LG Electronics CEO vows to elevate shareholder benefits

LG Electronics Chief Executive Officer Cho Joo-wan vowed "winning" changes and growth to overcome continuing uncertainties in the business environment at the regular shareholders meeting on Tuesday. Organizing this year's shareholders event under the concept of "openness," the chief came to present the company's mid- and long-term strategies to shareholders for the first time. The event was livestreamed for the first time as well. "(LG Electronics) is a ‘

March 26, 2024

LG CNS, Vietnam’s FPT team up for DX innovation

South Korean IT solutions provider LG CNS said Tuesday it has teamed up with Vietnam’s largest IT firm to carry out the group’s digital transformation project there. LG CNS recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Hanoi-based FPT Corp. at the Korean IT solutions provider’s headquarters in Seoul. The recent deal is the outcome of the two firms’ years of cooperation as IT partners since 2019, LG CNS officials said. FPT Corp. is a global IT company leading Vietnam&

March 26, 2024

[Photo News] Lotte's EV push

Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin (center) visits a new EV charger production plant in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, on Monday. The plant, operated by EVSIS, a subsidiary of Lotte Innovate, an IT solutions unit, has an annual production capacity of 20,000 units. Lotte aims to nurture the EV charger business together with other future mobility businesses as its new growth drivers. (Lotte Group)

March 26, 2024

Chilsung Cider wins global acclaim

Lotte Chilsung Beverage Co., the beverage arm of the South Korean conglomerate Lotte Group, said Tuesday its flagship product, Chilsung Cider, has received global recognition for its high-quality taste. Chilsung Cider was honored with the superior taste award, receiving three stars, the highest distinction in the soft drink category, from the Brussels-based International Taste Institute, the company said. Judged on five criteria including first impression, appearance, aroma, taste, and aftertast

March 26, 2024

Hana Bank, GMO-PG to simplify Korea-Japan business payments

Hana Bank said Tuesday it signed a partnership deal with Japan’s largest payment processing company, GMO Payment Gateway, to launch a cross-border payment and settlement system for domestic companies expanding into Japan. Under the partnership, Hana and GMO will collaborate in providing a wide range of services Korean companies from expert consulting for starting businesses and launching franchises in Japan to assistance on transferring e-commerce sales generated in Japan. Thier collaborat

March 26, 2024

Daewoo E&C eyes bigger footing in overseas markets

Amid escalating construction costs and volatility in the financial markets triggered by interest rate hikes, the domestic real estate sector is grappling with unprecedented risks. In response, Daewoo Engineering & Construction is pivoting to international markets, notably in urban development projects, to mitigate these challenges, the company said Tuesday. Despite the recent market downturn, Daewoo E&C has demonstrated resilience. The builder reported sales of 11.6 trillion won ($8.67 b

March 26, 2024

Seoul shares start higher despite US losses

South Korean stocks got off to a strong start Tuesday despite overnight losses on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 32.49 points, or 1.19 percent, to 2,770.06 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The US stocks lost ground Monday as investors took a breather ahead of key inflation data. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.4 percent, and the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 0.3 percent. In Seoul, market heavyweights led the bullish beginning. Top-cap Sam

March 26, 2024

Consumer sentiment snaps 3-month rise in March amid rising prices, slumping spending

South Korea's consumer sentiment snapped an improvement for the third consecutive month in March amid soaring prices of farm goods and a slump in private spending, a central bank poll showed Tuesday. The composite consumer sentiment index stood at 100.7 this month, down from 101.9 the previous month, according to the survey conducted by the Bank of Korea. A reading above 100 means optimists outnumber pessimists. The central bank said consumer sentiment declined amid a rise in prices of agri

March 26, 2024

How streaming TV buttons helped boost profits for Samsung, LG

From the red and blue shortcut buttons with Netflix and Disney+ logos to fancier features and operating systems, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, the world’s top two TV makers, are pouring resources into content, not just hardware itself, to elevate profits. Remote control devices have become "billboards" for the streaming giants, in the words LG Electronics CEO Cho Joo-wan, after Netflix started paying major TV manufacturers advertisement fees to include their shortcut bu

March 25, 2024

New parents to get greater chance at buying home

Housing supply measures, encompassing both the public and private sectors, revised to favor households with newborns came into effect Monday, with the intention to lower the burden of high housing costs as one of the factors pulling down the country’s fertility rate to the world's lowest level. Starting from Monday, households with a child younger than 2 years old, including those with an adopted child or expectant mother, will be eligible to apply for a specialized and prioritized ho

March 25, 2024

Seoul shares fall for 2nd day on profit-taking

South Korean stocks declined for the second straight session Monday as investors sought to cash in recent gains. The local currency fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 10.99 points, or 0.4 percent, to close at 2,737.57. Trade volume was moderate at 479.9 million shares worth 9.78 trillion won ($7.23 billion), with losers outnumbering winners 527 to 336. Foreigners and institutions led the drop, dumping a combined 331.6 billion won worth of local share

March 25, 2024

New Kyobo Life CEO urges change, innovation

The new CEO of Kyobo Life Insurance, the nation's leading life insurer, has pledged to achieve "sustainable growth" that benefits all stakeholders. Upon assuming office on Monday, CEO Cho Dae-kyu cautioned about the life insurance industry's current challenges, citing "stagnant growth and declining profitability." During his inauguration ceremony at the company's headquarters in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, the CEO stressed the urgent need for "change and i

March 25, 2024

Posco International CEO vows to speed up digital transformation

Lee Kye-in, formerly president of Posco International, took office as CEO of the company, having been appointed to his new position during a board meeting at the company’s headquarters in Incheon on Monday. In his inaugural speech, Lee said, "As CEO of Posco Group's second-largest company, as well as a leading trading company, I will fulfill my responsibilities" to align with the company's new vision, "materials opening the future, innovation for the top class,&quo

March 25, 2024

Hyundai Motor ranks 2nd in US EV sales

Hyundai Motor Group ranked second behind Tesla in terms of electric vehicle sales in the United States in January, a report showed Monday. Citing statistics from S&P Global Mobility, Automotive News said the Korean auto conglomerate’s three brands -- Hyundai Motor, Kia and Genesis -- combined for 8,262 newly registered EVs in the US in January 2024 to account for 9.3 percent of the total market. According to the report, Tesla registered 48,757 EVs to retain the top spot, while traditio

March 25, 2024

Hyundai Motor, Saudi Arabia join efforts for future mobility ecosystem

Hyundai Motor Group said Monday that it has joined hands with Red Sea Global to implement eco-friendly future mobility to Saudi Arabia’s development project to open luxurious and pro-nature tourism resorts along the west coast of the Middle Eastern country. According to the announcement, the representatives of the Korean automaker and the Saudi Arabian megaproject signed a memorandum of understanding in Riyadh on Sunday. Red Sea Global, which is entirely owned by the Public Investment Fund

March 25, 2024

Eximbank to form W1tr fund for chips, battery

The Export-Import Bank of Korea, or Eximbank, announced it will form a 1 trillion won ($745 million) fund to support businesses in high-tech strategic industries, especially semiconductors and batteries. The policy lender will put in 150 billion won toward the fund which will close out at 1 trillion won. The fund will be used to provide preferential interest rates and loan limits to businesses related to chips, battery, bio, future mobility and electric engineering. It is the second fund establi

March 25, 2024

LX chief calls 2024 'turning point'

LX Holdings Chairman Koo Bon-joon said Monday he would enhance the group’s crisis response system in a bid to enhance its responsiveness to business uncertainties at home and globally. “The year 2024 will be an important inflection point as we prepare for the next three years of LX’s leap,” Koo said during this year’s annual shareholders meeting held at the company’s headquarters in Seoul. Koo’s comments come as LX Group spun off from LG Group in 2021

March 25, 2024

Antitrust watchdog to launch large-scale survey on e-commerce platforms

With the rapid influx of global e-commerce into the domestic market, the Fair Trade Commission is set to launch an extensive market survey starting Tuesday, to examine the evolving landscape and structure of the e-commerce market in Korea. The survey marks the first step in gathering data to produce a policy report slated for release by the end of this year. The report's objective is to proactively identify and analyze fair trade and consumer issues arising from shifts in e-commerce market

March 25, 2024

IBK to roll out W100b fund for digital tech

The Industrial Bank of Korea on Monday announced the establishment of a strategic investment fund worth 100 billion won ($75 million) to nurture businesses with innovative digital technologies. The fund will be pooled by the policy lender and its affiliate IBK Capital, with each investing 90 billion won and 10 billion won, respectively. As IBK Capital is more experienced in venture funding, it will manage the fund as a general partner, IBK explained. The fund aims to support platform operators w

March 25, 2024

65% of Korean firms penalize ChatGPT-crafted resumes

A majority of large companies in South Korea disadvantage applicants who craft their resumes using artificial intelligence services, such as ChatGPT, according to a survey released Sunday. The Labor Ministry and the Korea Employment Information Service unveiled a report on employment trends in the second half of 2023, which was based on a survey of human resource managers at the nation’s top 500 companies by sales. The survey was conducted from Nov. 20 to Dec. 22 last year, with 315 out of

March 25, 2024