GS Entec's 1st monopile shipped for major offshore wind project

GS Entec, a South Korean offshore wind power and marine equipment manufacturer, said Thursday it has successfully shipped its first turbine base, or monopile, from its Ulsan plant for the Yeonggwang Nakwol Offshore Wind Power Project. Located off the southwestern coast of Korea, the Yeonggwang Nakwol Offshore Wind Power Project is a major development expected to generate 365 megawatts of electricity, sufficient to power 87,000 homes in Korea. GS Entec secured a 200 billion won ($144 million) c

July 25, 2024

Hankook & Co. invests in electrode startup for battery expansion

Korean tire giant Hankook & Co. announced Thursday a 9 billion won ($6.5 million) investment in JR Energy Solutions, a local secondary battery electrode foundry firm, in its first foray into the burgeoning EV battery market. JR Energy Solutions specializes in producing electrodes, a crucial component of secondary batteries, based on its smart factory technology. In February this year, the startup completed a 500 megawatt-hours electrode manufacturing facility in Eumseong, North Chungcheong P

July 25, 2024

[Business Diplomacy] Korea becomes popular destination for US governors

South Korea seems to have been a popular destination for US state governors. This year alone, four governors leading the US industrial heartlands of the Midwest and the South visited Korea to meet with corporate partners and attract new investors. “We're very excited about the relationship that we have built with Korea and Korean companies and we want it to grow,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said upon his first visit to Korea in July. “If there are ways that we can improve

July 24, 2024

Payment delays prompt exodus from Tmon, Wemakeprice

Sellers are leaving Tmon and Wemakeprice, the online shopping platforms owned by Singapore-based e-commerce giant Qoo10, due to delays in payment reportedly caused by liquidity issues, according to industry sources, Wednesday. Major retailers like Lotte Shopping, GS Retail and Hyundai Department Store suspended sales on Tmon and Wemakeprice earlier this week, citing a failures in getting paid by the two platforms. Similarly, travel agencies including Hana Tour, Modetour and Yellow Balloon Tour a

July 24, 2024

Samsung Biologics' H1 earnings hit W2tr for first time

Leading global contract development and manufacturing organization Samsung Biologics announced Wednesday that its earnings for the first half of this year reached an all-time high, surpassing 2 trillion won ($1.5 billion). According to its financial results for the first half of this year, the company reported consolidated revenue of 2.1 trillion won and an operating profit of 655.8 billion won, reflecting on-year increases of 33 percent and 47 percent, respectively. In the second quarter, conso

July 24, 2024

Zyx Technology, Eomji House team up for interior design innovation

South Korean design software developer Zyx Technology said Wednesday that it signed a memorandum of understanding with Eomji House, an interior architecture and design firm, to foster mutual exchange and cooperation. Zyx Technology and Eomji House will collaborate on developing and refining new technologies. They will also plan innovation in the large business-to-business interior market and enhance their competitiveness through each other's technological resources. Under the partnership wi

July 24, 2024

[KH Explains] $17b too low? Korea’s Czech nuclear bid faces profitability questions

The South Korean government recently celebrated a significant milestone: The state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power was chosen as the preferred bidder for a nuclear power project in the Czech Republic valued at 24 trillion won ($17.3 billion). It is being hailed as a “remarkable achievement after 15 years” by the government, reminiscent of a $20 billion nuclear plant deal in the United Arab Emirates in 2009. However, not everyone shares the government’s enthusiasm. Some expe

July 24, 2024

KIAT to support tech firms with regulatory sandbox

Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology is collaborating with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to bolster financial and direct investment support for companies approved under their collaborative regulatory sandbox. On Wednesday, KIAT hosted the first Investor Relations Day event for companies joining the regulatory sandbox initiative in Seoul. The event featured business presentations and one-on-one funding consultations. The regulatory sandbox permits the government to temporari

July 24, 2024

Amorepacific tops beauty sales during Amazon Prime Day

South Korean beauty giant Amorepacific said Wednesday that several of its brands topped sales during Amazon Prime Day, the global online retailer's largest shopping event. Amazon Prime Day is an exclusive annual event for its Prime members that took place on July 16 and 17 this year. Amorepacific’s key brands, including Cosrx, Laneige and Aestura, joined the event this year. In the beauty and personal care category, the Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence, Cosrx's flagship prod

July 24, 2024

[Photo News] Hana champions Paralympics heroes

Hana Financial Group Chairman Ham Young-joo (right) shakes hands with members of the South Korean Paralympics badminton team at the KPC Icheon National Training Center in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. Ham visited the center to show support and deliver an encouragement fund for the athletes participating in the upcoming 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris. (Hana Financial Group)

July 24, 2024

Talks between Samsung Electronics and striking workers end without agreement

Samsung Electronics and its largest labor union resumed wage talks Tuesday but failed to reach an agreement, informed sources said. The ninth round of talks was represented by Son Woo-mok, head of the National Samsung Electronics Union, and Kim Hyeong-ro, the company's vice president, according to the source. It was the first wage talks between the two sides since the NSEU declared a full-scale strike July 8. They held a preparatory meeting last week to discuss schedules for the talks. The

July 23, 2024

[Herald Interview] Investing in cows: how it works, where it's headed

In Korea, there's a saying that farmers raise a cow to send their children to college, reflecting the long-standing value of cattle. Once exclusive to farmers, livestock has recently become an investment option for the public, allowing individuals to invest without the burden of managing a farm. Bankcow, a fractional investment platform, recently achieved a milestone by completing Korea's first public offering of securities backed by live assets — 100 Korean beef cattle. Despite

July 23, 2024

Hanlim teams up with Vietnam's CONINCO for enhanced construction management

Hanlim Architecture Group announced Tuesday that it signed a memorandum of understanding with CONINCO, a Vietnamese construction supervision company, to reinforce strategic partnerships and create new opportunities for construction management services in Vietnam and beyond. Hanlim Architecture Group Chairman Park Jin-sun, CONINCO General Director Phan Ngoc Cuong and company officials attended the signing ceremony held at the headquarters of CONINCO on July 16. Representatives from both sides dis

July 23, 2024

K-water, Naver to set up water management platform for Saudi Arabia

Korea Water Resources Corp., or K-water, is officially set to commence a water management platform in Saudi Arabia jointly with Korean internet giant Naver, for the next five years, the state-run water management agency said Tuesday. The project was announced in a statement by Naver and Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing. This official agreement builds on a partnership initially established between Naver and K-water earlier this month, aiming to penetrate t

July 23, 2024

Founder's arrest leaves Kakao's future in doubt

Kakao Corp., the operator of South Korea's top mobile messenger KakaoTalk, has been plunged into crisis, as its founder and top decision-maker Kim Beom-su was arrested on Tuesday on charges of stock price rigging linked to last year's takeover of K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment. With a leadership vacuum and a dent to its reputation, concerns are rising over the impact of the disruption on the tech giant’s drive for corporate restructuring and growth in burgeoning technologies i

July 23, 2024

Bacardi teams up with The Shilla Seoul for Patron tequila summer package

Bacardi Korea has partnered with The Shilla Seoul for a luxury summer room package "Simply Perfect Vacation," featuring its premium tequila brand, Patron, the company announced Tuesday. As part of Bacardi Korea’s premium marketing strategy, the Simply Perfect Vacation package focuses on providing consumers with a unique experience with Patron, a premium tequila made from the finest blue weber agave from Jalisco, Mexico. With the package running throughout August, Bacardi Korea an

July 23, 2024

Celltrion’s third plant in final validation process, operation set for December

Celltrion has begun the final validation process for its third plant in Songdo, Incheon, before commencing commercial production, the South Korean biosimilar giant announced Tuesday. The validation process is a critical step before the commercial production of drugs, which involves objectively verifying and documenting that products are manufactured to meet predefined standards from drug development to production. Celltrion invested some 270 billion won ($194 million) for the third plant's

July 23, 2024

Samsung's Galaxy to feature enhanced gaming with Krafton's 'Dark and Darker Mobile'

Samsung Electronics and Krafton have partnered to optimize the forthcoming game "Dark and Darker Mobile" for the latest Galaxy series, set to be installed next month, according to the tech giant on Tuesday. The two firms have integrated advanced 3D graphics technology, Vulkan, into the game, enhancing visual realism and supporting Dolby Atmos sound effects. Key models, including the Galaxy Z Fold6, Galaxy S24 Ultra and Galaxy S23 Ultra, will feature Ray Tracing technology to deliver li

July 23, 2024

Korean Air to buy up to 50 Boeing planes for strategic fleet upgrade

Korean Air is to purchase up to 50 new widebody aircraft from Boeing in its push to enhance fleet quality and meet sustainability goals. The deal price is estimated to reach some 30 trillion won ($23 billion), according to industry sources. The company declined to confirm. The national flag carrier signed a memorandum of understanding with Boeing on Monday on the sidelines of the Farnborough International Airshow 2024, a premier aerospace trade show currently being held in the UK. Korean Air sai

July 22, 2024

Samsung Electro-Mechanics to supply advanced substrates for AMD processors

Samsung Electro-Mechanics, the electronic parts manufacturing affiliate of Samsung Electronics, announced Monday that it would supply high-performance substrates for hyper-scale data centers to AMD, the US chip design firm. According to the company, the flip chip ball grid array (FCBGA) substrate offers larger surface areas and higher layer counts for dense interconnections, which means better operational efficiency and lower energy consumption. The product will be produced at the company’

July 22, 2024