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LG chief’s adoptive mother loses bid to sever ties
The Seoul Family Court on Thursday rejected an attempt by Kim Young-sik, widow of late LG Group Chair Koo Bon-moo, to legally sever her adoptive relationship with LG Group Chair Koo Kwang-mo. The court dismissed Kim’s suit without disclosing its reasoning. Kim filed the case in November 2024 amid a separate legal battle over the division of her late husband’s estate. Koo Kwang-mo is the biological son of Koo Bon-neung, chair of Heesung Group and younger brother of Koo Bon-moo. The late LG chief
Sept. 3, 2026 -
Big crowds, smaller checks as Frieze and Kiaf open in Seoul
Wednesday's preview at Coex was VIPs and press only, but it hardly felt that way. By early afternoon, the aisles were packed with collectors decked out in designer bags and statement jewelry; gallery staff had already spent much of the day walking clients behind the booth walls to talk numbers. Frieze Seoul and Kiaf Seoul opened side by side for a fifth year, kicking off what has long become the biggest event on the city's art calendar. Frieze brought 133 galleries from 30 countries and regions,
Sept. 3, 2026 -
Build in US or pay: Trump revives chip tariff threat
Build chips in America or pay to sell them there. US President Donald Trump's administration has revived its push for targeted semiconductor tariffs, raising pressure on Samsung Electronics and SK hynix to expand US production or face duties on chips made overseas. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said companies manufacturing in the US would receive tariff relief, while those relying on foreign production should expect to pay. “What you’re going to see is targeted, thoughtful tariff policy that
Sept. 3, 2026 -
Hyundai Mobis starts EV powertrain production in Slovakia
Hyundai Mobis has begun mass-producing electric powertrain systems at a new plant in Slovakia, its first such facility in Europe, as it strengthens its foothold in the region’s electric vehicle market. The company invested about 250 billion won ($184 million) in the Novaky plant, which can produce 280,000 power electric, or PE, systems annually. A PE system combines an electric motor, inverter and reducer into a single powertrain unit. Hyundai Mobis held an opening ceremony Wednesday attended by
Sept. 3, 2026 -
Why SK hynix’s ‘Made in USA’ HBM starts in Korea
“The Indiana fab will become a gateway to deliver the first ‘Made in USA’ HBM products,” SK hynix CEO Kwak Noh-jung said at the groundbreaking ceremony on Aug. 26. Those products, however, will begin in South Korea. SK hynix will make the DRAM wafers at its Korean fabs, ship them across the Pacific and then stack, package and test them in West Lafayette, Indiana. The $4 billion-plus facility, the company's first HBM production base in the US, is due to begin mass production in the second half of
Sept. 3, 2026 -
5 otter families found along Seoul’s Han River
Eurasian otters are making a comeback in Seoul’s Han River, decades after the endangered species disappeared from the capital’s stretch of the waterway. A new DNA survey identified 27 otters along the river and its tributaries, up from 15 in a city-commissioned survey four years ago, a state-run institute said Thursday. The National Institute of Biological Resources identified the animals by analyzing DNA from 106 fecal samples collected at 27 locations between January and April. Twenty-one otte
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‘Italy at Frieze’ connects cultures in Seoul
Italian and Korean contemporary art converged in Seoul on Tuesday as the Italian Embassy hosted “Italy at Frieze,” an event alongside Frieze Seoul. Organized with the Italian Cultural Institute in Seoul, the event was held at the Italian ambassador’s residence in Hannam-dong. At the event, Italian Ambassador to Korea Emilia Gatto highlighted contemporary art as a means of strengthening cultural dialogue between Italy and Korea. “Italy’s strength lies not only in its extraordinary historical heri
Sept. 3, 2026 -
Justice minister nominee vows smooth rollout of new criminal justice system
Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won said Thursday he had no intention of directing prosecutors to withdraw the indictments against President Lee Jae Myung, responding to opposition concerns over his previous support for dropping the cases. “The justice minister does not have direct authority over the matter, and I have no intention of issuing directions through the prosecutor general,” Kim told reporters as he arrived at a temporary office set up to prepare for his confirmation hearing. The m
Sept. 3, 2026 -
Human fat, blood dumped into sinks, toilets at Seoul clinics
Twenty-five plastic surgery and dermatology clinics in Seoul violated medical-waste rules, including two cases in which human fat and blood from cosmetic procedures were dumped into sinks and toilets, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday. The city’s special judicial police investigated 120 sites — 112 medical clinics and eight waste collection and transport companies — from January 2025 through July this year. Investigators uncovered 36 violations at 25 clinics. In the two cases of il
Sept. 3, 2026 -
Porsche Korea CEO to oversee Asia, Middle East
Porsche Korea CEO Mathias Busse will take charge of the German sports carmaker’s expanded Overseas region, covering key growth markets across Asia and the Middle East, while retaining his current role in Korea. Busse will become Porsche AG’s regional lead for Overseas on Oct. 1, Porsche Korea said Thursday. The appointment is part of a global sales overhaul that will reduce Porsche’s regional structure from five divisions to four. Germany will be folded into Europe, while North, Central and Sout
Sept. 3, 2026 -
Korea plans sweeping mergers of state-run power, port giants
The Korean government unveiled a sweeping public-sector overhaul Thursday that aims to merge major state-run power, port and energy companies while splitting housing giant Korea Land and Housing Corp., or LH, into two. The Public Institution Functional Reform Plan seeks to reduce the number of public entities by 109 through strategic restructuring, consolidation of overlapping functions and absorption of subsidiaries and small agencies. The five state-run power generators — Korea South-East Powe
Sept. 3, 2026 -
OCI breaks ground on 260 MW Texas solar farm
OCI Holdings’ US subsidiary OCI Energy has broken ground on a 260-megawatt solar farm in Texas, expanding its US power business as artificial intelligence data centers fuel electricity demand. Construction of the SunRoper project began Tuesday in Wharton County. OCI Holdings Chair Lee Woo-hyun attended the groundbreaking ceremony alongside OCI Energy President Sabah Bayatli and Arava Power CEO Ilan Zidkony. OCI Energy and the Israeli energy developer each hold a 50 percent stake in the venture.
Sept. 3, 2026 -
Humanoids join CJ’s packing line
A bimanual humanoid robot places cushioning paper into a shipping box at CJ Logistics’ Olive Young fulfillment center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. CJ Logistics has deployed two such robots in its first humanoid-powered logistics operation and plans to expand their roles to picking, sorting, inspection and packaging as it develops all-purpose logistics robots using physical artificial intelligence. (CJ Logistics)
Sept. 3, 2026 -
Golfzon names 20 Korean finalists for China Open final
Indoor golf simulator company Golfzon has completed the Korean round of the global screen golf tournament, with 20 Korean golfers advancing to the December final. The 2026 Golfzon China Open brings together professional and amateur golfers from Asia, America and Europe. About 20,000 golfers entered the domestic qualifiers, held from March 10 to May 31. The field included 4,461 professionals and 15,523 amateurs, surpassing 40,000 rounds played. About 200 golfers who met the qualification requirem
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Dongkuk Steel takes young architects on UK study tour
Dongkuk Steel Group has wrapped up a seven-day architectural study tour in the UK for seven students chosen as the first cohort of its 2026 Songwon Future Architecture Talent Fellowship. The participants, known as “Luxteeliers” — a combination of Dongkuk’s Luxteel brand and “sommeliers” — toured the UK from Aug. 4-10. They were selected in May through document screening, interviews and an orientation program. The itinerary examined London’s architecture through five themes, spanning historic lan
Sept. 3, 2026