Polestar 4 to make Korean debut in June

Swedish electric vehicle maker Polestar will launch the Polestar 4, an all-electric coupe-style sports utility vehicle, in June, the carmaker’s Korean office said Friday. “The Polestar 4 is an all-around premium EV that has an outstanding commercial value in many aspects ranging from design, performance, sustainability, safety, spaciousness and (advanced driver assistance system),” said Ham Jong-sung, managing director of Polestar Korea. “We are working on various prepara

MobilityApril 19, 2024

[Photo News] Kia's display designs for NBA fans

Kia has unveiled 30 new vehicle display themes on Friday based on the logos and colors of 30 NBA teams to tailor to basketball enthusiasts, ahead of the NBA playoffs starting this weekend. The Korean carmaker said it first introduced over-the-air updates for EV9 display themes in the US on April 9, and will expand the service to Korea in the latter half of this year for vehicles equipped with its connected car navigation cockpits and OTA capabilities. (Kia)

MobilityApril 19, 2024

Sungsimdang outperforms bakery giants to log sales over W100b

Sungsimdang, a local bakery brand based in Daejeon, outperformed the country's top bakery franchise giants, Paris Baguette and Tous les Jours, logging record sales last year, a regulatory filing showed Friday. Rosso, Sungsimdang's holding company, said the bakery recorded sales figure of 124.3 billion won ($89.7 million) in 2023, a 52.1 percent increase from the previous year’s 81.7 billion won. It is the first time a local bakery has achieved more than 100 billion won in sales w

CompaniesApril 19, 2024

SK hynix joins with TSMC to produce High Bandwidth Memory 4

SK hynix is joining hands with TSMC, the world’s top foundry, to develop High Bandwidth Memory 4 and cutting-edge packaging technology, the company said on Friday. Under the partnership agreement, the two sides plan to proceed with the development of HBM4, the sixth-generation model of the advanced memory chip, and enhance logic and HBM integration through advanced packaging technology, SK hynix said. "We expect a strong partnership with TSMC to help accelerate our efforts for open co

IndustryApril 19, 2024

Economics professor, ex-BOK official named as new monetary policymakers

The Bank of Korea said Friday that an economics professor and a former BOK official have been recommended to replace two outgoing monetary policymakers of the central bank. Lee Soo-hyung, a professor at Seoul National University, and Kim Jong-hwa, a former BOK deputy governor, were named to sit on the BOK's seven-member rate-setting board. If appointed by President Yoon Suk Yeol, Lee and Kim will start their four-year terms by replacing Suh Young-kyung and Cho Yoon-je, respectively. Lee and

EconomyApril 19, 2024

Seoul shares open sharply lower amid waning hope for early rate cuts

South Korean stocks started sharply lower Friday amid expectations over a delay in US interest rate cuts this year. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 37 points, or 1.4 percent, to 2,597.7 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 0.06 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq decreased 0.52 percent, extending losses for a fifth consecutive month. New York Federal Reserve President John Williams has said that he feels no urgency to cut

MarketApril 19, 2024

Exchange rate volatility does not pose 'significant' economic challenges in Korea's case: IMF official

Exchange rate volatility does not present 'significant" economic challenges to South Korea, an official at the International Monetary Fund said Thursday, advising policymakers in Seoul not to "overly" focus on what moves the US Federal Reserve will take. During a press briefing, Krishna Srinivasan, director of the IMF's Asia and Pacific Department, made the remarks as concerns deepened over the recent depreciation of the Korean won at a time when Asia's fourth large

EconomyApril 19, 2024

SK hynix chief underscores chip cooperation between Korea, US

SK hynix Chief Executive Officer Kwak Noh-jung underscored the importance of cooperation between South Korea and the US, warning that it is "dangerous" to concentrate semiconductor supply chains in any one region, during his visit to Washington. Speaking at the “Chips for America: Execute for Global Success” forum on Wednesday, Kwak also noted that SK hynix is working to develop highly advanced technologies to meet the growing needs in the artificial intelligence market. Th

IndustryApril 18, 2024

Seoul Business Agency CEO says SNS marketing essential for SME

Small business owners are now required to wear a second hat as an online content creator to increase engagement with young consumers, the head of Seoul Business Agency, a business support institution run by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, said at the Global Biz Forum held in Seoul, Wednesday. The GBF, organized by The Korea Herald, is an association of experts from various fields such as business leaders, scholars, diplomats and celebrities, who come together to provide comprehensive views on

IndustryApril 18, 2024

Samsung C&T president makes her first business trip to Milan

Samsung C&T President Lee Seo-hyun, the younger sister of Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, visited Italy on her first business trip after her recent comeback to a management role in the company, according to industry sources, Thursday. Lee reportedly visited Milan to attend Milan Design Week (MDW) 2024, the world's largest design and furniture fair, which attracts more than 2,300 exhibitors and 370,000 visitors from more than 180 countries. Samsung Electronics also participate

IndustryApril 18, 2024

Seoul shares spike nearly 2% on bargain hunting; won sharply up

South Korean stocks soared almost 2 percent Thursday as investors bought bargains after four consecutive sessions of decline amid ongoing geopolitical risks in the Middle East and speculation about delays in US interest rate cuts. The Korean won rebounded sharply against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 50.52 points, or 1.95 percent, to close at 2,634.7. Trade volume was moderate at 466 million shares worth 10.2 trillion won ($7.47 billion), with gainers far

MarketApril 18, 2024

Trilateral talks acknowledge ‘serious’ slumps of won, yen

The top finance policymakers of South Korea, the US and Japan shared their concern on the recent devaluation of the Korean won and the Japanese yen during their first trilateral talks Wednesday. Korea's Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Japan's Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki held three-way talks on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and Group of 20 finance leaders' meetings in Washington. They were the first trilateral talks to

EconomyApril 18, 2024

CJ Olive Young offers real-time translators for foreign visitors

CJ Olive Young said Thursday it has introduced portable translators supporting 16 languages in its outlets nationwide to enhance the shopping experience for foreign visitors and the work efficiency of its employees. The handheld device supports 16 languages for real-time translation, including English, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Russian and Mongolian. In addition, they offer sight translation through an attached camera, allowing users to take a picture and see the translated text on the scre

CompaniesApril 18, 2024

Paris Baguette debuts in the Philippines

SPC Group said Thursday its bakery chain Paris Baguette had launched its first store in the Philippines. The new Paris Baguette branch in Manila features wooden interiors, designed to create a premium European bakery ambiance, and is located on the first floor of the SM Mall of Asia, the largest shopping center in the Philippines, with a total of 90 seats available. In August, SPG Group signed a franchise agreement with a local retailer Berjaya Food Berhad. This deal falls under the so-called &q

CompaniesApril 18, 2024

Hyundai Motor, Toray join hands for material innovation in mobility

Hyundai Motor Group has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Japanese material manufacturer Toray Industries to enhance materials technology for vehicles, officials announced Thursday. Under the partnership, the two sides will work together to develop lightweight and high-strength materials to advance the performance and safety of the Korean automaker’s vehicles. According to Hyundai Motor, the joint research and development will include carbon fiber-reinforced polymer parts that

MobilityApril 18, 2024

[KH Explains] Hyundai's full hybrid edge to pay off amid slow transition to pure EVs

Traditionally dominated by Japanese manufacturers like Toyota and Honda, the hybrid vehicle sector is now seeing renewed interest from global automakers looking to improve profitability amid delayed growth of pure electric vehicle sales. Among them, Hyundai Motor Group stands out as one of the few key competitors with robust full hybrid electric vehicle technology. This positions Hyundai uniquely as one of the few automakers to profit from increasing hybrid sales as it navigates the transitional

MobilityApril 18, 2024

Amazon fuels e-commerce rivalry with free shipping campaign

US e-commerce giant Amazon introduced free shipping benefits for Korean consumers as the firm strategically eyes the country's overseas direct purchase market amid the increasing competition in the e-commerce industry here. Starting Wednesday, Amazon has implemented a policy offering complimentary shipping for orders exceeding $49 worth of eligible items for delivery to South Korea, with the shipping address set within South Korea on its website. Eligible items include not only small essent

IndustryApril 18, 2024

[Photo News] Lotte's bid on secondary battery

Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin (second from right) inspects Lotte Energy Materials’ copper foil output in Malaysia, Wednesday. The copper foil production sites are capable of producing up to 60,000 tons of battery-grade copper foil for use in electric vehicle cells, accounting for some 75 percent of the company's total copper foil manufacturing capacity. Lotte Group has been recently increasing its investment in the overseas copper foil manufacturing facilities to boost the produc

IndustryApril 18, 2024

Regulator calls for collaboration of shareholders, firms

The head of the financial regulator on Thursday stressed the need for businesses and their shareholders to work together to ensure joint development, saying the government will work to create a virtuous cycle between shareholder activities and business growth. Lee Bok-hyun, chief of the Financial Supervisory Service, noted that shareholder activism will only continue to grow, but said efforts by shareholders may end in vain unless they are sound and reasonable enough to be supported by other sha

EconomyApril 18, 2024

Seoul shares open higher amid woes over rate cut delay

South Korean stocks started higher Thursday as investors hunted for bargains following a recent decline amid speculations over a potential delay in US interest rate cuts this year. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 26.08 points, or 1.01 percent, to 2,610.26 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.12 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq declined 1.15 percent. The Federal Reserve said in the Beige Book that the economy has expanded s

MarketApril 18, 2024