[News Focus] Semiconductor industry back in conservative mode

After successfully bolstering the supply side with aggressive investments over the last six months, the semiconductor industry is again in a conservative mode at least until the second quarter of next year, according to industry sources Monday. Such conservatism in making new investments is running deep across the memory market, in particular amid growing forecasts of slowing demand in the second half of the year. According to sources, the world’s two largest memory providers Samsung

TechnologyAug. 31, 2020

Hyundai Motor unveils Ioniq brand song with BTS

Hyundai Motor said Monday it will introduce brand song of its new electric vehicle Ioniq with boy band BTS. The brand song “Ioniq: I’m on it” will be distributed on the automaker’s global website at 7 p.m. on Monday. Hyundai Motor and BTS have been working together on various marketing activities for three years since the band was chosen as Palisade’s global PR ambassador in 2018. The automaker said the latest project aims to convey a vision of the infinite po

MobilityAug. 31, 2020

[Monitor] Home transactions in metropolitan areas plunge

Home transactions in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province have plunged over the last three months, after the government introduced strict measures to stabilize real estate prices, including tax hikes and loan regulations, data showed Sunday. The number of apartment transactions in Seoul dropped to 1,923 in August from 15,589 in June, while that of Gyeonggi Province too decreased to 7,117 in August, from 34,899 in June. The housing prices, which the government aimed to rein in, remained flat. As of

IndustryAug. 31, 2020

Seoul stocks open sharply higher on economic rebound hopes

South Korean shares opened sharply higher Monday on hopes of an economic rebound, despite the government's implementation of toughened social distancing measures. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 22.97 points, or 0.98 percent, to 2,376.77 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Investor sentiment ran high in the wake of the US Fed Reserve's shift of stance signaling that it will stay accommodative for longer even if US inflation exceeds its target level of 2 percent.

MarketAug. 31, 2020

[Future of Plastic Cards] Through human-robot collaboration, Hyundai Card seeks digital transformation

This is the second installment in a series of articles, interviews and videos assessing the future of credit cards and the challenges ahead. -- Ed. On the ninth floor of Hyundai Card’s Card Factory, where 5 million plastic credit cards are produced every year, a barista named Billie makes coffee every day. The machine learning-powered robot, trained by award-winning Korean barista Lee Jong-hoon, has his own employee identification number: 410713. While the robot brews coffee, human c

MarketAug. 30, 2020

NTS vows full-scale probe into tax-dodging allegations against multinational companies

South Korea’s tax agency recently launched a full-scale investigation targeting 21 multinational companies suspected of evading taxes here. It is the agency’s first major task under its new leadership. While the tax agency declined to name the companies, several online platform operators and luxury fashion houses appear to be among its targets, according to local industry sources. The list includes Netflix Korea, Facebook Korea and Germany-based Delivery Hero, which owns two deliv

EconomyAug. 30, 2020

SK invites battery biz partner Hyundai to Korea’s largest social value festival

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice Chairman Chung Euisun will give a congratulatory speech at this year’s “Social Value Connect,” the largest privately-held social value festival in Korea hosted by SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won. According to SK Group Sunday, SOVAC 2020 -- which will be held online from Sept. 1 to 24 -- will feature business leaders including Chung, Posco Chairman Choi Jung-woo and Shinhan Financial Group Chairman Cho Yong-byoung giving congratulatory speech

IndustryAug. 30, 2020

Hyundai Motor to field 9 new vehicles in China by end of 2021

Hyundai Motor will launch nine new cars in China by the end of next year to seek a turnaround in its sluggish sales in the world’s biggest car market. South Korea’s largest automaker announced Sunday that, starting next month with sport utility vehicle Palisade, it will introduce three sedans, three recreational vehicles and two electric vehicles in the country through 2021 to rebound after sales there plummeted in recent years. The automaker’s three sedans include the new

MobilityAug. 30, 2020

Samsung Display sold Suzhou LCD plant to CSOT

CSOT, a panel unit of Chinese home appliance maker TCL, acquired Samsung Display’s Suzhou LCD plant for $1.08 billion, making China the producer of half the world’s large LCDs, industry sources said Sunday. According to the sources, CSOT signed a deal with Samsung Display to acquire 60 percent of the Suzhou plant for $1.08 billion. The remaining 10 percent will be owned by the parent company, TCL, and 30 percent by the Suzhou city government. The Suzhou plant was responsible for

TechnologyAug. 30, 2020

[Photo News] Luxury goods sales surge

Shoppers look at luxury goods at Lotte Department Store in Jamsil, Seoul, in July. Department store sales of luxury brands jumped more than 30 percent last month, although overall sales declined due to the pandemic and the rainy season, government data showed Sunday. Analysts say people spent more of their savings on luxury goods because they were not allowed to travel abroad during the holiday season. (Photo: Yonhap)

IndustryAug. 30, 2020

SK Broadband moves to innovate pay TV service

As competition in over-the-top and pay TV services market intensifies, SK Broadband is seeking to overhaul its solutions. The company said Sunday it has changed the brand name to Lovely B tv, while adding new features and contents to its platform to increase user experience, including artificial intelligence recommendation engine and Supernova, which is designed to improve the quality of image and sound source based on AI-deep learning algorithms. The company has also transformed the user exp

TechnologyAug. 30, 2020

Binggrae’s wellness-focused yogurt products gain popularity

Wellness-focused yougurt products by Binggrae are gaining popularity recently, amid rising demand from health-conscious consumers, according to the company on Sunday. Dairy food company Binggrae has introduced several yogurt brands to the Korean market, contributing to growing the market. Its flagship yogurt product Yoplait topped the local market in sales last year, selling about 360 million units and recording some 140 billion won ($119 million) in sales. Alongside the prominent Yopla

ConsumerAug. 30, 2020

Hyundai E&C to start distributing first Hill State apartments in Gyeonggi Province in September

Hyundai Engineering & Construction said Sunday that the company will start distribution of its newly built Hill State apartments in the city of Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, in early September. The new complex consists of seven 20-story buildings with five basement floors and offers a total of 565 units in five different sizes ranging between 63 and 84 square meters. It is the company‘s first Hill State brand launched in the neighborhood in the vicinity of Samdong Station on the Gye

IndustryAug. 30, 2020

Hyundai Oilbank files patent application for oil leak detection system

Hyundai Oilbank recently filed a patent application for its new oil leak detection system known as Hyundai Oil Leakage Monitoring Expert System, the company said Sunday. The newly developed system, also known as Holmes, can monitor possible oil leaks through detection sensors designed to keep an eye on fuel dispensers, allowing gas station owners to be updated in real time on mobile devices. Oil leakage at gas stations in downtown areas can lead to soil contamination underneath buildings, and

IndustryAug. 30, 2020

[Herald Interview] A progressive launch of airline in midst of pandemic

Launching a startup, let alone a brand new airline, is not an easy task. And much more so at a time when the aviation industry has come to a near-halt. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, airlines across the world have been scrambling to survive, with most suffering heavy losses. But CEO of up-and-coming budget airline Aero K Mike Kang, a 44-year-old businessman who has held a senior role at entertainment mogul CJ E&M and equity firm EMP Belstar, will soon see his planes fly after receivi

MobilityAug. 30, 2020

Colliers exec advises Korean investors to join debt financing for US warehouses

South Korean institutional investors may see opportunities in the US commercial real estate market as industrial properties in the country garner traction amid the resumption of sales activities, an executive at Colliers International said Thursday. While pointing out that major global blue-chip investors are increasingly tapping into top-tier warehouses in the US, Jeff Black, executive vice president of the company, said Koreans may have room to partner with them as long as they are willing to

MarketAug. 30, 2020

Top 10 Kospi stocks' market cap approaches 45%

South Korea’s 10 largest stocks trading on the main bourse Kospi are seeing its combined market cap account for 45 percent of Kospi constitutents‘ total market cap as local retail investors flock to the large-caps betting on changes in the domestic industry. According to data by the Korea Exchange, the top 10 large-caps on the Kospi stock market took up 44.78 percent of Kospi’s market cap on average in August, up over 11 percentage points on-year. The figure has been on a co

MarketAug. 30, 2020

Fears mount over impact of stricter distancing on Korean economy

Strengthened rules on social distancing imposed in an utmost effort to curb the resurgence of COVID-19 may drag down South Korea’s real economy, including private consumption, industrial output and employment, experts said Sunday.  As cluster infections are tied to enclosed areas such as coffeehouses, restaurants and indoor fitness centers, the government has decided to extend the current Level 2 social distancing for one more week until Sept. 6 in Seoul and the surrounding area, w

EconomyAug. 30, 2020

Eastar Jet to send letters of intent to candidates this week

Low-cost carrier Eastar Jet is speeding up a new acquisition deal after talks with Jeju Air were scrapped last month. The airline said Sunday its financial advisers Deloitte Korea, Yulchon and Heungkuk Finance Group would send letters of intent to takeover candidates this week. Three to four large funds and companies are reported to have already expressed their intention to invest. An Eastar Jet official said, “There were some companies that can be known by their names, and some of

MobilityAug. 30, 2020

KT to hire new employees via virtual recruitment

Telecom operator KT said Sunday that it would hire around 400 new employees through virtual recruiting this fall. “The company decided to hire new employees to offer jobs to young people, although there are difficulties in operating a workforce amid the coronavirus pandemic,” the company said. KT said it would hire 400 new workers, including interns who will later get opportunities to become full-timers. The divisions that are open to applicants include marketing & sales, netwo

TechnologyAug. 30, 2020