Celltrion Q2 net profit drops 48%

Celltrion Inc., a South Korean biopharmaceutical company, said Wednesday its second-quarter net profit plunged 48 percent from a year earlier due to costs following a merger with its sales and marketing affiliate last year. Its net profit came to 78.5 billion won ($57.1 million), compared with 150.9 billion won a year ago, the company said in a regulatory filing. Its operating profit also decreased 60.4 percent on-year to 72.5 billion won, but sales jumped 66.9 percent to 874.7 billion won. Desp

Aug. 7, 2024

Seoul shares open higher on US gains, but jitters linger

Seoul shares opened higher Wednesday, tracking gains on Wall Street, two days after their worst rout over fears of a US recession. However, some analysts said worries about market turmoil linger. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) rose 12.17 points, or 0.48 percent, to 2,534.32 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The Kospi ended 3.3 percent higher Tuesday after plunging nearly 9 percent Monday due to massive selloffs amid concerns over a recession in the United States. Overn

Aug. 7, 2024

S. Korea reports biggest current account surplus in about 7 years in June: BOK

South Korea posted its largest current account surplus in about seven years in June, driven by robust exports led by semiconductors, central bank data showed Wednesday. The country's current account surplus reached US$12.2 billion in June, marking a surplus for two consecutive months, according to data compiled by the Bank of Korea. The June surplus is the largest since September 2017, when the surplus was $12.3 billion. The latest performance was driven by a robust goods account, which tot

Aug. 7, 2024

Asiana Airlines Pilots Union calls for Europe to assess Air Incheon's cargo division suitability

The Asiana Airlines' Pilots Union has requested that the European Commission investigate the suitability of Air Incheon as a potential buyer of Asiana Airlines' cargo business, the union announced Tuesday. The move follows Korean Air's selection of Air Incheon as the preferred bidder for the sale of Asiana Airlines' global cargo freighter business on June 17, as part of its yearslong quest to formally acquire Asiana Airlines. The union said Tuesday that it had asked the EU�

Aug. 6, 2024

SK hynix wins up to $450m of US grants for advanced chips facility

South Korean chip giant SK hynix Inc. said Tuesday it is set to receive up to $450 million in grants from the US government for its investment to build a production base for advanced semiconductor packaging in Indiana. In April, the company announced a plan to invest $3.87 billion to build a memory packaging plant for artificial intelligence (AI) products and an advanced packaging research and development (R&D) facility in West Lafayette of the U.S. state to produce next-generation memory ch

Aug. 6, 2024

Samsung begins mass production of ultraslim DRAM chip for on-device AI

Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest memory chip maker by revenue, announced Tuesday it has begun the mass production of the industry’s thinnest 12-nanometer LPDDR5X DRAM chip that helps better thermal control within mobile devices. The ultraslim DRAM chip, which comes in storage with 12- and 16-gigabytes, would create additional space within mobile devices to facilitate better airflow. This supports easier thermal control, which has become increasingly important, especially for

Aug. 6, 2024

Seoul shares sharply rebound from worst rout

South Korean stocks rose more than 3 percent Tuesday, rebounding from the previous day's worst market sell-off, sparked by fears over a US recession and the sluggish performance of big tech firms. The local currency slightly fell against the US greenback. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 80.6 points, or 3.3 percent, to close at 2,522.15. It marked a turnaround from a whopping 8.77 percent crash Monday as investor sentiment was undermined by fears that the US economy is

Aug. 6, 2024

Seoul shares remain volatile after market meltdown

The South Korean stock market partially rebounded Tuesday following the previous day's massive rout, as bargain-hunting investors sought to profit. The benchmark Kospi closed at 2,522.15, up 80.6 points, or 3.3 percent, Tuesday. After opening at 2,533.34, the market showed a limited recovery. It fluctuated throughout the trading hours, but eventually lost over 10 points. Shortly after trading began Tuesday, the Korea Exchange, the nation's sole bourse operator, activated a sidecar trad

Aug. 6, 2024

[Contribution] Conditions for becoming a sustainable company

By Lee Young-suk Head of sustainability management, SK Inc. The ongoing global liquidity tightening, high interest rates causing economic recession and geopolitical tensions are increasing uncertainties in business management. As a result, governments and companies worldwide are relentlessly focusing their resources on reviewing policies and strategies to overcome crises. At this point, as we navigate through significant challenges, I would like to revisit the essence of “sustainabil

Aug. 6, 2024

KGC taps into Japan's top retail giants

Korea Ginseng Corp., the leading manufacturer of ginseng products in the country, said Tuesday it has signed agreements with Japanese retail giants Welcia and Aeon Mall to introduce its red ginseng brand, JungKwanJang, in their stores. This initiative aims to enhance the presence of JungKwanJang in the Japanese market by entering the largest drugstore chain and the leading comprehensive shopping mall company, the firm said. Welcia is the largest drugstore chain in Japan, boasting over 2,000 offl

Aug. 6, 2024

Volkswagen keen to revive Korean sales with new Touareg

Volkswagen Group Korea on Tuesday launched the new Touareg, the first release from the German automaker in the local market in about two years, as the German automaker looks to bolster its presence here. “The Touareg has established a unique position, offering exceptional product value at a reasonable price,” said Till Scheer, CEO of Volkswagen Group Korea, during the launch ceremony of the new sport utility vehicle at Grand Hyatt Seoul. “It is an unmatched powerful premium SUV

Aug. 6, 2024

Govt. sets deadline for Qoo10 crisis consumer refunds

Some customers who have yet to receive refunds from e-commerce platforms Tmon and WeMakePrice due to a liquidity crisis surrounding the companies will get their money back by the end of this week, officials said Tuesday. Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok announced that the refund process for the customers who purchased products other than travel services or gift cards on the two imperiled e-commerce platforms would be completed by “the end of this week,” in a b

Aug. 6, 2024

World Bank's digital chief vows to close digital divide

World Bank's new Vice President for Digital Transformation Kim Sang-bu outlined his mission to enhance the impact of digital technologies in accelerating development. "Digital technology has become a critical focus as the World Bank advances initiatives aimed at eradicating poverty," Kim said at a press meeting in Seoul on Tuesday. "A major challenge is ensuring that low-income countries without internet access can benefit from rapid advancements in artificial intelligence.&q

Aug. 6, 2024

SK-II joins Coupang's Rocket Luxury one-day delivery service

South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang announced Tuesday that it has started offering products from the global premium skincare brand SK-II through Rocket Luxury, the company's one-day delivery service dedicated to premium beauty products. “We are excited to offer a greater variety of luxury skincare brands popular with customers through the inclusion of SK-II,” a Coupang official said. “We will continue to introduce global premium brands that meet the needs of our customer

Aug. 6, 2024

[Exclusive] Thailand’s SCBX reaffirms partnership with Kakao Bank

Thailand’s largest financial group SCBX has reaffirmed its commitment to the digital banking partnership with Kakao Bank despite growing legal risks surrounding Kakao Corp., the largest shareholder of the Korean internet-only bank. "We do not foresee any changes to our current business relationship (with Kakao Bank) based on the recent news," SCBX's Chief Customer Officer Sutirapan Sakkawatra told The Korea Herald via email, regarding the impact of Kakao's legal develop

Aug. 6, 2024

Krafton hires ex-Riot exec as publishing chief

Krafton, the South Korean game developer behind PUBG: Battlegrounds, said Tuesday it had appointed Oh Jin-ho, a seasoned executive with experience at Riot Games and Blizzard Entertainment, as its new chief global publishing officer. Oh's extensive background includes major roles such as general manager of Riot Games and president of Blizzard Entertainment Korea and Southeast Asia, where he was instrumental in localizing and launching blockbuster games like World of Warcraft and StarCraft. O

Aug. 6, 2024

Samsung Biologics joins Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative to enhance ESG practices

Samsung Biologics announced Tuesday that it became Korea's first domestic contract development and manufacturing organization to join the US-based Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative. PSCI, a non-profit organization established in 2013, aims to promote sustainable supply chains in the biopharmaceutical sector. Its members include some 80 biopharmaceutical companies worldwide such as Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Novartis and AstraZeneca. To become a member of PSCI, companies must underg

Aug. 6, 2024

Daewoong debuts Fexuclue in Latin America

South Korean drug maker Daewoong Pharmaceutical said Tuesday that it launched its gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, treatment Fexuclue in Mexico, Ecuador and Chile. According to pharmaceutical market research firm IQVIA, the market for antiulcer drugs in these three countries was valued at $300 million last year. Fexuclue, a potassium-competitive acid blocker developed independently by Daewoong Pharmaceutical over 13 years beginning in 2008, was introduced to the market in July 2022. The

Aug. 6, 2024

SK chairman to contest court's recognition of slush fund in divorce case

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won is expected to contest a court's recognition of former President Roh Tae-woo's slush fund as seed money for the conglomerate in his divorce suit against Roh's daughter, sources said Tuesday. In May, the Seoul High Court ordered Chey to pay 1.38 trillion won ($1 billion) in property division to Roh Soh-yeong in the country's most expensive divorce suit in history. The court recognized that a purported slush fund of 30 billion won from the former

Aug. 6, 2024

Seoul shares open sharply higher after worst crash

South Korean stocks began sharply higher Tuesday following the previous session's worst crash over mounting US recession fears and the sluggish performance of big tech shares. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 106.11 points, or 4.35 percent, to 2,547.66 in the first 15 minutes of trading. During the session, the bourse operator issued a sidecar order at 9:06 a.m., halting program purchasing for five minutes, after the Kospi 200 index rose over 5 percent for more than 1

Aug. 6, 2024