S. Korea breaks ground for AI complex in Gwangju

South Korea broke ground Monday for an artificial intelligence complex in the southwestern city of Gwangju to foster the related industry, the science ministry said. The groundbreaking ceremony was held in Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul, for a major construction project to create an AI complex center, including data centers and facilities in automobiles and energy sectors. A total of 393.9 billion won ($332 million) will be spent from 2020 to 2024 for the project, according to the mini

Nov. 22, 2021

Korea’s bio technology exports nears $10b

The total value of South Korean biotech and pharmaceutical companies’ technology exports is expected to reach $10 billion for the first time this year, according to the Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association. The country’s biotech and pharmaceutical companies’ technology exports amounted to 11.4 trillion won ($9.6 billion) as of Nov. 17, the KPBMA said Monday. As there were deals that did not disclose their contract values, the KPBMA expected the total

Nov. 22, 2021

Celltrion's COVID-19 antibody treatment wins emergency approval in Peru

South Korean pharmaceutical giant Celltrion Inc. said Monday its COVID-19 antibody treatment has won an emergency approval from Peruvian authorities. The drug authority in the South American country granted the approval for an emergency application of Rekirona to adult COVID-19 patients. The approval was based on recent top-line results from a global phase three clinical study of Rekirona, a pivotal part of the study to obtain more comprehensive safety and efficacy results. Rekirona is a mono

Nov. 22, 2021

SK hynix to 'wisely' deal with risks associated with US-China trade tension: CEO

SK hynix CEO Lee Seok-hee said Monday that the company will respond "wisely" to the US-China trade tension that could cloud the chipmaker's plan to upgrade its Chinese plant. "The fourth-generation DRAM chips have been produced in South Korea since July and it is still a long way to go before we can apply the same technology in our Chinese plant," he told reporters on the sidelines of an annual event of Semiconductor Day. He referred to the most advanced 10nm chips produce

Nov. 22, 2021

S. Korea's exports predicted to hit record high in 2021

South Korea's exports are expected to touch an all-time high in 2021 on brisk overseas demand for key products amid the global economic recovery, with their growth momentum likely to continue next year, a report said Monday. The country's overseas shipments are projected to swell 24.1 percent from a year earlier to $636.2 billion this year, according to the report from the Korea International Trade Association (KITA). Imports by Asia's fourth-largest economy are likely to amount to $605.7 bill

Nov. 22, 2021

More people subject to comprehensive real estate tax on rising home prices

The number of people who are subject to the so-called comprehensive real estate tax rose 42 percent this year from the previous year amid skyrocketing home prices and hikes in the tax rates, the finance ministry said Monday. A total of 947,000 people are subject to the comprehensive real estate taxes this year, compared with the 667,000 people tallied for last year, according to the ministry. The 2021 numbers accounted for 1.8 percent of the country's 52 million population. Such people are fo

Nov. 22, 2021

Seoul stocks open higher on strong export data

South Korean stocks opened higher Monday, helped by robust economic data that fueled optimism for a quick economic rebound from the pandemic. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 21.6 points, or 0.73 percent, to 2,992.62 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks got off to a bullish start as South Korea's exports jumped 27.6 percent on-year in the first 20 days of November on high demand for chips, autos and petroleum goods. Tech gains led the KOSPI's hike. To

Nov. 22, 2021

Asiana to resume Guam route next month

Asiana Airlines Inc., South Korea's second-biggest carrier, said Monday it will resume flights to Guam late next month to preemptively respond to pent-up travel demand amid rising vaccinations and eased virus curbs. Asiana plans to run a 188-seat A321NEO plane and operate two flights a week on the Incheon-Guam route from Dec. 23, the company said in a statement. "The company decided to reopen the Guam route after 18 years, as it has a couple of destinations to fly at the moment due to a

Nov. 22, 2021

Exports up 27.6% in first 20 days of Nov.

South Korea's exports grew 27.6 percent on-year in the first 20 days of November on the back of robust demand for chips, ships and petroleum products, customs data showed Monday. The country's outbound shipments stood at $39.9 billion in the Nov. 1-20 period, compared with $31.2 billion a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Imports jumped 41.9 percent on-year to $39.8 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of $73 million during the cited period, the data showed.

Nov. 22, 2021

Operating margins of top 100 firms exceed 10% in Q3

Third-quarter operating margins of South Korea's top 100 companies topped the 10 percent mark for the first time in three years amid the local economy's recovery from the coronavirus pandemic fallout, data showed Monday. Their average operating margin of the leading companies by sales, excluding financial and state corporations, stood at 10.74 percent in the July-September period, up 1.98 points from the prior quarter, according to the data compiled by Yonhap News and the Federation of Korean I

Nov. 22, 2021

S. Korea's whisky imports jump over 70% this year

South Korea's imports of whisky soared more than 70 percent in the first 10 months of the year as more people drank at home amid the coronavirus pandemic, data showed Monday. The value of whisky imports came to $93.21 million in the January-October period, up 73.1 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service and the local liquor industry. It represents the first on-year increase in the country's whisky imports since 2014. Industry sources attributed the su

Nov. 22, 2021

Hyundai Motor chief to offer 40,000 youth jobs during PM’s visit

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun is likely to address the company’s plan to create some 40,000 jobs for young people during his meeting with Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum scheduled for Monday. The prime minister plans to visit Hyundai Motor Studio in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, as part of the government’s youth support campaign. The meeting is also to be attended by Employment and Labor Minister An Kyung-duk, Minister for Government Policy Coordination Koo Yun-cheol and Hyu

Nov. 21, 2021

[Herald Interview] Meet CEOs on metaverse -- how doing business can work via virtual world

Metaverse, the fast-emerging digital platform of interconnecting virtual communities, will provide new business opportunities for budding Korean companies seeking investors for corporate growth and the complete commercialization of their products and services. In an interview jointly hosted by The Korea Herald and Hyundai Futurenet, CEOs of three companies -- Warpsolution, Digisonic and Citylabs -- said they are working on ways to develop both physical and virtual technologies to enhance the me

Nov. 21, 2021

Wemade founder joins game billionaire list

Park Kwan-ho, the chairman of game developer Wemade, joined South Korea’s game billionaires last week as the company’s valuation soared following the growing popularity of its new game, which is based on the blockchain technology. Park, 49, saw his stock value reaching 3.3 trillion won ($2.77 billion) as of Thursday, which makes him the 10th richest man among individuals owning stocks in domestic listed companies, according to local market data provider FnGuide. Park, the largest

Nov. 21, 2021

Samsung’s $17b foundry investment plan in US imminent

Samsung Electronics is reportedly planning to unveil its $17 billion foundry investment plan in the US this week, as its leader Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong returns home after a series of high-profile meetings with White House officials and key lawmakers that might have finalized the plan. According to Samsung Electronics Sunday, the vice chairman was invited to the White House on Friday, US time, and met with top officials to discuss how the South Korean tech giant could help resolve the globa

Nov. 21, 2021

BOK likely to raise interest rate to 1% amid inflationary pressure

South Korea’s central bank is expected to carry out its second rate hike in the pandemic era this week, and is likely to raise it by 25 basis points to 1 percent, experts said Sunday. The Bank of Korea in August raised its base rate to 0.75 percent from a record-low 0.5 percent, which it had slashed to in May 2020 to cushion the market from COVID-19 woes. It kept the rate anchored at 0.75 percent in the following meeting held in October. In the last monetary policy meeting of the year sc

Nov. 21, 2021

[Exclusive] Doosan to develop hydrogen power pack for cars

Doosan Group said Sunday it will develop a hydrogen power pack for commercial vehicles, signaling its entry into the hydrogen bus and truck markets. “We will develop a hydrogen power pack for land vehicles. We are also reviewing a total charging solution at bus depots that can charge both hydrogen and electric buses,” an executive at Doosan Fuel Cell, a hydrogen business unit of Doosan, told The Korea Herald while declining to be named. A hydrogen power pack is a type of generat

Nov. 21, 2021

Korean investors still wary of risky private debt

Although private debt has grown in profile as an investment option, South Korean investors are reluctant to adopt strategies that capitalize on debt mispricing, saying they prefer a conservative portfolio that protects investors against losses. Instead, they are looking to increase safety of investment with a focus on diversification and recession-proof sectors. “We will continue to invest in defensive sectors and construct a well-diversified portfolio, as we prefer an all-weather strat

Nov. 21, 2021

KOGAS transforms into hydrogen platform business

Korea Gas Corp. is undergoing a paradigm shift from a fossil fuel resource developer to a hydrogen-based eco-friendly company by pushing forward its hydrogen as well as natural gas businesses. Established in 1983 with a mission for safe and stable supply of natural gas, KOGAS owns 74 storage tanks with a total capacity of 11.56 million kiloliters at five production sites in Pyeongtaek, Incheon, Tongyeong, Samcheok and Jeju; 4,945 kilometers of natural gas pipelines nationwide; and 413 supply ma

Nov. 21, 2021

Netflix's monthly active users hit record high in S. Korea on 'Squid Game'

The number of Netflix's monthly active users (MAU) in South Korea hit a record high in September from a month earlier helped by the Korean-made mega hit "Squid Game," a market research firm said Sunday. The US streaming giant's monthly active users in South Korea reached 9.48 million in September, up 9.8 percent from the previous month's 8.63 million, according to Nielsen KoreanClick. September tally marked the highest since Netflix launched its streaming service in South Korea in 201

Nov. 21, 2021