Popeyes makes strong Korean comeback

US fried chicken fast food chain Popeyes is reporting strong sales after its return to the South Korean market. According to Silla Group, the operator of Korean Popeyes outlets, more than 5,000 customers visited its Gangnam branch during the first three days of the chain's relaunch, which took place on Dec. 16. In addition, as of Tuesday, more than 50,000 chicken sandwiches -- the chain's newly launched flagship menu -- were sold during the month after the store's first opening. T

Jan. 24, 2023

Key takeaways of eased rules for foreign investors

South Korean financial authorities have announced a set of new rules, including abolishing the decades-old investor registration system, in a move to create a welcoming environment for foreign investors. According to the Financial Services Commission, foreign investors hold around 30.7 percent of the local stock market as of the end of June 2022. The new revisions are also a part of the country's efforts to get its stock market included in the top grade of global market indices. The governm

Jan. 24, 2023

Hyundai surpasses 1 million EV sales

Global cumulative sales of Hyundai Motor Group’s electric vehicles have surpassed the 1 million milestone, according to the South Korean automaker Tuesday. The automaker achieved the milestone 11 years after it began selling EVs in 2011. Hyundai Motor and its premium brand Genesis have sold 601,448 EVs while Kia has sold 420,836 EVs. The carmaker sold 236 units of its first EV, the BlueOn, in 2011. EV sales figures began to show meaningful growth when Kia released Soul EV, a compact sport

Jan. 24, 2023

[Photo News] LG Gram marks 10th anniversary

LG Electronics on Tuesday unveiled LG Gram Style, a new addition to the tech giant’s Gram premium laptop lineup that marks its 10th anniversary this year. The Gram debuted in 2014 as the industry’s lightest 13-inch laptop, weighing just 980 grams. The Style comes in 14- and 16-inch models. The 16-inch model is the first Gram laptop equipped with an organic light-emitting diode display.

Jan. 24, 2023

Exports of S. Korea's traditional liquor soju up 13.2% in 2022

Exports of soju, South Korea's traditional distilled liquor, increased 13.2 percent in 2022 from a year earlier, data showed Tuesday, rebounding for the first time in three years. Outbound shipments of soju reached $93.3 million in 2022, rising sharply from $82.4 million tallied a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Korea Customs Service. In terms of volume, exports advanced 12.7 percent to reach 67,104 tons, the data showed. Soju is a clear, distilled liquor made with grain

Jan. 24, 2023

History of Seollal gifts

South Koreans’ Seollal gift packages appear to have no limit on what they can contain. Gift packs full of spam, preserved tuna or soap are the most frequently exchanged. However, there are thousands of different Seollal gift sets. South Korean convenience store chain GS25 in December unveiled its Seollal gift catalog with more than 850 kinds of gift sets, which include a 9 million-won ($7,260) bottle of Le Pin wine while another includes a rabbit-carved gold medal for the coming year of th

Jan. 23, 2023

40 % of conglomerates plan to reduce investment in 2023: survey

More than four out of 10 South Korean conglomerates plan to cut back on their investment both at home and abroad this year amid a global economic slowdown and worsening market conditions, a survey by the state-run trade agency has showed. According to the recent survey by the Korea International Trade Association, 47 percent of 1,327 companies having overseas sales of $500,000 or more last year forecast that business circumstances will deteriorate this year. Some 16.9 percent of the respondents

Jan. 22, 2023

Exports fall 2.7% during first 20 days of January

South Korea's exports fell 2.7 percent on-year in the first 20 days of January, data showed Saturday, due mainly to weak semiconductor shipments. The country's outbound shipments stood at US$33.6 billion in the Jan. 1-20 period, compared with $34.5 billion a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Imports rose 9.3 percent on-year to $43.8 billion during the cited period, resulting in a trade deficit of $10.2 billion. Outbound shipments of chips, a mainstay e

Jan. 21, 2023

Korea rolls up sleeves for global bond index inclusion

The Korean government will make a fresh attempt to get its sovereign bond to be included in the top grade of global market indices, the country’s top economic policymaker told global investors Friday. Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho revamped local financial rules to adhere to “global standards” so that Asia’s fourth-largest economy could attract more foreign investors. “Starting this year, we will reform the Korean capital market in a way that is foreign investor-f

Jan. 20, 2023

Imported car sales hit record high in 2022

Imported car sales hit a record-high of nearly 300,000 here last year, driven by pent-up demand for luxury cars during the coronavirus pandemic, industry sources said Friday. Imported car brands’ sales in 2022 increased by 2.6 percent on-year to 283,435 units, according to data from the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association. Adding the sales volume of 14,571 vehicles for Tesla, which was not counted by the association, the figure came to 298,006 units, increasing twofold

Jan. 20, 2023

SK Bioscience hires big pharma experts

South Korean drugmaker SK Bioscience announced Friday that it has hired experts from big pharma companies including Sanofi in a bid to bolster its presence in overseas markets. SK Bioscience plans to boost its qualifications to the highest possible standards through recruitment of world-class professionals and eventually venture into foreign markets, including the US and Europe. “It is time for us to expand our presence into global markets. By upgrading our business through strategic talen

Jan. 20, 2023

Posco Holdings estimates 47% drop in operating profit

Posco Holdings, the holding firm of steelmaking conglomerate Posco Group, Friday estimated a 46.7 percent on-year drop in operating profit last year, mainly due to suspended operations in typhoon-hit steel manufacturing plants in Pohang The firm's annual operating profit fell to 4.9 trillion won ($3.9 billion) from 9.2 trillion won in 2021. Posco Holdings noted the temporary closing of manufacturing facilities in Pohang caused by a typhoon last year resulted in a loss of 1.3 trillion won in

Jan. 20, 2023

Korean Air to resume more European routes in spring

Korean Air said Friday it will resume services to four major destinations in Europe starting from March. After a 3-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the airline will restart the Prague and Zurich routes from March, followed by the resumption of the Istanbul and Madrid routes from April. Starting from late March, Prague and Zurich routes will be operated 3 times a week, taking turns with a day’s interval. Flights to Istanbul and Madrid are arranged to open on late April -- following the same

Jan. 20, 2023

Daewoo E&C opens construction education center in Nigeria

South Korean builder Daewoo E&C said Friday it opened an education school to train experts in welding and scaffolding, as part of its social outreach project. The center launched training programs for welding and scaffolding, the two skills that are large in demand in Nigeria, Daewoo E&C said. The welding program began on Jan. 11, and it aims to foster 100 welders in six seasons, with each season lasting for three months. The scaffolding program also began on Monday. Those who complete t

Jan. 20, 2023

Seoul shares open higher on tech gains

South Korean stocks opened marginally higher Friday as gains in tech blue-chips offset concerns over a recession overshadowing the US markets. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 5.23 points, or 0.22 percent, to 2,385.57 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The local stock market opened higher, bucking a decline on Wall Street amid uncertainty over the direction of the Federal Reserve for interest rate hikes in the coming months. In Seoul, market bellwether Samsung Electronics ga

Jan. 20, 2023

Posco completes restoration of all typhoon-hit plants

South Korea's top steelmaker Posco said Thursday it completed the restoration of its typhoon-hit steel manufacturing plants in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province. According to Posco, all of its 17 steel manufacturing plants, which are responsible for more than one-third of Posco’s some 13.5 million metric tons of steel products produced annually, will go into full operation starting Friday. Posco attributed its quick recovery from the storm to its some 1.4 million employees' combi

Jan. 19, 2023

Seoul shares up on foreign buying, Samsung rise

South Korean stocks snapped the two-day losing streak to close higher Thursday as foreigners went into buying mode despite worries over a recession reignited by weak US economic data, analysts said. The local currency rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index advanced 12.02 points, or 0.51 percent, to close at 2,380.34. Trading volume was moderate at 364 million shares worth 5.36 trillion won ($4.34 billion) with gainers outnumbering decliners 473 to 362. "

Jan. 19, 2023

SK On-Urbix to develop EV battery materials

South Korean battery maker SK On said Thursday it has partnered up with US-based battery materials manufacturer Urbix to develop ecofriendly anode materials for electric vehicle batteries. Under the two years of joint development agreement, SK On will apply anode materials produced by Urbix using refined graphite to its lithium-ion batteries and work on improving battery performance. If successful, the battery maker will consider using Urbix’s anode materials in its US battery factories,

Jan. 19, 2023

[Contribution] Nurturing global powerhouse for startups

By Lee Young SMEs and Startups Minister With rapid growth led by large conglomerates, South Korea was able to be the world’s 10th largest economy. But now, startups are becoming another growth engine for the country, backed by the SMEs and Startups Ministry paving a powerful avenue for growing and developing high-potential firms. Fifty percent of Korean products that received the Innovation Awards at Consumer Electronics Show last year in the United States were from venture and start

Jan. 19, 2023

KB Financial recognized as global sustainability leader

KB Financial Group on Thursday announced that it has made the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World list in recognition of its environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) efforts. It was ranked 68th on the list by Canada-based global research firm Corporate Knights. “Making the top 100 global sustainable companies list is the result of all executives and employees putting their minds into practicing ESG management for a sustainable future,” a KB Financial Gr

Jan. 19, 2023