S. Korea's unemployment up 16.9 percent on-year: report

Recent government data showed Thursday that the number of involuntarily unemployed people in South Korea reached 1.24 million in June, marking a 16.9 percent increase from the same month last year. According to a report by Rep. Hwang Jung-a of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, the figure for June actually marked a substantial decrease compared to 1.89 million in January, and a slight increase from 1.23 million in May. But this year's monthly figures have risen considerably

EconomyJuly 18, 2024

Tmax Tibero’s research center recognized top R&D center by Science Ministry

Tmax Group announced Thursday that the research institute under its database management system (DBMS) specialist subsidiary, TmaxTibero, has been recognized by the Ministry of Science and ICT as the top corporate research and development center for the first half of 2024. Among 24 exemplary corporate research institutes chosen by the ministry, two, including TmaxTibero, were highlighted for their global growth potential and designated as top-tier. TmaxTibero's research institute focuses on

TechnologyJuly 18, 2024

Czech bid paves way for S. Korea's advance into nuclear energy market in Europe: industry minister

South Korean Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun said Thursday that the country's recent winning of a nuclear power project in the Czech Republic will pave the way for its active advance into the broader European nuclear energy market. On Wednesday, the state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power was selected as a preferred bidder to build two reactors at the Dukovany power plant by beating France's EDF. "We were able to secure a bridgehead to export nuclear reactors to Europe, which is

EconomyJuly 18, 2024

Seoul shares open lower on Wall Street losses

Seoul shares opened lower Thursday as most blue chips retreated following weak overnight trading on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 2.17 points, or 0.08 percent, to 2,863.92 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, Wall Street underwent stagnant trading over concerns of potentially worsening trade tensions between the United States and China, with chip shares taking heavy beatings. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite dropped 1.3 percent and 2.6 percent, r

MarketJuly 18, 2024

Goobne Chicken opens 1st outlet in Philippines

GN Food, the operator of Goobne Chicken, South Korea's leading roast chicken franchise, said Wednesday it has opened its first outlet in the Philippines as part of its expansion strategy. The first Goobne outlet in the Southeast Asian country is located in Bonifacio Global City, a central business district in Taguig, Metro Manila, the company said in a statement. GN Food has increased its overseas outlets to 40 in 11 countries, including Japan, China and the United States, since 2014, when

MarketJuly 17, 2024

[KH Explains] Doosan's merger plan fuels investor clash

Doosan Group’s recently announced governance restructuring plan has divided investors, raising questions about its viability. Central to the plan, unveiled on July 11, is the proposal to make Doosan Bobcat a wholly-owned subsidiary of Doosan Robotics, which has sparked debate over the fairness of the merger ratio based on the stock prices of both companies. Doosan Bobcat, a significant revenue generator for the group, stands at the heart of this controversy. Shareholders of Bobcat are conc

CompaniesJuly 17, 2024

Seoul shares end lower on profit taking

Seoul shares finished lower Wednesday as foreign investors locked in profits following a two-session winning streak despite overnight Wall Street gains. The local currency rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 22.80 points, or 0.8 percent, to close at 2,843.29. Trade volume was slightly heavy at 534.4 million shares worth 13.6 trillion won ($9.85 billion), with losers outnumbering winners 460 to 409. Foreign investors dumped local shares worth 261.4 bil

MarketJuly 17, 2024

Google suspends popular search service in Korea

US tech giant Google has recently discontinued offering real-time popular searches in Korea, a feature long banned by its Korean rivals such as Naver and Daum due to the possibility of manipulating public opinion. “We have decided to remove the feature from Google Search in Korea. The feature is no longer available here,” Google Korea said in a statement Wednesday. No further elaboration on the reason and timing of the suspension was given. Naver and Daum suspended their popular sear

TechnologyJuly 17, 2024

Mom’s Touch takes unique marketing strategy to drive Japan sales

South Korean franchise Mom's Touch announced on Wednesday a series of collaborative marketing initiatives at its recently opened store in Tokyo, partnering with various industries, from Samsung’s Galaxy brand to Samyang’s Buldak ramyeon. Since its opening in April, the Shibuya store in Tokyo has attracted 100,000 cumulative customers and generated 100 million yen ($0.7 million) in sales within 40 days. As part of the move to further boost sales, the store offers free burger-to

IndustryJuly 17, 2024

Celltrion's Remsima SC hits record share in Europe in Q1

Celltrion’s subcutaneous injection formulation of the autoimmune disease treatment infliximab, known as Remsima SC or Zymfentra, has secured a bigger footing in Europe, the Korean biosimilar giant said Wednesday. Citing the global pharmaceutical market research firm IQVIA, Celltrion said that Remsima SC made up about 21 of the market share across Europe in the first quarter of this year, the highest figure since its European launch in 2020. The company attributed the robust growth to its

IndustryJuly 17, 2024

HD Hyundai launches research lab to innovate vessel technology

HD Hyundai announced Wednesday the establishment of its naval technology research institute, aiming to tap into the future naval vessel market. The opening ceremony, held on the same day, was attended by about 50 participants, including HD Hyundai Vice Chairman Chung Ki-sun and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering CEO Kim Sung-jun. The new research lab is a reorganized entity from the naval technology center of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' special ships business unit and will operat

IndustryJuly 17, 2024

Kia EV3 boasts array of new technologies for mass-market EVs

Kia on Tuesday presented the most cutting-edge technologies applied to craft the automaker’s latest all-electric vehicle EV3 to auto journalists in Seoul, showcasing several new technologies developed to make the car a leader in popularizing EVs amid slowing EV growth. The EV3 has been equipped with the i-Pedal 3.0, which offers different levels of regenerative braking to allow more flexible ways to slow down the vehicle. Unlike the automaker’s previous i-Pedal technology which only

MobilityJuly 17, 2024

SK Innovation, SK E&S set to hold board meetings on merger plan

SK Innovation Co. and SK E&S Co., two major energy affiliates of SK Group, are set to hold separate board meetings Wednesday to discuss a proposed merger of the two companies, industry sources said. If the merger is approved, it will create the biggest energy company in South Korea, with combined assets of 106 trillion won ($76.5 billion). The merger of SK Innovation, SK Group's energy subholding company, and SK E&S, a privately owned recycled energy firm, is part of the group'

IndustryJuly 17, 2024

S. Korea, India hold fresh round of trade talks

South Korea's industry ministry said Wednesday it held a fresh round of trade talks with Indian officials to improve a bilateral partnership agreement. Director General of FTA Negotiations Ryu Peob-min and his Indian counterpart, Anant Swarup, started the three-day session in Seoul to discuss the agenda, including goods, services and investment, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. South Korea and India implemented the CEPA in 2010 and have been carrying out negotiations

EconomyJuly 17, 2024

Seoul shares open lower on tech, auto losses

Seoul shares opened lower Wednesday as investors locked in profits following a two-session winning streak despite overnight Wall Street gains. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 2.17 points, or 0.08 percent, to 2,863.92 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, Wall Street shares rose on rising expectations for a rate cut by the Federal Reserve. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 1.9 percent to hit a fresh high, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq composite gained 0.2 pe

MarketJuly 17, 2024

Seoul shares up for 2nd day amid Trump effect

Seoul shares closed slightly higher Tuesday as traders were trying to digest the effect of Donald Trump's possible victory in the US presidential election on the market. The local currency fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 5.17 points, or 0.18 percent, to close at 2,866.09. Trade volume was slightly heavy at 667.5 million shares worth 12.4 trillion won ($8.95 billion), with losers outnumbering winners 498 to 356. Foreign investors and instituti

MarketJuly 16, 2024

[Herald Interview] SK’s investment in Kentucky to attract more investors like ‘gravity’: Gov.

SK On’s new battery plant in Kentucky – the world’s largest of its kind – will help attract more investments into the US state like “gravity,” Gov. Andy Beshear told The Korea Herald in an interview held in Seoul on Monday. SK On, the battery-making unit of SK Group, has set up a joint venture with US auto giant Ford, called BlueOval SK, in the southeastern state of the US, with a whopping $5.8 billion investment. “SK On’s project is the largest in

IndustryJuly 16, 2024

Crypto exchanges step up compliance as investor protection law takes effect

Local cryptocurrency exchange operators are ramping up their regulatory measures as the introduction of the virtual asset user protection law nears in South Korea. On Tuesday, the Digital Asset Exchange Alliance, a body of five top local crypto exchange operators, introduced a guideline that advises exchanges to monitor abnormal transactions. It further released a revision of the guideline on the internal control standards of the exchange operators. The movement comes as the Act on the Protectio

MarketJuly 16, 2024

Hanjin expands LA logistics center to boost global operations

South Korean airline-to-logistics conglomerate Hanjin Group's logistics arm Hanjin Logistics Corp. said Tuesday that it has expanded operations by expanding the size of the Los Angeles fulfillment center by 50 percent. Upon the expansion, Hanjin Logistics President and CEO Noh Sam-sug and President and Chief Marketing Officer Emily Cho conducted an on-site inspection during a five-day visit to the US earlier this month. The aim is to provide a one-stop logistics solution so Korean companies

IndustryJuly 16, 2024

SKT invests $200m in data center specialist Smart Global in AI push

SK Telecom, South Korea's largest wireless carrier by membership, said Tuesday that it has signed a contract to invest $200 million in Smart Global Holdings, a US company specializing in data center integration solutions. Under the terms of the agreement, SKT will acquire 200,000 preferred shares and secure about 10 percent ownership through conversion to common stock. This marks the telecom giant’s largest investment in the artificial intelligence sector. With this investment, the am

TechnologyJuly 16, 2024