SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s embattled petrochemical industry has agreed to slash its core production capacity by as much as a quarter, in a government-backed effort to stave off collapse and reposition for higher-value growth. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Wednesday that 10 companies operating naphtha cracking centers (NCCs) [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — The chief of the state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) confirmed Tuesday the company has closed operations in Poland amid speculations that its agreement with U.S. energy firm Westinghouse over an intellectual property (IP) dispute influenced the decision. “After the new Polish administration took office … the [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — A $26 billion nuclear power contract won by South Korean firms in the Czech Republic is drawing scrutiny after revelations that Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) and Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) signed a sweeping agreement with Westinghouse Electric that could bind Seoul’s industry to decades of costly obligations. [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s major petrochemical companies are grappling with a deepening industry downturn, as key players reported average plant utilization rates falling below break-even thresholds during the first half of 2025, according to corporate filings reviewed on August 17. The average operating rates at leading firms—including Lotte Chemical, LG Chem, [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 16 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s three major battery manufacturers — LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI, and SK On — are grappling with declining factory utilization rates, reflecting the broader global slowdown in electric vehicle (EV) demand known as the “EV chasm.” According to semiannual filings released on August 15, LG Energy Solution [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 15 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s nuclear regulator has warned that rapidly warming seawater — used to cool reactors — could force as many as eight reactors offline within the next 10 years unless cooling capacity is improved. At a meeting on August 14, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission received a report [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 14 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s nuclear safety commission on Thursday approved the restart of the Shin-Hanul 2 reactor, which had been shut down for maintenance following two malfunctions earlier this year. The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission authorized the reactor to reach a “criticality” level, enabling the resumption of operations after repairs [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 14 (Korea Bizwire) — Hyundai Steel has withdrawn a 4.61 billion won ($3.4 million) damages lawsuit against members of its irregular workers’ union, who staged a strike in 2021. The move comes as the ruling Democratic Party pushes to pass the so-called “Yellow Envelope Law” this month, aimed at limiting companies’ ability to seek [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), South Korea’s state-owned utility, said Wednesday it signed a preliminary agreement with Vietnamese energy company Petrovietnam (PVN) to help cultivate a skilled workforce for Vietnam’s emerging nuclear power sector, as the two countries seek to deepen industrial cooperation. The memorandum of understanding (MOU), inked earlier [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea and Vietnam will work to expand bilateral cooperation in the energy industry, including renewable energy and nuclear power, as the two countries aim to bolster ties in trade, security and other sectors, Seoul officials said Monday. The countries’ industry ministries signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to [...]