Samsung Heavy wins certification for floating CO2 storage unit

South Korean shipyard Samsung Heavy Industries Co. said Thursday it has won an approval in principle for a floating carbon dioxide storage unit (FCSU) from Norwegian accredited registrar and classification society DNV. The floating unit, developed jointly with Malaysia's MISC Berhad, is 330 meters long and 64 meters wide, and is capable of storing 100,000 cubic meters of liquid CO2 at temperatures of minus 50 C and below, Samsung Heavy said. The shipyard said its FCSU is able to store CO2 c

IndustryAug. 31, 2023

Seoul shares open higher amid US rate pause outlook

South Korean stocks opened higher Thursday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street, as the latest US data bolstered bets that the US Federal Reserve may pause the interest rate hike in the next policy meeting. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 4.57 points, or 0.18 percent, to 2,565.79 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The US economy grew at a 2.1 percent annual pace in the second quarter, falling short of a 2.4 percent expansion estimate. Payrolls in the private sector slow

MarketAug. 31, 2023

Industrial output, retail sales, facility investment lose ground in July

South Korea's industrial output, retail sales and facility investment lost ground from a month earlier amid growing concerns of an economic slowdown, data showed Thursday. The industrial output fell 0.7 percent in July from a month earlier after standing still in June, according to the data from Statistics Korea. The three indicators lost ground at the same time for the first time since January. The output in the mining, manufacturing, gas and electricity industries decreased 2 percent due

EconomyAug. 31, 2023

Hillstate Sinyong in Gwangju blends modernity, nature

Hyundai Engineering & Construction has started sales of its new apartment complex, Hilstate Sinyong The River, located in Gwangju’s Sinyong district. The apartment complex consists of a total of 19 buildings with 1,647 housing units, which range from 74-square-meter homes to 135-square-meter luxurious penthouses. According to the builder, one of the standout features is its strategic location. The complex is near the brand new Sinyong Station of Gwangju Metro Line 2, set to be operatio

ConsumerAug. 30, 2023

Texas Instruments looks to bolster EV battery ties with Korea

Texas Instruments, the US-based semiconductor manufacturer, said Wednesday it plans to further boost business ties with electric vehicle manufacturers and battery makers in Korea. “I see Korea as a very key market for vehicle electrification and it is a key pioneer of battery technology as well,” said Matt Xiong, a product line manager for Texas Instruments’ battery management system, during an online media briefing. “We’re very closely engaged with Korean customers

MobilityAug. 30, 2023

Posco America relocates headquarters to Washington

Posco America, a subsidiary of Poscho Holdings, will relocate its headquarters from Atlanta to the nation's capital, in a move to strengthen its relations with the federal government and US Congress, the group said Wednesday. Posco America’s head Do Han-eui and other staff members will start to work at the new office in Washington from as early as this week. The group will also dispatch employees specializing in trade affairs from South Korea's office. The company’s new off

IndustryAug. 30, 2023

[KH explains] Chipmakers reach out to undergraduates to tackle talent shortage

Chipmakers around the world are competing fiercely not just to roll out more advanced chips faster than their rivals, but also to secure more tech talent as governments race to build up their chip industry as national security assets. South Korea, home to the world’s top two memory chipmakers, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, is no exception. Amid their big push for global expansion, the tech giants are struggling to meet staffing needs for their billion-dollar facilities at home and abro

IndustryAug. 30, 2023

Dong-A ST eyes Europe market with Stelara biosimilar

Dong-A ST, the pharmaceutical unit of South Korean giant Dong-A Socio Holdings, has submitted a Marketing Authorization Application to the European Medicines Agency for its Stelara biosimilar DMB-3115, the company announced Wednesday. DMB-3115 is a biosimilar to ustekinumab, also dubbed Stelara, a monoclonal antibody for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases including Crohn’s disease, plaque psoriasis and ulcerative colitis. First developed by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, the a

IndustryAug. 30, 2023

Seoul shares up for 3rd day on hope for Fed's rate hike pause

Seoul shares ended higher Wednesday, as investors speculate that the US Federal Reserve may pause its tightening campaign. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 9.06 points, or 0.35 percent, to close at 2,561.22. Trading volume was moderate at 356.81 million shares worth 7.64 trillion won ($5.8 billion), with gainers outnumbering decliners 461 to 395. Institutions bought a net 178.42 billion won worth of stocks, offsetting foreigners and

MarketAug. 30, 2023

Korea likely to designate Oct. 2 as temporary holiday

    Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho said the government was positively considering the ruling party's proposal to designate Oct. 2 as a one-off public holiday to allow people to have six consecutive days off work. "The ruling party made the suggestion to ensure the people's right to rest and to stimulate domestic consumption. The government agrees with the ruling party," Choo said in an interview held by a local broadcasting station Tuesday. Designating a temporary holiday on

EconomyAug. 30, 2023

Hyundai Steel’s new raw material analyzer revs up manufacturing pace

Hyundai Steel, in collaboration with Hyundai Motor Group's in-house startup 3I Solution, has developed an Industrial Neutron Composition Analyzer that accelerates steel manufacturing by evaluating raw materials, such iron ore and scrap metal, in real time. By providing real-time feedback, it allows Hyundai Steel to quickly achieve the right balance in their materials, sometimes referred to as optimal chemical composition. This balance not only ensures the consistent quality of the steel pro

IndustryAug. 30, 2023

SK-backed Sapeon raises W60b in series A funding

Sapeon, a global AI semiconductor company that spun out from SK Telecom last year, announced Wednesday it concluded its Series A financing round, securing over 60 billion won ($45.4 million) in investments. With the latest round, the company's valuation now exceeds 500 billion won. Ascent Equity Partners led the financing as the primary investor. Other key investors included GS Group affiliates like Daebo Communication & Systems Corp., Hana Financial Group, Mirae Asset Venture Investmen

IndustryAug. 30, 2023

KT appoints new CEO after monthslong leadership vacuum

South Korean telecommunications giant KT Corp. on Wednesday appointed a new chief following several months without a CEO. The company said its shareholders approved the appointment of Kim Young-shub, the former CEO of IT service provider LG CNS, as its new head at a shareholders meeting earlier in the day in Seoul. The agenda passed with the approval of more than 60 percent of the total voting shares. Upon his appointment at the meeting, KT’s new CEO told shareholders, “We’ll d

TechnologyAug. 30, 2023

Over 50% of Korean firms missing earnings target in China this year: survey

China’s disappointing economic recovery has led more than half of Korean companies to miss their earning targets in the market, with abounding downside risks hampering the path to a rebound in the second half of the year, Korea’s major business lobby group said Wednesday. The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry raised concerns over the factors causing financial instability in China which could further drag Korean companies down, including its real estate market crisis, contracti

EconomyAug. 30, 2023

LIG Nex1 participates in Korea-Saudi Arabia drone show

South Korean defense firm LIG Nex1 announced Wednesday that it participated in a three-day drone show held in Saudi Arabia this week, at the invitation of the Naif Arab University of Security Sciences. The show was co-hosted by the Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport and the Korean Embassy in Saudi Arabia, at NAUSS in Riyadh, the country's capital. NAUSS, formed by a pan-Arabic academic coalition of 20 countries including the UAE, Jordan, Qatar and Yemen, is an intergov

IndustryAug. 30, 2023

EcoPro touts 10-year battery materials partnership with Sony

EcoPro said Wednesday it has celebrated 10 years of supplying battery materials to Sony, later acquired by Murata Manufacturing. According to the company, it first supplied high-nickel cathode materials for Sony in 2013 for the first time for a Korean company. The two companies have kept business ties even after Murata, a Japanese electronics manufacturer, took over Sony’s loss-making battery business in 2017. EcoPro has been providing thousands of tons of nickel, cobalt and aluminum (NCA)

MobilityAug. 30, 2023

Dong-A Otsuka holds blood donation event

Dong-A Otsuka, the nation’s leading beverage maker, said Wednesday that it will hold a nationwide blood donation event with employees throughout the month of September, hoping to contribute to a rebound of the blood supply in South Korea. On Tuesday, the first donations from employees came at the company’s headquarters in Seoul, with a bloodmobile from the Korean Red Cross. Following the headquarters donations, the event moves to three manufacturing plants -- at Anyang in Gyeonggi Pr

IndustryAug. 30, 2023

Tous les Jours opens 100th US store

South Korean bakery chain Tous les Jours launched its 100th store in the United States earlier this month, as its popularity has risen among American consumers, operator CJ Foodville said Wednesday. The new store is located in Bronxville, an affluent neighborhood in New York, according to CJ Foodville. The company added that Tous les Jours has been posting robust profits per store, solidifying its position as a lucrative business model in the country. Since first entering the US market in 2004,

IndustryAug. 30, 2023

Cosmetics maker Siita sets off new syndrome in sustainability

Korean vegan skincare brand Siita's sustainable hand cream released in May sold more than $9 million worth of product over the last three months, selling out a year's worth of inventory on its day of release. Former K-pop star and activist Lee Hyo-ri, a figure who swore off commercial advertising, has been actively publicizing Siita's new sustainable hand cream. Through Siita, public engagement in sustainability has been increasing in Korea. Biodegradable plastic was deemed unatta

IndustryAug. 30, 2023

Seoul shares open higher amid hopes for pause in US rate hikes

Seoul shares opened higher Wednesday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street, amid hopes that the US Federal Reserve may pause its tightening campaign. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 20.93 points, or 0.82 percent, to 2,573.09 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.9 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.7 percent. Latest US economic data, including decreased job openings and weakened consumer confidence, has r

MarketAug. 30, 2023