Why Hong Kong is losing ground in AI data centre race as Malaysia, Singapore advance

South China Morning Post - Nov 13, 2026

From large factory premises in Tseung Kwan O to compact, multilayered industrial buildings in Kwai Chung, data centres are spreading into every corner of Hong Kong. The outlook once appeared promising. Property consultancy Cushman & Wakefield ranked the city the fourth-best data centre market globally in 2023, while the government had branded Hong Kong a “prime location for data centres”. But reality has been less kind. Hong Kong was not even among the top 10 Asia-Pacific markets in the...

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How a close friend of labor activist Jeon Tae-il keeps his legacy alive

Choi Jong-in, 78, still aches for his friend Jeon Tae-il, who was just 22. When Jeon set himself on fire in the middle of Pyeonghwa Market in Seoul's Jung District on Nov. 13, 1970, Choi was the first to rush to his side, taking off his jacket to smother the flames. “His hair was burning and curling like nylon fabric, his lips were turning inside out, but he sprang back to his feet and shouted, ‘We are not machines!” More than half a century has passed, and one might expect Choi to recount the incident with the composure of an elderly man who has come to terms with life. But for a while, he cannot bring himself to continue. He has never really given an interview about Jeon. While Jeon's mother, the late Lee So-sun (who died in 2011), was alive, Choi says he held back because he did not want to cause her further grief. Even after she passed away and was reunited with her son, he found it too painful to speak. The trauma never entirely left him, but it did not break him. Instead, he turned his guilt over losing Jeon, chairman of the Samdong Friendship Association (Samdonghoe), into a

How a close friend of labor activist Jeon Tae-il keeps his legacy alive

'I'd rather stay an intern': Why some Gen Z workers in Korea are choosing less responsibility

For some young Korean workers, leaving the office on time matters more than finishing every task, and avoiding the responsibilities of a permanent position can be more appealing than climbing the corporate ladder. These attitudes are emerging among members of Generation Z, who are challenging workplace expectations long shaped by loyalty, overtime and deference to senior colleagues. In a roundtable discussion organized by the Hankook Ilbo, young participants shared their views on work, career advancement and workplace relationships, revealing both generational differences and contradictions in their own approaches to professional life. Their experiences suggest that while younger employees increasingly demand clearer boundaries and more explicit instructions, they sometimes struggle to meet those same expectations when they become responsible for guiding others. Leaving work on time, even with tasks unfinished For Korea's Generation X, now largely in their 50s, staying late at the office was once considered a badge of dedication. In her 2000 novel "A Very Old Joke," acclaimed Korean author

'I'd rather stay an intern': Why some Gen Z workers in Korea are choosing less responsibility

[WEEKENDER] Samsung Guide Dog School marks 33 years of changing lives

Samsung Guide Dog School, which marks its 33rd anniversary this year, is Korea’s first guide dog training institution and the world’s only guide dog school operated by a single corporation, with its operations fully funded by Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance. The school was established in September 1993 by late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee as part of efforts to foster greater understanding and acceptance of people with disabilities. At the time, corporate involvement in guide dog training was unprecedented worldwide. The school became a full member of the International Guide Dog Federation in 1999 and went on to host the organization's general assembly in Korea in 2002. Lee was also honored by the federation that year for his efforts to raise awareness of people with disabilities. Since its first guide dog, Bada, was paired with a visually impaired person in 1994, the school has provided more than 320 guide dogs to visually impaired partners free of charge. Its responsibilities extend beyond raising and training guide dogs. The school also teaches visually impaired partners how

[WEEKENDER] Samsung Guide Dog School marks 33 years of changing lives

[WEEKENDER] How guide dogs and humans become partners

Completing professional training does not mean a guide dog is immediately ready to accompany a visually impaired person. The dog must first be matched with a suitable partner, and the two must learn to walk and live together. Few understand this process better than Yoo Seok-jong of Samsung Guide Dog School. Born with a visual impairment, Yoo now lives with his fifth guide dog. Drawing on his own experience, he helps visually impaired people find dogs suited to their needs and lifestyles. During an interview at the school in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on Nov. 2, Yoo was accompanied by Gori, a 5-year-old demonstration dog. Yoo's own guide dog was at a veterinary clinic after falling ill that morning. Friendly and sociable, Gori normally helps introduce visitors to guide dogs and accompanies visually impaired people on trial walks. Yoo said one of the most important factors in matching a guide dog with a prospective partner is walking speed. "The person's walking speed needs to match the dog's natural pace," he said. "Trying to force either one to adjust can be difficult." Temperament is equa

[WEEKENDER] How guide dogs and humans become partners

[WEEKENDER] A day with Jerry, guide dog in training

As Jerry, a Labrador retriever, approached a crosswalk, he came to a stop at the curb. His trainer, Keum Jung-hun, had given no command. Jerry simply recognized the boundary between the sidewalk and the road and stopped on his own. Keum pressed a small device, producing a sharp click. Known as a clicker, the tool signals that Jerry has performed a task correctly. "It means he did a good job," Keum explained. "Verbal praise takes time, but a clicker lets us mark the exact moment he does something right." Jerry is an almost 2-year old guide dog in training. The Korea Times met him during a training session at Samsung Guide Dog School on Nov. 2. The school in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, is fully funded by Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance. After six to seven months of professional training, he has passed his final walking assessment and is now completing the remaining steps before being paired with a visually impaired partner. Accompanying Jerry and Keum on their morning training walk outside the school grounds near Bundang Central Park in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, revealed that guide dog tr

[WEEKENDER] A day with Jerry, guide dog in training

China's memory makers are catching up. What happens when they do?

The memory business has rarely had it this good, thanks to the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. Korea’s chipmakers are reporting extraordinary earnings and unusual confidence that the good times will last. SK hynix’s third-quarter operating profit rose more than sevenfold to 83.3 trillion won ($62 billion), an operating margin of almost 80 percent. Samsung Electronics’ rose nearly ninefold to 107.4 trillion won, with its memory business setting records of its own. Across the West Sea, China’s challengers are sharing in the windfall. ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) remains far smaller, but its quarterly revenue rose more than sevenfold to 118.7 billion yuan ($17.8 billion), with a net profit attributable to shareholders of 54.4 billion yuan, reversing years of losses. CXMT and Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC) are the twin pillars of China’s drive for memory self-sufficiency, part of Beijing’s broader pursuit of technological independence facing U.S. export restrictions. Fresh capital, new factories and increasingly sophisticated technology are helping them challenge th

China's memory makers are catching up. What happens when they do?

Lee's approval rating falls back below 40%: poll

President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating slipped back to 39 percent this week, a weekly poll showed Friday, amid negative sentiment over his real estate policies and economic concerns. The survey, conducted by Gallup Korea from Tuesday through Thursday on 1,002 people aged 18 and older, showed that positive assessments of Lee's performance fell 2 percentage points from the previous week, when the figure stood at 41 percent. Lee's approval rating has fluctuated around the 40 percent mark in recent weeks after hitting a low of 37 percent in October. Those who disapproved of Lee's handling of state affairs remained unchanged from the previous week at 50 percent. Real estate policies were cited the most by those who disapproved of Lee's performance at 17 percent, followed by economic and livelihood concerns at 15 percent. Among those who positively assessed Lee's performance, 19 percent cited economic and livelihood issues, followed by diplomacy at 17 percent and communication at 9 percent. The latest survey came amid political disputes over a controversial special counsel bill over allegatio

Lee's approval rating falls back below 40%: poll

Seoul files criminal complaints against 5 serial 119 prank callers

For the emergency dispatchers staffing Seoul’s 119 hotline — Korea’s equivalent of 911 — every second counts. Yet over the past year, a handful of individuals treated the city’s critical lifeline for fires, accidents, and medical emergencies as a personal bulletin board, a late-night cab service, and a sounding board for drunken rants. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Friday that it had filed criminal complaints against five habitual callers who collectively flooded the 119 emergency dispatch center with 8,710 non-emergency calls and text messages between September 2025 and August 2026. The barrage intensified sharply over the summer. Between June and August alone, the five individuals accounted for 4,034 separate contacts — an average of more than 40 disruptions a day. Among the worst offenders, one individual placed 2,661 phone calls, while another sent 2,886 text messages. According to the Seoul Emergency Operations Center, the nature of the contacts ranged from perplexing to blatantly disruptive. Dispatchers fielded silent calls where nobody spoke on the line, inco

Seoul files criminal complaints against 5 serial 119 prank callers

Gov't holds first task force meeting to ease living costs for wage earners

Korea on Friday held the inaugural meeting of a new task force aimed at developing policies to reduce living costs and boost real disposable income for wage earners. First Vice Finance Minister Kwon Dae-young chaired the meeting with officials from relevant ministries to discuss detailed implementation plans following the presidential office's announcement of the initiative this week. The task force comprises four working groups covering existing support measures, taxation, fiscal policy and finance, respectively, to identify practical ways to achieve those goals. The new team will focus particularly on helping workers cope with labor market changes driven by structural changes in industry, along with the growing financial burden of caring for children and elderly parents. Other key goals will include helping workers build assets, improve job security and manage their health. "The measures in the 2026 tax revision bill and next year's budget proposal are directly linked to wage earners' household finances next year," Kwon said. "While respecting deliberations at the National Assembly, we w

Gov't holds first task force meeting to ease living costs for wage earners

Thunderstorms to hit Hong Kong on Friday ahead of colder weather next week

Hong Kong is set for heavy showers and thunderstorms from Friday night, with urban area temperatures forecast to fall to as low as 19 degrees Celsius (66 Fahrenheit) next week as a cold front reaches the Guangdong coast. The Hong Kong Observatory said upper-air disturbances would bring showers and a few squally thunderstorms to southern China on Friday and Saturday. The city will see sunny periods on Friday, but showers will develop in the afternoon and intensify at night, accompanied by...

Thunderstorms to hit Hong Kong on Friday ahead of colder weather next week

Jensen Huang’s departure may signal tighter US controls on AI chip exports to China

Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang’s abrupt departure has raised fresh questions about the future of US-China technology ties, as observers weigh the potential fallout from Washington’s policy on advanced AI chip exports to China. The timing is particularly sensitive, with US lawmakers debating an annual defence authorisation bill amid growing calls to tighten restrictions on China’s access to advanced AI chips. Ling Chen, an associate professor of political economy at Johns Hopkins University,...

Jensen Huang’s departure may signal tighter US controls on AI chip exports to China

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