[Kim Ji-hyun] When everything comes full circle

At a startup conference held in Daejeon, home of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, last month, a member of the audience posed the following question to Moaffak Ahmed, an early stage investor and partner at Slush, one of the largest startup conferences in Europe. “How can you protect your ideas when you haven’t patented them?” The answer was that you can’t. And the more important part of the equation is how you can deploy your idea, and put it into pr

ViewpointsJune 26, 2019

[Doyle McManus] ‘Trump Doctrine’: He’d rather talk than fight

No matter how the current crisis between the United States and Iran turns out, it should have one result: an end to the fear that President Donald Trump would be a warmonger in the Oval Office.Trump has been inconsistent about many things, but he’s been strikingly consistent about this: He would rather talk than fight. Time and again, he’s threatened other countries, sometimes in bloodcurdling terms, but then made clear that he’d prefer to negotiate.Take Iran. Last month, as te

ViewpointsJune 26, 2019

Korea, Saudi seek closer cooperation, sign MOUs, deals worth $8.3b

President Moon Jae-in and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia met in Seoul on Wednesday to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in a wide range of areas. The crown prince arrived in Seoul earlier in the day and was met by Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon before moving on to Cheong Wa Dae for a welcoming ceremony followed by a meeting with Moon and his top aides. At the meeting, Moon stressed the importance of Korea-Saudi relations, highlighting economic projects between the two cou

Foreign AffairsJune 26, 2019

Netmarble launches BTS World

South Korean game company Netmarble launched a new mobile game titled BTS World on Wednesday, featuring the world-famous K-pop star group. Downloads of the game kicked off simultaneously in 176 countries in 14 languages at 4 p.m. for early sign-ups, two hours ahead of the regular launch. Netmarble will exclusively play the new BTS song “Heartbeat” via the game as its background music. Until the “BTS World OST” album releases on Friday, the game is the only platform where

IndustryJune 26, 2019

[Best Brand] SPEP leads global mindset, language training

A global education firm SPEP has been at the forefront of a paradigm shift in business education, providing training and consulting specialized in nurturing a workforce with a global mindset and foreign language proficiency.  SPEP, which has worked with global firms for more than 22 years, offers training programs on communication skills, basic language skills and business etiquette necessary in a multicultural business environment. The training courses, textbook and other education materia

Social AffairsJune 26, 2019

Seoul to replace aged pipes amid ‘reddish tap water’ crisis

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said Wednesday that the city will bring forward plans to replace aged water pipes by securing extra funds, amid growing concerns over contaminated tap water reported in Seoul, Incheon and other cities.  The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it would begin replacing 138 kilometers of the old pipes within the year, earlier than as scheduled in 2020. For the 1.75-kilometer pipe that contaminated tap water in Mulle-dong, the replacement will be completed by the end of

Social AffairsJune 26, 2019

[Best Brand] OR Crew: Redesigning the design field

　For South Korean design firm OR Crew, design is not just about creating unique drawings or idiosyncratic buildings. It is more about sending a consistent visual signal about what those things represent. As social media introduce various communication methods, that philosophy is increasingly carrying weight. 　Having started off as a five-member team located in the port city of Busan, OR Crew focuses on how to materialize brand value and deliver it to the public. That’s the case regardless

BusinessJune 26, 2019

[Best Brand] Grand Hilton Seoul seeks to be venue for MICE events

In addition to offering accommodation, Grand Hilton Seoul promotes itself as a venue to host MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) events. Large conferences have been held at the convention center of the hotel in northwestern Seoul. The Grand Hilton Seoul Convention Center, the first major convention center operated by a hotel in Korea, is the second-largest convention venue in northern Seoul, after Iksan Kintex.The convention hall spans 8,264 square meters with seven floors.

TravelJune 26, 2019

S. Korea to inject W70tr to foster underdeveloped service sector

The South Korean government said Wednesday it will inject 70 trillion won ($60.5 billion) into service industries over the next five years, centered on stimulating research and development and reducing the discrimination with the manufacturing sector.“The advancement of the service sector is a matter of vitality in order for our economy to take a leap forward,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki, citing the high potential of the service industries in terms of

EconomyJune 26, 2019

SK hynix kick-starts mass production of world’s first 1Tb 4D NAND flash

SK hynix announced Wednesday it has started mass-producing 1-terabit NAND chips using its proprietary 4D platform to offer the industry’s largest memory storage capacity. According to the South Korean memory chip maker, the world’s first 128-layer triple-level cell 4D NAND chips with 1Tb storage will be released in the market in the second half of the year.  The company highlighted that the 128-layer 4D NAND flash has become available for commercial use just eight months after

TechnologyJune 26, 2019

Business leaders seek Saudi’s cooperation, investment in manufacturing, energy

Leaders of South Korean conglomerates gathered for a meeting with Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday to forge partnerships with the oil-rich country, which has been looking to curb its export reliance on fossil fuels through technological breakthroughs and capital inflow.During a private luncheon at the presidential house, chiefs of the country’s major conglomerates sought to strengthen business cooperation with the Middle Eastern country to revital

IndustryJune 26, 2019

Moon: N. Korea-US in dialogue for 3rd summit, peace process making steady progress

President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday that North Korea and the United States are in "behind-the-scenes talks" on another bilateral summit with the peace process on the Korean Peninsula making steady progress."Both sides have been engaged in dialogue in regard to a third summit," he said in a written interview with Yonhap News Agency and six other global news agencies.    What's noteworthy is, he added, that "The behind-the-scenes talks have been preceded by

North KoreaJune 26, 2019

[News Focus] Government offloading Woori stakes to elevate holding company

The government’s latest decision to dispose of its remaining stakes in Woori Financial Holdings is seen as a turning point for South Korea’s financial sector, indicating the withdrawal of decadeslong public interference triggered by the 1997 Asian financial crisis.While the financial holding company will henceforth gain further momentum in the market as a fully privatized player, state coffers will at last be able to recoup taxpayers’ money.According to the Financial Services C

MarketJune 26, 2019

Mercedes-Benz’s Startup Autobahn scouts talented Korean startups

Global automotive companies are starting to heavily invest in autonomous driving, customized infotainment systems and sensor technology to improve driver assistance features. And it has become critical to secure talents for relevant technology development. Startup Autobahn, a Mercedes-Benz-backed open innovation platform for startups founded in 2016 under the German automotive group Daimler, sees that the automotive industry is now going through a “war of startup talents.”&ldquo

MobilityJune 26, 2019

[Best Brand] Coupang’s delivery innovation leads Korea’s online retail biz market

Coupang/ Online shopping mall  South Korea’s delivery service has evolved to allow customers to expect next-day arrival of their ordered items, or even receive parcels in just a few hours. At the center of such delivery innovation stands Coupang, an e-commerce company which rolled out a Rocket Delivery service in 2014. Rocket Delivery guarantees next-day delivery of ordered goods when a customer places an order by 12 a.m. Taking the retail business and e-commerce industry by

IndustryJune 26, 2019

NXC CEO pulls plug on Nexon sale, for now

What was once deemed to be the biggest deal in the industry -- the sale of Nexon, Korea’s biggest game company by revenue -- reportedly came to a sputter, Wednesday. Kim Jung-ju, the CEO of Nexon’s holding company, NXC, reportedly put the brakes on the sale of his and his wife’s 98.64 percent controlling stake in NXC due to unsatisfactory offers from bidders, the Korea Economic Daily reported.Nexon Korea was unable to comment on the matter. NXC owns 47.98 percent of shares

IndustryJune 26, 2019

[Best Brand] Shinhan Card seeks to cater to customers’ lifestyles

Shinhan Card/ Credit card Shinhan Card has maintained its position as the nation’s leading credit card issuer for years, but it now aims to go a step further by integrating its services with customers’ lifestyles. The firm has the largest number of customers among credit card issuers -- around 22 million -- which it hopes to expand to 30 million by 2023. It has been offering a slew of services, such as sign-up bonuses, rewards, and original services, to evolve into a lifestyle platfo

MarketJune 26, 2019

[Best Brand] Woongjin Coway tackles fine dust with clothing purifier

Woongjin Coway/ Clothing purifierSouth Korean water and air purifier maker Woongjin Coway unveiled a four-in-one air purifying solution in May that helps to remove fine dust residue on clothing.The Coway Four Seasons Clothing Purifier is designed to get rid of fine dust particles or bad odor left on clothing while purifying and dehumidifying the surrounding air at the same time. According to the company, the purifier has a four-part system that ensures clothes come out clean and wrinkle-free.Fir

IndustryJune 26, 2019

[Best Brand] Hair care brand Pantene flaunts shining reputation

Pantene(P&G)/ Personal care product P&G Korea’s Pantene is a hair care brand that contains provitamins that nourish and restore shine to damaged hair. The name Pantene derives from the name for a derivative of moisturizing and regenerating provitamin B5, Panthenol. Pantene boasts of its Pro-V solution as one that is developed through 70 years of work by P&G researchers. Panthenol was first developed in Switzerland in 1940 as a vitamin B5 derivative. Once absorbed into skin

IndustryJune 26, 2019