Woori Financial ready to bulk up

South Korean financial services conglomerate Woori Financial Group is seeking to diversify its business portfolio beyond banking in an apparent move to take on its bigger rivals here. Among the nation’s top four financial groups, Woori has long remained the smallest in terms of sales. Last year, Woori was the only one to post less than 3 trillion won ($2.2 billion) in earnings, with its net profit standing at 2.51 trillion won. KB, the No. 1 financial group, recorded 4.63 trillion won in n

May 13, 2024

S. Korea to set up over W10tr program to support chip industry

South Korea will push to set up a package worth over 10 trillion won ($7.28 billion) to support the chip industry as part of efforts to boost the competitiveness of the critical industry and to prop up economic growth, the finance ministry has said. The planned assistance program of more than 10 trillion won aims at supporting facility investment and research and development programs for all sectors of the chip industry from chip materials to manufacturing equipment and components, Finance Minis

May 13, 2024

Seoul shares open higher amid mixed signals for US rate cut

South Korean stocks opened higher Monday while investors remained watchful over mixed signals for the US Federal Reserve's future monetary policy. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 9.42 points, or 0.35 percent, to 2,737.05 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Last week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained ground for the fourth consecutive week, and the S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq posted increases for the third straight week. But on Friday, Wall Street closed

May 13, 2024

LG Electronics CEO offers to pay $1m salary to top AI talents

LG Electronics Chief Executive Officer Cho Joo-wan traveled to the US to meet with big tech counterparts and discuss collaboration in artificial intelligence, as well as to secure AI talents, the company said Sunday. Hosting a tech conference in Cupertino, California on Saturday, Cho underscored the importance of talents in AI development and said the company is willing to offer large salaries to secure top talents. "Changes such as electrification, servitization and digitalization are occu

May 12, 2024

[Contribution] Korea should prioritize innovation, not misguided platform regulation

By Hong Dae-sik & D. Daniel Sokol Korea rightly aspires to be a tech leader, but misguided regulation threatens its innovation prowess. Korean officials are considering platform legislation modeled after the European Union’s recently implemented Digital Markets Act. But that untested law has been widely criticized and prior European legislation, the General Data Protection Regulation, has hurt European competition -- leading to less AI investment by venture capitalists and one-third

May 12, 2024

Battery makers ramp up efforts to diversify graphite supply chain

Korean battery makers are speeding up efforts to diversify their supply chains to source key materials, including graphite, as the US pushes back the deadline for the ban on the use of Chinese minerals by two years. Earlier this month, the US Treasury Department announced an extension to its $7,500 tax credit scheme for electric vehicles containing components from Foreign Entities of Concern, which includes China, until the end of 2026. "There have been concerns that if Korean batteries fai

May 12, 2024

Samsung Electronics microwave tops European market

Samsung Electronics said Sunday that it has retained its top market share position in the microwave market in Europe for the ninth consecutive year. According to market research firm Euromonitor, Samsung Electronics ranked No. 1 with a market share of 15.3 percent in the microwave segment across 19 European countries surveyed last year. The company targeted the market by offering premium materials and distinctive designs, reflecting the high level of interest in kitchen interior design among Eur

May 12, 2024

[Photo News] Empowering jobseekers

Hana Financial Group Chairman Ham Young-joo (front row; second from right) and Vice Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Sung-hee (front row; third from right) pose for a photo during the launch event of the firm's social contribution program, "Hana Power On Innovative Company Internship," held at the group's headquarters in Jung-gu, central Seoul, Thursday. Since 2018, Hana has been supporting innovative companies in hiring socially vulnerable groups, such as the disab

May 12, 2024

Motional delays self-driving service launch to 2026 following Hyundai investment

Hyundai Motor Group's joint venture Motional announced staff reductions and a two-year delay to its driverless taxi service plans last week, following the group's 1.29 trillion won ($941 million) injection into the startup earlier this month, reflecting growing industry pessimism about the viability of self-driving cars. Hyundai established Motional with Aptiv in the US in 2020 and launched its Ioniq 5-based robo-taxi service with Uber and Lyft last year. However, the rollout of the second-

May 12, 2024

Loans of self-employed swell 50% in four years

The reliance on bank loans among self-employed South Koreans has surged considerably since the onset of the pandemic, with the overall loan volume and the default rate rising steeply in the past four years. According to data from the nation's major credit ratings firm Nice, provided to Rep. Yang Kyung-sook of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, the outstanding loans to self-employed individuals from local financial institutions totaled 1,112.74 trillion won ($811 billion) as of t

May 12, 2024

Roborock’s rare success on home turf of Samsung, LG

China’s Roborock, the popular robot vacuum cleaner brand, has become a rare success story on the home turf of Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics. Despite the dominance of the two Korean firms in the nation’s home appliance market, when it comes to the burgeoning robot cleaner market, the Chinese runner-up has maintained its top position over the past four years. Last month, Roborock released its latest flagship model, the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra, which is capable of both vacuuming

May 12, 2024

KOSA, Saudi Aramco bolster ties on digital innovation

The Korea Software Industry Association said Sunday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Aramco, the kingdom’s oil giant, to bolster ties on digital innovation. The KOSA, representing over 14,000 member companies specializing in digital tech, will support Aramco’s push for artificial intelligence and other digital economies. They also plan to work together to extend their global network and secure funding. The MOU signing event was held Thursday in Goyang, Gyeonggi

May 12, 2024

Science Ministry expresses regret over Japan’s pressure on Naver

The Science Ministry on Friday expressed regret over the Japanese government’s pressure on Naver to shed its ownership stakes in the popular messaging app Line, hinting at "strong and stern" measures if necessary. “The Seoul government's firm position is that we’ll ensure Korean companies, including Naver, are not subject to any unreasonable measures related to overseas business and overseas investment,” Second Vice Science Minister Kang Do-hyun told report

May 10, 2024

Bithumb to pay W40b taxes for crypto airdrop winners

Korea's major cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb said Friday that it will cover all the 40 billion won ($30 million) of taxes imposed on the winners of its crypto airdrop events. According to Bithumb, some 10,700 users were slapped with a combined 20 billion won in taxes last year for their compensations, including virtual assets and paybacks on commission, worth 83 billion won earned after participating in its multiple airdrop events held between 2018 and 2021. In Korea, the tax authorities h

May 10, 2024

Seoul shares end higher on rate-cut hopes after jobs data

Seoul shares ended higher Friday after the latest jobs data supported the case for US rate cuts this year. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 15.49 points, or 0.57 percent, to close at 2,727.63. The main index has risen 1.9 percent this week. Trading volume was moderate at 568.36 million shares worth 11.07 trillion won ($8.09 billion), with gainers outpacing losers 489 to 365. The number of US unemployment claims jumped last week to th

May 10, 2024

Naver Cloud, Philippines' Converge team up for DX innovation

Naver Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Korea's IT giant Naver, said Friday it has teamed up with Philippine fiber optic internet provider Converge ICT Solutions to speed up digital transformation in the Southeast Asian country. Under the deal, the two sides agreed to collaborate to discuss ways to leverage Naver’s expertise to deliver innovative cloud solutions for the specific needs of Filipino customers. Converge is the fastest-growing broadband provider in the Philippines with a f

May 10, 2024

Korean Air in talks to sell five B747 jets to Sierra Nevada

Korean Air is in talks with Sierra Nevada Corporation, the US aerospace and defense firm, to sell its five B747-8i jets in an apparent move to boost its operational efficiency ahead of its planned merger with Asiana Airlines. According to industry sources on Friday, Korean Air held a board meeting Wednesday and decided to sell the planes to Sierra Nevada. The deal, valued at about 918 billion won ($674 million), is expected to be completed by September 2025. Currently, the company owns nine unit

May 10, 2024

Seoul shares open higher on Fed's rate-cut hopes

Seoul shares opened higher Friday, tracking gains on Wall Street, after weekly US jobless claims data offered fresh hope for the Federal Reserve's rate cuts this year. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 28.15 points, or 1.04 percent, to 2,740.29 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The number of US jobless claims jumped last week to the highest level in more than eight months, renewing hopes for the Fed's rate cuts. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased

May 10, 2024

Bridging hope: Daewoo E&C wins large-scale bridge projects in India, Africa

Daewoo Engineering and Construction has been showcasing its engineering prowess not only domestically but also internationally, winning a series of large-scale bridge construction projects. On home soil, Daewoo E&C constructed the Dongjak Bridge, the first combined railway and roadway bridge in South Korea in 1984. Since then, they have successfully completed numerous bridges, including the Gwangan Bridge, Cheonsa Bridge, and the Geoga Bridge, which features the country’s first underwa

May 9, 2024

Financial regulator to complete short selling probe this year

South Korea's chief financial regulator, Financial Supervisory Service Governor Lee Bok-hyun, said the agency plans to conclude its ongoing investigation into illegal short selling by the end of the year. He made the statement during a meeting with a group of reporters on Thursday. "We've completed investigations into some companies and made significant progress with three others. About five companies remain, and, if possible, our goal is to wrap up the investigation by the end of

May 9, 2024