Seoul shares open higher on tech, auto gains

South Korean stocks opened slightly higher Tuesday as investors picked up tech and auto shares following overnight gains on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index edged up 4.4 points, or 0.17 percent, to 2,633.84 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight on Wall Street, the S&P 500 rose 0.9 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq jumped 1.1 percent, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.7 percent, as investors looked forward to positive first-quarter corporate e

April 23, 2024

Posco confirms 7 missions to speed up innovation

Posco Group Chairman Chang In-hwa on Monday announced seven major tasks that the steel giant will tackle in the years to come, from consolidating its leadership in steelmaking and battery materials to improving the governance structure. The new missions come after Chang was appointed as the group’s new chairman on March 21. Chang, together with a 20-member task force, came up with the new tasks to enhance Posco’s competitiveness across key business areas. “Through the seven inn

April 22, 2024

Samsung, SK hynix investors dump shares on Nvidia crash

Investors of the two Korean chip makers – Samsung Electronics and SK hynix -- dumped their shares Monday after Nvidia, the US chip giant, lost almost 10 percent Friday -- its worst day since March 2020. Market heavyweight Samsung Electronics and its chip rival SK hynix opened weaker in the day compared to Friday’s closing. Samsung and SK hynix fell 1.93 percent and 0.98 percent, respectively, to end trading at 76,100 won ($55.14) and 171,600 won on the country’s benchmark Kospi

April 22, 2024

Seoul shares rise 1.4% on financial, auto gains

South Korean stocks rose over 1.4 percent Monday as financial, auto and other blue chips advanced after last week's overall market decline amid eased tensions in the Middle East. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index climbed 37.58 points, or 1.45 percent, to close at 2,629.44. Trade volume was moderate at 389 million shares worth 10.85 trillion won ($7.86 billion), with winners outpacing gainers 659 to 226. Lee Kyung-min, an analyst at Da

April 22, 2024

BMW’s unveils new Korean R&D center

BMW Group officially opened the doors to its expanded research and development center in Korea in Cheongna International City on Monday. This transformed facility, originally launched in 2015 within the BMW Driving Center premise on the nearby island of Yeongjongdo, has now moved and evolved into a comprehensive, standalone R&D center dedicated to advancing BMW's innovations outside of Europe, alongside its centers in the US, China, Japan, and Brazil. The BMW Group R&D Center Korea

April 22, 2024

Hyundai Motor to power US EV plant with renewable energy

Hyundai Motor Group has inked a 147-megawatt power purchase agreement with Matrix Renewables, a Spanish renewable energy company, to power its electric vehicle plant currently under construction in the state of Georgia, the Korean auto conglomerate said Monday. According to Hyundai Motor, the deal marked the largest single PPA signed by a Korean company in the US. The conglomerate’s four companies -- Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, the auto giant’s EV plant, Hyundai Mobis Nort

April 22, 2024

HD Hyundai Infracore zeroes in on European market

HD Hyundai Infracore, a construction equipment maker under Korean shipbuilding conglomerate HD Hyundai, will unveil its new fuel-cell electric wheel loader named the DL250-FCEV for the first time at the Intermat in France later this week, the company said Monday. The Intermat, one of the three biggest global construction machinery exhibitions along with the Conexpo in the US and Bauma in Germany, will take place at the Paris Nord Villepinte exhibition center Wednesday to Saturday. The constructi

April 22, 2024

[Herald Interview] Why Toss invited hackers to penetrate its system

In 2022, South Korean fintech app Toss launched the nation’s first bug bounty program by a finance company, inviting attacks on its security system from the outside. Operating the program for several months in the first two years, Toss has kept the doors open starting last year so that hackers can report whenever they discover a vulnerability in Toss security. White hat -- or ethical -- hackers that make a significant discovery are rewarded up to 30 million won ($22,000). Toss remains the

April 22, 2024

KGC eyes Indonesian market, riding high on volleyball fame

Korea Ginseng Corp., the country’s leading manufacturer of ginseng products, said Monday it plans to prioritize its marketing efforts in the Indonesian market, particularly leveraging the growing popularity of the Indonesian volleyball player under its sponsorship. Currently, the KGC sponsors the Red Sparks women’s volleyball team under its premium ginseng product brand, JungKwanJang. In 2023, the volleyball team was joined by Megawati Pertiwi, a 24-year-old volleyball player from In

April 22, 2024

Posco charity foundation tackles disability challenges

The Posco 1% Foundation, founded in 2013, is funded by the donations of employees at South Korean steel giant Posco Group. Among the foundation's diverse charity projects is one aimed at supporting people with disabilities, particularly in career-seeking activities. According to a 2023 survey by the Korea Employment Agency for Persons with Disabilities, about 5 percent of the nation’s population is registered as disabled. The economic participation rate and employment rate of people w

April 22, 2024

Seoul shares open higher on financial, bio gains

South Korean stocks opened higher Monday as investors scooped up financials, bios and other blue chips following last week's overall market decline amid eased tensions in the Middle East. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 32.11 points, or 1.24 percent, to trade at 2,623.97 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Financial stocks led the overall bullish market, with KB Financial surging 5.49 percent and Shinhan Financial soaring 5.39 percent. Bio shares also gained strong mo

April 22, 2024

Exports gain 11.1% from April 1-20 on robust chip sales

South Korea's exports rose 11.1 percent on-year in the first 20 days of April on surging global demand for semiconductors, data showed Monday. Outbound shipments reached $35.82 billion in the April 1-20 period, compared with $32.25 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Per-day exports also advanced 11.1 percent on-year to $2.31 billion. Imports grew 6.1 percent on-year to $38.5 billion during the first 20 days of April, resulting in a trade de

April 22, 2024

[Test Drive] Honda’s hybrid tech mixes best of engine, motor

Honda has long been known for its top-level hybrid technology in the global auto sector. As hybrid vehicles take the spotlight with the electric vehicle market having entered a slump, the Japanese automaker is looking to make the most of the opportunity in Korea. The Korea Herald had a chance to drive the Honda CR-V Hybrid 4WD Touring and Honda Accord Hybrid Touring. Each ride covered about 57 kilometers, taking place in southern Gyeonggi Province on Tuesday. Before the test ride began, Honda pr

April 22, 2024

[Hello India] Herald Media Group looks to deepen Korea-India partnership

Capitalizing on India's emergence as a key driver of global growth, the Herald Media Group is looking for ways to deepen Korea-India economic ties. Leading a delegation of experts, the media group's Chief Executive Officer Choi Jin-young visited India from April 4 to April 11 to engage and establish communication channels with think tanks, trade and business confederations representing small and large industries, local and regional government representatives and the media. The Herald M

April 21, 2024

Korea's food inflation surges to third-highest in OECD

South Korea's food inflation spiked to 6.95 percent in February, the third-highest among member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The OECD statistics for February announced Sunday reveal that Korea ranks third among 38 OECD member countries in terms of food and non-alcoholic beverage inflation, trailing only Turkey with 71.12 percent and Iceland with 7.52 percent. This marks the first time in over two years that Korea's food inflation has exceeded

April 21, 2024

LG Innotek earns Edison silver for mobile zoom camera

LG Innotek has clinched a silver Edison Award for its ultra-thin optical telephoto zoom camera module for smartphones, marking its second consecutive Edison win, the company said Sunday. The module, which allows for 3x to 5x magnification, brings what the company describes as near-DSLR-quality optical zoom in a single compact unit. First commercialized in 2022, this innovation enhances image quality and spares internal device space for other components. The core of this technology is the Zoom Ac

April 21, 2024

SK On wins Edison Award for cobalt-free battery

SK On, one of Korea’s leading electric vehicle battery manufacturers, has been awarded a Bronze at the 2024 Edison Awards for its innovative cobalt-free battery. The award, presented last Thursday, represents SK On's ongoing efforts to combine advanced technology with sustainable practices in the EV industry. The development of the cobalt-free battery by SK On is a notable breakthrough, addressing the critical challenges traditionally associated with cobalt use in batteries. Cobalt, w

April 21, 2024

BOK chief says won will level off if Middle East conflict eases

Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang-yong, during his visit to the United States, projected the volatility of the won-dollar exchange rate would ease if the Middle East tension did not escalate further. The won-dollar exchange rate has been fluctuating heavily over the past few weeks, influenced by the strong demand for the greenback, with the anticipation that the US Federal Reserve will continue its aggressive monetary tightening due to the hotter-than-expected inflation readings. The strong safe

April 21, 2024

[KH Explains] Will 6-day workweek for executives help Samsung avert crisis?

Doubts have been raised over Samsung Group’s latest decision to make the executives of its key tech affiliates -- Samsung Electronics, Samsung SDI, Samsung SDS and Samsung Display -- work an extra day per week as part of the group's emergency measures to tackle ongoing business uncertainties. Critics pointed out that the six-day workweek for executives is "outdated and inefficient," and that it lies in contrast to other local Big Tech firms who are following the global trend

April 21, 2024

[Photo News] Art for all

Hana Financial Group Chairman Ham Young-joo poses with award recipients, their families and Hana staff members at the award ceremony for the 2024 Hana Artverse, a contest for artists with developmental disabilities, at the firm's headquarters in central Seoul on Friday. The event, in its third year, aims to provide opportunities for artists with disabilities. The works of the 30 artists who were recognized at the event will be on display at the group’s open storage space, H.art1. (Han

April 21, 2024