LG CNS, Indonesia’s Sinar Mas to form joint venture for DX push

South Korean IT solutions provider LG CNS said Thursday it has agreed to establish a joint venture with one of the largest conglomerates in Indonesia to strengthen digital transformation innovation in the 16th largest economy in the world. Under the agreement, LG CNS and Sinar Mas Group will set up a 50-50 joint venture in the latter half of this year to promote consulting, construction and operation for data center services and cloud conversion services, targeting Indonesian companies and publi

TechnologyMarch 28, 2024

Posco Future M named in Fortune's top 30 Asian innovators

Korean battery material and chemical company Posco Future M has been recognized by Fortune Asia as one of the top 30 most innovative companies in Asia, set to drive future growth, the company said on Thursday. The 2024 Fortune Asia Future 30 award was presented at the Fortune Innovation Forum in Hong Kong on Wednesday. Posco Future M's progress from traditional industrial materials to leading-edge sectors like cathode material production has been marked by significant achievements, includin

IndustryMarch 28, 2024

[KH Explains] How CJ Olive Young became rare success story in beauty retail

CJ Group's health and beauty drugstore CJ Olive Young is making significant strides in leading the cosmetics market both domestically and internationally. Just last week, during MLB's World Tour: Seoul series, a photo capturing MLB players' families posing in front of an Olive Young store surfaced online, generating a social media buzz. The image once again showed Olive Young's position as a go-to destination for purchasing Korean beauty products while visiting Korea, cementi

IndustryMarch 28, 2024

[Photo News] LG Twin Towers refurbished

LG Group said Thursday it has completed the renovation of its Twin Towers headquarters in Yeouido, western Seoul -- the first refurbishment since the building was completed in 1987. The lobby, arcade and floor space of the lower part of the buildings have been revamped to reflect employee opinions under the theme of “Connection.” LG said the most popular new feature is the upgraded fitness center. (LG Group)

IndustryMarch 28, 2024

[Photo News] Kia K4 unveiled

The Kia K4 -- the South Korean carmaker's latest midsized sedan -- was unveiled for the first time anywhere at the New York International Auto Show on Wednesday. Kia said the new vehicle has been equipped with artificial intelligence assistance based on generative AI technologies that allows the car to communicate smoothly with the driver. According to the automaker, the Kia K4 will launch in the North American market in the second half of this year. (Hyundai Motor Group)

MobilityMarch 28, 2024

Hyundai Hillstate Unjeong starts sales for apartment units

Hyundai Engineering & Construction said Thursday that it has started pre-sales of the remaining properties of Hillstate the Unjeong, a mixed residential and commercial apartment complex located in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. The complex comprises a total of 13 49-story buildings, offering a total of 3,413 units, including 744 apartments and 2,669 residential offices. The apartment units are available in two sizes -- 84 square meters and 164 square meters. While the residential offices are fully

IndustryMarch 28, 2024

Seoul shares start lower despite US gains

South Korean stocks opened a tad lower Thursday despite gains on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 1.98 points, or 0.07 percent, to 2,753.13 in the first 15 minutes of trading. US stocks finished higher to end their three-day losing streak on Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 1.2 percent, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.5 percent. In Seoul, large-cap shares led the bearish start. Leading battery maker LG Energy Solution dropped 1.1 percent, and

MarketMarch 28, 2024

Banks offer W600b to share profits

Korean banks have rolled out a financial package worth around 600 billion won ($444 million) to support small business owners and young people, with an aim to share their profits, according to the Korea Federation of Banks, an organization representing the lenders, Wednesday. The funding is a follow-up to a financing plan worth 2.1 trillion won issued in December amid regulatory pressure to share the profits. While 1.5 trillion won was allocated for cash refunds for borrowers' interest paym

IndustryMarch 27, 2024

[Hello India] Korean institutional investors up appetite for Indian market

Korean institutional investors are pumping money into the Indian market to avail opportunities from the fastest-growing major economy’s robust domestic demand and infrastructure projects. With estimates suggesting the economy could expand by 7 to 8 percent this year and the Indian government's policies designed to revive the manufacturing industry, including the "Make In India" program, the country has emerged as an investment destination for foreign investors. As large inve

MarketMarch 27, 2024

Seoul shares end nearly flat; won dips to nearly 4-month low

South Korean stocks finished nearly flat Wednesday ahead of the releases of key US inflation data as investors cashed in recent gains. The local currency fell sharply against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index dropped 1.98 points, or 0.07 percent, to close at 2,755.11. Trade volume was moderate at 482.5 million shares worth 11.3 trillion won ($8.38 billion), with losers outnumbering winners 499 to 367. Individuals and institutions led the slight decline, dumping a net

MarketMarch 27, 2024

LG vows W100tr investment in Korea with R&D focus

LG Group unveiled a plan Wednesday to invest 100 trillion won ($74.3 billion) in South Korea by 2028 as it seeks to secure technological competitiveness and expand new growth engines. The announcement was made during the regular shareholders meeting of its holding company LG Corp., held at the Seoul headquarters earlier in the day. The company said the planned investment accounts for 65 percent of LG’s overall global investment by 2028, which reflects its commitment to driving innovation a

TechnologyMarch 27, 2024

Hyundai Motor eyes 80,000 jobs, W68tr investment at home by 2026

Hyundai Motor Group announced Wednesday a grand plan to invest 68 trillion won ($50.7 billion) in Korea and create 80,000 jobs by the end of 2026 to secure future growth engines as a global first mover in the mobility sector. According to the auto conglomerate, 31.1 trillion won, about 46 percent of the investment, will be assigned to research and development to secure core technologies in improving product competitiveness, electric vehicle transition, advancing software-defined vehicles and int

MobilityMarch 27, 2024

[Hello India] Corporate Korea sees new growth drivers in India

Amid the escalating US-China rivalry, global supply chains are being reshaped and India, the world’s fifth-largest economy, is getting fresh attention from South Korean tech giants. India boasts the world’s largest population, at over 1.4 billion people, and a robust economy that has experienced substantial growth over the last three decades. Korea’s major conglomerates, which have already secured a sizeable footing in the burgeoning market, are more recently pouring resources

TechnologyMarch 27, 2024

SK hynix aims to boost profits with advanced HBM chips

In the latest artificial intelligence boom, SK hynix will boost sales of its high bandwidth memory, or HBM, a critical chip to generative AI tools, to improve profitability, SK hynix Chief Executive Officer Kwak Noh-jung said at a general shareholders meeting Wednesday. Concerning the Wall Street Journal's report on SK hynix' plan to invest $4 billion to build an advanced chip packaging facility in Indiana, Kwan said nothing has been decided yet. "Even if (the market) experiences

IndustryMarch 27, 2024

Coupang pledges W3tr to expand Rocket Delivery nationwide by 2027

South Korean e-commerce firm Coupang on Wednesday pledged to invest 3 trillion won ($2.23 billion) over the next three years to expand its signature Rocket Delivery service nationwide by 2027. The company's logistics network is expected to be drastically expanded, with eight new fulfillment centers being built by 2026. The centers also will feature more advanced automation technology to improve operational efficiency overall. Following the expansion, Coupang said that its overnight Rocket D

IndustryMarch 27, 2024

HD Hyundai vows to enhance support for foreign workers

HD Hyundai Chair Kwon Oh-gap and top executives convened Wednesday for a luncheon with foreign national workers at an Ulsan work site, pledging enduring support for their welfare. The gathering, held at a VIP restaurant within the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries headquarters, included a total of 42 foreign employees from seven countries such as Vietnam and Uzbekistan who work at the group’s shipbuilding affiliates and their partner firms. Along with Chair Kwon, Presidents Lee Sang-kyun and Noh

IndustryMarch 27, 2024

Investment banking veteran takes helm at NH Securities

Yoon Byung-un, an investment banking veteran, officially took office as the CEO of local brokerage house NH Investment & Securities, after winning approval at the annual shareholders’ meeting Wednesday. “We must be ready to make another leap without being satisfied with the present. The first part of the preparation is bringing together the capability (of our organization),” Yoon said in an inauguration speech during the meeting at the firm's headquarters in Yeouido, w

IndustryMarch 27, 2024

SK On, Ferrari team up to advance cell technology

SK On, an electric vehicle battery maker affiliated with SK Group, said Wednesday that it has partnered with Italian sports car maker Ferrari to advance innovation in battery cell technology. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding at SK’s headquarters building in Seoul on Tuesday, with SK On CEO Lee Seok-hee and Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna in attendance. The collaboration aims to explore new avenues and potential solutions to advance battery cell technology. SK On and Ferra

IndustryMarch 27, 2024

Seoul shares start lower on US losses

South Korean stocks opened a tad lower Wednesday, tracking overnight losses on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 6.94 points, or 0.25 percent, to 2,750.15 in the first 15 minutes of trading. US stocks finished lower ahead of key inflation data. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.08 percent, and the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite slid 0.42 percent. In Seoul, market heavyweights traded in mixed territory. Samsung Electronics, the world's largest memory chipmak

MarketMarch 27, 2024

Korean banks up ante in Poland amid heightened ties

South Korean banks are poised to bolster their presence in Poland, anticipating a surge in demand for financial assistance as the two nations deepen their strategic alliances and economic ties. On Tuesday, KB Kookmin Bank, one of the country's leading lenders, announced a partnership with Poland's Bank Pekao to establish a "Korea Desk." According to Kookmin Bank, the signing ceremony for the deal was held on Monday at Pekao's Warsaw headquarters. The event was attended b

IndustryMarch 26, 2024