Seoul shares open sharply higher on tech gains

South Korean stocks opened sharply higher Friday backed by gains of big-cap tech and financial shares. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 38.36 points, or 1.43 percent, to 2,727.86 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the US stock market closed mixed as investors remained cautious ahead of key jobs data to be released later in the day, which will likely set the tone for the Federal Reserve's rate policy. In Seoul, market bellwether Samsung Electronics gained 0.9

MarketJune 7, 2024

K-water to cooperate with African nations on water infrastructure

Korea Water Resources Corp. said Thursday that the state-run agency and African leaders held talks to increase their cooperation on water management technology. Several leaders of African countries, who were visiting South Korea for the inaugural Korea-Africa Summit in Seoul, gathered at K-water’s artificial intelligence-powered water treatment facility in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday, according to the water agency. Attendees included Central African Republic President Faustin-Ar

IndustryJune 6, 2024

Korean cosmetics stocks soar on FDA-approved sunscreen

Shares of Korean cosmetics firms that produce sunscreen products and materials approved by the United States health regulator soared in May, coupled with returning investor sentiment in the K-beauty industry, according to industry sources, Thursday. "Recently, there were dramatic increases in the stock prices of Korean cosmetic firms that make sun protection products with US Food and Drug Administration approvals, as the US government is expected to soon impose stricter rules on sunscreen p

IndustryJune 6, 2024

Shinsegae, CJ forge all-round partnership to beat retail rivals

South Korea’s retail giants Shinsegae Group and CJ Group have agreed to cooperate on logistics and retail businesses to compete with domestic and overseas rivals. The two retail giants signed a memorandum of understanding Wednesday for their partnership centering on the Shinsegae Group e-commerce platform’s utilization of CJ Group’s nationwide logistics network. According to their announcement, CJ Logistics will be in charge of deliveries of goods sold on Shinsegae Group’

IndustryJune 6, 2024

Samsung, Verizon chiefs join hands to promote Galaxy series

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong took off for the US on a trip tightly packed with business meetings with tech leaders and government officials there, with the goal of strengthening existing partnerships for the company's future development, the tech giant said on Thursday. Lee will participate in some 30 meetings scheduled "minute by minute" with heads of major technology firms, and lawmakers and government officials across the US until mid-June, Samsung said. The places

IndustryJune 6, 2024

[Bio USA] Samsung Biologics CEO confident in luring Big Pharma clients

Korea Herald correspondent SAN DIEGO -- With Samsung Biologics securing as clients 16 of the top 20 global pharmaceutical companies based on market capitalization, up from 14 last year, its CEO John Rim expressed confidence in the company's continued expansion in the coming years. The CEO announced Wednesday during a press conference at the Bio International Convention in San Diego that their clients' orders have more than doubled this year. While industry sources suggest that this has

IndustryJune 6, 2024

LG Electronics introduces AlphaWare at US auto tech show

LG Electronics introduced AlphaWare, its suite of software solutions for software-defined vehicles, at AutoTech: Detroit 2024, revamping its commitment to expanding business in the automotive market. According to the tech giant on Thursday, it joined the global automotive tech show for the first time to share its insights on software-defined vehicles and discuss the challenges and future prospects. During LG’s presentation dubbed, "Beyond the Road: Navigating the SDV Transition,"

IndustryJune 6, 2024

Hana Financial launches 18th Smart Ambassador cohort

Hana Financial Group has launched a team of honorary ambassadors composed of college students to promote the financial conglomerate, the firm announced Thursday. The 50 student representatives belong to the 18th team of the Smart Ambassador program. A total of 963 college students have participated in the program since it was launched in 2012. This year, one in 13 applicants was selected for the program. The team will promote the banking group's brand for three months until the end of Augus

IndustryJune 6, 2024

Dried seaweed prices rise sharply in May

The price of dried seaweed in South Korea increased by 17.8 percent in May compared to the same period last year amid surging demand from overseas markets, according to Korea Statistics on Thursday. This rise surpasses both the average increase in seafood prices, which was 0.1 percent, and the overall consumer price increase of 2.7 percent during the same period. The rate of increase in seaweed prices has been steadily rising, from 1.2 percent in January to 3.1 percent in February, 6.6 percent i

IndustryJune 6, 2024

S. Korea, US, Japan discuss supply chains, emerging technologies at economic security dialogue

South Korea, the United States and Japan held an economic security dialogue in San Diego on Thursday to discuss cooperation on supply chains and emerging technologies, the presidential office said. The fourth session of the dialogue was attended by Wang Yun-jong, presidential secretary for economic security; Tarun Chhabra, senior director for technology and national security on the White House National Security Council; and their counterpart from the Japanese prime minister's office, Yasuo

IndustryJune 6, 2024

S. Korea, US, Japan, India, EU launch Biopharmaceutical Alliance

An alliance involving South Korea, the United States, Japan, India and the European Union has been launched to put joint efforts to build a resilient supply chain in the biopharmaceutical sector, the presidential office said Thursday. The inaugural meeting of the Biopharmaceutical Alliance was held in San Diego during the Bio International Convention 2024, the world's largest biopharmaceutical exhibition. Government officials and representatives from bio and pharmaceutical companies from th

IndustryJune 6, 2024

Samsung Fire & Marine convenes global insurance conference in Incheon

Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, the nation's leading non-life insurer, gathered insurance experts from inside and outside the country to share insights about the industry and Korea's insurance landscape at the Korea International Insurance Conference. The inaugural event, held Tuesday and Wednesday at the Mohegan Inspire Resort in Yeongjongdo, Incheon, marked the first global insurance conference in Korea, according to the Samsung Group subsidiary. "With the insurance industr

IndustryJune 6, 2024

[Bio USA] Yoon’s security aide spotted at Bio USA

By Kim Hae-yeon Korea Herald correspondent SAN DIEGO -- President Yoon Suk Yeol’s security aide was spotted on Tuesday at Bio USA, the biotech industry’s largest gathering being held in San Diego, immediately prompting media scrutiny about the purpose of the rare visit. Wang Yun-jong, the third deputy director of the presidential National Security Office, stayed at the site for about 30 minutes. He was accompanied by Choi Sun, a presidential secretary for biotech policy, and other

IndustryJune 5, 2024

KLCA supports listed firms to offer corporate information in English

The Korea Listed Companies Association said Monday it has launched guidelines for listed firms to offer their corporate information in English and increase accessibility for foreign investors. The guidelines offer a standardized form for articles of incorporation, including key details about a company, the general purpose of the corporation, the type and number of shares, the board election process and more. The association has shared the standard form for articles of incorporation since 1980 bu

MarketJune 5, 2024

Celltrion’s Vegzelma gobbles up 12% market share in Japan

South Korea’s leading biosimilar company Celltrion said Wednesday that its Vegzelma, a bevacizumab biosimilar referencing Roche's anticancer drug Avastin, has secured 12 percent share in the Japanese market. Since its launch in January last year, Vegzelma has seen fast growth despite the biosimilar being the latest launched among four bevacizumab biosimilar products in Japan. Celltrion said it was able to ramp up sales of Vegzelma by cooperating with Japanese distribution partners.

IndustryJune 5, 2024

Seoul shares rise over 1% on US rate cut hopes

South Korean stocks rose more than 1 percent Wednesday backed by gains of chip and battery shares amid hopes for a rate cut by the Federal Reserve. The local currency rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 27.40 points, or 1.03 percent, to close at 2,689.50. Trade volume was heavy at 871 million shares worth 13.4 trillion won ($9.76 billion), with gainers far outpacing losers 642 to 226. Foreign investors bought shares worth a net 589 billion won, while

MarketJune 5, 2024

Korea, Africa set the stage for shared growth, sustainability

Business leaders and government officials from South Korea and African nations gathered to fortify practical cooperation involving complementary skills and resources to enrich their decadeslong friendship. Some 400 people took part in the 2024 Korea-Africa Business Summit in Seoul on Wednesday on the sidelines of the Korea-Africa Summit being attended by delegations from 48 African nations, including 25 heads of state. Under the theme “The future we make together: Shared growth, sustainabi

EconomyJune 5, 2024

[Hello India] Krafton eyes bigger footing in India

Krafton, the developer of the popular shooting game PUBG: Battlegrounds, is looking to go beyond the boundaries of its main sector -- developing and publishing games -- in India in the long term as the company is focused on becoming a local publisher offering popular games in the world’s most populous country. “The biggest goal for now is to become a true local publisher that publishes games beloved by the Indian game market besides BGMI,“ said Sohn Hyun-il, CEO of Krafton Indi

CompaniesJune 5, 2024

Act-Geo founder arrives in Seoul to explain oil find

Following the recent announcement that South Korea may have discovered up to 14 billion barrels of oil and gas reserves off its southeastern coast, Vitor Abreu, the owner of Act-Geo, the firm responsible for the discovery, arrived in Seoul on Wednesday to elaborate on these findings. Abreu landed at Incheon Airport earlier in the day to meet with government and industry officials. According to industry sources, he is to hold a press conference in Sejong City on Friday to address questions regard

IndustryJune 5, 2024

42dot gets $185m from Hyundai-Kia to boost hiring

Hyundai Motor and Kia are investing some 253 billion won ($185 million) in 42dot, the global software center within Hyundai Motor Group, to aggressively recruit top-tier talent and accelerate the group's software-defined vehicle strategy. On Tuesday, Hyundai and Kia announced through Korea's Financial Supervisory Service that their boards had approved a capital increase, with Hyundai contributing over 152 billion won and Kia adding more than 101 billion won. This investment is based on

MobilityJune 5, 2024