Thoughts on Korean Business by Don Southerton

    Listen to the audio version Headline:  A July 24 tariff still looms as the 10 percent global Section 122 tariffs expire and USTR races to replace them with new Section 301 measures. Korea sits among 16 economies in the parallel excess-capacity probe. Top Story The Section 122 tariffs that set a 10 percent floor on most US imports expire July 24, and USTR wants replacement measures in place by then. Steel, aluminum, autos, and semiconductors ride on separate authority, so do Korea's 15 percent auto, but Korea remains one of 16 jurisdictions in the Section 301 excess-capacity probe. Sector Watch Semiconductors: SK Hynix began trading Nasdaq ADRs on July 10 and is committing 100 trillion won to domestic fabs, with the M17 plant targeted for first-half 2029. Samsung and SK Hynix are both scaling memory output for AI demand after an early-July chip selloff clipped both stocks.  Global: the memory duo still powers roughly two-thirds of the world's memory chips, keeping...

  Listen to the audio version Sunday, July 12, 2026  · Bridging Culture Worldwide​ One theme all week: Korea keeps going big at home, and the domestic mega-pledges could draw fresh U.S. pressure to build stateside. The five deals that mattered: $201.7B home investment wave —   Hanwha , Hyundai , Samsung , and SK will pour 312 trillion won into the Yeongnam region for AI , robotics , and chips $522B chip flashpoint —  Samsung and SK's record 800 trillion won plan for Korea's chip belt is now a possible test of the U.S. relationship, and could revive President Trump's threat of up to 100% tariffs on chipmakers that don't build in the U.S. Record exports —  June exports hit $102.25B (+70.9% YoY) — Korea joins Germany, the U.S., and China as the only nations ever to clear $100B in a month. Chip exports nearly tripled to $44.82B. Tariff clock —  The 10% Section 122 tariff expires ~July 24; and KITA is asking the USTR to cut a planned 12.5% Section 301 rate. ...

  By Don Southerton • May 2026 • 94 pages Hyundai is no longer a fast follower; it has become a game-changer. In this 4th edition, I trace how one of the world’s most competitive companies reinvented itself under Executive Chairman Euisun Chung : from the founder’s raw entrepreneurial drive, through a global quality revolution, to today’s bold bets on EVs , autonomous vehicles , robotics , and hydrogen . At the center is a framework I call “ work funneling ,” the chaebol strategy that lets Hyundai enter new markets, create captive demand, and reach profitability faster than Western rivals can react. Whether you’re a business leader, investor, dealer, or new to the Hyundai organization, this book gives you the context and the framework to understand where Hyundai has been and where it’s going. Available on Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H21WLCG7

  Korea-US- Global Briefing — Fri Jul 10 SK Hynix debuts on Nasdaq as Washington presses Korean chipmakers to build US memory capacity Listen to the audio version TOP STORY SK Hynix begins trading American depositary receipts on Nasdaq today, bringing the trillion-dollar Korean memory leader directly to US investors. The debut lands one day after Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick publicly pressed SK Hynix and Samsung to expand memory production in the US, putting Korea’s two chip giants at the center of both Wall Street and Washington this week. TRADE & TARIFF Speaking at Micron ’s fab ceremony in Clay, New York, Lutnick said he wants Samsung and SK Hynix to build memory plants in the US to ease the AI-driven chip shortage . The pressure collides with the two firms’ recently announced 800 trillion won plan for four new fabs at home, a tension worth watching as trade-deal implementation talks continue. KOREAN CORPORATE TRACKER SK Hynix’s US footprint anchors the ADR story : ...

  I curate and offer this Briefing daily, as well as a Sunday 'Week in Review,' plus special updates most Saturdays. I plan to expand my coverage to a more global  US-Korea-Global perspective.    Listen to the audio version HEADLINE Section 301 tariff pressure defines today's Korea-US landscape. TOP STORY The Korea International Trade Association ( KITA ) is asking the USTR to delay or cut a planned 12.5% Section 301 tariff on Korean goods , on top of the 10% Section 122 tariff set to expire around July 24 . LG says tariff uncertainty could delay its $28B US battery investment unless materials get an exemption.

  Listen to the audio version Korea-US Trade & Investment Intelligence Briefing Wednesday, July 8, 2026 We offer this Briefing daily, as well as a Sunday 'Week in Review,' plus special updates most Saturdays. HEADLINE Samsung and SK's record 800 trillion won (about 522 billion dollars) domestic Korean chip build-out is becoming the flashpoint in Washington's push to move more Korean manufacturing onto US soil. TOP STORY The two chipmakers' plan to anchor Korea's southwestern semiconductor belt is now read as a test of the US relationship. Officials warn the Trump administration, focused on domestic manufacturing, may lean harder on Samsung and SK Hynix to expand US fabs, echoing Trump's earlier threat of up to 100 percent tariffs on chipmakers that do not build stateside. TRADE & TARIFF The base, across the board, 10 percent Section 122 tariff is set to expire around July 24, 2026. It was ruled unlawful by the Court of International Trade in May and ...