Renault Korea CEO awarded Industrial Service Medal

Renault Korea CEO Stephane Deblaise has been awarded the Industrial Service Medal from the Korean government in recognition of his leadership in successfully launching the Grand Koleos, the French automaker's new sports utility vehicle codenamed Aurora 1. According to Renault Korea on Wednesday, Deblaise was selected as the recipient of the national award during the 2024 Foreign Company Day hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas the p

Nov. 6, 2024

Mixed outlook for Chinese visa exemption

Beijing's visa exemption for South Korean tourists will take effect on Friday this week, but expectations are mixed about the impact, as it comes after years of waning popularity of China as a travel destination here. China announced Friday that it would allow passport holders of Korea and eight other countries to enter China without visas for up to 15 days for tourism, business, family visits, and transit purposes. Chinese nationals are still required to apply for a visa to enter Korea. Lo

Nov. 6, 2024

Posco discusses future strategies at tech forum

South Korean steel giant Posco Group on Wednesday held the 2024 Posco Group Tech Forum, an annual event dedicated to sharing advancements in the core technologies of the group’s key businesses and discussing future directions. Now in its 36th year, the event was held offline in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, for the first time in five years following disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s forum focused on deepening understanding of the group’s core technol

Nov. 6, 2024

[Photo News] Hanwha-Saudi ties

Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan (right) met with Prince Abdullah bin Bandar bin Abdulazia Al Saud, the defense minister of Saudi Arabia, in a hotel in Seoul on Monday to reaffirm their commitment to a defense partnership. During the meeting, Hanwha vowed to provide advanced defense systems, as part of the Saudi Arabian government’s Vision 2030 initiative that seeks to localize more than 50 percent of its military procurement by 2030. This is the second meeting for the Hanwha heir

Nov. 6, 2024

Kolmar Korea reduces development time for cosmetics

South Korea's leading cosmetics original design manufacturer, Kolmar Korea, announced Wednesday it will start a packaged product service to accelerate product launches by up to six months, aiming to strengthen its position in the global market. The packaged product service, or PPS, allows clients to obtain products simply by choosing from pre-developed formulations and containers. Typically, launching a new cosmetic product takes nine to 12 months. Kolmar anticipates the PPS system will sho

Nov. 6, 2024

Miracell showcases stem cell tech at Spain conference

South Korean stem cell research company Miracell showcased its stem cell extraction system, Smart M-Cell, during the IV Congreso Semdor Valencia conference in Spain last month. Hosted by the Spanish Pain Society, the annual conference brought together pain management experts from around the world to explore effective solutions for preventing and treating pain. This year’s event, held Oct. 24-26, invited doctors from Spain, the UK, the US, the Netherlands, Greece and Italy. During the confe

Nov. 6, 2024

SKT to open Nvidia GPU-based AI data center

South Korea's leading mobile carrier SK Telecom said Wednesday it will open an artificial intelligence data center based on US tech giant Nvidia’s graphics processing units next month in Seoul, along with an AI data center testbed in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, in the same month. The announcement came as the company unveiled its AI revenue model identifying three key areas for rapid monetization upon its earnings release for the July-September period: data centers, business-to-business

Nov. 6, 2024

Daewoo E&C seeks bigger footing in US property market

South Korean builder Daewoo Engineering & Construction said Wednesday a delegation of its executives recently visited the US to meet with private equity firms and developers as part of its efforts to expand its real estate development operations in the country. The delegation, which included Vice Chairman Chung Jin-haeng, Jung Jung-gil, director of the North America Development Department, and other company officials, visited Chicago and New York last week to explore potential partnerships w

Nov. 6, 2024

SK Telecom Q3 net income down 9.1% on non-operating cost

SK Telecom Co., South Korea's leading mobile carrier, said Wednesday its third-quarter net profit decreased 9.1 percent from a year earlier due to an increase in non-operating costs. Net profit for the July-September period came to 280.2 billion won ($202.1 million), down 9.1 percent from a year ago, the company said in a regulatory filing. Its operating profit rose 7.1 percent on-year to 533.3 billion won, while sales increased 2.9 percent to 4.53 trillion won. The company said its net pro

Nov. 6, 2024

BOK to test feasibility of tokenized bank money-based voucher

South Korea's central bank said Wednesday it will test the feasibility of a digital voucher based on a tokenized deposit as part of its trial to introduce a wholesale central bank digital currency (CBDC). Along with the Financial Services Commission, the Ministry of Science and ICT, and the Bank of Korea will test the feasibility of a tokenized deposit-based voucher program for use on smartphones via a digital voucher management platform, which can be available for culture, education and ot

Nov. 6, 2024

Seoul shares open higher on US rally

South Korean stocks kicked off higher Wednesday tracking an overnight tech rally on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 9.64 points, or 0.37 percent, to 2,586.52 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, major US indexes gained ground as a report on the services industries shows that the US economy is still strong. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 1.02 percent, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite increased 1.43 percent, and the S&P 500 went up 1.23 per

Nov. 6, 2024

Tax fraud investigators search Netflix offices in Paris and Amsterdam, says source

Investigators searched the offices of US streaming giant Netflix in France and the Netherlands as part of a preliminary investigation into tax fraud laundering, a French judicial source said on Tuesday. French paper Marianne, which first reported the searches, said investigators specializing in financial crime and corruption raided the company's offices in central Paris on Tuesday morning. The French investigation, carried out by the PNF, a special financial crime prosecution unit notorious

Nov. 5, 2024

South Korea fines Meta for illegal collection of user data

US tech giant Meta illegally harvested sensitive data including on sexual orientation from nearly a million South Korean Facebook users and shared it with advertisers, Seoul's data watchdog said Tuesday. The firm, which also owns Instagram, violated South Korean laws prohibiting the use of information on political opinions, religious beliefs and people's sex life unless the individual provides explicit consent, Seoul's Personal Information Protection Commission said. The tech gian

Nov. 5, 2024

KT to cancel W1tr of stocks by 2028 for corporate value

KT Corp., a major South Korean mobile carrier, said Tuesday it will cancel 1 trillion won ($726 million) worth of treasury shares by 2028 as part of its efforts to enhance its corporate value. Under the "value-up program," KT will focus on improving profitability and evolving into a comprehensive artificial intelligence and information technology company, the company said in a statement. KT aims to achieve a 9 to 10 percent return on equity by 2028 by restructuring low-growth businesse

Nov. 5, 2024

Hanwha chief touts bigger global footing of asset management unit

Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn on Tuesday visited Hanwha Asset Management to praise the asset management unit's recent progress in its ongoing efforts for global expansion. He was accompanied by Kim Dong-won, president and chief global officer at Hanwha Life Insurance, and Hanwha Asset Management CEO Kim Jong-ho. “Despite unfavorable market conditions, Hanwha Asset Management has overcome challenges and pushed innovations, and emerged as Korea’s leading asset management co

Nov. 5, 2024

Seoul shares down for 2nd day amid US election uncertainties

South Korean stocks ended lower for the second day Tuesday as investors treaded water ahead of the US presidential election. The local currency sharply lost ground against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 12.09 points, or 0.47 percent, to close at 2,576.88. Trade volume was slim at 306.1 million shares worth 7.6 trillion won ($5.5 billion), with winners outpacing losers 514 to 356. Individual investors purchased a net 388.9 billion won worth of local stocks, wh

Nov. 5, 2024

Hyundai E&C wins contract for Bulgaria's nuclear project

Hyundai Engineering & Construction said Tuesday it has signed a design and planning contract with Bulgaria's state energy agency for the new construction of the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant in the region, in partnership with US-based builder Westinghouse. The signing took place at the Council of Ministers building in Sofia, Bulgaria, Monday, attended by key officials including Hyundai E&C President Yoon Young-joon, Bulgarian Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev, Energy Minister Vladimir

Nov. 5, 2024

Young Poong's environmental violations come to light

Young Poong, a Korean zinc smelter, has come under fire for environmental violations and an array of industrial accidents occurred at its Seokpo refinery. According to the company, its Seokpo refinery in North Gyeongsang Province was ordered by the Supreme Court to shut down for two months for violating a water conservation law. It is the world's sixth-largest zinc producer, which makes up around 2.4 percent of global production in 2023, according to global energy data provider Wood Mackenz

Nov. 5, 2024

[Herald Interview] FTA to bring Korea-Gulf ties to new level: Bahraini industry minister

MANAMA, Bahrain -- South Korea’s cooperation with the Gulf region, including Bahrain, is set to strengthen as the free trade agreement involving the two countries will take effect soon, according to a top Bahraini governmental official. "Last year, we had a trip with a big delegation to Korea. We met with many of the leading companies there,” Bahrain’s Minister of Industry & Commerce Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro told The Korea Herald during an interview held in Manama, Bahr

Nov. 5, 2024

Bahrain ready for bigger Korean presence

MANAMA, Bahrain – Strengthening its partnership with Bahrain would open a door of opportunities in the Middle East for South Korea, an investment forum held by the Gulf island nation's economic board suggested. Bahrain hosted the second edition of Gateway Gulf on Sunday and Monday. This year’s Gateway Gulf was held six years after the inaugural edition in 2018. Arranged by the Bahrain Economic Development Board, it was held under the theme of “Investing in a Rapidly Transf

Nov. 5, 2024