HD Hyundai Samho extends berthing capacity for new orders

HD Hyundai Samho, a shipbuilding division of HD Hyundai, said Wednesday it extended its vessel berthing facility to accommodate rising orders for high-value, eco-friendly ships. The company held a ceremony to celebrate the completion of its second dolphin quay earlier in the day at its shipyard in Yeongam-gun, South Jeolla Province. HD Hyundai Chairman Kwon Oh-gap and HD Hyundai Samho CEO Shin Hyun-dai joined the event, along with Mokpo Mayor Park Hong-ryul and Yeongam-gun's head, Woo Seu

July 10, 2024

Baskin Robbins to debut AI-infused tropical flavor

SPC Group, the Korean operator of Baskin Robbins, said Wednesday that it is set to launch a new ice cream flavor co-developed by Google’s artificial intelligence model Gemini. The new flavor, named Tropical Summer Play, is Baskin Robbins’ first attempt globally to use AI to create an ice cream flavor. The Korean operator said the attempt comes as part of its business initiative to integrate AI and big data analytics into the food industry. “Through this project, we have confirm

July 10, 2024

Hyundai Rotem renews K2 supply consortium with Poland

Hyundai Rotem has renewed a consortium agreement with Poland's state armament group PGZ to carry out the production and delivery of K2PL, the Polish variant of Hyundai Rotem's K2 Black Panther tank, the Korean company said Wednesday. The renewed contract has laid out the foundation for the two sides to engage in accelerating talks for a second K2 tank contract. According to Hyundai Rotem, the previous consortium, which began its term in March last year, reached its expiration date last

July 10, 2024

LS invests $681m to build largest submarine cable plant in US

LS Cable & System on Wednesday announced its plan to invest $681 million to build the largest submarine cable manufacturing plant in the United States. According to the announcement, the new facility will be in Chesapeake, Virginia. LS GreenLink USA, a US subsidiary of LS Cable & System, will break ground for the plant next year. The facility is expected to begin operations by 2027 and create over 330 jobs. The site will include a 200-meter-tall submarine cable manufacturing building, wh

July 10, 2024

Hanwha Aerospace inks W1.4tr arms deal with Romania

Hanwha Aerospace has secured a 1.4 trillion won ($1 billion) arms contract with Romania to export 54 units of the K9 self-propelled howitzer and 36 units of the K10 ammunition resupply vehicle, the Korean defense firm said Wednesday. According to Hanwha Aerospace, the delivery of the arms machinery will begin in 2027 in phases. The company said it beat out the competing bidders from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization such as Germany's PzH2000 and Turkey's Firtina to secure the cont

July 10, 2024

Korea to boost affordability of EVs with new battery recycling scheme

Starting in 2027, consumers in Korea can look forward to purchasing more affordable electric vehicles equipped with reconditioned and tested used batteries. The Korean government, during a meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choi Sang-mok on Wednesday, unveiled a plan to support the used battery industry, announcing a series of laws, systems, and infrastructure projects. This initiative aims to tackle the growing environmental issue of waste batteries by

July 10, 2024

[Photo News] Hana supports Olympic athletes

Hana Financial Group announced Wednesday that it has provided an encouragement fund to support the South Korean national team participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The fund will be used to support the training of 144 athletes competing in the 33rd Summer Olympics, set to take place in France from July 26 to Aug. 11. From left, Korean Sport & Olympic Committee President Lee Kee-heung, Hana Financial Group Vice Chairman Lee Eun-hyung and Jeong Gang-sun, chef de mission for South Korea fo

July 10, 2024

[Photo News] Cambridge students at SK Telecom

Cambridge University MBA students experience SK Telecom’s artificial intelligence technology at the telecom carrier’s exhibition hall T.um in Seoul on Tuesday. Some 40 students and faculty members of the UK school visited the company to learn about its AI strategy and global cooperation under the Global Telco AI Alliance. (SK Telecom)

July 10, 2024

Govt. vows to boost housing supply amid real estate market volatility

Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok said Wednesday that the government will devise measures to increase housing supply if needed, as South Korea has seen growing volatility in the real estate market. "Volatility has risen in the real estate market as housing prices have gone up in Seoul and some adjacent regions, though overall industry indices remain stable," Choi said during a meeting of economy-related ministers in Seoul on the day. "The government will enhance the monitoring of the

July 10, 2024

Seoul shares open lower as Powell withholds hints on rate cuts

Seoul shares opened lower Wednesday, as investors sat on the sidelines after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell fell short of offering more details on the path of the Fed's rate policy. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 5.96 points, or 0.21 percent, to 2,861.42 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite and the S&P 500 rose to record highs, although the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged down 0.13 percent. During his congression

July 10, 2024

[Graphic News] 6 out of 10 car owners consider buying eco-friendly vehicle: poll

Over 6 out of 10 automobile owners consider choosing eco-friendly vehicles as their next car, a poll showed. According to the poll conducted recently by consumer data platform Open Survey on 1,500 adults, 39.7 percent of car owners said they were considering a hybrid car primarily as their next vehicle. Gasoline cars came next, at 26.7 percent, followed by electric and diesel cars, at 24.1 percent and 5.9 percent, respectively. The combined rate of hybrid and electric vehicles in the poll stoo

July 10, 2024

Seoul shares close higher ahead of Fed chairman's testimony

Seoul shares closed slightly higher Tuesday as investors awaited a congressional testimony by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell this week. The local currency gained against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 9.62 points, or 0.34 percent, to 2,867.38. Trade volume was moderate at 443.2 million shares worth 10.8 trillion won ($7.83 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 453 to 406. Foreigners bought a net 313 billion won, while individuals offloaded a net

July 9, 2024

Kakao's legal risk intensifies over alleged stock manipulation

Kim Beom-su, the founder of tech giant Kakao Corp., the operator of South Korea's top mobile messenger, was summoned by prosecutors Tuesday to address allegations of stock price manipulation related to Kakao's acquisition of K-pop megacorp SM Entertainment last year. The Financial Investigation Division 2 of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office called in Kim earlier in the day and said it was investigating him for alleged violations of the Financial Investment Services

July 9, 2024

Trump's return would fuel volatility for Korea

South Korea’s financial market would likely face higher volatility if former US President Donald Trump were to return to the White House, as he would trigger another push for deglobalization, local brokerage house KB Securities’ research chief said Tuesday. “If Trump wins the upcoming presidential election, volatility in the Korean economy and financial market is likely to escalate, along with the potential acceleration of deglobalization,” Kim Sang-hoon, head of research

July 9, 2024

Samsung wins first order for cutting-edge 2 nm turnkey chip solution

Samsung Electronics announced Tuesday it has bagged the first order for its new turnkey semiconductor solutions using the cutting-edge 2-nanometer foundry process from a leading artificial intelligence company in Japan. Holding the Samsung Foundry Forum and Samsung Advanced Foundry Ecosystem Forum in Seoul, the chip giant also unveiled its foundry strategy for its advanced Gate-All Around transistor architecture to support the local logic chip industry, as well as the latest AI solutions. Having

July 9, 2024

Korean battery-makers eye turnaround in mass-market EVs

The global battery industry is showing signs of a comeback amid a challenging market, with LG Energy Solution as one of the companies leading the charge. Their advanced nickel-manganese-cobalt batteries, typically reserved for pricier electric vehicles, are set to power upcoming mass-market models such as Kia’s EV3 and General Motors’s Chevrolet Equinox EV, setting the stage for a new era of affordable, high-performance electric vehicles. The past year has been tough for the EV batte

July 9, 2024

Hyundai Motor, Oxford establish Foresight Center

Hyundai Motor Group and the University of Oxford in the UK have established a joint Foresight Center to explore the former's long-term strategies and visions together, the Korean auto conglomerate said Tuesday. "The automotive industry is undergoing a paradigm shift and significant changes in business environments, leading to unprecedented uncertainty," said Kim Gyun, head of Hyundai Motor Group Business Intelligence Institute. "In such times, it is crucial for companies to m

July 9, 2024

HD Korea Shipbuilding launches translation service for foreign workers

HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering said Tuesday that it developed an artificial intelligence translation technology to support foreign workers. According to the company, the service named AI Agent was developed using generative AI technology and has been implemented at the HD Hyundai Samho shipyard in Yeongam, South Jeolla Province. Combined with the shipbuilder's self-developed messaging app Team Up, the AI Agent translates the messages originally written in Korean to a langu

July 9, 2024

GS Entec commits W300b to offshore wind power business

GS Group's energy equipment manufacturing arm GS Entec announced Tuesday it plans to invest 300 billion won ($217 million) to transform its offshore wind power structures. The investment includes 214 billion won for the introduction of automated facilities to produce offshore wind power substructures and 86 billion won for the construction of additional buildings over the next two years. Established in 1988, GS Entec originally focused on chemical and oil refining plants. Since 2020, aligni

July 9, 2024

Posco International completes LNG terminal project in Gwangyang

Posco International announced Tuesday the comprehensive completion of its first LNG Terminal in Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province. The construction of the Gwangyang LNG Terminal, comprising six storage tanks, was a major infrastructure project that took nearly 20 years and cost 1.04 trillion won ($755 million). Posco International undertook this project with the aim of creating a stable LNG storage infrastructure based on the company's comprehensive LNG value chain. With its completion, the

July 9, 2024