Hanwha to debut Five Guys in Japan next year

FG Korea, the South Korean operator of US burger chain brand Five Guys, will open its store in Japan in the second half of next year, with plans to launch over 20 locations across the nation within seven years. FG Korea announced on Tuesday that it signed a memorandum of understanding with Five Guys International last month to facilitate Five Guys' entry into the Japanese market. Five Guys was introduced to Korea by Kim Dong-sun, head of Hanwha Galleria strategic management and the third so

July 9, 2024

S. Korea, Thailand launch first round of talks for trade deal

South Korea's trade ministry announced Tuesday that it has launched the first round of negotiations with Thailand to seek an Economic Partnership Agreement aimed at bolstering bilateral trade and investment. The South Korean delegation, led by Deputy Minister for FTA Negotiations Roh Keon-ki, plans to discuss related matters with his counterpart, Chotima Iemsawasdikul, in Bangkok through Thursday, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. An EPA is intended to establish a mut

July 9, 2024

Seoul shares open higher tracking Wall Street

Seoul shares opened higher Tuesday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street buoyed by technology shares. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 10 points, or 0.35 percent, to 2,867.76 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite and the S&P 500 rose to hit record highs as investors scooped up technology shares, including Apple and Nvidia. Investors have been waiting for Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's congressional testimony and

July 9, 2024

Dabeeo's AI technology detects even addition of solar panels of rooftops, accelerating urban change detection projects

Dabeeo, a geospatial information AI technology company, announced its successful completion in June of the '1:1000 Topographic Map Enhancement Pilot Project' promoted by the National Geographic Information Institute of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport. During the 180-day project, the company used AI change detection technology to identify changes in buildings, roads and other features over the 54-square-kilometer area covering from Geumsan-gun, South Chungcheong Prov

July 8, 2024

4 in 10 Korean companies considering AI investment

Four out of 10 South Korean conglomerates are considering investing in artificial intelligence over the rest of the year, as they expect AI technology would drive production efficiency, a survey by a leading business lobbying group showed on Monday. The Federation of Korean Industries commissioned Mono Research to survey the domestic investment plans of the 500 largest Korean companies in terms of revenue and found that 10.6 percent said they set up capital investment plans tied to AI in the s

July 8, 2024

Hana Financial to nurture fintech talents for digital innovation

Hana Financial Group kicked off its financial technology talent nurturing program, “Hana Digital Power On,” Monday, aiming to strengthen digital innovation in the finance sector. Marking its third year, the program seeks to train young talents to develop tech solutions for the financial industry. This year, the finance service provider has put forward the slogan of "Keep Calm and Hana Digital Power On" to encourage program participants. Financial Supervisory Service Gov. Le

July 8, 2024

Seoul shares end 3-day winning streak on profit-taking

Seoul shares closed lower to snap their three-day rise Monday as investors moved to lock in profits. The local currency fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 4.47 points, or 0.16 percent, to 2,857.76. Trade volume was moderate at 420.2 million shares worth 9.8 trillion won ($7.1 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 518 to 344. The Kospi declined as retail investors and institutions sold shares worth 184.2 billion won and 347.6 billion won, respect

July 8, 2024

Samsung, SK bet big on glass substrates for AI chips

South Korea's top two conglomerates Samsung Electronics and SK Group are speeding up efforts to secure an early edge in glass substrates, a "game-changer" in chipmaking that could drastically boost the data capacity and speed of semiconductors in the era of artificial intelligence. Their leaders recently visited their respective business sites producing glass substrates, renewing their commitment to the burgeoning area that is highly likely to overcome the limits of conventional p

July 8, 2024

JobKorea launches Klik app for foreign job seekers

JobKorea, a job search platform, said Monday it has launched a separate job search app specifically for foreign national residents, Klik, an acronym for "kick-start life in Korea." This service is intended for residents of foreign nationality in South Korea to find jobs and for domestic companies to recruit foreign national employees, according to the platform. The app can be translated into 28 languages, including English, French, Chinese, Japanese, Malay, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian

July 8, 2024

Samsung union begins first strike

Unionized workers of Samsung Electronics launched their first-ever strike Monday, demanding higher pay and warning of potential further action if the country's largest conglomerate does not meet their demands. The National Samsung Electronics Union, the biggest labor union of the conglomerate with over 30,000 members, making up some 25 percent of the workforce, said it kicked off the three-day strike starting with a rally at 11:00 a.m. in front of the main entrance of the company's pla

July 8, 2024

[Business Diplomacy] Importance of tracking money in politics

The United States and its capital, Washington, DC, have one of the biggest lobbying sectors in the world. Hilary Braseth, executive director of OpenSecrets, a Washington DC-based nonprofit organization specializing in tracking and publishing the money flows in politics, says transparency is integral to lobbying. “In the US, the case for making lobbying legal I believe, or some form of it legal, was on the basis of our Constitution, which some (court rulings) believe that (it’s) the F

July 8, 2024

Coupang to raise membership fee from Aug. 7

Korean e-commerce giant Coupang said Monday it will raise its membership fee for existing members from 4,990 won ($3.60) to 7,890 won starting Aug. 7, prompting mixed expectations about the impact of the fee hike. This move follows Coupang’s decision to increase its membership fees for new members to the same price of 7,890 won starting on April 13. Coupang counted approximately 14 million members as of last year, more than double the 6 million in 2020 when it launched the membership servi

July 8, 2024

KT&G CEO stresses open workplace culture

KT&G CEO Bang Kyung-man marked his 100th day in office on Monday by sharing his ambitions for higher performance by fostering a horizontal corporate culture that encourages open communication among employees. "In order to achieve sustainable growth, we need an organizational culture that inspires joy, meaning and motivation in our work," Bang reportedly said in an email sent to all executives and employees. "Let's enhance communication opportunities, eliminate inefficie

July 8, 2024

[Photo News] Broadening Korean presence in Texas

Korea International Trade Association Chairman Yoon Jin-sik (right) receives a proclamation award celebrating the opening of KITA's new office in Dallas from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott during a business luncheon in Seoul on Monday. During the event, Yoon highlighted Korean companies’ contributions to the Texan economy in various areas, including steel, energy and semiconductors. Abbott called for close collaboration between Korean businesses and the US state for mutually beneficial econ

July 8, 2024

Kyobo Life ventures into asset trusts

Kyobo Life Insurance is stepping into the asset trusts business, marking the latest milestone in its evolution to become a comprehensive asset management company. Kyobo Life, a major South Korean life insurer, announced Monday it recently secured a license in the asset trusts business from the Financial Services Commission. This marks the company's first move in the trusts sector since obtaining a license for the money trust business in 2007. With this new license, Kyobo Life can now offer compr

July 8, 2024

SKT, Singapore’s Singtel team up for AI-driven network innovation

SK Telecom announced Monday that it signed a memorandum of understanding with Singtel, Singapore’s largest telecommunications operator, for collaboration on next-generation network technologies. SKT stated that this partnership with Singtel aims to drive AI innovation in the telecom sector and lead advancements in mobile network services and technologies worldwide. Both companies are founding members of the Global Telco AI Alliance, a union of major international telecom companies focused

July 8, 2024

Hyosung wins W330b transformer order from Norway

South Korea’s Hyosung Heavy Industries said Monday it secured a 330 billion won ($240 million) deal to supply 420-kilovolt high-voltage transformers to Norway’s electricity agency Statnett. The project aims to expand infrastructure for renewable energy and replace aging facilities in phases by 2029. Out of the total order, Hyosung signed a deal for the first batch, valued at 304 billion won, Friday. Hyosung attributed the latest deal to its expertise spanning from design to installat

July 8, 2024

Eximbank to finance $150m for UAE solar power project

The state-run Export-Import Bank of Korea said Monday that it will provide $150 million in project financing for a major solar power generation project in the United Arab Emirates, the first of such to be undertaken by South Korea. This financial procurement comes after the state-owned Korea Western Power Co.’s joint win of the bidding with EDF-Renewables, a subsidiary of Electricite de France, which will now fully organize the entire process of the project. Korea Eximbank has long expre

July 8, 2024

LGES Q2 operating profit plunges 58% as EV sales slip

LG Energy Solution Ltd., South Korea's leading battery maker, said Monday its second-quarter operating profit plunged 58 percent from a year earlier due to slowing sales of electric vehicles. Operating profit for the three months ended in June is estimated to have plummeted to 195.3 billion won ($142 million) from 460.6 billion won in the same period of last year, LGES said in a statement. "Decreased lithium and other metal prices weighed on EV battery prices, and lower demand from aut

July 8, 2024

Unionized workers at Samsung Electronics set to stage 3-day strike

Unionized workers of Samsung Electronics Co. are set to launch a three-day strike Monday, but the planned labor action is unlikely to disrupt production at the technology giant due to low participation. The National Samsung Electronics Union, the biggest labor union with 29,000 members, will kick off the strike with a rally at the entrance of the company's facility in Hwaseong, 45 kilometers south of Seoul, according to industry sources. The strike is scheduled to last through Wednesday. Th

July 8, 2024