Korea Cuts EUV Tool Clearance to 9 Days for Samsung, SK Hynix
South Korea's cabinet on June 2 cut EUV scanner import clearance from 34 days to 9 days, reducing each installation's overhead by 25 days and USD500 million per tool.
Hanmi Pharmaceutical Signs $1.26 Billion Licensing Deal With Eli Lilly for Rare Bowel-Disease Drug
Hanmi Pharmaceutical has outlicensed sonefpeglutide, a GLP-2 drug candidate, to Eli Lilly in a deal worth up to $1.26 billion, with $75 million paid upfront. The announcement sent Hanmi stock up 9.78% to ₩539,000, while Korea Investment Securities raised its target price to ₩740,000.
KB Financial (105560.KS) Opens Chairman Succession Early
Samsung Biologics (207940.KS) Backs ₩200B Third Bio Fund
KOSPI Surges 3.7% to Record 8,788 as Jensen Huang's Korea Blitz Fires AI-Chip Stocks
South Korea's KOSPI closed at 8,788.38 on June 1, 2026—a new all-time high—as Jensen Huang's Korea Partner Night in Taipei ignited fresh demand for Samsung Electronics (+10.9%) and LG Electronics (upper limit). Only 183 of 915 listed stocks advanced, raising concentration-risk warnings even as the NPS fund crossed ₩1,900 trillion with a 25% YTD return.
Samsung (005930.KS) Holdings Top ₩60T on AI-Memory Surge as KOSPI Hits Records
SKT Surges 13% as Jensen Huang Names It Physical-AI Linchpin at GTC Taipei
SK Telecom shares jumped 13.42% to ₩114,100 on June 1 after Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang named the Korean carrier a key partner in manufacturing and physical AI at GTC Taipei, spotlighting its Omniverse-powered digital twin running inside a SK hynix chip fab.
Celltrion's First-Ever Union Lands as Record Margins Peak
Celltrion (068270.KS), the Incheon-based biosimilar maker that is South Korea's largest by sales, saw workers form the first labor union in its history on June 1, ending a no-union stretch that has held since the company's 2002 founding (Yonhap; Korea Times). The timing is what matters to investors: the union arrives weeks after Celltrion booked the most profitable year it has ever reported.
Samsung Bio Strike Hardens; Celltrion Forms First Union
Celltrion (068270.KS), South Korea's largest biosimilar developer, said its workers launched a labor union on June 1 — the first in the company's history since founder Seo Jung-jin started it in 2002, according to Chosun Biz and The Korea Times. The move lands as a separate dispute at Samsung Biolog
SK Hynix Cheongju Fab Fire: Hydrogen Fluoride Leak Hospitalizes Seven
A fire broke out around 10:32 a.m. on June 1 at SK Hynix's Cheongju Campus 4 — part of the memory giant's main NAND flash and back-end hub in North Chungcheong Province — releasing hydrogen fluoride and injuring six people, according to Korean outlets chosunbiz and Electronic Times (etnews). SK Hynix is the world's second-largest memory chipmaker and the leading supplier of high-bandwidth memory (
Kakao Union Locks In June 10 Walkout After Second Mediation Fails, Targeting 13-15% Profit Share
Kakao Corp.'s five-entity labor coalition confirmed a four-hour partial walkout for June 10 after second mediation failed. The union demands 13–15% of Kakao's ₩440B 2025 operating profit as bonuses (est. ₩15M/worker); management warns the package would be 'a huge burden.' A prolonged stoppage risks delaying the KakaoTalk Kanana AI rollout.
Korea's $1.2 Trillion NPS Raises Domestic Stock Cap to 20.8%, Defusing a ₩200 Trillion Forced-Sale Threat
Korea's $1.2 trillion NPS pension fund raised its domestic equity ceiling from 14.9% to 20.8% on May 28, averting ₩200 trillion in forced selling triggered by KOSPI's 94% surge.