Samsung’s new chipmaker head, short-selling ban, overseas purchases — Ep. 21

In this week’s episode of The Korea Pro Podcast, co-hosts Jeongmin and John discuss Samsung Electronics’ appointment of Jun Young-hyun as the new head of its semiconductor division. They explore the challenges Jun will face in maintaining Samsung’s leadership position in the global semiconductor sector.

The duo also examines the South Korean presidential office’s decision to maintain the country’s short-selling ban until a “reliable system” is in place and what this might mean for domestic and international investors.

Jeongmin and John then discuss the presidential office’s apology for the confusion caused by the government’s recently announced measures to regulate overseas direct purchases and its subsequent decision to cancel the proposed regulation. These measures would have required a Korea Certification (KC) safety mark for 80 product categories.

The co-hosts also discuss the ongoing tensions between Naver and Line Yahoo, as Line Yahoo has stated that it will not be transferring its operations in Southeast Asia and other markets outside Japan to Naver, threatening Naver’s overseas expansion plans.

Finally, they provide a quick rundown of next week’s summit diplomacy, with South Korea set to hold bilateral summits with the United Arab Emirates and Japan, as well as a trilateral summit with Japan and China.

About the podcast: The Korea Pro Podcast is a weekly 15-minute conversation hosted by Editorial Director Jeongmin Kim (@jeongminnkim) and Editor John Lee (@koreanforeigner), diving deep into the most pressing stories shaping South Korea — and dissecting the most complicated ones for professionals monitoring ROK politics, diplomacy, culture, society and technology. Uploaded every Friday.

This episode was recorded on May 23, 2024. 

Audio edited by Joe Smith