Homeplus Rehabilitation Collapses; Court Deadline Looms in 14 Days

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

1. Despite Selling Homeplus Express and Closing 37 Stores in Last-Ditch Stand… On the Brink Amid Meritz-MBK Power Struggle

- Key Summary: With the Seoul Bankruptcy Court deciding on the 3rd to terminate Homeplus rehabilitation proceedings, Homeplus will proceed toward bankruptcy unless it raises 200 billion won in operating funds within the 14-day immediate appeal period at the court. Homeplus expressed its will to survive by submitting a revised rehabilitation plan that included selling Homeplus Express and closing an additional 37 hypermarkets. However, MBK Partners is demanding that Meritz Financial Group share the burden, saying it already bears a financial burden of 400 billion won. Meritz maintains its existing position that it has already deposited 100 billion won into an escrow account and that MBK must directly raise the remaining 100 billion won, resulting in a continued standoff between the two sides. As the confrontation has not eased despite all-out pressure from authorities—including the Financial Supervisory Service's heavy sanctions on MBK and the National Tax Service's tax audit of Meritz Securities—concerns are growing that a mass layoff of more than 10,000 employees could become reality.

2. SK to Build 2GW-Class AI Infrastructure in Ulsan and Yeongnam Region… Hanwha to Build Defense-Specialized AIDC

- Key Summary: SK Telecom President Jung Jae-heon announced on the 3rd, at the "Yeongnam Region Advanced Industry Development Vision National Report Meeting" held in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, a plan to gradually expand AIDC capacity to 5GW from 2029 and then up to 15GW. SK Group's plan is to invest a total of 140 trillion won to complete more than 2GW of AI infrastructure across the Yeongnam region, starting with a 100 MW AIDC built in cooperation with AWS and anchored in Ulsan, and to combine this with Yeongnam's manufacturing capabilities to develop it into a "manufacturing AI" demonstration and expansion hub. Hanwha Group will invest more than 10 trillion won to break ground this year on a defense-only AIDC in Changwon and build a closed, high-security data center that analyzes satellite information with AI and connects it to various forces such as aircraft and drones. Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan has stated the goal of investing 2 trillion won by 2040 to develop "Defense OS," a defense AI platform linking land, sea, air, and space forces into one, to possess the world's highest-level defense AI.

3. From Anthropic to Meta… Samsung Foundry Seizes AI Chip Leadership

- Key Summary: Meta will switch its proprietary AI accelerator "MTIA" to Samsung Foundry's 2nm cutting-edge process from the third generation, previously produced at TSMC, and is reportedly pushing forward with the design and production of next-generation ASICs worth more than 10 trillion won. Meta, aiming to build a total of 5GW of data centers by 2030, is operating an ultra-fast chip development system on a six-month cycle and has begun joint development with Samsung Electronics' System LSI Division from the early architecture design stage. Anthropic is also considering developing ASICs using Samsung Foundry's 2-nanometer process in building its own AI data center worth about $50 billion (about 77 trillion won), and Samsung Electronics preemptively established a strategic partnership by participating in Anthropic's $65 billion (about 100 trillion won) Series H investment round. Within the industry, with the addition of a pursuit of a BYD automotive foundry contract, observers say Samsung Foundry's medium- to long-term order backlog will expand to around 50 trillion won and that a return to operating profit could be possible as early as the fourth quarter of this year.

4. Supplying 15 Trillion Won in Management Funds to SMEs… Corporate Tax Payment Deadline Also Extended

- Key Summary: At an emergency economic headquarters meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yun-cheol on the 3rd, the government announced a plan to supply a total of 14.9 trillion won in emergency management funds to small and mid-sized enterprises burdened with rising costs due to the prolonged high exchange rate. Adding 1.1 trillion won in new funds to 13.8 trillion won in remaining policy financing resources previously set up for companies affected by the Middle East situation, the government eased eligibility requirements so that companies whose raw material import share exceeds 20% of sales can receive funds without requirements of declining sales or operating profit. The Export-Import Bank of Korea's crisis-response special program will expand from 7 trillion won to 8 trillion won, the preferential interest rate range will widen from a maximum of 2.0 percentage points to 2.2 percentage points, and the supply of exchange rate fluctuation insurance (insurance that compensates companies for losses from foreign exchange price fluctuations) will increase from 1.2 trillion won to 1.3 trillion won. The government is also providing tax support in parallel, including extensions of payment deadlines for corporate tax, value-added tax, income tax, and customs duties, and allowing adjustment of contract amounts within the 90-day adjustment restriction period when raw material prices surge in public contracts.