AI & Enterprise

Upstage valuation nears 1.6 trillion won, spotlighting KT\'s early investment

KT’s early investment in AI startup Upstage is drawing renewed attention as Upstage’s valuation rises. KT invested 10 billion won in October 2023 to acquire a 2.84 percent stake. The investment sector values Upstage at about 1.6 trillion won, implying KT’s stake is worth about 45 billion won. KT and Upstage have also collaborated on projects including a Thai-language large language model initiative.

Telecommunications & Media

SKT Q1 operating profit recovers to 5-trillion-won range as AI data centre business surges

SK Telecom reported first-quarter consolidated revenue of 4.39 trillion won and operating profit of 537.6 billion won, down 1.4 percent and 5.3 percent from a year earlier. Net profit fell 12.5 percent to 316.4 billion won. The company said it recovered profitability, with quarterly operating profit returning to the 500 billion won range. It also resumed a quarterly dividend of 830 won per share and highlighted strong growth in its AI data centre business.