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Delivered Korea Showcases Cross-Border E-Commerce Technology at 2025 Kuala Lumpur Hallyu Expo

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Dec. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Delivered Korea, a leading Korean cross-border shopping agent, showcased its technology-driven cross-border shopping platform at the 2025 Korea Brand & Entertainment Expo (KBEE), held in Kuala Lumpur from December 11 to 13. The event was hosted by South Korea’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR) and organized by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA).

Visitors show interest in K-pop light sticks displayed at the Delivered Korea booth during the 2025 Malaysia Hallyu Expo. (Photo courtesy of Delivered Korea)
Visitors show interest in K-pop light sticks displayed at the Delivered Korea booth during the 2025 Malaysia Hallyu Expo. (Photo courtesy of Delivered Korea)

KBEE is a flagship government-led initiative designed to introduce Korea’s brands, innovation, and business capabilities to international markets. The Kuala Lumpur edition featured celebrity ambassadors, including actress Moon Ga-young of the hit K-drama True Beauty (Yeosin Gangrim), alongside K-pop groups NEXZ and xikers. The expo brought together major Korean and global brands such as Amorepacific, CJ Foods, CU, and Shopee. According to KOTRA, the exhibition attracted more than 300 companies and approximately 20,000 visitors over three days.

Previously, Delivered Korea participated in the Hallyu Fair held in November at American Dream Mall in the United States, where its pop-up store drew significant attention during the event, which also attracted over 20,000 visitors. Building on that success, the company continued its hands-on reverse cross-border shopping experience at the Kuala Lumpur expo, allowing attendees to see firsthand how Korean products are purchased and delivered directly to overseas consumers.

Visitors gather at the Delivered Korea’s Booth during the 2025 Malaysia Hallyu Expo. (Photo courtesy of Delivered Korea)
Visitors gather at the Delivered Korea’s Booth during the 2025 Malaysia Hallyu Expo. (Photo courtesy of Delivered Korea)

During the exhibition, Delivered Korea demonstrated its role as a cross-border shopping agent, purchasing products on behalf of overseas customers and managing end-to-end international delivery. Powered by an automated price-quotation system and self-operated logistics infrastructure, the platform enables global consumers to access official and authentic Korean products that are often limited to Korea’s domestic market. The booth showcased popular K-pop merchandise from artists such as BTS, ATEEZ, G-Dragon, and Stray Kids, as well as trending Korean lifestyle products, including items from Daiso Korea, reflecting strong regional demand.

According to KOTRA’s Consumer Goods Export Trends and Promising Markets Report, Malaysia ranked second in consumer goods export growth in 2024, with a 14.1% increase, making it one of Korea’s top export markets. Combined with strong local interest in Korean culture, Kuala Lumpur serves as a key gateway for Korean brands entering Southeast Asia’s reverse cross-border e-commerce market.

“Delivered Korea will continue strengthening its platform and logistics capabilities to better connect Korean brands with global consumers,” said Jae Eun Kim, Co-Founder of Delivered Korea.

Delivered Korea’s participation at KBEE Malaysia 2025 highlights its expanding role in Southeast Asia’s cross-border commerce ecosystem and its commitment to supporting the global growth of Korean brands.

[Company Profile]Delivered Korea is a global reverse cross-border e-commerce platform that connects Korean products and brands directly with consumers worldwide. The company provides an integrated solution covering ordering, payment, and international shipping, enabling overseas consumers to purchase Korean products easily and conveniently.

Driven by the global growth of K-beauty, K-fashion, and broader K-content, Delivered Korea plays an active role in strengthening the international distribution capabilities of Korean small and medium-sized enterprises.

Enhance your New Year Celebrations with Delicious Red Gold from Europe Canned Tomatoes.

Versatile and Convenient for Traditional Japanese and Western-Inspired Cuisine.

NAPLES, Italy, Dec. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — As Japan welcomes the New Year, families and food enthusiasts look forward to celebrating with hearty, flavourful dishes that bring warmth and joy to the occasion. Canned tomatoes have become an increasingly popular pantry ingredient, offering a convenient way to create delicious, healthy, and creative recipes inspired by both traditional Japanese and international flavours.

Enjoy canned tomatoes from Europe and Italy in your New Year's Eve recipes.
Enjoy canned tomatoes from Europe and Italy in your New Year’s Eve recipes.

Canned tomatoes are packed at the peak of ripeness and processed without artificial additives, ensuring a natural and fresh taste. Their versatility makes them ideal for a range of New Year dishes—from comforting soups and stews to flavourful pasta sauces and modern Fusion cuisine. Canned tomatoes can enhance your menu with dishes like miso-flavored tomato soup or even a creatively reimagined osechi. Incorporating canned tomatoes not only simplifies cooking but also adds depth and richness to festive meals.

Here’s a simple yet flavourful recipe to elevate a New Year celebration, a comforting and elegant dish that combines the umami richness of miso with the bright acidity of canned tomatoes, making it a perfect starter to celebrate new beginnings.

Tomato and Miso Soup

Ingredients (serve 4):

  • 1 can of chopped tomatoes
  • 3 cups of dashi stock or vegetable stock
  • 2 tablespoons miso paste
  • 1 green onion, sliced
  • ½ cup silken tofu, cubed
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • Fresh spinach or mizuna greens (optional)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

In a pot, bring the dashi or vegetable stock to a gentle simmer. Add the canned tomatoes and simmer for about 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, dissolve the miso paste with a ladleful of dashi or hot stock, then return it to the pot, stirring gently.

Add the cubed tofu and greens if using, simmer for another 2–3 minutes until heated through. Drizzle with sesame oil, season with salt and pepper if needed.

Garnish with sliced green onions and serve hot.

For the New Year, embrace the versatility of EU and Italian canned tomatoes—their rich flavour and convenience help create memorable, nourishing dishes that honour tradition while adding a modern twist.

ABOUT RED GOLD FROM EUROPE & ANICAV

Red Gold is the name of the EU (European Union) co-funded project to spread knowledge about EU preserved (canned) tomatoes, 100% Made in Europe.

ANICAV – the Italian Association of Canned Vegetable Industries – members account for over 60% of all the processed tomatoes in Italy, and nearly all of the whole peeled tomatoes produced in the world (including the internationally well-known San Marzano dell’Agro Sarnese-Nocerino DOP).

For more information and recipes, visit our website https://redgoldfromeurope.jp or follow our follow our social media accounts:

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“Hidden Behind the Dashboard”… LG Innotek Unveils ‘Next-Generation Under-Display Camera’ at CES 2026

  • Global DMS mandates: Europe requires DMS in new vehicles from 2026 while the U.S., China, and Japan actively pursue mandates in the autonomous driving era.
  • AI image restoration: Delivers sharp visuals via AI, increasing design freedom and image quality.
  • Growth of sensing business: Expands camera/LiDAR/Radar solutions, targeting USD 1.4 billion in sales by 2030.

SEOUL, South Korea, Dec. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — On December 26, LG Innotek (CEO Moon Hyuksoo) announced its success in developing a ‘Next-Generation Under-Display Camera Module(UDC)’ installed behind a vehicle’s instrument cluster to monitor the driver, with plans to unveil it at CES 2026.

The UDC is a core component of the Driver Monitoring System (DMS), which integrates a camera and software within the vehicle to continuously monitor the driver. Mounted behind the vehicle’s instrument cluster display, which serves as the dashboard, the UDC remains invisible to the driver and passengers while sensing and monitoring key status indicators such as drowsiness and attention level while on the road.

DMSs are gaining significant attention as essential safety devices to prevent careless driving, particularly as autonomous driving technologies advance. Europe now mandates DMSs in new vehicles from July 2026 under the General Safety Regulation, while the U.S., China, and Japan are considering similar requirements.

The market is increasingly focusing on cameras as the core component of DMSs. The demand for invisible UDCs is thus surging, driven by the need for sophisticated, refined vehicle interior designs that prioritize seamless aesthetics, particularly in the premium and advanced autonomous vehicle segments. The invisible UDC is gaining popularity by alleviating drivers’ psychological discomfort and privacy concerns associated with visible, protruding cameras in DMSs.

Overcoming image quality degradation in DMS cameras, caused by the dashboard display blocking light transmission, has long been a critical industry challenge for under-display technologies. Carmakers have hesitated to adopt UDCs due to such persistent image quality degradation.

To address this challenge, LG Innotek partnered with LG Display—a leader in automotive displays—to launch the joint development of a next-generation UDC in 2024. After about one year of intensive research and development, LG Innotek successfully introduced the industry’s first ‘Next-Generation UDC’, which solves the problem of poor image quality while neatly concealing the camera behind the display.

  • AI image restoration: Delivers sharp visuals via AI, improving design freedom and image quality

Existing DMS cameras typically protrude from the dashboard or steering wheel. By remaining visible to the driver, they hinder clean and refined interior designs.

LG Innotek’s ‘Next-Generation UDC’ mounts seamlessly behind the vehicle display panel serving as the dashboard, rendering the camera completely invisible and undetectable. LG Innotek expects this differentiated invisible design to strongly appeal to high-end automakers seeking premium aesthetics.

LG Innotek’s ‘Next-Generation UDC’ also delivers image quality equivalent to that of existing products. It achieves image fidelity of at least 99% compared to unobstructed cameras positioned directly in front of the driver, without display panel interference. It near-perfectly resolves the inevitable image quality degradation caused by mounting a camera behind the display panel.

Clear picture quality stands as a key element of DMS camera performance, requiring the ability to accurately detect the driver’s facial expressions, eye blinking, and head movements. However, existing UDCs suffer from views obscured by the display panel, degrading image quality by about 30% compared to standard DMS cameras.

LG Innotek applied its independently developed ‘AI image restoration software’ to resolve the persistent image quality degradation issue. The company’s software perfectly recovers degraded image quality using algorithms such as deblur (converting fuzzy images to clear ones) and denoise (removing noise captured during imaging). Carmakers are closely watching LG Innotek’s ‘Next-Generation UDC’ for its breakthrough performance.

The company plans to continuously enhance this ‘Next-Generation UDC’ capabilities. An LG Innotek official stated, “Going forward, the ‘Next-Generation UDC’ will recognize colors and passengers as well as the driver, enabling customized conveniences such as seat adjustment and interior temperature setting.”

  • Growth of sensing business Expands camera/LiDAR/Radar solutions, targeting USD 1.4 billion in sales by 2030

With the development of this ‘Next-Generation UDC’, LG Innotek has strengthened its lineup of autonomous driving sensing solutions, covering both in-cabin and exterior vehicle monitoring.

The company aims to lead the global market by launching integrated solutions that combine vehicle camera modules, LiDAR, and Radar, leveraging its leadership in smartphone camera modules to establish itself as a ‘leading provider of autonomous driving sensing solutions’.

Last year, LG Innotek launched a high-performance heated camera that halves snow and frost removal time as well as an ‘RGB-IR in-cabin camera module’ that monitors both driver and passengers through a single unit.

In July this year, LG Innotek signed a strategic partnership with Aeva, a leading U.S. LiDAR technology company. In September, it also made an equity investment in Smart Radar System, a Korean firm specializing in 4D imaging radar technology, to secure advanced autonomous driving sensing solutions.

CEO Moon Hyuksoo stated, “LG Innotek aims to grow its vehicle sensing solutions business to USD 1.4 billion in sales by 2030. By continuously delivering innovative components that provide distinguished customer value, we will become a trusted technology partner that realizes our customers’ visions.”

According to S&P Global, the global in-cabin camera module market is projected to grow from USD 1.8 billion in 2025 to USD 5.1 billion in 2035, at a CAGR of 11%.

LG Innotek staff introducing the 'Next-Generation Under-Display Camera (UDC) module'.
LG Innotek staff introducing the ‘Next-Generation Under-Display Camera (UDC) module’.

Remembering Lou Gerstner

ARMONK, N.Y., Dec. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The following is the text of an email sent today to all IBM employees by Chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna:

Lou Gerstner
Lou Gerstner

IBMers, 

I am saddened to share that Lou Gerstner, IBM’s Chairman and CEO from 1993 to 2002, passed away yesterday.

Lou arrived at IBM at a moment when the company’s future was genuinely uncertain. The industry was changing rapidly, our business was under pressure, and there was serious debate about whether IBM should even remain whole. His leadership during that period reshaped the company. Not by looking backward, but by focusing relentlessly on what our clients would need next. 

One of Lou’s earliest signals as CEO has become part of IBM lore. Early on, he stopped a long internal presentation and said, simply, “Let’s just talk.” The message was clear: less inward focus, more real discussion, and much closer attention to customers. That mindset would define his tenure. 

Lou believed one of IBM’s central problems was that we had become optimized around our own processes, debates, and structures rather than around client outcomes. As he later put it, the company had lost sight of a basic truth of business: understanding the customer and delivering what the customer actually values. 

That insight drove real change. Meetings became more direct. Decisions were grounded more in facts and client impact than in hierarchy or tradition. Innovation mattered if it could translate into something clients would come to rely on. Execution in the quarter and the year mattered, but always in service of longer-term relevance. 

Lou made what may have been the most consequential decision in IBM’s modern history: to keep IBM together. At the time, the company was organized into many separate businesses, each pursuing its own path. Lou understood that clients didn’t want fragmented technology—they wanted integrated solutions. That conviction shaped IBM’s evolution and reestablished our relevance for many of the world’s largest enterprises. 

Lou also understood that strategy alone would not be enough. He believed lasting change required a shift in culture—in how people behave when no one is watching. What mattered was what IBMers valued, how honestly they confronted reality, and how willing they were to challenge themselves and each other. Rather than discard IBM’s long-standing values, he pushed the company to renew them to meet the demands of a very different era. 

I have my own memory of Lou from the mid-1990s, at a small town hall with a few hundred people. What stood out was his intensity and focus. He had an ability to hold the short term and the long term in his head at the same time. He pushed hard on delivery, but he was equally focused on innovation: doing work that clients would remember, not just consume. 

Lou stayed engaged with IBM long after his tenure ended. From my first days as CEO, he was generous with advice—but always careful in how he gave it. He would offer perspective, then say, “I’ve been gone a long time—I’m here if you need me.” He listened closely to what others were saying about IBM and reflected it back candidly.  

That neutral, experienced voice mattered to me, and I was fortunate to learn from Lou on a regular basis. 

Lou was direct. He expected preparation. He challenged assumptions. But he was deeply committed to building a company that could adapt—culturally as much as strategically—without losing its core values. 

Lou’s impact extended well beyond IBM. Before joining the company, he had already built an extraordinary career—becoming one of the youngest partners at McKinsey & Company, later serving as president of American Express and CEO of RJR Nabisco. After IBM, he went on to chair The Carlyle Group and devoted significant time and resources to philanthropy, particularly in education and biomedical research. A native of Long Island, NY, Lou earned his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth and an MBA from Harvard, and he remained deeply devoted to his family throughout his life. Lou was preceded in death by his son Louis Gerstner III. 

We will hold a celebration in the new year to reflect on Lou’s legacy and what his leadership enabled at IBM. 

My thoughts are with Lou’s wife Robin, his daughter Elizabeth, his grandchildren and extended family, as well as his many friends, colleagues, and people around the world who were shaped by his leadership and his work.

Media Contact:
IBM Pressroom
ibmpress@us.ibm.com

IBM Corporation logo.
IBM Corporation logo.

 

CNN’s Tomorrow Transformed explores global innovations powering a greener future

HONG KONG, Dec. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — CNN’s Tomorrow Transformed examines how society and businesses are changing through innovation and technology, and what this means for the future. The latest episode examines the diverse innovations driving a cleaner future – from making the aviation industry greener through sustainable jet fuel to advancing solar efficiency and developing revolutionary hydrogen power solutions.


Tomorrow Transformed travels to Sydney, Australia, to explore the global energy revolution being led by the University of New South Wales (UNSW). Known as a “hotbed of innovation” in photovoltaics, the institution is home to Professor Martin Green, the “father of solar energy,” whose PERC Cell design is used in over 90% of solar cells installed worldwide. At UNSW, Professor Ned Ekins-Daukes and PhD student Jamie Harrison are demonstrating how thermodynamics can be used to harvest energy as heat leaves the earth’s surface for the cold sky. While solar now provides the cheapest energy in history, researchers are pushing further to eliminate manufacturing bottlenecks. Vince Allen, co-founder of the startup SunDrive, is pioneering a shift away from expensive and rare silver in solar cell production, replacing it with copper – a material that is 1000 times more abundant and 100 times cheaper.

The journey continues to Cape Town, South Africa, where HYENA (Hydrogen Energy Applications) is reimagining how the world’s most abundant element can provide reliable power to the African continent. CNN speaks with HYENA co-founder Jack Fletcher to explore how their “Power Pod” technology uses hydrogen to offer a quieter, more efficient, and significantly cleaner alternative to traditional diesel generators. By converting available fuels like LPG into electricity via a chemical process rather than combustion, the system drastically reduces emissions and eliminates the noise of a standard engine.

Lastly, Tomorrow Transformed visits Hong Kong-based biofuels company, EcoCeres, in the southern region of Johor in Malaysia. A global leader in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), EcoCeres is helping to power a more environmentally friendly future for air travel through advanced, low carbon jet fuel made from renewable resources.

In its state-of-the-art biorefinery, the company is re-engineering waste and residue oil, known as ‘feedstock’, from food factories, palm oil mills and restaurants across the region. The end product is an eco jet fuel that has the right freezing point and structure for flying at cruising altitude, ready to be pumped directly into waiting airplanes. At full capacity, the biorefinery will be able to produce 420,000 tonnes of fuel per year, with large quantities of SAF powering partner airlines including Cathay Pacific, Qantas and British Airways.

Matti Lievonen, CEO of EcoCeres, though proud of the science behind transforming waste feedstock into a viable jet fuel alternative, states that the real innovation is in the system his company has in place. EcoCeres is actively expanding its presence across Southeast Asia to complement its existing refinery and strong feedstock network in China and is looking to replicate this model in other markets.

In the very near future, the next flight you take may be powered by recycled cooking oil from a restaurant in Beijing, street food stalls in Malaysia or from a factory that produces your favourite brand of potato chips.

Tomorrow Transformed trailers: https://bit.ly/3KWFFfF
Tomorrow Transformed images: https://bit.ly/4jb0DE9 

Airtimes for 30-minute special:
Sunday, 28th December at 5am, 12pm and 8pm HKT

About CNN International  

CNN’s portfolio of news and information services is available in seven different languages across all major TV, digital and mobile platforms, reaching more than 379 million households around the globe. CNN International is the number one international TV news channel according to all major media surveys across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Asia Pacific region, and Latin America and has a US presence that includes CNNgo. CNN Digital is a leading network for online news, mobile news and social media. CNN is at the forefront of digital innovation and continues to invest heavily in expanding its digital global footprint, with a suite of award-winning digital properties and a range of strategic content partnerships, commercialised through a strong data-driven understanding of audience behaviours. CNN has won multiple prestigious awards around the world for its journalism. Around 1,000 hours of long-form series, documentaries and specials are produced every year by CNNI’s non-news programming division. CNN has 36 editorial offices and more than 1,100 affiliates worldwide through CNN Newsource. CNN International is a Warner Bros. Discovery company.

LG Display showcases wide lineup of world-first, leading OLED monitors

SEOUL, South Korea, Dec. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — LG Display, the world’s leading innovator of display technologies, is set to rewrite industry records once again at CES 2026, the world’s largest IT and consumer electronics exhibition.

LG Display's 39-inch 5K2K Gaming OLED panel
LG Display’s 39-inch 5K2K Gaming OLED panel

During the Las Vegas show from January 6 to 9, LG Display will unveil a wide lineup of technologies and products that set new records among existing Gaming OLED panels, including the world’s highest refresh rate of 720Hz and response time of 0.02ms, the world’s first 39-inch 5K2K panel, and the world’s first 240Hz panel with an RGB stripe pixel structure.

A full showcase of Gaming OLED panels with overwhelming performance — world-first refresh rate, resolution, and pixel structure

LG Display is presenting a 27-inch Gaming OLED panel at CES 2026 that achieves a refresh rate of 720Hz — the fastest among all Gaming OLED panels currently available. Refresh rate refers to the number of times per second a screen updates, so 720Hz means the screen refreshes 720 times per second. LG Display is the first to achieve such an ultra-high refresh rate on an OLED panel.

This product also offers a response time of up to 0.02ms, which is over 150 times faster than the average response time of LCD panels. The combination of an ultra-high refresh rate and ultra-fast response time eliminates afterimages and motion blur completely, even during rapid on-screen transitions.

The world’s first 39-inch 5K2K Gaming OLED panel will also be unveiled at the show. LG Display is currently the only manufacturer worldwide producing 39-inch OLED panels. These curved displays, designed with a 21:9 aspect ratio and 1500R curvature, deliver the ultimate immersive viewing experience with ultra-high resolution that surpasses UHD — ideal for content creators such as video editors and cinematographers. Visitors will also get to witness the world’s first OLED panel featuring a 240Hz RGB stripe pixel structure. In addition to its high 240Hz refresh rate that ensures excellent gaming performance, it enables highly detailed and crisp graphic reproduction at 160 pixels per inch (ppi). Optimized for common computer operating systems, its precise pixel structure allows for perfectly sharp text and color representation.

New large-sized OLED technology, Primary RGB Tandem 2.0, to be applied to all 2026 gaming monitors

LG Display also plans to apply its new Tandem WOLED technology, Primary RGB Tandem 2.0, to all Gaming OLED panels launching in 2026.

The company first unveiled its Primary RGB Tandem technology last year — the world’s first OLED stack structure in which each of the three primary colors of light (red, green, and blue) is formed as an independent emission layer. The newly upgraded Primary RGB Tandem 2.0 adopts an even more optimized pixel structure and advanced algorithms.

Through this innovation, LG Display’s Gaming OLED panels can achieve peak brightness of up to 1,500 nits, deliver perfect blacks with HDR True Black 500, and reproduce up to 99.5% of the DIC color gamut, offering true-to-life picture quality.

“With unmatched refresh rates, resolution, and response times that every gamer dreams of, LG Display is solidifying the unique strength of its OLED panels and enhancing global competitiveness,” said Lee Hyun-woo, Head of the Large Display Business Unit at LG Display. He added, “As demand for OLED monitors continues to grow, we plan to accelerate expansion into the market beginning next year, led by world-best and world-first technologies.”

About LG Display

LG Display Co., Ltd. [NYSE: LPL, KRX: 034220] is the world’s leading innovator of display technologies, including thin-film transistor liquid crystal and OLED displays. The company manufactures display panels in a broad range of sizes and specifications primarily for use in TVs, notebook computers, desktop monitors, automobiles, and various other applications, including tablets and mobile devices. LG Display currently operates manufacturing facilities in Korea and China, and back-end assembly facilities in Korea, China, and Vietnam. The company has approximately 70,707 employees operating worldwide. For more news and information about LG Display, please visit www.lgdisplay.com.

Media Contact:
Joo Yeon Jennifer Ha, Team Leader, Communication Team
Email: hjy05@lgdisplay.com

SK Telecom Unveils A.X K1, Korea’s First 500B-Scale Hyperscale AI Model

  • SKT consortium conducts Korean government’s ‘Sovereign AI Foundation Model’ project with A.X K1, positioning Korea for Global Top 3 AI Powers
  • A.X K1: Korea’s first ‘Teacher Model’ for smaller and specialized applications
  • SK Telecom realizes AI as public good, advancing Korean government’s ‘AI for Everyone’ with 20 million-user service foundation
  • SKT consortium’s full-stack AI ecosystem positioned to serve as national AI infrastructure

SEOUL, South Korea, Dec. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — SK Telecom (NYSE: SKM) today unveiled ‘A.X K1,’ Korea’s first hyperscale artificial intelligence (AI) model with 519 billion (519B) parameters.

A.X K1 (519B-A33B) is poised to serve as the core foundation for Korea’s ambition to become a top-three global player in the AI race, following the U.S. and China. The model marks the beginning of a full-stack AI ecosystem, encompassing all areas from semiconductors to services.

500BScale to Power Korea’s AI Ecosystem as a ‘Teacher Model’

A.X K1, Korea’s first hyperscale AI model, represents a significant milestone in enhancing the global competitiveness of Korean AI within a landscape currently dominated by the U.S. and China.

Unlike knowledge-consuming AI models, A.X K1 functions as a ‘Teacher Model’ — a provider of knowledge — enabling knowledge transfer to smaller models, particularly those below the 70B-scale. It also serves as foundational digital social overhead capital (SOC) for the AI ecosystem. The SKT consortium will expand research to enable A.X K1 to transfer knowledge to smaller and specialized models, driving innovation for Korea.

At scales above 500 billion parameters, AI models demonstrate more stable performance in complex mathematical reasoning and multilingual understanding, according to global cases. These enhanced capabilities enable advanced tasks such as high-complexity coding and agent-based execution.

Promotes AI as Public Good, Advancing ‘AI for Everyone’ Through Services Already in Active Nationwide Use

The SKT consortium plans to strengthen nationwide AI accessibility by offering A.X K1 through A. (A-DoT), which has over 10 million subscribers. The consortium aims to build an ‘AI for Everyone’ framework, enabling the public to easily access AI via phone calls, text messages, the web and applications.

Liner, a member of the SKT consortium, operates expert knowledge search services for more than 11 million global subscribers. Expectations are high that it will provide highly accurate and reliable search services in multiple languages with A.X K1.

A.X K1 is also expected to boost industrial competitiveness through AIX — including solutions such as A. Biz for manufacturing, real-time character dialogue and autonomous behavior in Krafton’s games, and humanoid AI robots.

Additionally, A.X K1 will serve as a testbed to validate the competitiveness of Korea’s semiconductor industry. An AI model capable of operating at a non-standard scale of workload (500B or more) is indispensable for practically verifying memory bandwidth and inter-GPU communication speed, which are key performance bottlenecks in high-performance AI semiconductors.

Building a Full-Stack AI to Advance Korea’s Global Top-Three AI Strategy

The SKT consortium’s business strategy, including SK Telecom’s 500B-scale AI model, aligns with Korea’s national goal of becoming one of the world’s top three AI nations.

In this global race, success depends not only in the performance of individual models but also on a nation’s ability to scale and operate AI at a national level.

The SK Telecom-led SKT consortium includes eight organizations: SK Telecom, Krafton, 42dot, Rebellions, Liner, SelectStar, Seoul National University, and KAIST. Together, they have built a full-stack sovereign AI platform based entirely on proprietary technologies across the entire value chain, including AI semiconductors, AI data centers (AIDCs), AI models and AI services.

Building on LLM development efforts since 2018, each consortium member contributed specialized expertise: Liner enhanced accuracy through expert-level information retrieval technology; SelectStar ensured reliability through large-scale data construction and validation; Krafton provided scalability from global multimodal R&D experience; 42dot strengthened versatility through its on-device AI technology; and Rebellions improved efficiency with domestically developed NPU technology.

Already, more than 20 institutions, including major affiliates such as SK hynix, SK Innovation, SK Broadband, the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies and the Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies, have submitted letters of intent to participate. These institutions have agreed to utilize and validate A.X K1 together in real-world field settings.

The consortium plans to release A.X K1 as open-source to companies across Korea’s AI ecosystem. Through major developer communities and SK Telecom platforms, the consortium will provide open-source access and APIs to foster an environment for seamless AI agent development.

Additionally, the consortium will establish an integrated support framework for AI model development and disclose portions of the training data used for model development through public and private platforms, boosting Korea’s overall AI competitiveness.

“This marks a new inflection point in Korea’s journey toward becoming one of the world’s top three AI nations amid intensifying global competition,” said Kim Tae-yoon, Head of Foundation Model Office at SK Telecom. “As Korea’s leading AI company, we will continue driving our efforts to deliver AI for Everyone.”

About SK Telecom

SK Telecom has been leading the growth of the mobile industry since 1984. Now, it is taking customer experience to new heights by extending beyond connectivity. By placing AI at the core of its business, SK Telecom is rapidly transforming into an AI company with a strong global presence. It is focusing on driving innovations in areas of AI Infrastructure, AI Transformation (AIX) and AI Service to deliver greater value for industry, society, and life.

For more information, please visit our LinkedIn page www.linkedin.com/company/sk-telecom.

RKTech Invests in Entropy, Unlocking Access to Two Million LATAM Technology Professionals

DALLAS, Dec. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — RKTech announced a strategic investment in Entropy, a fast-growing U.S. IT services firm with a strong presence across seven countries in Latin America and Europe. This marks RKTech’s first investment in a U.S. firm since receiving strategic backing from Sumitomo – one of the biggest Japanese conglomerates.

The investment expands RKTech’s global delivery capabilities and unlocks direct access to Latin America’s deep and growing technology talent market.

Latin America has emerged as a preferred nearshore destination for U.S. businesses due to its strong time zone alignment and cultural proximity, enabling faster and more effective collaboration.

As a result, this partnership advances RKTech’s Best Shore Initiative – a hybrid delivery model combining onshore expertise, nearshore agility, and offshore scale. By integrating Entropy’s nearshore teams with their offshore operations, RKTech strengthens communication, facilitates continuous delivery cycles, and improves development speed.

This ability to deliver cost efficiency, speed, and scale has become increasingly critical as businesses demand clearer ROI amid AI disruption and tightening H1B constraint.

According to RKTech CEO Tung Bui:
“Expanding into Latin America, following Sumitomo’s investment, strengthens RKTech’s global delivery model. Combined with our established Centers of Excellence in Asia, this partnership allows us to address time zone gaps and scale effectively for global clients.”

Gerardo Rosciano, Co-Founder of Entropy, added:
“Entropy has always focused on delivering not just great engineers, but the right engineers for each client’s needs. With RKTech, we can expand coverage across time zones, offer a broader range of pricing and skill sets, and scale our delivery model globally, without compromising quality”

Looking ahead, RKTech is excited to leverage this expanded global delivery model to empower client growth in the U.S. and around the world.

About RKTech:

RKTech, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is a subsidiary of Rikkeisoft, Vietnam’s largest private technology company and an affiliated company of Sumitomo Corporation, one of Japan’s most respected global conglomerates. Leveraging a 2,000+-strong engineering organization and deep talent networks across Vietnam, Japan, Argentina, and India, RKTech delivers technology solutions across IoT and firmware, AI and data, cloud, and enterprise applications.

About Entropy

Entropy is a Miami-based IT services firm delivering high-quality engineering through top-tier talent across Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Spain, Italia, and Portugal. Its strong delivery discipline and a human-centered approach enable the company to build high-performing teams with rapid onboarding and high retention.