MBK spices up yearslong feud over Korea Zinc

MBK Partners, a big-name private equity house based in South Korea, has stepped into the ongoing management dispute involving the country’s leading zinc smelter Korea Zinc, siding with its rival Youngpoong Group. Youngpoong Group’s owning family, the Chang clan, which holds a combined 33.1 percent shares in Korea Zinc, teamed up with MBK Partners by signing a shareholder agreement Thursday, in an agreement to jointly exercise voting rights on the shares. The two also agreed on a ca

Sept. 13, 2024

SK Bioscience celebrates topping-out of global research center in Songdo

South Korean biotech firm SK Bioscience said Friday it hosted a topping-out ceremony at the construction site of its Global Research and Process Development Center in Songdo, Incheon, Monday. In 2021, SK Bioscience signed a land contract with the Incheon Free Economic Zone authority to acquire part of the Incheon Technopark Expansion Complex. The company has invested 325.7 billion won ($244 million) in building the Global R&PD Center. With the project, SK plans to relocate its headquarters a

Sept. 13, 2024

Telecom firms compete head-on for AI assistant service

Competition is heating up among major South Korean telecommunication companies to take the lead in the market for artificial intelligence assistants. LG Uplus, the country's smallest telecom company by market share, is set to launch a call-recording service, dubbed, “ixi O,” next month, according to industry sources on Friday. It is expected to offer services such as call recording, summary function and spam call and voice phishing filtering. Currently, AI assistants are evolv

Sept. 13, 2024

Naver to develop Arabic-based LLM, expand AI cooperation with Saudi Arabia

Naver Corp., the operator of South Korea's largest internet platform, has signed an initial agreement with Saudi Arabia's artificial intelligence (AI) agency to jointly develop an Arabic language-based large language model (LLM), company officials said Friday. During the Global AI Summit hosted by the Saudi Data & AI Authority (SDAIA) in Saudi Arabia's capital of Riyadh earlier this week, Naver and the SDAIA signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) to cooperate in various

Sept. 13, 2024

OB acquires Jeju Soju, eyes bigger presence abroad

Korea’s largest beer maker Oriental Brewery is seeking to expand its presence in the global soju market amid the rising popularity of the nation’s traditional rice liquor around the world. According to the company, OB, owned by Belgian brewing giant Anheuser-Busch InBev, has decided to acquire Jeju Soju from Shinsegae Group’s liquor unit Shinsegae L&B. OB will take over the production site, equipment and underground water usage rights associated with Jeju Soju. Details, inc

Sept. 12, 2024

[Photo News] Making Songpyeon for Chuseok

S-Oil CEO Al-Hejazi (right) poses for a photo with a child while making Songpyeon, a traditional Korean halfmoon-shaped stuffed rice cake, in collaboration with the Loveaid Foundation at the company’s headquarters in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on Thursday. With the help of international students from Saudi Arabia and children from the company child care facility, the CEO and 150 company officials prepared Songpyeon and gift bundles worth 60 million won ($44,800) for low-income households. Since 2007,

Sept. 12, 2024

Samsung’s yearly dilemma looms: Exynos vs. Snapdragon

A seasonal dilemma looms over Samsung Electronics’ flagship Galaxy S phones: using more its own Exynos processors or sticking to rival Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips. Samsung has poured considerable resources for years into equipping its most important smartphone lineup with its own chipset so that it could expand its presence not just in chip production but also in chip design, while reducing production costs. But industry sources say that the upcoming Galaxy S phones, tentatively call

Sept. 12, 2024

Nvidia CEO hints at possibility using Samsung to make GPUs

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang raised the possibility of fabricating its cutting-edge graphic processing units at foundries other than Taiwan-based TSMC, making Samsung Electronics a likely alternative. At Goldman Sachs Communacopia and Technology Conference in San Francisco, California on Wednesday, Huang said he is willing to consider other companies to produce Nvidia's chips "if necessary," acknowledging the brewing geopolitical tension between Taiwan and China. "We use them (TSM

Sept. 12, 2024

HD Hyundai, Hanwha push zero-emissions agenda at Gastech 2024

Shipbuilding rivals HD Hyundai and Hanwha Group are gearing up for Gastech 2024, the world’s largest energy sector exhibition, held from Tuesday to Sept. 20 in Houston. Attracting over 50,000 attendees and more than 800 companies, the event will spotlight the companies' eco-friendly shipbuilding and energy technologies. HD Hyundai will be represented by Vice Chairman Chung Ki-sun, along with a team from sales, R&D and engineering, to meet with business partners and corporate clien

Sept. 12, 2024

KB bolsters ties with Cambodia

KB Financial Group Chairman Yang Jong-hee met with Hun Sen, president of the Cambodian Senate, on Wednesday to discuss potential collaborations aimed at advancing financial development in Southeast Asia and enhancing KB’s presence in the region. The meeting was held at the Inspire Entertainment Resort in Incheon during Hun Sen’s visit to Korea for the 25th World Knowledge Forum, where he was a speaker. During their discussion, Yang and Hun Sen agreed to strengthen cooperation to impr

Sept. 11, 2024

US ups pressure on Korea to join China chip curbs

The US is ramping up pressure on South Korea to align with its export control measures against China, urging advanced chips like High Bandwidth Memory be provided only to allies. As additional trade restrictions are expected, experts here say it is important for the Korean government and chipmakers to keep up negotiations to protect Korea's interests. In his latest remark on Tuesday, US Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Alan Estevez called on Korean chipmakers to supply

Sept. 11, 2024

[From the Scene] Samsung renews European push with AI connectivity

BERLIN -- Samsung Electronics has opened an artificial intelligence-powered home appliance experience zone in the heart of Berlin, the largest home appliance market in Europe, strengthening its position as a premium brand by leveraging connected experiences. The Korea Herald reporter visited the Saturn home appliance store at one of Berlin’s largest shopping centers, Europa Center, on Sunday during the IFA 2024. Under the theme of “AI for All,” Samsung showcased the latest AI-e

Sept. 11, 2024

Shinhan wears digital consultant hat for global peers

South Korea’s Shinhan Bank said Wednesday that it has embarked on a new business venture to provide digital finance consulting services to global peers, with Japan’s Tokyo Kiraboshi Financial Group as its first client. “This digital finance consulting contract with Tokyo Kiraboshi Financial Group holds significance in that Shinhan Bank's digital competitiveness has been recognized on the global stage,” the lender said in a statement. Shinhan’s decision to ent

Sept. 11, 2024

Starbucks Reserve celebrates 10th anniversary in Korea

Starbucks Korea said Wednesday it has renovated an old house built in the 1960s to open a new Starbucks Reserve store in Jangchung-dong, Jung-gu, central Seoul, Thursday. Starbucks Korea has set up a few special stores where customers can have novel experiences in distinct settings. The new store in Jangchung-dong is the company’s 10th special store, marking the 10th anniversary of Starbucks Reserve. The store, which can accommodate up to 180 customers, utilizes the entire space of the ori

Sept. 11, 2024

[Photo news] LG showcases energy innovations at RE+ 2024

LG Energy Solution highlighted its latest energy storage technologies at RE+ 2024, North America’s largest clean energy expo, held this week in Anaheim, California. Taking center stage was the JF2 AC/DC Link 5.1, a modular energy storage system with 21 percent improved energy density and a capacity of up to 5.1 megawatt-hours, targeted for US production in 2025. This system, optimized for commercial and grid-scale applications, was designed to simplify installation and improve efficiency.

Sept. 11, 2024

Tmon, WeMakePrice enter rehabilitation amid payment crisis

Cash-strapped e-commerce platforms Tmon and WeMakePrice have managed to avoid bankruptcy by commencing the corporate rehabilitation process, which will enable the two companies to restructure their debts to over 100,000 creditors under the oversight of court-appointed custodians. The Seoul Rehabilitation Court approved on Tuesday to initiate rehabilitation procedures for Tmon and WeMakePrice, which have recently been mired in controversy due to delayed payments, stemming from a liquidity crisis

Sept. 10, 2024

EcoPro founder returns to work, tasked with surviving EV chasm

EcoPro’s former Chairman Lee Dong-chae has returned to management after a yearlong hiatus, at a critical time when the battery materials maker and the entire EV industry are reeling from slowing demand. According to the company on Tuesday, Lee was recently named an executive adviser on the board following a presidential pardon granted last month. He had been serving prison time for insider trading since May last year. It remains to be seen when Lee could be reinstated as chairman, but expe

Sept. 10, 2024

Samsung-Apple rivalry renewed as first AI iPhone debuts

Apple has launched the first generation of its artificial intelligence-focused smartphone series, the new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, which are highly anticipated to go up against its rival Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S24, touted as the "world's first AI smartphone." To the disappointment of users in South Korea and countries outside the US, however, Apple is expected to introduce the full and multilingual version of its much-hyped Apple Intelligence next year. “The ne

Sept. 10, 2024

[Photo news] Mercedes-Benz trains next auto experts

Mercedes-Benz Korea said Tuesday that it has launched its 17th Automotive Electric Traineeship and 8th Ausbildung Program. The AET program focuses on college students, while Ausbildung targets vocational high school students, offering hands-on experience in Mercedes-Benz dealerships. Both programs emphasize electric vehicle technology, preparing participants for the future of the automotive industry. Upon completion, trainees receive certifications recognized globally. Since their inception, the

Sept. 10, 2024

[2024 IFA] Samsung to bolster B2B AI services

BERLIN -- Samsung Electronics has unveiled its vision to expand its AI presence from mobile devices and home appliances to residential and commercial buildings. Under the vision “AI for all,” the tech giant said it will launch diverse AI-based services for business-to-business areas, including "AI apartment," "AI office," "AI store" and "AI stay," taking advantage of its leadership in AI-powered home appliances. AI apartment, for instance, allo

Sept. 10, 2024