Daewoo E&C chosen to construct Czech nuclear plants

Daewoo Engineering & Construction has been chosen as the preferred bidder to build nuclear power plants in the Czech Republic, the company said Thursday. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy earlier in the day, the Czech government has selected the state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power as the preferred bidder to build four nuclear power units in the country. If the final contract is signed in March 2025, Daewoo E&C will be responsible for the construction. Daewoo E

July 18, 2024

SK Innovation shuffles affiliates to cope with EV slump, lead future energy sector

SK Innovation on Thursday vowed to create synergy and lead the global energy sector through the realignment of its affiliates by merging itself with SK E&S and amalgamating battery-maker SK On with SK Trading International and SK Enterm. “We decided the merger with SK E&S to lay the groundwork for the growth of future energy businesses and push for a bold, structural innovation,” said Park Sang-kyu, CEO of SK Innovation, in a press conference at the SK Seorin Building in Seou

July 18, 2024

[KH Explains] Doosan's merger plan fuels investor clash

Doosan Group’s recently announced governance restructuring plan has divided investors, raising questions about its viability. Central to the plan, unveiled on July 11, is the proposal to make Doosan Bobcat a wholly-owned subsidiary of Doosan Robotics, which has sparked debate over the fairness of the merger ratio based on the stock prices of both companies. Doosan Bobcat, a significant revenue generator for the group, stands at the heart of this controversy. Shareholders of Bobcat are conc

July 17, 2024

Proptech startup DNK eyes expansion into Japan

DNK, a Seoul-based property management solution provider, formerly known as Dongnae, said Tuesday it has launched its fully redesigned property management system that enhances convenience for asset managers through centralized operational services. Currently managing over 15,000 units in the Korean market, the system now offers advanced features such as tenant tax reporting tools and banking virtual account integration. It supports English and Korean. Additionally, DNK disclosed its intention to

July 16, 2024

LG Electronics sets up HVAC tech lab in Frankfurt

LG Electronics said Monday it has opened a new research lab in Frankfurt, Germany dedicated to developing its heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) technologies, with a focus on providing practical air solutions for the European market. The Frankfurt facility, covering around 1,000 square meters, is the third of its kind, following branches in Changwon, Korea and Atlanta, the US. Its primary focus is to develop high-quality HVAC technologies for residential, commercial and industrial

July 15, 2024

[Business Diplomacy] Lessons from IRA: Hyundai Motor bolsters government relations in US

This article is the fifth installment in a series of interviews and analyses on how South Korean corporations can sharpen their diplomatic capabilities to brighten their prospects for overseas growth in this mega-election year around the world. -- Ed. Hyundai Motor Group has been exerting all-out efforts into strengthening its government relations capabilities in the United States after the Korean auto conglomerate got caught off-guard by the impact of the Joe Biden administration’s In

July 15, 2024

LS Cable vows stern measures against Taihan

LS Cable & System pledged Monday to take every legal action possible against Taihan Cable & Solution if the latter’s alleged theft of the former’s technologies is found true, labeling Taihan’s maneuver as a clear crime. The police have recently opened a probe into Taihan over the suspected violation of the Unfair Competition Prevention and Trade Secret Protection Act. Last month, the police initially suspected Gaun Architects & Engineers of leaking technologies it o

July 15, 2024

Hyundai Motor union secures wage deal without strike for 6th consecutive year

Hyundai Motor Company's labor and management have concluded their wage negotiations without a strike for the sixth year in a row, agreeing on the highest wage increase in the company's history. The union said Saturday its members have voted to accept a tentative wage deal reached earlier in the week. Under the agreement, Hyundai will increase workers' basic monthly pay by 4.65 percent, or 111,200 won ($81), and give a one-off performance-based bonus equivalent to 500 percent of

July 13, 2024

Coupang denies speculations of buying Homeplus Express

South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang said Friday it is not considering acquiring a part of Homeplus, a supermarket chain grappling with poor performance in recent years. The announcement was made in response to local media reports suggesting that Coupang plans to acquire Homeplus Express from MBK Partners, the private equity fund that owns Homeplus. Homeplus' supermarket business comes in two types: Homeplus, a large discount store, and Homeplus Express, a smaller hypermarket. Homeplus o

July 12, 2024

Doosan Group realigns business structure to maximize synergy

South Korean conglomerate Doosan Group has decided to shake up its business structure to focus on clean energy and smart machine sectors to maximize synergy between it’s affiliates. According to Doosan’s regulatory filing Thursday, Doosan Bobcat, a compact equipment and industrial vehicle builder, will undergo a spin-off merger process to become a 100 percent-owned subsidiary of Doosan Robotics. Doosan Enerbility, which currently owns a 46 percent stake in Doosan Bobcat, will split i

July 12, 2024

Starbucks Korea vows to donate W1b for cultural preservation

Starbucks Korea said Thursday it has partnered with the country’s heritage service organizations to intensify its contribution to cultural preservation efforts. Starbucks Korea, the Korea Heritage Service and the National Trust for Cultural Heritage agreed to establish a national heritage protection fund during a ceremony held at the Starbucks Hwangudan branch in Seoul on Thursday. The event was attended by Starbucks Korea CEO Sohn Jeong-hyun, Korea Heritage Service Administrator Choi Eung

July 11, 2024

HD Hyundai gets green light to bid for US warship maintenance projects

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries said Thursday that it has secured the right to bid for the United States Navy's warship maintenance, repair and operations, or MRO, projects to become the first South Korean shipbuilder to do so. According to the shipbuilder, HD HHI signed the master ship repair agreement with the US Naval Supply Systems Command. Under the agreement, HD HHI has been given the qualification to submit bids for MRO projects of the US Navy's warships as well as support ships of

July 11, 2024

McDonald’s unveils new Taste of Korea items

McDonald's Korea has introduced new items under its "Taste of Korea" lineup -- including a cheeseburger and a chicken muffin featuring locally sourced peppers -- highlighting its commitment to collaborating with rural areas across the country. In its fourth edition since 2021, this year’s Taste of Korea lineup focuses on peppers produced in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, in the Jinju Pepper Cream Cheese Burger and Jinju Pepper Cream Cheese Muffin. “McDonald’s

July 11, 2024

Hyundai Rotem renews K2 supply consortium with Poland

Hyundai Rotem has renewed a consortium agreement with Poland's state armament group PGZ to carry out the production and delivery of K2PL, the Polish variant of Hyundai Rotem's K2 Black Panther tank, the Korean company said Wednesday. The renewed contract has laid out the foundation for the two sides to engage in accelerating talks for a second K2 tank contract. According to Hyundai Rotem, the previous consortium, which began its term in March last year, reached its expiration date last

July 10, 2024

LS invests $681m to build largest submarine cable plant in US

LS Cable & System on Wednesday announced its plan to invest $681 million to build the largest submarine cable manufacturing plant in the United States. According to the announcement, the new facility will be in Chesapeake, Virginia. LS GreenLink USA, a US subsidiary of LS Cable & System, will break ground for the plant next year. The facility is expected to begin operations by 2027 and create over 330 jobs. The site will include a 200-meter-tall submarine cable manufacturing building, wh

July 10, 2024

Hanwha Aerospace inks W1.4tr arms deal with Romania

Hanwha Aerospace has secured a 1.4 trillion won ($1 billion) arms contract with Romania to export 54 units of the K9 self-propelled howitzer and 36 units of the K10 ammunition resupply vehicle, the Korean defense firm said Wednesday. According to Hanwha Aerospace, the delivery of the arms machinery will begin in 2027 in phases. The company said it beat out the competing bidders from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization such as Germany's PzH2000 and Turkey's Firtina to secure the cont

July 10, 2024

Hyundai Motor, Oxford establish Foresight Center

Hyundai Motor Group and the University of Oxford in the UK have established a joint Foresight Center to explore the former's long-term strategies and visions together, the Korean auto conglomerate said Tuesday. "The automotive industry is undergoing a paradigm shift and significant changes in business environments, leading to unprecedented uncertainty," said Kim Gyun, head of Hyundai Motor Group Business Intelligence Institute. "In such times, it is crucial for companies to m

July 9, 2024

HD Korea Shipbuilding launches translation service for foreign workers

HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering said Tuesday that it developed an artificial intelligence translation technology to support foreign workers. According to the company, the service named AI Agent was developed using generative AI technology and has been implemented at the HD Hyundai Samho shipyard in Yeongam, South Jeolla Province. Combined with the shipbuilder's self-developed messaging app Team Up, the AI Agent translates the messages originally written in Korean to a langu

July 9, 2024

Samsung union begins first strike

Unionized workers of Samsung Electronics launched their first-ever strike Monday, demanding higher pay and warning of potential further action if the country's largest conglomerate does not meet their demands. The National Samsung Electronics Union, the biggest labor union of the conglomerate with over 30,000 members, making up some 25 percent of the workforce, said it kicked off the three-day strike starting with a rally at 11:00 a.m. in front of the main entrance of the company's pla

July 8, 2024

[Business Diplomacy] Importance of tracking money in politics

The United States and its capital, Washington, DC, have one of the biggest lobbying sectors in the world. Hilary Braseth, executive director of OpenSecrets, a Washington DC-based nonprofit organization specializing in tracking and publishing the money flows in politics, says transparency is integral to lobbying. “In the US, the case for making lobbying legal I believe, or some form of it legal, was on the basis of our Constitution, which some (court rulings) believe that (it’s) the F

July 8, 2024