Apple, HP Query Samsung on Strike Risk, Signal Supply Chain Shift

* Editor's Note: 'AI PRISM' (Personalized Report & Insight Summarizing Media) is an 'AI-based personalized news recommendation and summary service' developed with support from the Korea Press Foundation. It curates and delivers six tailored news items by reader type.

- Key Summary: Ahead of the general strike on the 21st, Samsung Electronics' labor and management have entered post-mediation talks at the NLRC, but the union is holding firm on demands for bonuses worth 15% of operating profit and the abolition of the bonus cap, leaving little room for a deal. Working-level officials at big-tech clients including Apple and HP have repeatedly inquired with Samsung about strike contingency plans, and AMCHAM has officially warned of supply bottlenecks, heightened price volatility, and accelerated diversification of global supply chains. JP Morgan projected that a strike would cut Samsung Electronics' annual operating profit by 40 trillion won and inflict cascading damage on suppliers. PC makers including HP have already begun reviewing the adoption of Chinese DRAM from CXMT, suggesting the supply chain departure scenario is becoming reality.

- Key Summary: Korea South-East Power has earmarked 1.227 billion won for an AI infrastructure expansion project specifying eight Nvidia Blackwell B300 units; Korea Expressway Corporation has issued a tender for servers with six or more H200s, and Korea Venture Investment for servers with four or more H200s. The industry assesses that the systems these public institutions adopted could also be built with domestic NPUs from Rebellions or FuriosaAI. Analysts say that for public institutions, the choice prioritized verified performance, maintenance stability, and compatibility with existing software ecosystems. Lee Sung-yeop, professor at Korea University, said that since government budgets are being used, pilot adoption efforts and training programs on domestic NPUs for public-sector IT staff are needed.

- Key Summary: The Ministry of Economy and Finance plans to announce a tax law revision in late July offering additional corporate and property tax cuts to companies that increase investment, hiring, and R&D in regional areas. The plan expands tax benefits previously limited to "companies relocating to regions" to encompass overall corporate management activities, providing differentiated support for non-capital-area firms. Currently, companies relocating to growth-promotion zones receive a 10-year corporate tax exemption followed by a 50% reduction for five years. A region-differentiated corporate tax rate plan was ultimately excluded due to practical concerns including "cherry-picking." Companies with offices or manufacturing bases in non-capital regions need to proactively review the eligibility scope and application criteria of the revision before July.

- Key Summary: Alphabet's shares surged 34% in April, lifting its market cap to $4.83 trillion and narrowing the gap with Nvidia ($5.23 trillion) from $750 billion at the end of last year to $400 billion. In contrast to Nvidia's 6.3% share rise over the same period, Alphabet is being re-rated as the dominant player in an AI full-stack ecosystem encompassing Search, Cloud, Gemini, and TPU. The CIO of Cookson Peirce Wealth Management said, "Alphabet's business mix is the optimal configuration for the ultimate winner in the AI era." However, with only 5.4% upside to Wall Street's average price target and Nvidia's $40 billion in equity investments across AI infrastructure this year, variables remain.

[[LINK_4]]5. Trump: "Could Strike Iran for Two More Weeks"… China's Mediation Is Last Hope[[/LINK_4]]

- Key Summary: A ceasefire deal collapsed after Iran rejected U.S. demands including a uranium enrichment moratorium and immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, with President Trump escalating his rhetoric, saying he "could attack Iran for two more weeks." The U.S.-China summit in Beijing on the 14th has emerged as effectively the last diplomatic breakthrough, with the U.S. ramping up pressure by imposing successive sanctions on Chinese refiners ahead of the meeting. Beyond Iran, the U.S.-China summit will cover broad agendas including the establishment of trade and investment committees, security including nuclear weapons, and AI issues. If risks of a Hormuz blockade and Middle East oil supply instability persist, energy costs and logistics volatility could rise, requiring companies with global operations to review risk scenarios.

- Key Summary: KAMCO's 2025 fiscal closing revealed that its New Start Fund contribution (2.41 trillion won) had a market value of just 1.0035 trillion won, prompting it to recognize a 1.4065 trillion won valuation loss. As a result, KAMCO's accumulated other comprehensive income plunged from 25.8 billion won at the end of 2024 to -1.0244 trillion won at the end of 2025, with observers warning that, in the worst case, capital impairment and large-scale capital injections could become reality. The government plans to receive a total of 40 trillion won in debt restructuring applications by year-end, but applications already reached 30.189 trillion won as of end-March, raising the likelihood of further losses. Financial firms with self-employed loan exposure and related policy finance institutions need to closely monitor the cascading impact of deepening New Start Fund distress on public finances and credit markets.