Hanwha Ocean names ex-SBM exec as new offshore head

Hanwha Ocean announced Monday that Philippe Levy, the former president of SBM Offshore Americas, will take the helm of its Offshore Business division. Levy brings 25 years of industry experience, notably with SBM Offshore, a Dutch-based oil and gas company. Additionally, he has served as an executive adviser for the state-run China National Offshore Oil Corporation in Guyana. In this role, Levy provided guidance on projects related to floating production storage and offloading and liquefied natu

IndustryApril 1, 2024

Exports rise for 6th straight month in March

South Korea's exports moved up for the sixth consecutive month in March on the back of the robust performance of chips, data showed Monday. Outbound shipments gained 3.1 percent on-year to $56.5 billion last month, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Imports decreased 12.3 percent on-year to $52.2 billion last month, resulting in a trade surplus of $4.28 billion. South Korea has been maintaining a trade surplus for 10 consecutive months. By sector,

EconomyApril 1, 2024

Seoul shares open higher after US inflation data

Seoul shares opened higher Monday as the US Federal Reserve is expected to await more evidence that inflation is under control before cutting rates this year. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 8.11 points, or 0.3 percent, to 2,754.74 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Fresh inflation data released Friday was in line with the US central bank's expectations. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said it would not be appropriate to cut rates until officials are sure inflation is on track

MarketApril 1, 2024

[Hello India] Korean investment firms push into India amid China decline

More South Korean securities and investment firms are turning their eyes to the Indian market, exploring opportunities to tap the world's fastest-growing economy. NH Investment & Securities recently announced a partnership with Lighthouse Canton, a Singapore-based global asset management institution, as part of this trend. In January, NH Absolute Return Partners, a Singapore-based asset management company owned by NH Investment & Securities, signed a memorandum of understanding to c

EconomyMarch 31, 2024

Family, business leaders mourn Hyosung honorary chairman

Business leaders joined relatives to mourn the death of Cho Suck-rai, the honorary chairman of Hyosung Group, a textile giant, on Sunday. Cho died of a chronic illness Friday at the age of 89. Cho led the textile giant from 1982 until 2017, when he stepped down from the top management position due to health issues. His eldest son, Cho Hyun-joon took the baton to lead the conglomerate. On Saturday, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and his mother Hong Ra-hee paid respect for Cho at the fu

IndustryMarch 31, 2024

Hanmi heirs may seek to repair with family first

The management conflict within the founding family of Hanmi Pharmaceutical Group ended, as the sons of founder Lim Sung-ki -- Lim Jong-yoon and Lim Jong-hoon -- secured a majority within Hanmi Science’s board at the general meeting of shareholders last week. However, there are still multiple hurdles for the Lim brothers to get the country’s leading pharmaceuticals company back on track. According to industry sources Sunday, the Lim brothers are likely to attempt to repair the relatio

IndustryMarch 31, 2024

Mirae Asset chief’s dividend donations reach W31.5b

Mirae Asset Financial Group founder and Chairman Park Hyeon-joo is donating 1.6 billion won ($1.2 million) he earned from dividends last year, marking the 14th straight year of his philanthropic tradition. On Sunday, the company disclosed that Park will endow his entire dividend income from Mirae Asset Global Investments. Continuing the practice since 2010, Park's cumulative donations now reach 31.5 billion won. The group traces Park's charitable journey back to 2008 when he penned a l

IndustryMarch 31, 2024

[Test Drive] All-new Defender trumpets return of off-road champ

INJE, Gangwon Province -- “(Other carmakers) are worried when (they) see snow and rain, but we love it, and I think we’re going to have a great day,” said Robin Colgan, managing director of Jaguar Land Rover Korea, as he greeted reporters taking part in the automaker’s test drive for the 2024 all-new Defender in Inje, Gangwon Province, on Tuesday. As the 48-kilometer test drive for the JLR’s flagship sports utility vehicle included on- and off-road routes that had m

MobilityMarch 31, 2024

Korean fashion brands go global with Hyundai’s new platform

South Korean retail giant Hyundai Department Store announced Sunday the debut of The Hyundai Global, a pioneering platform designed to establish the nation’s homegrown fashion and entertainment brands in prominent international retail spaces. The new platform will offer a strategic pathway for small to medium-sized Korean brands to enter global markets without the usual financial strains associated with international expansion. By substantially reducing costs related to space leasing, inte

IndustryMarch 31, 2024

[Photo News] Robotaxi passes DMV road test

Hyundai Motor Group on Saturday posted a video of an autonomous robotaxi model of the Ioniq 5, the Korean automaker's all-electric compact sports utility vehicle, passing the driver's license test, on its global YouTube channel. The four-minute video shows how the self-driving vehicle gets through the road test without a driver but with a certified DMV examiner overseeing the process from the passenger seat, in the state of Nevada. (Hyundai Motor Group)

MobilityMarch 31, 2024

Kolmar Korea makes R&D push for bigger footing globally

The global rise in popularity of K-beauty brands has brought attention to Kolmar Korea, a leading cosmetics original design manufacturer that has secured a whopping 70 percent market share in the sun care sector alone here. According to the company Sunday, its “Fitting SPF Boosting” technology has been integrated into multiple sun care items sold at home and abroad. More recently, the products are selling hot in the US through major distribution channels, including Amazon. The Fittin

IndustryMarch 31, 2024

[From the Scene] Extreme climates to battery cells: Inside Hyundai's safety efforts

Hyundai Motor Group, having climbed to the rank of the second-largest electric vehicle seller in the United States last year just behind the trailblazer Tesla, recently took reporters behind the scenes to reveal the backbone of their success: a commitment to safety amid the industry's sprint toward longer battery ranges and fast charging. On Wednesday, the press was invited to the automaker's Namyang Technology Research Center in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, to witness firsthand the safety testi

MobilityMarch 31, 2024

Govt. mulls further cutting EV subsidies

The government is considering further cutting electric vehicle subsidies next year to instead use the funds to supplement insufficient charging infrastructure, according to sources Sunday. According to the sources, government ministries overseeing EV subsidy policy, including the finance and environment ministries, are discussing ways to reduce EV subsidies for next year based on state budget guidelines for 2025. During the discussions, the finance ministry has stressed the need to strengthen th

MobilityMarch 31, 2024

Google to suspend political ads in S. Korea ahead of general election

Google has decided to suspend all politics-related advertisements on its services in South Korea ahead of the upcoming general election next month, according to industry sources Sunday. According to the sources, Google recently posted a notice saying that it will not support political ads during South Korea's election period. The decision will apply uniformly across Google services, including YouTube, Google search and the Google Play Store. The decision appears to have been made to prevent

CompaniesMarch 31, 2024

March inflation estimated to reach 3.2 %

South Korea's consumer prices increase is estimated to stay above 3 percent for the second month in March on energy price and foreign exchange variables, market reports showed Sunday. The country's March inflation outlooks estimated by eight securities firms, including NH Investment & Securities, Kyobo Securities, Meritz Securities and DB Financial Investment, averaged at 3.2 percent. In January, inflation fell below 3 percent for the first time since July 2023, when the figure cam

EconomyMarch 31, 2024

Foreign investors net purchase record amount of S. Korean stocks in Q1

Foreigners net purchased over 15 trillion won worth of local shares in the first three months of the year, breaching the 15 trillion-won mark for the first time in history, data showed Saturday. Foreign investors scooped up a net 15.77 trillion won ($11.7 billion) worth of shares in the first quarter, the highest quarterly figure since the country's main stock exchange KRX began compiling such data in 1998. The previous record was 14.79 trillion won tallied in the third quarter of 2009, acc

MarketMarch 30, 2024

Hyosung honorary chair dies at 89

Hyosung Group Honorary Chair Cho Suck-rai, the father of incumbent Chair Cho Hyun-joon, died of a chronic disease at the age of 89, according to industry sources Friday. It has been seven years since he stepped down from his top management post in 2017 due to his advanced age and health. Born as the eldest son of Hyosung founder Cho Hong-jai in 1935, Cho Suck-rai pursued his academic interests in chemistry at Japan's Waseda University and earned a master's degree in chemical engineerin

IndustryMarch 29, 2024

Hahn & Co shakes up Namyang Dairy's board to cement control

Private equity company Hahn & Co has taken over the boardroom of Namyang Dairy Products to put an end to 60-year family ownership of the dairy firm. During the regular shareholders meeting held at Namyang’s headquarters in southern Seoul on Friday, officials from Hahn & Co were appointed as inside directors, while Lee Myung-Chul, chair of Institut Pasteur Korea, was appointed as an outside director. Previous directors, including Hong Won-sik, chair of Namyang Dairy Products, steppe

CompaniesMarch 29, 2024

Daughter of late Samsung chairman becomes Samsung C&T president

Lee Seo-hyun, the second daughter of late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee and the younger sister of Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, is returning to the management as she takes the post of president at Samsung C&T. Samsung C&T, the construction and energy arm of Samsung Group that acts as a holding company for major affiliates of the group, said Friday that it named Lee as the president, who is in charge of the company’s strategy planning. “She is expected to con

IndustryMarch 29, 2024

More S. Koreans voice dissatisfaction with overseas e-commerce platforms in 2023

More South Korean consumers expressed dissatisfaction with their experiences shopping directly via online platform services based overseas last year, partly attributed to Chinese e-commerce platform AliExpress tapping deeper into the Korean market as well as greater demand for overseas travel among Koreans using online travel agency services based in Singapore, according to the Korea Consumer Agency. According to the KCA on Friday, the total number of requests for advice and reports of disputes

ConsumerMarch 29, 2024