S. Korea to spend over W400b in XR industry in 2021

South Korea said Thursday it will spend more than 400 billion won ($371 million) next year in the extended reality (XR) industry, such as augmented reality (AR) glasses and virtual reality (VR) content, setting its sights on leading the budding tech sector. The Ministry of Science and ICT said the government has set aside a total of 403 billion won for next year to boost XR development, which includes spending 44.6 billion won to integrate XR technology in key sectors, such as manufacturing, he

Dec. 10, 2020

[Monitor] South Korea’s tax revenue up W6.8tr won in October

South Korea’s tax revenue grew 6.8 trillion won ($6.3 billion) in October due largely to a rise in income tax revenue, data showed Wednesday. The country collected 39.1 trillion won in taxes in October, compared with 32.3 trillion won the previous year, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The rise in tax revenue mainly came as income tax revenue rose 4.1 trillion won on-year to 10.5 trillion won. The consolidated fiscal balance, total income minus total expenditure, rema

Dec. 10, 2020

ADB expects S. Korean economy to retreat less than expected in 2020

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Thursday revised up the economic outlook for the South Korean economy this year, citing robust exports of tech products and a mild recovery in private consumption. The ADB expected Asia's fourth-largest economy to retreat 0.9 percent this year, compared with its September forecast of 1 percent contraction. The Manila-based bank predicted the Korean economy will grow 3.3 percent next year, the same as its earlier forecast. The ADB said the Korean economy is f

Dec. 10, 2020

Seoul stocks open lower on Facebook lawsuit, allergy cases in British vaccination

South Korea's benchmark stock index opened sharply lower Thursday on overnight Wall Street tech losses and reports of allergy cases related to the vaccinations in Britain. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 26.77 points, or 0.97 percent, to 2,728.7 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The fall was led by shares of tech giants, tracking a 1.94 percent overnight plunge on the Nasdaq composite. The US Federal Trade Commission's antitrust lawsuit against Facebook dropped investor appetite f

Dec. 10, 2020

Samsung ranks 3rd in smartwatch market in Q3: report

Samsung Electronics Co. moved up to the third spot in the global smartwatch market in the third quarter of the year thanks to brisk sales of the Galaxy Watch3, a report showed Thursday. Samsung accounted for 10 percent of the global smartwatch shipments in the July-September period, up 2 percentage points from a year earlier, and surpassed China's BBK Electronics Corp., which settled for a 7 percent share, to take the third position in the market, according to industry tracker Counterpoint Rese

Dec. 10, 2020

US panel again delays ruling on trade secret case involving 2 Korean EV battery makers

A US trade panel on Wednesday again postponed a much-awaited ruling on a trade secret dispute involving South Korean battery makers LG Energy Solution Ltd. and SK Innovation Co. to Feb. 10. The US International Trade Commission (ITC) postponed the final ruling slated for Dec. 10 without elaborating on the reason, putting off the schedule for the third time. LG Energy Solution, which supplies batteries to Tesla and General Motors, filed trade complaints with the ITC in early 2019, claiming SK

Dec. 10, 2020

Instant noodle exports soar more than 30% this year amid virus

South Korean exports of instant noodles jumped more than 30 percent in the first 10 months of the year amid the coronavirus pandemic, a report said Thursday. Overseas shipments of instant noodles, or "ramyeon" in Korean, came to $573 million in the January-October period, up 32.4 percent from a year earlier, according to the report from the Korea International Trade Association (KITA). The surge was attributed to the global popularity of home cooking in the wake of the coronavirus ou

Dec. 10, 2020

Posco Chemical to supply cathodes to LG-GM EV battery JV

Posco Chemical said Wednesday it will supply cathodes to Ultium Cells, a joint venture established by LG Energy Solution and General Motors last year. According to the refractory and secondary battery materials arm of South Korean steel giant Posco, it will provide cathodes to Ultium Cells’ electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility, which is set to begin mass production of NCMA (nickel, cobalt, manganese, aluminum) batteries that contain 90 percent nickel starting next year. Ca

Dec. 9, 2020

Why Kospi could be headed for 3,000

Stock analysts are setting bullish targets on South Korea‘s main stock market index Kospi, as optimism for strong earnings growth next year abound, while investors backed by ample market liquidity are zeroing in on equities as their choices are increasingly limited. The views came as the Kospi on Wednesday resumed its record run by closing at 2,755.47. The index rebounded 2 percent from a day prior when Kospi retreated from the five-trading-day rally since the start of December. Kospi, w

Dec. 9, 2020

S. Korea, World Bank strive for sustainable growth

South Korea’s Ministry of Economy and Finance, in partnership with the World Bank Group, launched a two-day innovation forum to contemplate a road map for sustainable growth in the post-coronavirus era, officials said Wednesday. Global Innovative Growth Forum 2020, the second forum in an annual series launched as a collaboration platform for the promotion of sustainable growth, kicked off Wednesday under the slogan “Innovative and Sustainable Growth in the Post-COVID-19 Era,”

Dec. 9, 2020

Korea seeks carbon neutrality through LG, SK’s biodegradable plastic

South Korea has rolled up its sleeves to support the domestic biodegradable plastic industry to address carbon-intensive plastic products and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. According to the recent “White Biotechnology Industry Revitalization Strategy” released by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the government will create demand for biodegradable plastic products, which are two to three times more expensive than conventional plastic items. The fall in prices of oil a

Dec. 9, 2020

S-Oil awards 8 heroic firefighters for 2020

S-Oil said Wednesday it had delivered 90 million won ($82,300) to eight firefighters for heroic actions. At an annual Hero Firefighters Award Ceremony held at its headquarters in Mapo-gu, western Seoul, the South Korean refinery and the Korea National Council for Social Welfare delivered award plaques of appreciation and cash awards to the eight awardees as part of its firefighter support campaign. Lee Sung-ha from Incheon Central Fire Station received the top award and 20 million won. Lee dis

Dec. 9, 2020

New era for online ID certifications opens

The public online identification system, which has reigned as the single dominant security platform for online transactions here, will lose its legal, official status from Thursday, opening up a new market for private digital certificates providers, the government said Wednesday. “With the effectuation of the revised Electronic Signature Act on Dec. 10, the system will lose its official status given by the government,” the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of the Interi

Dec. 9, 2020

Expectations grow for Samsung’s expansion in US

Samsung Electronics may be considering ramping up its Austin, Texas-based semiconductor factory as part of efforts to strengthen its foothold in the foundry market, according to industry sources on Wednesday. Expectations are growing as Samsung seeks a zoning change for plots of land near its Austin campus it purchased in late October. Samsung Austin Semiconductor has filed a request with the Austin City Council for a rezoning of some 205 acres of the 258-acre land, which is about 104,089 sq

Dec. 9, 2020

Seoul stocks close at record high on vaccine hopes, US stimulus talks

South Korean stocks closed at an all-time high Wednesday, driven by progress of COVID-19 vaccines amid optimism over US stimulus talks. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 54.54 points, or 2.02 percent, to close at 2,755.47. Trading volume was high at about 1.2 billion shares worth some 16.8 trillion won ($15.5 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 658 to 192. Foreigners bought a net 162 billion won, while retail investo

Dec. 9, 2020

Posco Chemical to supply cathodes for LG-GM EV battery joint venture

Posco Chemical Co., an affiliate of South Korea's steel giant Posco Group, said Wednesday it will provide a key element for Ultium Cells' rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles (EVs). Posco Chemical said it will supply cathodes, one part of lithium-ion batteries used in EVs, to Ultium Cells, a battery joint venture of American automaker General Motors Co. and South Korean chemical firm LG Energy Solution Ltd. The two companies will separately negotiate a supply deal of anode, a key mater

Dec. 9, 2020

Shinhan Financial to gain full ownership of Neoplux

South Korea’s financial behemoth Shinhan Financial Group is slated to gain full ownership of its newly-acquired subsidiary Neoplux -- a former venture capital arm under Doosan Group -- as soon as the two sides complete a small-scale stock exchange at the end of this month, a filing showed Wednesday.  According to DART, the Financial Supervisory Service’s electronic disclosure board, the banking giant will carry out the small-scale stock exchange with Neoplux on Dec. 30. Starti

Dec. 9, 2020

Chiefs of 20 conglomerates not registered as board members: regulator

The chiefs of 20 large business groups in South Korea, including top conglomerate Samsung Group, did not register themselves as board members of their affiliates, the antitrust regulator said Wednesday, a move widely seen as an attempt to avoid managerial responsibilities. As of May, the owners of Samsung, chemicals-to-construction conglomerate Hanwha, leading shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries and 17 other conglomerates were not board members of the groups' affiliates, the Korea Fair Trade C

Dec. 9, 2020

Samsung tops Russian smartphone market in Q3: report

Samsung Electronics Co. was the largest smartphone vendor in Russia in the third quarter of the year, beating its Chinese rival Huawei Technologies Co., a report showed Wednesday. Samsung accounted for 28.4 percent of smartphone sales in Russia in the July-September period, edging out Huawei by 2.9 percentage points, according to market researcher Counterpoint Research. China's Xiaomi Corp. came in third with a 22.6 percent share in the third quarter, followed by Apple Inc. with a 9.2 percent

Dec. 9, 2020

[Herald Interview] Korea eyes how to revitalize aviation industry

The year 2020 has been one marred by a global pandemic. For the aviation industry, it was a time of unseen hardships. Countries around the world took a different approach to the virus crisis as some tried to maintain the flow of people while others were quick to close down the borders. South Korea‘s strategy was to balance the two apporaches, said Kim Sang-do, deputy minister for civil aviation at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. “We did a great job preemptive

Dec. 9, 2020