BAT unveils special McLaren design for F1 Japanese Grand Prix

BAT Rothmans, the Korean unit of British American Tobacco, said Tuesday it unveiled a special McLaren livery design inspired by its e-cigarette products for the 2024 F1 Japanese Grand Prix. According to BAT, the unveiling of the livery is part of the "Driven by Change" project, a collaboration campaign between the tobacco company and the McLaren Formula 1 Team. Launched in 2021, this collaborative initiative aims to provide emerging talents worldwide with the opportunity to design li

April 9, 2024

Hotel Shilla CEO to sell W440b of Samsung shares

Lee Boo-jin, the president and chief executive of Hotel Shilla, will reportedly sell some 440 billion won ($325 million) in Samsung Electronics stock, in an apparent bid to pay off her inheritance tax. Industry sources revealed Tuesday that Lee, a member of the Samsung Group founding family, is assessing buyer demand for a block deal involving 5,247,140 shares in the tech giant. Should the sale proceed, her shareholding in Samsung Electronics would decrease from 0.89 percent to 0.8 percent. The

April 9, 2024

Dethroned king of apps, KakaoTalk user numbers in decline

Mobile messenger KakaoTalk's once-overwhelming lead in the instant messaging industry in Korea has continued to falter, as a report Tuesday showed that the number of people regularly using the application has fallen to the lowest figure in 22 months. The monthly active users -- those who used a service at least once a month -- for KakaoTalk in March was 44.97 million, down from 45.19 million the previous month. It marked the first time the figure for the instant messaging service had dipped

April 9, 2024

Daewoo E&C wins Red Dot Awards

Daewoo Engineering & Construction announced Tuesday that three of its projects were winners of the 2024 Red Dot Design Award. Among the awarded projects is the Artistic Playground, installed at the Daechi Prugio Summit apartment complex in Gangnam-gu, southern part of Seoul. This space incorporates free-form play structures that resemble artworks drawn with a 3D pen in circular patterns. It was designed to inspire creativity and imagination, beyond conventional playground models. The playgro

April 9, 2024

[Photo News] New bullet train

Hyundai Rotem said Tuesday that it has completed a quality inspection of the KTX Cheong-ryong, its newest bullet train that has a maximum speed of 320 kilometers per hour, before it gets handed over to the Korea Railroad Corporation for operation. Hyundai Rotem's new bullet train has undergone over 180,000 km of test rides on railroads across the country since October 2022. The KTX Cheong-ryong will begin operations next month. (Hyundai Rotem)

April 9, 2024

Big companies increase R&D investment in 2023

Big companies in South Korea increased their investments in research and development activities last year despite decreased earnings, a corporate data tracker said Tuesday. Their combined R&D investments rose 9.4 percent to 73.42 trillion won ($54 billion) in 2023 from 67.14 trillion won a year earlier, according to a recent survey of 224 firms by the data tracker CEO Score. They suffered declines in sales and operating profit due to an economic slowdown but they executed their planned R&

April 9, 2024

Seoul shares open higher ahead of parliamentary elections, US inflation data

South Korean stocks started higher Tuesday ahead of parliamentary elections and the release of key US inflation data later this week. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 18.76 points, or 0.69 percent, to 2,736.41 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, major US indexes were almost flat as investors awaited the March consumer price index report, a key measure of inflation, to be released later this week. Investors' eyes are also on the results of South Korea's

April 9, 2024

US unveils some $11.6 b in grants, loans to TSMC

The US government announced a plan Monday to award Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. some $11.6 billion in grants and loans to support the chipmaker's investment for three fabrication plants in Arizona, as it strives to boost domestic semiconductor production. The Department of Commerce has signed a preliminary agreement with TSMC Arizona Corporation, a TSMC subsidiary, to provide up to $6.6 billion in grants and about $5 billion in loans under the CHIPS Act to back TSMC's investment of mor

April 8, 2024

Goodbye to Whopper? Burger King’s marketing stunt stirs confusion

The announcement from Burger King's South Korean operator that it would stop selling its popular Whopper lineup has stirred up controversy and mixed opinions over whether it is merely a marketing stunt or not. Early Monday morning, Burger King informed customers through its website and mobile messenger KakaoTalk about the end of Whopper sales. "Whopper sales will end after 40 years," the announcement read. "We thank everyone who has loved the Whopper all this time." Acco

April 8, 2024

[KH Explains] Banks puzzled by derivatives misselling proposal

South Korean regulators’ push for banks to make up for investors’ losses incurred from equity-linked securities tied to a Hong Kong index has left both Korean and foreign banks baffled. Korea's major lenders accepted compensation guidelines suggested by financial watchdog the Financial Supervisory Service last month, agreeing to partly redress investors for the losses from the ELS products. The payback scheme is expected to cost around 2 trillion won ($1.47 billion) in total for

April 8, 2024

Late Hanjin chairman’s legacy honored in new biography

Hanjin Group, the South Korean aviation conglomerate behind the nation's flag carrier Korean Air, announced Monday the release of a biography honoring the life and accomplishments of its late chairman Cho Yang-ho. The book, titled “Charting New Horizons: the Life and Legacy of Cho Yang-ho”, was unveiled during Cho's memorial ceremony held on the same day in Singal, Yongin, Gyeonnggi Province. After joining Korean Air in 1974, Cho Yang-ho emerged as a visionary figure in the

April 8, 2024

7 in 10 Korean retailers feel threat from Chinese e-commerce rush

Seven out of 10 retailers in Korea say they feel threatened by the rapid expansion of Chinese e-commerce platforms, especially the big three -- AliExpress, Temu and Shein -- an industry-wide survey found Monday. Of the 500 retailers surveyed by the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the nation’s largest business lobby, 69.4 percent said their businesses are under threat by the Chinese rush, while 74.4 percent expected heightened competition in the market. Almost 60 percent of online

April 8, 2024

Foreigners' stock investment hits record high in Q1

Foreign investors sustained a five-month buying streak in the South Korean stock market, resulting in an unprecedented quarterly volume. The Financial Supervisory Service disclosed Monday that foreign investors amassed a total of 15.8 trillion won ($11.67 billion) worth of local shares in the first quarter of this year, marking the highest recorded amount since the agency started compiling data in 1998. In March, approximately 5.1 trillion won streamed into the domestic stock market from oversea

April 8, 2024

Seoul shares end tad higher on auto, battery stocks

South Korean stocks ended slightly higher Monday on the back of autos and batteries following stronger-than-expected US jobs data. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 3.44 points, or 0.13 percent, to 2,717.65. Trade volume was moderate at 611.2 million shares worth 10.36 trillion won ($7.6 billion), with decliners outpacing gainers 590 to 277. Foreigners bought 207.6 billion won worth of local shares, while retail investors and instit

April 8, 2024

Hanwha’s succession plan picks up pace

Hanwha Group, Korea’s seventh-largest conglomerate by total assets, is poised to solidify its plan for succession, which will move from the current chairman to his three sons, as the company has taken a clearer stance on who will take charge of each business. According to the conglomerate, Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn visited the headquarters of Hanwha Robotics in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, on Friday, with his youngest and third son Kim Dong-seon, who is the vice president of Hanw

April 8, 2024

Hyundai, Kia expand role in India’s EV localization

Hyundai Motor and Kia announced Monday that they have signed a strategic partnership with Exide Energy, a leading battery company in India, to speed up India’s transition into electric vehicles and expand the Korean automakers’ presence there. Under the partnership, Exide Energy will develop lithium-iron-phosphate, or LFP, battery cells and supply them to the automakers’ manufacturing footholds in India. The LFP battery cells will be loaded onto the carmakers’ India-speci

April 8, 2024

Samsung, SK boost investment to secure hefty chip subsidies in US

South Korean chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have been boosting investment in the US to secure federal subsidies and get ahead in the intensifying competition in the advanced chip packaging and artificial intelligence chip sectors. Samsung Electronics, the world's top memory chipmaker that also runs chip design and foundry businesses, is reportedly planning to increase its investment in its semiconductor fabrication plant currently under construction in Taylor, Texas. According

April 8, 2024

CJ's Tous Les Jours to set up franchisee training center in US

CJ Foodville, the operator of the South Korean bakery chain Tous Les Jours, said Monday it plans to establish a training center in the US aimed at enhancing the service and operational expertise of its local franchisees there. This initiative comes as CJ Foodville has recently experienced an increasing number of inquiries from Americans interested in operating Tous Les Jours franchise outlets in the US, the company added. According to CJ Foodville, contracts for new franchise openings have alrea

April 8, 2024

[Photo News] SK founder's legacy lives on

SK Group said Monday that it was opening the birthplace of its founder Choi Jong-gun and the second-generation Chairman Chey Jong-hyun to the public in celebration of its 71st anniversary. The "Ancient Residence of SK," located on a 1,111 square-meter site in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, has been refurbished as a memorial hall exploring the history of South Korea’s economic growth and entrepreneurship. The current Chairman Chey Tae-won is the third-generation leader of the nation&rs

April 8, 2024

Mercedes-Benz charity run raises record donations

Mercedes-Benz’s Corporate Social Responsibility Committee said Monday that the Give ‘N Race charity event, held in Busan on Sunday, raised an unprecedented 1.017 billion won ($751,500), with the engagement of 20,000 participants. Initiated in 2017 as part of its commitment to social responsibility, Mercedes-Benz has consistently organized the Give ‘N Race to support vulnerable children and youth in Korea by merging philanthropy and running. This year’s event, the 11th, br

April 8, 2024