Samsung Electronics Co. gained the No. 2 spot in the global wearable market in the first quarter of this year by overtaking Fitbit for the first time, on the back of the success of its Gear S3 smartwatch, data showed Sunday. According to the data compiled by Strategy Analytics, Samsung captured 12.8 percent of the global market share in terms of sales during the January-March period, overtaking Fitbit with 12.2 percent. Apple maintained its No. 1 status with a commanding 53-percent market share.

June 25, 2017

Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Co., an affiliate of shipbuilding conglomerate Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., sold its stakes in the affiliate recently spun off from its parent firm, a move seen to accelerate the conglomerate's drive for a holding company structure.In March, shareholders of Hyundai Heavy approved the company's plan to hive off its noncore businesses, aimed at what it claims will boost each business unit's competitiveness.Under the plan, the shipyard split into four independent entities: sh

June 21, 2017

GS Caltex Chairman Huh Jin-soo hosted a musical concert in Seoul on Monday to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary with its longtime clients and business partners, the firm said Wednesday.“GS Caltex has grown along with customers for the past 50 years,” he said at the concert, which featured soprano Shin Young-ok and samulnori -- Korean traditional percussion -- musician Jang Sa-ik.GS Caltex Chairman Huh Jin-soo (GS Caltex)“(The company) will provide stable and sustainable value and will rem

June 21, 2017

Jeju Air Co., a South Korean budget carrier, said Wednesday it will open a route to Taiwan's Kaohsiung next month, the first such service offered by a local airline. The move is part of local budget carriers' efforts to expand routes to Southeast Asia and Japan not only to absorb growing low-budget travel demand but also to offset sharp declines in travel demand from China amid a diplomatic row over the deployment of a US anti-missile system in Korea. (Yonhap)Beijing banned the sale of travel pa

June 21, 2017

KB Kookmin Card Co., a unit of South Korea's banking giant KB Financial Group Inc., said Tuesday it has inked a partnership with Bank of Hope in the United States in a move to make inroads into the large North American market.The card company said it will set up a joint venture with the Los Angeles-based lender with the aim of pursuing joint projects. (Yonhap)KB Kookmin Card said it expects the partnership to help it make inroads into the world's No. 1 economy.Bank of Hope, which has more than $

June 20, 2017

Hotel Shilla Co., set to open its duty-free shops at an airport in Hong Kong later this year, said Tuesday it has participated in an international travel expo to expand its overseas foothold in the business.One of the major duty-free shop operators in South Korea, Hotel Shilla said it introduced its know-how about the duty-free and hotel business to local industry officials and tourists at the International Travel Expo Hong Kong which ran from Thursday to Sunday.In April, the operator of Shilla

June 20, 2017

South Korean tech giant LG Electronics Inc. said Sunday it has reorganized its structure and established two research centers devoted to the development of technologies related to artificial intelligence.The new centers -- AI and robotics -- will be directly under control of the Chief Technology Officer's office, and will focus on the development and implementation of AI-related services, the company said. (Yonhap)The move is part of the company's efforts to revamp research and development, and

June 11, 2017

The nation's top court has confirmed the designation of a nonprofit subsidiary of a law firm as the guardian of the founder of the country's retail giant Lotte Group, legal sources said Friday.The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed an appeal filed by Shin Kyuk-ho against a family court's decision that put him under the Sun's legal supervision. It is a subsidiary of law firm One Law Partners that handles matters of public interest. In this file photo taken on March 20, 2017, Shin Kyuk-ho, founde

June 2, 2017

A VERY SPECIAL DAY -- Participants pose for a photo during an event on Saturday organized by Singapore Airlines and also joined by Singapore Airlines General Manager for the Korean branch Seah Chee Chian (standing, center), offering an opportunity for children with visual impairment and their families to cook in-flight meals with Chef Yim Jung-sik of Michelin-starred restaurant Jungsik. The event is part of the airline’s corporate social responsibility program and has been held since 2012. (Sing

May 29, 2017

The state-run Korea Electric Power Corporation, the nation’s sole electricity provider, has maintained its strong presence in the Forbes Global 2000, the business magazine’s annual list of the biggest 2,000 public companies in the world, Kepco said Sunday.In this year’s list, Kepco ranked 138th, while placing second in the electric utilities sector. Kepco has also topped all other Asian electricity providers for the third consecutive year. (Yonhap)In 2016, Kepco was listed 97th for 2016 in an an

May 28, 2017

General Electric has joined a next-generation power supply development project named Energy Valley Project led by Korea Electric Power Corp. in Naju, South Jeolla Province.The two firms held a launch event Thursday for the GE “Bitgaram” office that will provide GE legal and technical support.Kepco CEO Cho Hwan-eik and GE Energy Connections CEO Russell Stokes participated in the event to discuss details of the future investment for the Energy Valley Project. Some 70 representatives from the Natio

May 25, 2017

GS Caltex held its 50th anniversary event Thursday at GS Tower in Gangnam, Seoul, celebrating achievements the company made over the past five decades.GS Caltex Chairman Huh Jin-Soo encouraged employees to prepare for the next 50 years to come in his speech. Korea’s first private-sector oil refiner GS Caltex was founded in 1967 as Honam Oil Refinery. It changed its name to LG Caltex in 1996 and GS Caltex in 2005, the year in which GS Group was founded.GS Caltex‘s daily oil-refining capacity has

May 18, 2017

SK Networks Chairman Choi Shin-won became the first recipient of the United Way Global Philanthropy Award, the company said Sunday.Choi received the award during the Community Leaders Conference held by United Way Worldwide in Orlando, Florida, Tuesday to Friday.UWW is one of the world‘s largest charities, currently with a network of some 1,800 affiliates globally. SK Networks Chairman Choi Shin-won (center) takes a picture with United Way Worldwide President Brian Gallagher (left) and UWW’s Gua

May 14, 2017

South Korean retail conglomerate Lotte Group is likely to unveil a series of steps next week to simplify its complicated governance structure, which may include split-ups or mergers of key affiliates, industry sources said Friday.The group's two key affiliates -- Lotte Shopping Co. and Lotte Confectionery Co. -- are rumored to be rolling out the plan at their respective shareholders meeting next week to split themselves into an investment unit and a business arm, according to industry sources fa

April 21, 2017

GS Group chairman Huh Chang-soo, who is also the chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries, participated in the group’s quarterly board meeting on Wednesday and emphasized on the need to prepare for the uncertain future. GS Group Chairman Huh Chang-soo (GS)Encouraging on the group’s latest achievements, including the implementation of LNG terminal in Boryeong and GS Retail’s investment in K bank, Huh urged the board members to keep improving the overall competitiveness of GS and to prepare

April 19, 2017

Samsung Group's de facto leader on Friday denied bribery allegations during his first court hearing held in relation to a massive corruption scandal that brought down former President Park Geun-hye.Lee Jae-yong, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics Co., appeared at the Seoul Central District Court in a gray suit, along with four other senior executives from the business group. Samsung Electronics Co. vice chairman Lee Jae-yong and special counsel Park Young-soo (Yonhap)   He was arrested and ind

April 7, 2017

Posco Chairman Kwon Oh-joon (left) shakes hands with a winner of the company’s “golden bell” quiz held to celebrate the company’s 49th anniversary at its Gwangyang steel mill on Friday. The steel giant has been shunning elaborate events to mark its anniversary ever since the inauguration of Kwon as the chief in 2014 and instead has organized “modest programs” for its employees in Seoul, Pohang and Gwangyang, company officials said. (Posco)

April 2, 2017

  The French Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry hosted the “La Francophonie Economique” seminar last Tuesday, to help boost cooperation between Korean and Francophone businesses and institutions operating in the country, the organization said Sunday.The event was held in cooperation with the French Embassy, the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Korea-Africa Center. Participants pose for a photo while attending the La Francophonie Economique seminar hosted by the French Korean Cham

April 2, 2017

Golden Blue, South Korea’s leading whisky brand held a scholarship ceremony last Thursday in Seoul.The Master Blender project of the company aims to raise distilling professionals for the advancement of Korea’s liquor industry.The application for the project began in December last year, and two were finally chosen after screening and interview. The first recipients, Kim Bit-na and Kim Joon-min will be provided with an opportunity to study at Scotland’s Heriot-Watt University for a year. The comp

April 2, 2017