00:02You're listening to AI PRISM from Seoul Economic Daily.
00:06Three boardroom decisions playing out in Korea today.
00:09Korea just landed a nuclear framework worth an estimated $1.5 trillion.
00:14LG's chairman signed a group-wide AI alliance with Microsoft.
00:18And Korean battery makers are committing $8.4 trillion to leapfrog China's low-cost competition.
00:24It's Wednesday, September 23rd.
00:26Let's look at a business story shaping corporate Korea.
00:29Korea's biggest industrial groups are moving simultaneously on nuclear exports,
00:34AI infrastructure, and battery technology this week.
00:37Each move reflects a shift from selling individual products
00:40to building strategic, government-backed partnerships with global players.
00:45The common thread is competing for position in industries where the U.S. and China
00:49are both racing to lock in supply chains.
00:51Here's what the numbers show.
00:53Korea and the U.S. agreed on a nuclear framework covering eight reactors,
00:58including two of Korea's APR-1400 design, opening a market worth an estimated $1.5 trillion.
01:05The deal also redirects $10 billion of Korea's promised U.S. investment
01:10into orders for Korean nuclear equipment makers instead of a straight cash payment.
01:15LG chairman Ku Kuang-mo signed a strategic AI partnership with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella,
01:21combining LG's cooling, battery, and data center construction units into one package for Microsoft's global data centers.
01:29Korea's government and battery makers will invest $8.4 trillion won by 2030 in sodium-ion and solid-state battery
01:37technology
01:38to counter falling market share against Chinese rivals.
01:41Korean battery makers' European market share fell from 55% in 2023 to 35% in 2025,
01:49while Chinese competitors' share rose from 42% to 61% over the same period.
01:55Google is expanding its TPU chip supply beyond its own cloud platform,
01:59positioning Korea as a key data center hub within a planned $550 trillion won in private AI infrastructure investment by
02:072029.
02:08Musinsa converted all of its preferred shares to common stock, cutting its debt ratio from 812% toward an expected
02:16130% to 140%,
02:19clearing a path toward its planned IPO next year.
02:22Wall Street sentiment toward data center.
02:24IPOs is cooling, with SoftBank's SB Energy delaying its listing past a targeted $50 billion valuation.
02:32So what does this mean for corporate Korea?
02:34Earlier, we said Korea landed a nuclear framework worth an estimated $1.5 trillion.
02:40Here's what that actually means for you.
02:43This week's moves show Korean conglomerates shifting from being suppliers to being strategic partners with Washington and global tech giants,
02:50which changes how boards should think about capital allocation and country risk.
02:55Watch three things.
02:56How quickly the nuclear framework converts into signed contracts for Korean suppliers.
03:00Whether LG's Microsoft Alliance expands beyond cooling into full AI infrastructure deals.
03:06And whether battery makers $8.4 trillion won bet.
03:09Actually closes the gap with Chinese rivals by 2030.
03:12That's today's AI Prism, CEO.
03:15This episode was produced with AI assistance based on Seoul Economic Daily reporting and reviewed by a human editor.
03:22AI Prism is a Juan Ifra award-winning series.
03:25We'll be back tomorrow.
03:27You've been listening to AI Prism from Seoul Economic Daily.
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