[Photo News] Incheon Airport takes off with green fuel

Incheon International Airport Corporation held a commemorative event Friday to mark the commencement of commercial operations of sustainable aviation fuel at its second passenger terminal. The event, attended by government officials, aviation industry leaders and representatives from oil refineries, was led by the Trade Ministry and Transport Ministry. Lee Hag-jae (right), president and CEO of Incheon International Airport Corp., emphasized the company's commitment to demonstrating "ec

Aug. 30, 2024

Samsung-TSMC foundry rivalry renewed in German market

The top two global semiconductor foundries -- Samsung Electronics and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. -- are competing in the automotive semiconductor market in Germany, where major car manufacturers are located. Despite the recent contraction of the automotive semiconductor market due to a decline in demand for electric vehicles, the two companies’ efforts to prepare for future market demand seem actively underway. Samsung’s foundry division is set to hold a forum in Munich,

Aug. 30, 2024

HDC stocks rally on credit rating upgrade, upbeat earnings

South Korean real estate developer and builder Hyundai Development Company said Friday that it has seen an almost 90 percent surge in its share prices on upbeat earnings and positive credit ratings this year. As of Aug. 26, the stock price closed at 26,700 won ($20), an 87.9 percent growth from the beginning of this year. During the same period, the benchmark Kospi fell 5.44 percent. Among the nation’s top 10 construction companies, the growth rate was the highest. Amid the recent rally of

Aug. 30, 2024

HiteJinro sponsors leading UK music fest, boosts soju presence in Europe

South Korea's top soju maker HiteJinro is intensifying its efforts to penetrate the European market, where soju is rapidly gaining popularity and increasingly integrated into local cultural activities. The company announced on Friday that it served as an official sponsor for this year's All Points East, a prominent music festival in the UK held at London's Victoria Park, from Aug. 16 to 25. First held in 2018, APE features world-class musicians and attracts over 200,000 attendees

Aug. 30, 2024

KFCC puts aside W1.4tr for risk management in H1

The Korean Federation of Community Credit Cooperatives, the nation's primary mutual financial institution, also known as Saemaul Geumgo, announced Friday it has set aside 1.4 trillion won ($1.05 billion) in reserve in the first half of 2024 to ensure the financial stability of the credit union. The allowance for bad debts, also called a bad debt reserve, is a provision made in a company’s accounts in recognition of debts that cannot be collected. Allocating the reserve leads to a loss

Aug. 30, 2024

[Photo News] Hanjin's 'Dook'n Dook'n' brings Hallyu to Vietnam

To boost the global competitiveness of Korea's small business owners, the Small Enterprise & Market Service, the Korea Commission for Corporate Partnership and Hanjin Logistics held a launch ceremony on Thursday for Dook'n Dook'n, an offline store in Hanoi, Vietnam, showcasing Hallyu products. The event was attended by Oh Young-joo (center left), minister of SMEs and startups, SEMAS Chairman Park Sung-hyo (center right), Emily Cho (third from right), president of Hanjin Logist

Aug. 30, 2024

Nokia denies report about mobile unit sales talks with Samsung

Finnish telecom equipment maker Nokia on Friday denied a report that it is in talks with Samsung Electronics or any other potential bidders to sell its mobile network business. “Nokia has nothing to announce in relation to the speculations published in an article today, and no related insider project exists,” the company said in a statement, referring to a Bloomberg report earlier in the day. “Nokia is committed to the success of its mobile networks business, a highly strategic

Aug. 30, 2024

LG Display starts production of advanced OLED displays for gaming

LG Display said Thursday it has kicked off mass production of its 27-inch 480Hz Quad HD gaming OLED panel that boasts the industry’s highest refresh rate and fastest response time, targeting the high-end gaming market. The new panel is made to show the best performance in key criteria for gaming displays, which are refresh rate, images displayed per second and response time in displaying graphic card signals, LG said. “We will create differentiated customer value and secure leadershi

Aug. 29, 2024

MG Community Credit Cooperatives upgrades HR system

South Korean mutual financial institution MG Community Credit Cooperatives said Thursday it has made efforts to improve its organizational culture by offering consulting services on labor and employment matters to its employees since last year. In the project, called MG Blue Wave, MG aims to examine and consult on the personnel management of its 560 branches until the end of this year. As of this month, some 394 branches have undergone such evaluation program since the beginning of last year. Th

Aug. 29, 2024

Korean minister, AmCham head hope to deepen economic ties

Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun called the US “the most important ally and rival” to South Korea on Thursday while introducing the government's key initiatives to bolster US-Korea trade and investment at a conference hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea. “Korea is establishing a stable investment environment by implementing various regulations, such as the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement, and expanding our global network,” Ahn stated, noting the country&#

Aug. 29, 2024

Posco International receives first credit rating from S&P, Moody's

Posco International, the trading arm of Posco Group, announced Thursday that it received its first credit rating from global credit rating agencies Standard & Poor's and Moody's on Tuesday. Posco International was assigned a rating of BBB+ by S&P and Baa2 by Moody's, with both agencies providing a stable outlook for the company's credit rating. An S&P rating of BBB- or higher is generally considered investment grade. Posco International's BBB+ rating is on pa

Aug. 29, 2024

CEOs at top banks face mixed outlooks on reappointment

The terms of the CEOs at South Korea's five major commercial banks all end on Dec. 31, and speculation is mounting over their reappointments. Strong earnings across the sector, driven by high revenue and profits, may boost some CEOs' chances for an extension. However, others face uncertainty due to ongoing financial scandals and management issues, prompting regulators to call for tighter oversight. Additionally, CEOs' relationships with their respective holding group will also be

Aug. 29, 2024

GS Group establishes cultural foundation to boost art

South Korean energy, retail and construction conglomerate GS Group announced Thursday that it has officially launched the GS Cultural Foundation, a move aimed at enriching the nation's cultural and artistic landscape. Chaired by GS Group Chairman Huh Tae-soo, the board comprises prominent figures including Kang Sue-jin, artistic director of the Korean National Ballet, Eugene H J Bang, former head of DBS Bank Korea, Rha Wan-bae, former vice chairman of GS Energy, and Lee Joon-myung, an attor

Aug. 29, 2024

LG Chem opens CS center in Ohio

LG Chem, South Korea’s leading chemicals company, announced on Thursday the official opening of its new Customer Solution Center in Ravenna, Ohio, as part of its strategy to expand its presence in North America. The 8,300-square-meter, three-story facility is designed to provide comprehensive technical support to customers across the region, including product development, quality enhancement and productivity enhancement for LG Chem’s customers and suppliers. The center, which began c

Aug. 29, 2024

Dong-A Pharm's eye supplement for kids releases new flavor

South Korean drugmaker Dong-A Pharmaceutical said Thursday the company launched a new flavor of eye health supplement containing perilla herb for kids -- Minimax LAB Eyes Solution. According to a study released in 2017, researchers found that Perilla frutescens reduce near point of convergence values, which are indicators of eye fatigue. To evaluate the effects of Perilla extract, the research team divided 30 Korean participants into two groups, giving the extract to only one group. However, due

Aug. 29, 2024

CJ Olive Young's discount event start Friday

South Korea's largest beauty retailer CJ Olive Young said Wednesday the company will reduce the price of over 10,000 products by up to 70 percent for a week from Friday. The company has opened doors for the nation's smaller cosmetic makers. Olive Young plans to offer large discounts on numerous Korean beauty products, with medium-sized brands making up 80 percent of them. In June, cosmetic products from small and medium-sized enterprises ranked first to tenth in sales. During the event

Aug. 28, 2024

Naver, Kakao strive to combat deepfake porn spreading online

The rise of explicit and nonconsensual deepfake pornography illegally being shared online is prompting Korean platform operators to boost their surveillance while delaying generative AI services. Naver, the country's No. 1 search engine, said Wednesday it is running Clova GreenEye 2.0 on its platforms to identify harmful and sexually explicit images using the image analysis solution based on its AI model's vision technology. While the solution is not specifically made to scan for deepf

Aug. 28, 2024

LG Innotek seeks leadership in parts for future mobility

LG Innotek said Wednesday that it has applied for some 3,500 patents related to automotive parts over the past five years, seeking leadership in the field of futuristic mobility. Almost 40 percent of the patents are for electric vehicles, one of the company’s new growth drivers. They cover diverse EV and autonomous driving technologies, including LiDar sensors, cameras, lighting and communication modules. LG Innotek said it is also accelerating efforts to secure standard patents as they ar

Aug. 28, 2024

One Store goes global with Taiwan launch

Korean mobile app store operator One Store said Wednesday that it aims to expand globally with Taiwan being the first strategic market. “Our hyper localization strategy involves partnering with local companies globally to tailor services specifically for each region, aiming to compete with global monopolies on a global scale," CEO Chun Dong-jin said during a press conference in Seoul, earlier in the day. "One Store aims to become the most competitive app market globally by 2030.&

Aug. 28, 2024

Woori to reenter insurance market after 11-year hiatus

Woori Financial Group has finalized a deal to acquire Tongyang Life Insurance and ABL Life Insurance, marking its reentry into the insurance sector after 11 years. The group announced Wednesday that its board of directors has resolved to incorporate Tongyang Life Insurance and ABL Life Insurance as subsidiaries and has signed the stock sale agreements. Woori will acquire a 75.34 percent stake in Tongyang Life for 1.28 trillion won ($958 million) and the entirety of ABL Life for 265.4 billion won

Aug. 28, 2024