Samyang Group Chairman Kim Yun (金潤) said the group would accelerate its shift toward global specialty businesses centered on in-house AX development. At 2026 Samyang Connect, held in Seongnam City, Gyeonggi Province, the group disclosed its first-half results and second-half strategy.
Samyang Connect is held in the first and second halves of the year as a forum for Chairman Kim Yun (金潤) to share business performance and strategy directly with employees, with simultaneous online broadcasting also provided. The chairman emphasized the need to accelerate the shift to a specialty-focused global business structure through in-house AI transformation.
First-half performance was assessed as having been driven by improved spreads for key products in the Chemicals business. Profitability was also reported to have improved in specialty materials, including semiconductors and ion-exchange resins.
Chairman Kim Yun (金潤) also referred to the acquisition of Japan’s 曾田香料, the expansion of Samyang NC Chem’s performance and the release of SAMI 2.0, Samyang Group’s proprietary AI platform. He said the group had delivered meaningful results across its three major growth pillars: global operations, specialty businesses and AX.
Regarding the business environment in the second half, he cited geopolitical risks, supply chain disruptions, the K-shaped economic polarization and a widening AI divide between companies. He said the gap was widening between companies actively commercializing AI technology and those falling behind. Chairman Kim Yun (金潤) reaffirmed the policy of encouraging all employees to pursue in-house AI development and the transformation into a global specialty company.