South Korea: January 2025

Submarine Cable Map from TeleGeography

South Korea: Joint Investigation Unit for Virtual Asset Crimes is to formally launch February-March, responding to growth in virtual asset-related crimes / full item
South Korea: K-Work secures $552K with living support platform for foreign workers and international students, responding to the country’s declining working-age population / full item
South Korea’s LG Energy battery maker inks 7-year battery supply deal with US EV starup, Aptera Motors, delivering cylindrical batteries for 2-seat, 3-wheeled solar EV / full item
In 2024, South Korea became the first country in the world to replace more than 10% of its industrial workforce with robots, according to a World Robotics survey / full item
South Korean chip exports to Taiwan, Vietnam, and the United States rose in 2024, with decline in sales to China / full item
South Korea: Financial Services Commission and Virtual Asset Committee to discuss plan to allow companies to buy, sell and hold crypto-assets later in 2025 / full item

Old age poverty and active ageing in ASEAN: Trends

South Korea: Jeju Island plans tourism campaign, attracting younger visitors by issuing NFT-based visitors’ cards / full item
South Korea’s WIRobotics preps for the US launch of WIM, its 1.6kg, wearable, walking assistance robot / full item
South Korea’s Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix secure promised funding for semiconductor plants in the US, tho uncertainty remains around possible Trump administration adjustments / full item
South Korea: Ministry of SMEs & Startups unveils $2.23BN startups support plan for 2025, spanning 429 startup support programs led by 101 organizations / full item

Also available:
● Asia’s Tech News, Weekly >
● Indo-Pacific Insight, Weekly >

South Korea: Stock Exchange is now exploring approval of cryptocurrency exchange-traded spot ETFs / full item
Samsung Electronics inks agreement for TV manufacturing in Kazakhstan to better supply growing demand in Kazakhstan and Central Asia / full item
South Korea: Samsung Electronics to become largest shareholder in Rainbow Robotics, looking to add Samsung’s AI and software expertise to intelligent, advanced humanoid robots / full item
South Korean crypto exchange operator has been sentenced to 4 years in prison, found guilty of ‘leaking military secrets’ to North Korea in exchange for Bitcoin / full item

Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Strategy Economic Strategy to 2040