LG to widen gap with rivals with 'innovative ideas,' says TV chief

BERLIN -- LG Electronics will sharpen internal competence and come up with innovative ideas to widen the gap with Chinese rivals in addition to fostering technological prowess, the head of the tech giant's TV business said Saturday. "It is important to lead the market with new ideas (in the TV industry). You have to break away from the competition with panels, where anyone can make the same product as you when they have the display panel," Baek Sun-pil, head of TV products plann

IndustrySept. 3, 2023

Korean Air grows forest in Mongolia

Korean Air, the nation’s largest carrier, has planted over 125,000 trees in Mongolia's desert areas over the past two decades as part of its environmental, social and corporate governance efforts. Since May 2004, under the “Global Planting Project,” over 100 Korean Air employees have flocked to Mongolia to plant trees in Baganuur, a district in Ulaanbaatar with the country's largest open-pit coal mine. Baganuur district was barren and covered with a thick layer of coa

IndustrySept. 3, 2023

Hana wraps up ambassador program with university students

Hana Financial Group said dozens of university students had completed its annual training program aimed at nurturing ambassadors on its environmental, social and corporate governance activities. The banking conglomerate held the closing ceremony for graduates of its “17th Smart PR ambassador” program, who successfully carried out their missions this summer, at the company’s office in Myeong-dong, Seoul, on Thursday. Since June, 50 university students have worked as Smart PR a

IndustrySept. 3, 2023

Nexon Computer Museum preserves history of computers, games

Nexon Computer Museum run by South Korean game maker Nexon has preserved and disseminated the history of computers and video games to the public over the past decade. Located on the island of Jeju, it is registered as a member of the International Council of Museums. About 1.35 million visitors came to explore the items on display, including 400 pieces of hardware and 2,000 pieces of software, books and video materials on computers and games. The key collection items include the Apple I, Apple&r

IndustrySept. 3, 2023

Renault Korea appoints new sales and marketing chief

Renault Korea Motors, the South Korean unit of Renault S.A., said Sunday it has newly appointed a sales and marketing division chief in a bid to revitalize the company’s market presence and fortify its position in the domestic market. Emmanuel Al-Nawakil, the former vice president of sales and operations at Renault's performance brand Alpine, has received recognition for leading the company's growth. Before joining Alpine, he also set impressive track records for driving sales

IndustrySept. 3, 2023

BMW Korea extends EV charging infrastructure

BMW Korea is investing heavily to expand its charging infrastructure for electric vehicles here. Since last year, the South Korean unit of the German carmaker has opened up a growing number of its own charging stations, branded as BMW Charging Stations, while offering special charging fees for new EV buyers. In December, the carmaker opened a large-scale charging station at its driving center in Yeongjongdo, Incheon, which can charge up to 80 EVs -- making it one of Korea's largest charging

MobilitySept. 3, 2023

Eastar resumes international flights after hiatus over pandemic

Eastar Jet Co., a South Korean low-cost carrier, said Sunday it has resumed services on international routes after a 3 1/2-year hiatus induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Eastar Jet began providing three flights a week on the route from Gimpo to Songsan in Taiwan starting Saturday, the company said in a statement. The budget carrier also plans to offer flights on the routes from Incheon to Tokyo, Osaka, Bangkok and Da Nang from Sept. 20 and to Fukuoka and Nha Trang from Oct. 29, it said. In March,

IndustrySept. 3, 2023

Medility's pill counting app Pilleye catches heart of pharmacists across world

At a pharmacy or a clinic, pill counting is a common routine that pharmacists or pharmacy technicians have to undergo to ensure that an accurate amount of medication is distributed and a patient gets an accurate dosage. And it is also part of inventory management that druggists have to do at the end of each day or month. It is simple, repetitive work but very important for a pharmacy. If a patient does not receive the correct number of pills, the consequences can be life threatening and clinic e

IndustrySept. 3, 2023

Samsung to focus on high-end TV market led by Micro LED screens

Samsung Electronics Co. will continue to develop Micro LED technology to maintain its leading position in the premium TV market, a TV executive has said at the IFA tech trade show in Berlin. "We see Micro LED as our strategic display panel of the future," Chung Kang-il, vice president and head of Samsung visual display division's future planning group, said at a media briefing Friday. "We believe Mirco LED is a (ultimate) display solution that can overcome the shortfalls and

IndustrySept. 3, 2023

[KH Explains] Rates of ‘disease of kings’ gout doubling in Korea

Gout has long been thought of as a “disease of kings” due to its apparent link to a diet rich in meat and alcohol consumption. With rapid economic growth and dietary changes, the number of such patients has almost doubled in South Korea over the past decade. More recently, the incidence has been rising in people in their 20s and 30s. According to the National Health Insurance Service, more than half a million Koreans (508,397) suffered the disease in 2022, compared to 265,065 patient

IndustrySept. 2, 2023

L’Oreal Korea, marking 30th anniversary, bets big on K-beauty

L’Oreal Korea, making its 30th anniversary this year, said Friday it would boost collaboration with South Korean partners to ride the K-beauty boom around the world. “Korea has a very strategic and strong role to play within the ecosystem of the North Asia Beauty Triangle,” Fabrice Megarbane, president of the company’s North Asia Zone and CEO of L’Oreal China, during a press conference at the Korean unit’s headquarters in southern Seoul. The North Asia Beauty

ConsumerSept. 1, 2023

Hyundai, LG to double funding for Georgia battery plant

Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution are poised to inject an additional $2 billion to build a joint electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant in the US state of Georgia, raising the total investment to more than $4.3 billion, the state government announced on Thursday local time. According to a press release by Georgia, with this expansion, Hyundai-LG’s joint battery plant and Hyundai’s EV manufacturing plant is set to bring around $7.59 billion in investment and create 8,50

MobilitySept. 1, 2023

Seoul shares open nearly flat amid rate pause prospects

South Korean stocks opened almost flat Friday amid the outlook that the US Federal Reserve is likely to pause the interest rate hikes in its next policy meeting in September. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 0.84 points, or 0.03 percent, to 2,557.11 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks fluctuated in and out of positive terrain in the 15-minute period. Wall Street ended mixed Thursday as investors cemented bets the Fed will pause the interest rate hike, after data showed

MarketSept. 1, 2023

S. Korea's exports down for 11th month in Aug. on weak chip demand

South Korea's exports fell for the 11th consecutive month in August due mainly to weak demand for semiconductors and petroleum products, but the country reported a trade surplus for the third straight month, the industry ministry said Friday. Outbound shipments fell 8.4 percent on-year to $51.87 billion last month, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The decline came as exports of semiconductors, the country's key export item, sank 21 percent o

EconomySept. 1, 2023

Samsung lays out vision for smarter, sustainable living at IFA

Samsung Electronics Co. on Thursday shared its vision and technological developments for what it sees as the future way of living: fully connected homes and an eco-friendly lifestyle. The South Korean tech giant highlighted its latest products and innovations, built for sustainable and smart living, at a press conference, one day ahead of the official opening of the IFA tech trade show in Berlin. Samsung, which has participated in the tech show since 1991, did not offer any exclusive product lau

TechnologyAug. 31, 2023

Samsung, LG to boast enhanced connectivity at IFA

At this year’s IFA, Europe’s biggest home appliances trade show, two of South Korea’s tech giants, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, are set to showcase their latest premium products that maximize energy efficiency As the IFA celebrates its 99th anniversary this year, about 2,290 companies in the fields of IT, consumer appliances and telecommunication will take part from 50 countries. The five-day event, which kicks off in Berlin on Friday, will see 174 Korean companies t

IndustryAug. 31, 2023

Corning starts producing bendable glass in Korea

US tech company Corning Inc. Chairman Wendell Weeks announced Thursday that the company is building the world’s first fully integrated supply chain to manufacture next-generation bendable glass technology in South Korea. Manufacturing of the latest product has already kicked off at its Asan plant in South Chungcheong Province. “Our latest innovation will enable new mobile device form factors and advanced automotive displays for more immersive driving experiences, making this a hub fo

TechnologyAug. 31, 2023

Renault Korea CEO aims high with hybrids

Amid fierce competition among carmakers in the Korean electric vehicles market, Renault Korea Motors vowed to accelerate the launch of hybrid cars running on an electric motor along with a gasoline engine until it boosts battery-powered vehicles in 2026. “Under our Aurora Project, we’re preparing for two types of batteries for hybrid cars and EVs. The company is working with battery suppliers inside and outside of Korea,” said Renault Korea Motors CEO Stephane Deblaise during a

MobilityAug. 31, 2023

HDC steps up digital transformation efforts

Hyundai Development Co., a major real estate development and builder here, is pushing its digital transformation further to run its construction projects in safer and more precise ways. To do so, HDC has devised the HDC Estimate system based on Building Information Modeling (BIM), an intelligent tool that provides digital representation to architecture, engineering, and construction industry. With the system, it allows the developer to immediately calculate the amount of materials needed in the

IndustryAug. 31, 2023

Hyundai Oilbank enables app users to pay for gas via Toss Pay

Hyundai Oilbank, Korea's major refiner, has enabled users of its mobile application Car& to make payments via Toss Pay, one of the most popular mobile payment methods here, offering a more convenient option for transactions. Customers can pay for gas via Toss Pay before visiting gas stations through the refiner’s mobile service dubbed “Smart Fueling,” using Toss Pay. Hyundai Oilbank Bonus Card members -- customers who get extra points or price reductions according to t

IndustryAug. 31, 2023