G-Star at crossroads as Korean game giants opt out

Korea’s biggest game companies are bypassing G-Star for overseas showcases, putting the country’s largest gaming convention at a crossroads. The G-Star organizing committee last week unveiled the initial lineup for this year’s event, scheduled for Nov. 19-22 at Bexco in Busan. None of Korea’s four leading game companies — Krafton, Nexon, NCSoft and Netmarble — appeared on the list of business-to-consumer exhibitors. The companies have traditionally operated large booths where visitors can previe

2026-08-17 13:56:57:00

Korean builders double down on AI data centers

Korean builders are racing into data centers, chasing multibillion-dollar opportunities as the generative AI boom fuels a global surge in demand for computing infrastructure. Global real estate consultancy JLL estimates that the data center market will grow at an annual average rate of 14 percent through 2030, while global data center power consumption is expected to nearly double from around 103 gigawatts in 2025 to 200 GW by 2030, led by an infrastructure super-cycle requiring up to $3 trillio

2026-08-16 16:00:00:00

Seoul commemorates 81st Liberation Day

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon on Saturday rang the Bosingak bell with descendants of independence activists and joined citizens in shouting “Manse” three times to commemorate the 81st anniversary of Korea’s Liberation Day. Oh and other participants rang the Bosingak bell 33 times, carrying the historical significance of Korea’s liberation. After the ceremony, they waved the national flag and shouted “Manse” three times, expressing their hopes for a bright future for South Korea. They then joined the Se

2026-08-15 15:47:28:00

Sogang University hit by personal information breach of 180,000

Personal information belonging to about 180,000 students, alumni and employees of Sogang University has been leaked in a data breach. Sogang University said Saturday it had detected signs of an information leak involving its integrated login accounts on the previoius day. In a notice posted on its official website, the university said it had confirmed signs of some information being leaked following an external attack by an unidentified party. “Upon becoming aware of the incident, we immediately

2026-08-15 13:08:02:00

Lee underscores peace with N. Korea, trust with Japan

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has called for peaceful coexistence with North Korea while emphasizing the administration’s intention to continue broaden cooperating with Japan. “I hope the South and the North can sit down together to pursue peaceful coexistence and shared growth. Rather than a concession, this would mark the start of coexistence,” said Lee in his commemorative speech during the 81th anniversary of Liberation Day at the Sejong Center in Seoul on Saturday. “We will embark on

2026-08-15 12:40:04:00

Korean apples go viral via Times Square ad

A Korean county’s apples have made an unlikely appearance in the heart of New York’s Times Square as a local government official personally paid 329,000 won ($232) for a 15-second advertisement. The advertisement promoting apples from Bonghwa County in North Gyeongsang Province was displayed on a Times Square billboard every hour at 36 minutes from 1:36 p.m. Thursday to 12:36 p.m. Friday, Korea time. Featuring a picture of a red apple, the ad displayed a short message in Korean: “Bonghwa apples

2026-08-15 11:29:54:00

Korean trade minister ousted amid US tariff pressure

Yeo Han-koo, South Korea’s top trade negotiator who played a key role in major trade issues including last year’s tariff negotiations with the United States, was ousted Friday. President Lee Jae Myung dismissed Yeo, minister for trade at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, effective midnight Friday, according to the ministry. The dismissal was unusual in that Yeo was removed from public office through an administrative measure that unilaterally strips an official of their position. The g

2026-08-15 11:10:34:00

Nexon scores record half-year earnings on MapleStory, ARC Raiders growth across globe

Nexon has posted record first-half earnings on the back of continued growth of its flagship MapleStory franchise and the strong performance of ARC Raiders in Western markets. According to Nexon on Thursday, its first-half sales reached 2.56 trillion won ($1.8 billion), up 17 percent from a year earlier. Operating profit rose 13 percent to 838 billion won while net profit more than doubled to 814 billion won. In the second quarter alone, Nexon logged 1.14 trillion won in sales, 294.3 billion won

2026-08-13 17:37:57:00

Starbucks ‘Tank Day’ fallout drags Emart into red

The fallout from Starbucks Korea’s controversial May 18 “Tank Day” campaign helped push Emart to a consolidated operating loss of 43 billion won ($30.4 million) in the second quarter, despite double-digit profit growth at several of the retail conglomerate’s core businesses. Starbucks Korea posted sales of 747.3 billion won and an operating loss of 18.4 billion won in the April-June period, Emart said Thursday. Emart holds a 67.5 percent stake in SCK Company, the operator of Starbucks Korea. The

2026-08-13 15:14:23:00

[팟캐스트] (814) 술 덜 마시는 한국, 주류업계 생존 전략은?

진행자: 간형우, Chelsea Proctor As Korea drinks less, liquor goes lighter — and global 기사 요약: 한국 주류업계가 음주 감소와 소비자 취향 변화에 대응해 저도주·RTD·무알코올 제품을 확대하는 동시에 해외 시장 공략을 강화하며 새로운 성장동력을 찾고 있다. [1] At Korean convenience stores, the liquor aisle's most valuable real estate is changing hands. Eye-level shelves once dominated by 500-milliliter beer cans and green soju bottles are increasingly filled with colorful ready-to-drink cocktails and bottles of lower-alcohol flavored soju, as Koreans drink less and seek lig

2026-08-13 06:00:00:00