulatory matters. The country's top financial regulator, currently based in Seoul, plans to move to Sejong, about 110 kilometers to the south, in the second half of 2027. The move is part of a broader government plan to relocate 44 central government agencies and affiliated bodies from the Seoul metropolitan area to Sejong between 2027 and 2031, aiming to decentralize functions concentrated in the capital area and promote regional growth. Banks are weighing how to adapt, with some expecting to rely more heavily on remote communication. "We expect to establish ways to respond, including expanding the use

QUVASOY, Uzbekistan — Hansae Mobility, a Korean automotive parts manufacturer supplying global carmakers, has expanded its overseas production capacity with the completion of a new plant in Quvasoy, in Uzbekistan's Fergana Region. Hansae Yes24 Group's automotive parts subsidiary held a completion ceremony for the plant Tuesday (local time) in a free economic zone in Quvasoy. The facility is operated by Hansae Mobility Turan, an Uzbekistan subsidiary wholly owned by Hansae Mobility. The ceremony was attended by Hansae Mobility CEO and Hansae Vice Chairman Kim Ik-whan, Mirzohid Murodilovich, deputy governor of Fergana Region, and other officials and representatives from Korea and Uzbekistan. The plant is expected to enable Hansae Mobility to supply its products more quickly to clients in Uzbekistan and expand its customer base in neighboring countries across the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Before the plant opened, Hansae Mobility had to export the parts from Korea. The new facility adds to the company's existing manufacturing bases in Daegu, the U.S. state of Michigan and t

Major Korean companies including Samsung, SK and Doosan are considering participating in the acquisition of a stake in U.S. nuclear power company Westinghouse, according to industry sources. If private companies join nuclear cooperation between Korea and the United States, which has so far been led largely by state-run companies such as Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), the move is expected to give Korean companies greater momentum in entering the U.S. nuclear power market. Government and industry sources said Wednesday that the government has been surveying nuclear power-related companies about their interest in investing in Westinghouse since announcing its investment plans in the United States. Companies interested in participating recently gathered at a meeting hosted by KEPCO to discuss potential investment options, according to the sources. Samsung C&T, SK Group, Hyundai Engineering & Construction and Doosan Enerbility were among the companies that attended the meeting. Securing a stake in Westinghouse is one of the key issues in investment

Taihan Cable & Solution, a leading power cable and energy infrastructure manufacturer, said Thursday that its U.S. subsidiary has won a turnkey extra-high-voltage grid project in the United States, capitalizing on surging power demand from artificial intelligence (AI) and data centers. Under the deal, the subsidiary, T.E.USA, will oversee local engineering, construction and other work, while the Korean headquarters will produce and supply key materials such as extra-high-voltage cables and joints. In a turnkey contract, a single company handles a project from design through construction and hands it over ready for operation. The headquarters and the U.S. unit signed a material supply contract worth about 120 billion won ($89 million), which the company disclosed in a regulatory filing Thursday. Taihan did not reveal the total value of the turnkey project or the client, citing a nondisclosure agreement. The order follows another extra-high-voltage turnkey project worth about 100 billion won that the company won in the U.S. in January. Taihan said it has won all 500-kilovolt high-voltage a

CJ OliveNetworks, the digital and technology unit of CJ Group, is branching into the travel industry with a new global membership service that enables foreign visitors in Korea to earn rewards and redeem points at participating merchants, leveraging the country's tourism boom to drive new growth. The company said Thursday that its lifestyle membership platform, CJ ONE, had introduced CJ ONE Global, allowing international visitors to sign up using only email verification, without requiring a Korean phone number or domestic identification. The launch comes as interest in Korean food, shopping and culture spreads alongside the global popularity of Korean entertainment. According to the Korea Tourism Organization, about 12.8 million foreign tourists visited Korea from January through July, up 21.3 percent from the same period last year. Once registered, members receive a mobile barcode through the CJ ONE app that they can use to earn and redeem points at participating stores, as well as access new-member and birthday benefits. The service connects visitors with businesses spanning tourism, re

Korean data center chipmaker FADU has unveiled what it calls the world’s first file-semantic solid-state drive (SSD), a storage technology designed to help artificial intelligence (AI) systems access data faster while reducing computing overhead and power consumption. The company introduced its file-semantic SSD, or FS-SSD, at the 2026 Open Compute Project Global Summit in San Jose, California, which ran from Monday to Thursday under the theme “Scaling Innovation for the AI Era.” Unlike conventional SSDs, which manage data through block addresses, FADU’s FS-SSD is designed to recognize and manage files directly, shifting tasks traditionally handled by a server’s central processing unit and operating system into the storage device itself. The technology uses FADU’s sixth-generation SSD controller, equipped with firmware that handles file searches, access permissions and file-to-address translation within the drive. By embedding file requests in standard Non-Volatile Memory Express commands, the system allows accelerators such as graphics processing units and data processing un

Korean and U.S. business leaders on Thursday called for faster regulatory approvals, tax and financial support, and visa reforms to ensure the successful implementation of major Korean investment projects in the United States. The call came in a joint declaration issued at a plenary meeting of the U.S.-Korea and Korea-U.S. Business Council, hosted by the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), and attended by about 60 political and business leaders and experts from the two countries. Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump announced details of Seoul's planned $200 billion investment in the U.S., part of a broader $350 billion commitment agreed to by the two countries last year in exchange for lower U.S. tariffs on Korean goods. In the joint declaration, the business circles called for measures to reduce trade uncertainty and reform regulations, urging the two governments to introduce fast-track approval procedures and provide tax and financial incentives for companies participating in strategic investment projects. They also called for improvements to visa systems and the establis

Filipinos rank among the top three markets worldwide for artificial intelligence feature usage on Rakuten Viber, according to the messaging platform, with young professionals among the most active users of its AI tools. Viber Chief Product Officer Nadav Melnick said nearly 20% of the platform’s monthly active AI users in the Philippines are aged 25