Internet-only banks soar past W100tr in assets

Last year witnessed remarkable growth for South Korea's three internet-only banks, as their combined value surged past the milestone 100 trillion won ($74 billion). The aggregate assets of Kakao Bank, K bank and Toss Bank reached approximately 101.61 trillion won by the end of last year, marking a substantial 27 percent increase from the previous year's 79.5 trillion won. Kakao Bank led the pack with total assets of 54.48 trillion won, followed by Toss Bank with 25.73 trillion won and

April 1, 2024

Pharmaceutical rivals partner for Fexuclue's sales

Daewoong Pharmaceutical has partnered with Chong Kun Dang for local sales of the gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) treatment Fexuclue, the country’s 34th new drug, the company said Monday. Fexuclue is a potassium-competitive acid blocker (P-CAB)-based GERD treatment that is designed to improve the shortcomings of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) drugs, such as slow onset of action and dietary effects. P-CABs have the longest half-life of up to nine hours among GERD medicines and have a lon

April 1, 2024

Samsung Bioepis launches half-priced Soliris biosimilar

Samsung Bioepis, a biosimilar developer under Samsung Group, announced Monday that the company decided to launch its Soliris biosimilar Epysqli in Korea at a price nearly 50 percent cheaper than the original drug. Epysqli is a biosimilar referencing Soliris, a high-cost drug for the treatment of rare hematological disorders, developed by Alexion Pharmaceuticals. As of 2022, the drug generated global sales of approximately 5 trillion won ($3.7 billion). The global rights to Soliris are currently

April 1, 2024

Seoul shares up for 2nd day amid revived hopes for US rate cuts

Seoul shares closed higher Monday as US inflation data was in line with market expectations raising hopes that the Federal Reserve may start cutting rates in June at the earliest. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 1.23 points, or 0.04 percent, to close at 2,747.86. Trade volume was slim at 391.77 million shares worth 9.9 trillion won ($7.3 billion), with gainers outpacing losers 573 to 295. Institutions and foreigners bought a combine

April 1, 2024

More women break glass ceiling on financial group boards

South Korean financial groups have undergone a transition in their board composition, indicating governance changes centering on gender diversity and internal control. Given that a financial holding company’s board is the ultimate decision-making body engaging in establishing management strategies and budget planning for itself and its affiliated banking and securities units, the changes give a glimpse of the future direction that the groups are pursuing. Here are the key takeaways from

April 1, 2024

Korea Ginseng Corp. appoints global business chief as new CEO

Korea Ginseng Corp., the country's leading ginseng manufacturer, said Monday that it has appointed An Bin, the company's former global business chief, as its new CEO. “In order to transition into a global top-tier comprehensive health company, we must adopt a 'Global One Market' approach that combines both domestic and overseas markets," An, 51, said in his inauguration remarks. “We will aim to maximize profits in overseas markets while at home we will take a

April 1, 2024

First Jeep EV to make Korean debut in H2

Stellantis will launch the Avenger, the Jeep brand’s first all-electric sports utility vehicle, in Korea in the second half of this year as the global automaker looks to focus on regaining customer trust and bolstering its brand image here, the company’s recently appointed head said Monday. “Challenges and opportunities still co-exist in (the Korean market),” said Bang Sil, managing director of Stellantis Korea, in her first press conference since starting in her role as

April 1, 2024

[Photo News] Hanwha chief congratulates team

Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn (center) and his son and Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan took a selfie with employees at the Hanwha Aerospace research and development campus in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, Friday. Hanwha's chief visited the center to congratulate Hanwha Aerospace’s selection as the only bidder for the nation’s forthcoming next-generation launch vehicle project and to offer encouragement to the team of researchers. (Hanwha Group)

April 1, 2024

HBM leadership is coming to us: Samsung CEO

Samsung Electronics has established a special team dedicated to High Bandwidth Memory, going all-out to get an edge in the advanced memory chip, which is currently in the spotlight as a key component in raising the processing speed for artificial intelligence applications. Highlighting the importance of HBM in the wake of the AI boom, Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Kyung Kye-hyun vowed to keep up efforts to secure leadership in the burgeoning market and revealed the company has formed a team

April 1, 2024

JB Financial inks partnership with Vietnam’s OKXE

South Korea's JB Financial Group said Monday it has signed a partnership with OKXE, a Vietnam-based platform for used motorcycles, eyeing the expansion of its brokerage business in the country. At a signing ceremony held in Seoul on Friday, JB Financial Group and its affiliate JB Investment agreed to acquire a combined 8 percent stake in OKXE. OKXE was launched in Vietnam in 2020 by CEO Kim Woo-seok, bringing used motorcycle transactions from offline to online. With over 8 million users as

April 1, 2024

CJ’s veggie dumplings hit US military shelves

South Korean food giant CJ CheilJedang said Monday it has started selling plant-based dumplings at grocery stores within US military bases in Korea. These Bibigo dumpling products come in three varieties -- original, japchae and kimchi -- all featuring the company’s special vegetable protein based on beans, which provides a taste and texture similar to meat. Starting with dumplings, CJ said it plans to expand its product lineup to include frozen rice balls and gimbap. They added it aims

April 1, 2024

Korean Air marks 45 years of flights to New York

Korean Air hosted a surprise event at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on Friday, to celebrate the 45th anniversary of operating flights to the city, the nation’s largest air carrier said Monday. At the event, a round-trip prestige ticket from Incheon to New York was awarded to the 45th passenger of Korean Air flight KE082 bound for Incheon. Korean Air also gave out welcome eco-bags to all passengers aboard KE082, which were crafted in collaboration with the Korean Ass

April 1, 2024

Hanwha Ocean names ex-SBM exec as new offshore head

Hanwha Ocean announced Monday that Philippe Levy, the former president of SBM Offshore Americas, will take the helm of its Offshore Business division. Levy brings 25 years of industry experience, notably with SBM Offshore, a Dutch-based oil and gas company. Additionally, he has served as an executive adviser for the state-run China National Offshore Oil Corporation in Guyana. In this role, Levy provided guidance on projects related to floating production storage and offloading and liquefied natu

April 1, 2024

Exports rise for 6th straight month in March

South Korea's exports moved up for the sixth consecutive month in March on the back of the robust performance of chips, data showed Monday. Outbound shipments gained 3.1 percent on-year to $56.5 billion last month, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Imports decreased 12.3 percent on-year to $52.2 billion last month, resulting in a trade surplus of $4.28 billion. South Korea has been maintaining a trade surplus for 10 consecutive months. By sector,

April 1, 2024

Seoul shares open higher after US inflation data

Seoul shares opened higher Monday as the US Federal Reserve is expected to await more evidence that inflation is under control before cutting rates this year. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 8.11 points, or 0.3 percent, to 2,754.74 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Fresh inflation data released Friday was in line with the US central bank's expectations. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said it would not be appropriate to cut rates until officials are sure inflation is on track

April 1, 2024

[Hello India] Korean investment firms push into India amid China decline

More South Korean securities and investment firms are turning their eyes to the Indian market, exploring opportunities to tap the world's fastest-growing economy. NH Investment & Securities recently announced a partnership with Lighthouse Canton, a Singapore-based global asset management institution, as part of this trend. In January, NH Absolute Return Partners, a Singapore-based asset management company owned by NH Investment & Securities, signed a memorandum of understanding to c

March 31, 2024

Family, business leaders mourn Hyosung honorary chairman

Business leaders joined relatives to mourn the death of Cho Suck-rai, the honorary chairman of Hyosung Group, a textile giant, on Sunday. Cho died of a chronic illness Friday at the age of 89. Cho led the textile giant from 1982 until 2017, when he stepped down from the top management position due to health issues. His eldest son, Cho Hyun-joon took the baton to lead the conglomerate. On Saturday, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and his mother Hong Ra-hee paid respect for Cho at the fu

March 31, 2024

Hanmi heirs may seek to repair with family first

The management conflict within the founding family of Hanmi Pharmaceutical Group ended, as the sons of founder Lim Sung-ki -- Lim Jong-yoon and Lim Jong-hoon -- secured a majority within Hanmi Science’s board at the general meeting of shareholders last week. However, there are still multiple hurdles for the Lim brothers to get the country’s leading pharmaceuticals company back on track. According to industry sources Sunday, the Lim brothers are likely to attempt to repair the relatio

March 31, 2024

Mirae Asset chief’s dividend donations reach W31.5b

Mirae Asset Financial Group founder and Chairman Park Hyeon-joo is donating 1.6 billion won ($1.2 million) he earned from dividends last year, marking the 14th straight year of his philanthropic tradition. On Sunday, the company disclosed that Park will endow his entire dividend income from Mirae Asset Global Investments. Continuing the practice since 2010, Park's cumulative donations now reach 31.5 billion won. The group traces Park's charitable journey back to 2008 when he penned a l

March 31, 2024

[Test Drive] All-new Defender trumpets return of off-road champ

INJE, Gangwon Province -- “(Other carmakers) are worried when (they) see snow and rain, but we love it, and I think we’re going to have a great day,” said Robin Colgan, managing director of Jaguar Land Rover Korea, as he greeted reporters taking part in the automaker’s test drive for the 2024 all-new Defender in Inje, Gangwon Province, on Tuesday. As the 48-kilometer test drive for the JLR’s flagship sports utility vehicle included on- and off-road routes that had m

March 31, 2024