KB chooses Yang Jong-hee as top chairman candidate

KB Financial Group, Korea's top financial holding company, has selected Vice Chairman Yang Jong-hee as its next chairman candidate. Yang's selection is considered to be a reflection of the importance the Chairman Candidate Recommendation Committee places on Yang's extensive background in both the banking and non-banking sectors. This development came on Friday, following comprehensive two-hour interviews --conducted by the committee of the group -- with three finalists. "Yang

Sept. 8, 2023

Korea to build 120MW data center in Pohang

South Korea will build a 120-megawatt data center with an investment of 1.5 trillion won ($1.12 billion) in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province by 2027, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Friday. According to the ministry, SK Ecoplant, DCT Telecom and KB Asset Management signed a memorandum of understanding to invest the 1.5 trillion won to build the global data center campus as well as the related undersea fiber-optic cables and a landing station that serves as a connection between t

Sept. 8, 2023

Orion scores W110b dividend from Vietnamese subsidiary

South Korean confectionery manufacturer Orion said Friday it will receive a cash dividend of 110 billion won ($82.5 million) from its Vietnamese subsidiary for the first time since its establishment in 2005. According to Orion, the company collected 50 billion won in dividends from Orion Food Vina Co., its wholly owned Vietnamese subsidiary, at the end of August. This marks the first time that Orion has brought dividends into its head office in Korea from its Vietnamese subsidiary. Orion said

Sept. 8, 2023

Lotte Homeshopping conducts first voluntary redundancy program

Lotte Homeshopping, the TV channel of South Korean retail giant Lotte, initiated its first voluntary redundancy program amid spluttering financial performance, according to a company official on Friday. From Thursday to Wednesday, the company will allow employees aged 45 or older who have worked for Lotte Homeshopping for five years or more to apply for the program. The employees who voluntarily resign will be compensated with about two years' annual salary, along with reemployment suppor

Sept. 8, 2023

Hanwha Ocean wins green tech certifications at global gas fair

Major South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean Co. said Friday it has won a series of certifications for eco-friendly technologies from major global maritime rating agencies at an ongoing world gas industry exhibition. Hanwha Ocean, formerly Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., has obtained an approval in principle for the hold of a 70,000-cubic-meter liquefied carbon dioxide carrier from Norwegian accredited registrar and classification society DNV. The capacity of Hanwha Ocean's

Sept. 8, 2023

After record earnings, large-scale walkout looms at Chanel Korea

After recording its best earnings last year, Chanel Korea is under mounting pressure to share more profits with employees in a fairer way, with its unionized workers threatening to go on a full-scale walkout ahead of its peak holiday season later this month. According to the Chanel Korea Union, affiliated with the Korean Federation of Service Workers’ Union, its members working at department stores and duty-free shops already staged a partial walkout over the past weekend. The union said i

Sept. 7, 2023

HD Korea Shipbuilding hits order target ahead of schedule

HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering said Thursday it secured new orders for four very large ammonia carriers, or VLACs, totaling 616.8 billion won ($462.6 million), reaching its annual order target ahead of schedule. These orders, secured during the global gas and climate technologies event, Gastech 2023, with Singapore EPS and Greece Capital, increase the company's 2023 total orders to $15.94 billion, outpacing their annual target of $15.74 billion. Ammonia carriers play a piv

Sept. 7, 2023

Hyundai, LG chiefs visit Indonesia to bolster EV, battery partnerships

Following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s visit to Indonesia for the South Korea-Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit, South Korean conglomerates’ chiefs embarked on a business trip to the emerging country to boost cooperation on electric vehicles and construction projects, industry sources said Thursday. Business leaders including Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo, Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin and LS Chairman Koo Ja-eun were

Sept. 7, 2023

FSS head meets with China's new financial regulator chief

Lee Bok-hyun, the governor of South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service, made an unannounced two-day visit to China last week, marking the first visit there by an FSS head in six years. During his visit to Beijing on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, Lee met with Li Yunze, head of China's National Financial Regulatory Administration, to discuss ways to strengthen financial ties and cooperation between the two nations. “China previously had various supervisory divisions, but it did not have

Sept. 7, 2023

Coca-Cola Korea releases new oat drink

Coca-Cola Korea Company said Thursday it has launched its new plant-based drink brand Go:Good Oat, jumping on the vegan bandwagon. Made from European oats, the new drink is blended with oat syrup and rice bran oil. The two flavor options include plain with a clean taste and rich with a smooth taste. With a small, handy 195 ml package, the consumers can easily carry around and enjoy the oat drink anytime, anywhere. Even in busy mornings and short breaks, it can quickly give a feeling of “co

Sept. 7, 2023

Makeup brand Hera debuts in Japan

South Korean cosmetic giant Amorepacific announced Thursday that its high-end cosmetic brand Hera has entered the Japanese market. Riding on the global popularity of brand ambassador Jennie from Blackpink, Hera has been gaining traction in the global market, with its leading Black Cushion foundation logging over 8.56 million combined domestic and international sales. At the end of August, a pop-up store was launched at Shibuya Scramble Square, a large shopping complex in Japan’s capital.

Sept. 7, 2023

GS1 CEO calls on retailers to adopt QR codes to build trust

GS1, a nongovernmental organization based in Belgium that manages the bar codes scanned over 6 billion times daily across the globe, is set to unlock the future of the global retail industry with next-generation bar codes by supporting companies and consumers to access abundant trusted product data. GS1 CEO Renaud de Barbuat called on Korean business leaders in the retail and logistics industries to take a leap towards the digital transformation by replacing the bar codes they are using with two

Sept. 6, 2023

Incheon Airport vows to rebuild global network after years of pandemic disruptions

Incheon Airport unveiled its vision to ramp up its customer services and fortify its partnerships with international airports around the world, during the 2023 ACI CX Global Summit held in Incheon, Wednesday. The 2023 ACI CX Global Summit is a global summit on airport customer experience organized by the Airports Council International. Incheon Airport was selected to host the event as the first South Korean airport to do so after it received a level 5 Customer Experience Accreditation -- the hig

Sept. 6, 2023

[Contribution] Time for 'regulatory break' for SMEs

By Oh Kee-woong Last weekend, my family and I went to a pet-friendly coffee shop near our house. It was heartwarming to see dogs and cats playing around while we enjoyed a cup of coffee. But under the current law, many pet-friendly cafes in South Korea are actually illegal, except for five places that have been granted as “special cases for demonstration.” According to current laws, even if you ordered a puppucino -- caffeine-free beverage for pets -- for your dog in illegal cafes, i

Sept. 6, 2023

Hyundai Rotem unveils new weapons system in Poland

Hyundai Rotem, a railway, defense and plant systems provider under Hyundai Motor Group, said Wednesday it has unveiled its ground-based weapons system at the International Defense Industry Exhibition, or MSPO, Poland’s annual trade fair for military equipment. The company displayed the K2 Gap Filler Main Battle Tank, also known as the K2 Black Panther tank, its first fighting vehicle exported to Poland. It also displayed its K808 wheeled armored vehicle with improved performance for the fi

Sept. 6, 2023

Taxi fare surges most since Asian financial crisis

Taxi fares have experienced their most significant on-year surge since the 1997 Asian financial crisis, causing commuters like Kim Jung-ah, an office worker in Gangnam, Seoul, to feel the financial strain. Kim, who currently has a cast on her leg, relies on taxis for her daily commute to work, a journey that typically takes 10 to 15 minutes. “I spend around 8,000 to 9,000 won just for the short 10-minute ride to my office,” Kim said. "If I had the option, I'd seriously cons

Sept. 6, 2023

[Photo News] Polish President at Hanwha booth

Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan (second from left) speaks to Polish President Andrzej Duda (third from left) during the MSPO defense trade show held in Kielce, Poland, Tuesday. During the booth tour, the Polish leader was briefed on Hanwha’s diverse defense technologies, including the 30,000-ton Jangbogo-III Batch-II submarine. (Hanwha Group)

Sept. 6, 2023

SK Ecoplant forays into Europe with Posco

SK Ecoplant, the construction and energy arm of SK Group, signed a memorandum of understanding with Posco International on Wednesday with an aim to foray into the European market with recycled plastic technology. On Tuesday, the companies secured their partnership at SK Ecoplant’s headquarters in central Seoul. Under the agreement, the two companies will cooperate on providing raw materials for recycled plastic, including the Recycled Polyester chip (RPET), to the Europe market. Made from

Sept. 6, 2023

KT bolsters ties with Canada’s Vector Institute for AI

KT Corp. said Wednesday that it discussed bolstering its partnership with Canada's Vector Institute, a nonprofit firm dedicated to artificial intelligence research, to advance its latest AI technologies. The two parties have already been collaborating in the area of AI research and business development since its partnership agreed in September last year. On Tuesday, Vector Institute CEO Tony Gaffney visited KT’s R&D center in Seocho-gu, Seoul, during which more concrete steps were

Sept. 6, 2023

S. Korean defense firms seek to bolster foothold in Poland at int'l arms exhibition

Major South Korean defense companies have showed off tanks, guided weapons and other key weapons systems at an annual arms exhibition under way in Poland, as they seek to solidify their presence in the European country on the back of successful deals signed last year. The 31st International Defense Industry Exhibition, or MSPO, got under way Tuesday for a four-day run in Kielce, Poland, after South Korean companies secured major deals last year to supply K2 tanks, K9 self-propelled howitzers, FA

Sept. 6, 2023