Korea cements ties with African nations in key mineral supply chains

South Korea and African nations have pledged to intensify cooperation for enhanced trading while supporting Africa's path for shaping a future of sustainable co-prosperity. The 2024 South Korea-Africa Summit, the inaugural summit between Korea and 48 African countries, kicked off in Seoul on Tuesday. “Africa is young, dynamic and affluent with resources while Korea has high technology and a variety of experience… We will bring the strengths of each other together and discov

June 4, 2024

Tmax unveils new corporate identity to mark 27th anniversary

Korean software developer Tmax Group celebrated its 27th anniversary Monday by unveiling its renewed corporate identity. Held in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, 550 employees joined the anniversary event, with an additional 1,000 participating online through Tmax's collaboration solution, Tmax WAPL. The new CI, introduced by Kim Jae-hwan, chief marketing officer of Tmax, embodies the company's outstanding, boundless and integrative qualities. The vibrant blue color conveys a sense of vita

June 4, 2024

'Just heading to the convenience store to grab some... gold'

Convenience stores in South Korea these days are in a league of their own. Along with everyday essentials and quick bites, they also sell fried chicken, fresh fruit, liquor and some expensive items like smartwatches, tires and even cars. Now, they are selling the sought-after safe-haven asset for investors: gold. Retail industry insiders attribute convenience stores’ rise as a place to buy gold to their accessibility and trustworthiness the nationwide retail franchises have established as

June 4, 2024

Seoul shares end lower on profit taking

South Korean stocks closed lower Tuesday after strong gains in the previous session and mixed overnight results on Wall Street. The local currency rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 20.42 points, or 0.76 percent, to close at 2,662.10. Trade volume was heavy at 759.2 million shares worth 12.5 trillion won ($9.07 billion), with losers far outpacing gainers 642 to 226. Foreigners and institutions dumped shares worth a net 516 billion won, while individu

June 4, 2024

HD Hyundai to develop AI technology for ships

HD Hyundai has partnered with global leaders in the maritime classification and registration sectors to develop a new structure for ships by removing blind spots on vessels, the Korean shipbuilding conglomerate said Tuesday. For the development of AI technology, HD Hyundai signed a memorandum of understanding with the American Bureau of Shipping and the Liberian Registry at Posidonia 2024, one of the world’s largest shipping exhibitions, held in Athens, Greece this week. About 2,000 compan

June 4, 2024

Analysts remain cautious on energy shares

Stock prices of oil- and gas-related companies went on a roller coaster ride Tuesday, amid investors’ interest in the discovery of possible oil reserves off the East Coast following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s announcement the previous day. With the government approving exploratory drilling for a potential 14 billion barrels of crude oil and natural gas reserve at Yeongil Bay in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, investors flocked to energy-related shares listed on the Korean bourse.

June 4, 2024

KT, Microsoft forge partnership for AI push

Korean telecommunications giant KT Corp. said Tuesday it has forged a strategic partnership with Microsoft to enhance ties on artificial intelligence, among others. The new partnership, aiming at jointly developing AI, cloud and IT services tailored for the Korean market, was sealed at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington, on Monday, with KT CEO Kim Young-shub and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella in attendance. With details of the partnership coming in September, this is the first

June 4, 2024

Green energy firms showcase innovations at ENVEX 2024

The Ministry of Environment and the Korea Environment Conservation Institute are co-hosting the International Exhibition on Environmental Technology and Green Energy (ENVEX) at Coex in Seoul, which began Monday and runs to Wednesday. Launched in 1979, ENVEX, now in its 45th year, aims to boost domestic demand and lay export bases for outstanding small and medium-sized green energy enterprises. It boasts the longest history among environmental technology exhibitions in Korea. ENVEX will showcase

June 4, 2024

Kakao launches K.ride for foreign travelers

Kakao Mobility, the operator of Korea's leading taxi-hailing service Kakao T, said Tuesday that it has introduced a new application for foreign visitors called "K.ride" to make their mobility in Korea more convenient. Previously, only those with a Kakao Talk account, the most popular messaging app in Korea, could access Kakao T. However, now users can easily create an account using their Google or Apple accounts and phone numbers via K.ride. Payments can also be made with credit o

June 4, 2024

Hana’s Travlog currency exchange service hits 5m users

Hana Financial Group announced Tuesday that its mobile currency exchange service, Travlog, has surpassed over 5 million subscribers, with the total amount exchanged exceeding 1.9 trillion won ($1.39 billion). Launched in July 2022, Travlog is a digital service that allows users to exchange currency at any time without time constraints, eliminating the need for physical currency exchange during overseas travel. The service offers a range of benefits, including favorable exchange rates for 41 di

June 4, 2024

[KH Explains] Has South Korea really struck oil?

The South Korean government is making headlines with claims of potentially substantial oil and natural gas reserves discovered off its southeastern coast, near Pohang's Yeongil Bay. If confirmed, this discovery could elevate Korea’s status as an oil-producing nation. However, transitioning from finding these reserves to harnessing them is a complex journey. Here, we address the key questions surrounding this development.   What is the basis of the government's claim? In February 2023,

June 4, 2024

[Bio USA] Samsung Biologics unveils new CDO platform

SAN DIEGO -- Leading contract development and manufacturing organization Samsung Biologics has introduced a new contract development platform with a customized strategy to enhance its competitive edge in the market. At the 2024 Bio International Convention's opening event on Monday, Samsung Biologics introduced S-Tensify, its new platform designed to support the development of high-concentration biopharmaceuticals through advanced culture technology. "Sixth year into the CDO business,

June 4, 2024

S. Korea to extend tax reduction for imported fruits, food materials

Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok said Tuesday the government will extend tariff reduction on fruit imports and introduce the lower-tariff scheme for food materials in an effort to curb inflation. The government has applied the tax reduction through the tariff-rate quota on imports of 28 kinds of fruits, including bananas, pineapples, mangoes and cherries, which was supposed to end by end-June. But it decided to extend the measure through the end of 2024, Choi said, presiding over a prices-related

June 4, 2024

Seoul shares open lower on profit taking, mixed US stock results

South Korean stocked opened weaker Tuesday as investors took profit from strong gains the previous session and on mixed overnight results on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index slid 6.06 points, or 0.23 percent, to 2,676.46 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, Wall Street shares finished mixed amid the latest economic indicators showing a slowing of the US economy. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.3 percent while the Nasdaq composite gained 0.6 percent a

June 4, 2024

Oil, gas stocks skyrocket on massive drilling prospects

Stock prices of oil- and gas-related companies spiked Monday, following President Yoon Suk Yeol's approval for exploratory drilling of potentially massive reserves of natural resources off the country's southeastern coast. Out of 10 stocks that hit upper price limits on Monday, seven were related to oil and gas. The benchmark Kospi was up 1.74 percent from the previous day. Shares of the state-run Korea Gas Corp. surged by 29.9 percent to close at 38,600 won ($28). Other shares in the

June 3, 2024

Korean Air CEO expects US to approve Asiana merger by October

Korean Air Chairman and CEO Walter Cho said Sunday that he expects US approval of the planned merger with Asiana Airlines to come by the end of October. “We expect full approval by the end of October this year,” Cho said in an interview with Bloomberg in Dubai, Sunday. He stressed “no further concessions,” saying “We have done everything the US and EU have requested us to do.” His comments come as the US is the last of 14 jurisdictions in which Korean Air need

June 3, 2024

MBK starts sell-off talks for Homeplus Express

Asia's largest private equity firm MBK Partners is to push for the sale of Homeplus Express, a supermarket unit of Homeplus, according to industry officials Monday. The firm has kicked off the process by selecting Morgan Stanley as the sales manager for the deal. The details of the sales plan have not been released yet. Though the market had projected that the equity house would be eyeing an exit on Homeplus soon, the sales plan has been limited to its unit Homeplus Express for the time bei

June 3, 2024

Seoul shares jump over 1.7% on US inflation, strong data

South Korean stocks rallied by more than 1.7 percent Monday as investors' sentiment was boosted by favorable economic data that could lead to a rate cut in the United States. The local currency rose sharply against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 46 points, or 1.74 percent, to close at 2,682.52, ending in positive territory for the second consecutive session. Trade volume was heavy at 768.6 million shares worth 13.8 trillion won ($10 billion), with gainer

June 3, 2024

Toss Bank outpaces bigger rivals in workers' pay

Internet-only lender Toss Bank led the local banking industry by paying its employees the highest salaries last year, surpassing even the nation's top five commercial banks. According to recent management disclosure reports from the Korea Federation of Banks, Toss Bank, operated by financial technology company Viva Republica, boasted an average annual salary of 126.2 million won ($92,000) for employees in 2023, a notable 11.5 percent increase from the previous year's 113.14 million won

June 3, 2024

Samsung out to reclaim foldable crown

Competition in the growing foldable smartphone market is set to get fiercer. Samsung Electronics is out to regain market leadership with a new foldable phone series next month, while Chinese rivals are trying to catch up with the Korean tech giant’s market dominance in the sector. Lenovo-owned Motorola has reportedly passed the Chinese government’s certification and is expected to roll out its new flagship foldable phone, Razr 50 Ultra, within the next month, according to industry so

June 3, 2024