South Korean food and bakery giant SPC Group said Monday it has appointed Ha Joo-ho, former communications director of Hotel Shilla, as its new communications chief. Ha is a communications veteran who spent most of his career at Samsung companies. The 59-year-old graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in journalism. After joining Samsung Life Insurance in 1989, he served in diverse communications positions at Samsung’s key affiliates, including Samsung Group. He was promote

US-based investment management firm BlackRock has become the third-largest shareholder of South Korean brokerage house Samsung Securities, a filing showed Thursday. BlackRock’s 12 affiliated entities hold a total of 5.46 percent stake (4.87 million shares) in Samsung Securities as of Feb. 28, according to a disclosure filed with the Financial Supervisory Service. A minority shareholder with at least 5 percent of shares in a company is subject to filing obligations as a block holder of th

South Korean stocks closed marginally higher Friday, on growing hopes that the US Federal Reserve could go for smaller interest rate hikes despite data showing a resilient economy. The local currency gained sharply against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 4.22 points, or 0.17 percent, to finish at 2,432.07. Trading volume was moderate at 363.8 million shares worth 7.73 trillion won ($5.93 billion), with gainers outnumbering decliners 467 to 410. Federal Reserv

NPS In Action is a series of articles and interviews on South Korea’s largest investor National Pension Service to analyze its current state and identify tasks that lie ahead. This is the first installment. -- Ed. Seo Won-joo took the reins as the new chief investment officer of the National Pension Service in the time when he has to wear multiple hats to run the world’s third largest pension fund. With a career path that wound through life insurance companies and a pension fund

One of the biggest traditions of the Korean Seollal holiday is sebae, or the act of bowing to your elders and wishing them a happy new year, after which older relatives share cash gifts. This long-held tradition has gone on in Korean households for generations. However, times are changing. The question of how much money it is appropriate to give or receive -- or whether anything should be given or received at all -- is a hard one to reach a consensus on. In a survey conducted by SK Communication

South Korean battery makers are luring tech talent in the US with big welfare benefits and other hefty incentives to fuel their growth momentum in the burgeoning electric vehicle market, industry sources said Monday. Starting from Jan. 1, LG Energy Solution, the largest battery maker here, will extend its medical welfare policy by offering free health insurance to some 2,000 employees working at its Michigan plant along with their family members. Currently, the company covers insurance for denta

The long-awaited bill to revise the Insurance Business Act is reigniting debate over Samsung’s ownership structure, under which its insurance arm is the largest shareholder of Samsung Electronics. The National Assembly on Tuesday for the first time put forward the revision bills in the parliament's National Policy Committee. The bills, proposed in June 2020 respectively by main opposition Democratic Party lawmakers such as Rep. Park Yong-jin and Rep. Lee Yong-woo, were the first bills to b

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, Nov. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Top 30 Digital Leaders in consumer-facing enterprises from banking, insurance, retails, e-commerce to financial services have gathered in an invite-only roundtable networking dinner at GEM Center co-hosted by Kyanon Digital, CleverTap and Talon.One - experts in marketing technology and growth strategy. The leaders were discussing Composable Enterprise Architecture, Low-code / No-code Technology and Big Ops which forecasted to be the k

Lee Jae-yong’s formal ascension to the top seat at Samsung Electronics, the crown jewel of the nation’s largest conglomerate, is fueling speculation about potential changes in the founding family’s governance structure across Samsung companies. His promotion to chairman has long been considered a crucial step for Lee to wield more power at Samsung. With the new title, Lee’s vision for a “New Samsung” will take a clearer shape, while stalled talks on mega deals

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, Oct. 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The SMARTIES VIETNAM 2022 jury selected the best and most inventive campaigns of the year after months of due deliberation. In light of their significant influence on the industry, these campaigns are worthy of becoming outstanding case studies for the Modern Marketing community. Industry Awards winners of Smarties Vietnam 2022 A season of fierce competition among the best campaigns. The 9th SMARTIES Awards - the prestigious c

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong has been promoted to chairman of the world's largest chipmaker and smartphone maker, ending a high-profile succession process that took more than three decades to complete, with a vow to invest in transcending technology that could reboot the tech giant's growth engine. Lee, 54, was crowned Samsung Electronics' new executive chairman with the board of directors' approval Thursday morning, 10 years after he held the vice chairman

A memorial service honoring the late Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee was held Tuesday, without a major announcement made by the electronics giant in regards to a succession plan for his son to ascend to the top leadership. Speculation has been building recently that Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong might be promoted to the chairman post, using the memorial service for momentum. Lee has held the "vice chairman" position for the past decade. Lee's eventual ass

After years of sitting behind a wall, the large empty space in Songhyeon-dong opened to the public on Oct. 7 this year. During the Japanese colonial period, the space was used for housing for employees of the Joseon Shiksan Bank. From liberation in 1945 to 1997, it was a housing compound for US diplomats. After the diplomats moved out, Samsung Life Insurance bought the land and then sold it to Korean Air, who planned to develop it into a luxury hotel. As opposition to those plans grew, the City

Samsung Group’s insurance units signed a deal worth $650 million with US-based private equity firm Blackstone to expand its global alternative asset portfolio, the Korean insurers said Wednesday. Samsung Life Insurance and non-life insurer Samsung Fire ＆ Marine Insurance will invest in overseas real estate, infrastructure and private equities managed by Blackstone through the latest deal. The investment will be managed by Samsung’s asset management arms Samsung Asset Management and

Samsung Group's insurance affiliates said Wednesday they have signed a deal with US asset management behemoth Blackstone Inc. to invest some $650 million in alternative assets, such as real estate and infrastructure facilities. The two -- Samsung Life Insurance Co. and Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Co. -- will chip in the amount in the alternative fund managed by Blackstone. In recent years, Samsung's financial firms have been aggressively pushing for global investment. Samsung Life