SoftBank sells $1.69 billion of Coupang as Son unloads assets

SoftBank Group Corp. sold about $1.69 billion worth of its stake in Coupang Inc., the South Korean e-commerce giant whose stock surged and then tumbled after its initial public offering in March. SoftBank sold 57 million shares at $29.685 on Sept. 14, the company said in a statement to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Japanese company is still Coupang’s largest shareholder. Masayoshi Son has stepped up sales of stakes in his portfolio of public companies in recent months

Sept. 17, 2021

World Bank cancels business report after investigation

  The World Bank is canceling a prominent report on business conditions around the world after investigators found staff members were pressured by the bank's leaders to alter data about China and some other governments. The bank said Thursday it would discontinue ``Doing Business'' following an investigation prompted by internal reports of ``data irregularities'' in its 2018 and 2020 editions and possible ``ethical matters'' involving bank staff. Staff members changed data on China to im

Sept. 17, 2021

[Graphic News] Hyundai ranks 6th place in global EV market in H1: data

　South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor’s electric vehicle sales increased in the first half of the year compared with a year ago, but its global market share fell in the face of toughening competitions with Chinese rivals, industry data showed.  　Hyundai Motor was in sixth place in terms of global EV sales in the January-June period, one notch down from the fifth position a year ago, according to the data by industry tracker SNE Research. 　The automaker’s global EV sales

Sept. 1, 2021

[Graphic News] Samsung ranks No. 5 in Q2 Chromebook market: report

　Samsung Electronics was the world’s fifth-largest vendor of Chromebooks in the second quarter of the year, a report showed, as the South Korean tech giant aims to expand its presence in the portable PC market amid the pandemic. 　Samsung had a market share of 7 percent in the April-June period after shipping 900,000 Chromebooks - that is, laptops or tablets running on Google’s Chrome operating system - according to a report from market researcher International Data Corp. 　Sam

Aug. 25, 2021

[Graphic News] Xiaomi grabs No. 2 spot in surging smartphone market: survey

　Chinese electronics firm Xiaomi has overtaken Apple as the No. 2 global smartphone maker in a sizzling market with consumers emerging from lockdowns, a new survey showed. 　A Canalys survey of second-quarter sales showed worldwide smartphone sales up 12 percent, with South Korea's Samsung holding its top position with a 19 percent market share. 　Xiaomi, meanwhile, surged to the No. 2 position for the first time with a 17 percent share as sales jumped 83 percent, according to Canalys. 　Ap

Aug. 4, 2021

[Graphic News] S. Korea accounts for one-third of global EV battery market in Jan.-May

　Three South Korean electric vehicle battery makers accounted for a third of the global market in the first five months of the year, but their share has slightly slipped since last year in the face of toughening competition with Chinese rivals, a market research firm said. 　The trio - LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI and SK Innovation - supplied a combined 88.4 gigawatt-hour equivalents of EV batteries in the January-May period, up from 33.6 GWh a year earlier, according to the data by SNE

July 22, 2021

[Graphic News] S. Korea ranks 2nd in monthly capacity of 200mm wafers in 2020: report

　South Korea had the second-largest monthly capacity of 200-millimeter-equivalent wafers last year behind Taiwan, a report showed. 　The country, home to major chipmakers like Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, had a capacity of 4.25 million wafers per month, accounting for 20.4 percent of global wafer capacity as of December 2020, according to market researcher IC Insights. 　Taiwan was the capacity leader at 200 mm or 8-inch wafers, taking 21.4 percent of the global capacity. The country,

July 21, 2021

[Graphic News] Turkmenistan capital tops Hong Kong as world's costliest: survey

　Turkmenistan’s capital Ashgabat has overtaken Hong Kong as the world‘s most expensive city for foreign workers, a survey showed. 　Turkmenistan is almost wholly dependent on natural gas exports and has struggled to recover from the global energy price slump in 2014 that battered the local manat currency and plunged many citizens into poverty. 　Despite the long-running economic crisis, authorities broke ground on a major expansion of Ashgabat in May, with autocrat leader Gurbangul

July 19, 2021

[Graphic News] Amazon, Apple most valuable brands

　Amazon and Apple are the world’s most valuable brands but Chinese brands are rising up the leaders list and are more valuable than Europe’s top brands, according to a global ranking by Kantar’s BrandZ. 　Amazon, founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos, remained the world’s most valuable brand with an estimated value of $684 billion, followed by Apple, founded in 1976, at $612 billion and Google at $458 billion, Kantar said. 　Tencent, China’s biggest social media and vid

July 8, 2021

[Graphic News] Samsung ranks 2nd in European wearables market in Q1: report

　Samsung Electronics was the second-largest vendor of wearable devices in Europe in the first quarter of the year, although its market share declined as archrival Apple expanded its presence. 　Samsung posted a 16.1 percent market share in the January-March period in the European market, down from 16.8 percent a year earlier, according to the latest report from market researcher International Data Corp. 　The South Korean tech giant shipped 3.5 million wearable products in the region in th

June 30, 2021

[Graphic News] S. Korea atop Q1 chip equipment spending chart: report

　South Korea was the world's largest spender on chip equipment in the first quarter of the year, a report showed, amid a global semiconductor shortage. 　South Korea, home to major memory chip producers Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, spent $7.31 billion in chipmaking equipment in the January-March period, up 118 percent from a year ago, according to quarterly billings data from SEMI, a global industry association representing companies in the electronics design and manufacturing supply c

June 24, 2021

[Graphic News] Samsung ranks 2nd in Q1 chip sales: report

　Samsung Electronics was the world’s second-largest semiconductor vendor in the first quarter of the year, a report showed, after posting double-digit year-on-year sales growth. 　The South Korean tech juggernaut logged $17.07 billion in chip sales in the January-March period, up 15 percent from a year earlier, according to the latest McClean Report released by market researcher IC Insights. 　Samsung, the world’s largest memory chip supplier, racked up $16.15 billion in integr

June 17, 2021

[Graphic News] 19% of retail goes online amid lockdowns: UN

　Online sales accounted for nearly a fifth of all retail turnover last year as lockdowns to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic fueled a boom in e-commerce, a United Nations study showed. 　Online sales accounted for 19 percent of all retail sales in 2020, up from 16 percent a year earlier, according to estimates from the UN Conference on Trade and Development based on national statistics offices in major economies. 　South Korea reported the highest figure at 25.9 percent, up from

May 21, 2021

WarnerMedia and Discovery to merge, forming streaming giant

  NEW YORK (AFP) -- US telecommunications firm AT&T announced Monday a merger between its WarnerMedia unit -- which owns CNN and HBO -- and Discovery media, creating a streaming giant that could compete with Netflix and Disney+. When the deal is finalized, AT&T will receive $43 billion and AT&T's shareholders will take stock representing 71 percent of the new company, with Discovery shareholders owning 29 percent. In a joint statement, the merger was described as creating &qu

May 17, 2021

[Graphic News] Korea accounts for 31% of global EV battery market in Q1

　Three South Korean electric vehicle battery makers accounted for 31 percent of the global market in the first quarter, but their market share has slipped since last year in the face of tougher competition from Chinese rivals, a market research firm said. 　The trio - LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI and SK Innovation - supplied a combined 47.8 gigawatt-hour equivalents of EV batteries in the January-March period, up 127 percent from a year earlier, according to the data by SNE Research. 　

May 13, 2021

[Graphic News] Hyundai loses top rank in FCEV market to Toyota in Q1

　South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor slipped to second place in the fuel cell electric vehicle market in the first quarter as Japanese rival Toyota clinched the top rank with the release of a new model, industry data showed. 　Global FCEV sales jumped 89.2 percent on-year to hit a record of nearly 4,000 units in the January-March period, mostly driven by strong sales of Toyota‘s second-generation Mirai model, according to the data by SNE Research. 　Toyota sold about 2,000 FCEVs in t

May 11, 2021

[Graphic News] Samsung, LG among top 5 players in Europe’s smart home market in Q4

　South Korea’s two major electronics firms - Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics - were among the top five players in the European smart home market in the fourth quarter of last year, a report showed, as they push to increase connected devices amid the pandemic-induced stay-at-home trend. 　Samsung was the third-largest vendor of smart home devices, including smart TVs, smart speakers, thermostats and home security products, in Europe after shipping 4.91 million units in the Octob

April 23, 2021

Intel announces Arizona expansion as chipmaker seeks footing

CHANDLER (AP) -- Intel announced Tuesday it will build two new factories in Arizona and outsource more of its production as a new CEO looks to turnaround the struggling chipmaker. The California-based company says the Arizona expansion will cost about $20 billion and create 3,000 permanent jobs as Intel builds a foundry business to provide chips for other firms. More construction in the United States, Europe and elsewhere could be announced over the next year, CEO Pat Gelsinger said in a

March 24, 2021

[Graphic News] Samsung takes second place in connected TV devices market in Q4

　Samsung Electronics was relegated to the runner-up spot in the market for connected TV devices, which includes smart TVs, streamers and gaming consoles, in the fourth quarter of 2020, a report showed. 　Samsung, the world’s largest TV maker, shipped 11.9 million connected TV devices in the October-December period, up 2 percent from a quarter earlier, accounting for a 10.9 percent market share, according to industry researcher Strategy Analytics. 　Despite the increase in sales, Sams

March 22, 2021

Ikea France goes on trial for spying on staff

VERSAILLES, France (AFP) -- The French branch of Swedish retailing giant Ikea goes on trial Monday accused of running an elaborate system to spy on staff and job applicants using private detectives and police officers. Ikea France, as a corporate entity, will be in the dock as well as several of its former executives who risk prison terms. French investigative publications Le Canard Enchaine and Mediapart uncovered the surveillance scheme in 2012, and prosecutors got on the case after the For

March 21, 2021