Bank Shinhan Indonesia, Indodana collaborate for digital lending service

Shinhan Bank on Friday said that its Indonesian subsidiary has teamed up with an Indonesian financial technology company to bolster its presence in the digital platform-based loan market in the Southeast Asian country. Bank Shinhan Indonesia and PT Artha Dana Teknologi Indodana signed a memorandum of understanding at the bank's headquarters in Jakarta on Thursday. PT Artha Dana Teknologi Indodana is a licensed digital transaction solution provider with 830,000 active users, offering install

March 15, 2024

Rising exports lead economic recovery despite weak domestic demand: finance ministry

The South Korean economy has been on a recovery track on the solid growth of exports, but disparities among sectors remain wide amid weak consumption and investment, the finance ministry said Friday. "As shown in manufacturing production and exports, the country has seen an economic recovery and a stable job market," the Ministry of Economy and Finance said in the Green Book, its monthly economic assessment report. "But the pace of recovery among sectors has been different as priv

March 15, 2024

Seoul shares open lower on US slump

South Korean stocks opened lower Friday, as investors locked in profits after a three-session winning streak. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index dropped 27.51 points, or 1.01 percent, to 2,691.25 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, Wall Street lost ground after the February producer price index showed US inflation was hotter than expected. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.4 percent, and the S&P 500 dropped 0.3 percent. The Nasdaq Composite also shed 0.3 percent

March 15, 2024

[Photo News] Korean Air's new engine maintenance complex

Hanjin Group Chairman and Korean Air CEO Walter Cho (center) attends the groundbreaking ceremony of the flag carrier’s new aircraft engine maintenance cluster in Unbuk, near Incheon International Airport, on Thursday. The new 578 billion won ($439 million) facility, set to be operational by 2027, is expected to become the largest engine maintenance complex in Asia with an annual capacity of handling maintenance of some 360 aircraft. “The new facility will pave the way for Korean Air

March 14, 2024

NPS to set up San Francisco office in AI, biotech push

Korea's National Pension Service Investment Management, the investment arm of the world's third-largest pension fund, will launch its fourth overseas office in San Francisco before September, in line with its asset allocation strategy to raise alternative and overseas investments. National Pension Service Chief Investment Officer Seo Won-joo boasted that the pension fund’s record high investment return of 13.6 percent, worth 127 trillion won ($96.4 billion), last year is &ldquo

March 14, 2024

Alibaba pledges $1.1b investment for Korea expansion

Alibaba Group, the company of Chinese e-commerce giant AliExpress, renowned for its budget-friendly offerings, plans to invest more than $1 billion in Korea over the next three years, with a massive distribution center being built within the year. According to industry sources on Thursday, Alibaba has recently submitted its business expansion plan in Korea, including an investment of $1.1 billion, to the local authorities possibly for regulatory approval. The investment plan includes a new distr

March 14, 2024

Seoul shares end at nearly 2-year high on financial, auto gains

South Korean stocks finished higher for the third straight session to hit an almost 2-year high Thursday on the back of gains in financial, auto and other blue chips. The local currency fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index climbed 25.19 points, or 0.94 percent, to 2,718.76. It marked the highest since April 22, 2022, when the index finished at 2,704.71 points. Trade volume was heavy at 587 million shares worth 13.5 trillion won ($10.24 billion), with winner

March 14, 2024

AliExpress lures Korean food companies with hefty incentives

AliExpress, the Chinese e-commerce platform owned by Alibaba Group, has been reaching out to Korean food companies to diversify its product range and gain recognition among Korean consumers. Following South Korean food giant CJ CheilJedang early this month, a slew of Korean food companies are either entering or considering joining the Chinese platform. According to industry sources on Thursday, Dongwon F&B, known for its canned tuna products, and Samyang Foods, famous for its spicy Buldak ra

March 14, 2024

New space agency hints at ‘no salary cap’ for workers

South Korea on Thursday began the official recruitment process for its new space body, Korea Aerospace Administration, or KASA, hoping to attract the best talent from in and outside the country. The government’s preparatory office for KASA held its first offline recruitment presentation in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, where the KASA headquarters will be launched on May 27. As Korea has repeatedly underlined its interest in drawing in top-tier space professionals regardless of nation

March 14, 2024

Toss Securities poised to become top retail broker

Toss Securities, a brokerage arm under financial technology giant Viva Republica, shared its vision Thursday to become a leading player in the Korean retail trading market, launching new services ranging from bonds to derivatives to diversify its portfolio. “Until last year, Toss Securities worked on proving its lucrativeness as a brokerage house. This year, it will achieve meaningful results both in profitability and growth by offering diverse financial products,” Toss Securities CE

March 14, 2024

SK Ecoplant launches IT recycling facility in Virginia

Energy and environmental solutions provider SK Ecoplant announced Thursday the launch of a new IT Asset Disposition facility in Virginia through its recycling subsidiary, SK tes. The newly completed facility, spanning 12,000 square meters, is designed specifically for hyperscale data centers. It will manage the entire lifecycle of information technology assets, from collection and secure data destruction to recycling and reuse. Situated in a vital corridor of Virginia, where 70 percent of the wo

March 14, 2024

Naver CEO marks 2nd year with stable growth, corporate reform

Thursday marked the second anniversary of Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon taking office. Under the executive's leadership, the internet giant has enjoyed stable growth, setting annual earnings records two consecutive years. Naver logged an all-time high operating profit of 1.49 trillion won ($1.13 billion) and sales of 9.67 trillion won last year. It recorded 8.22 trillion won in annual sales in 2022, surpassing the 8 trillion won mark for the first time. Choi has undertaken management innovation e

March 14, 2024

[KH Explains] Will KG Mobility, Korea's SUV dark horse, triumph globally?

KG Mobility, a stalwart in the South Korean sport utility vehicle scene previously known as Ssangyong Motors, has set an ambitious total sales goal of 147,000 units for this year, a 26.6 percent increase from last year, as it aims to penetrate overseas markets in Europe and Southeast Asia, away from its home turf dominated by Hyundai-Kia. By doubling down on its legacy of tough-looking, rugged SUVs, the company is incorporating cost-effective production strategies, including electrification, and

March 14, 2024

Doosan’s robot surgery solution sees successful debut

Doosan Robotics, South Korea's leading collaborative robot provider, announced Thursday the successful practice of its robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery solution, marking the debut of a Korean-made solution in a real surgical environment. The solution was employed for laparoscopic cholecystectomy, a procedure to remove a diseased gallbladder, performed at Koo Hospital in Daegu on Tuesday. Laparoscopic surgery involves treating conditions within the abdomen through tiny incisions. Develo

March 14, 2024

Industry minister asks petroleum firms to avoid price hike

Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun on Thursday asked petroleum companies to refrain from increasing the prices of their products amid lingering inflation and external uncertainties. The remark came as global oil prices continued to remain volatile due to the prolonged war between Russia and Ukraine, along with the geopolitical instability in the Middle East. "The government is prioritizing taming inflation as the top task for the economy and is currently utilizing all available measures to stab

March 14, 2024

Seoul shares open tad higher on financial, tech gains

South Korean stocks opened marginally higher Thursday led by financial and tech companies. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 4.37 points, or 0.16 percent, to 2,697.94 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Financial shares got off to a good start, continuing their upward momentum after gains in the past two sessions. Shinhan Financial added 2.10 percent, and Hana Financial rose 0.99 percent. Tech behemoth Samsung Electronics also rose 0.40 percent, and home appliance maker LG Ele

March 14, 2024

Taeyoung shares suspended amid debt restructuring

Shares of Taeyoung Engineering & Construction Co., a troubled mid-sized builder, were suspended Wednesday due to its negative net asset balance amid an ongoing debt restructuring, company officials said. Its main creditor, the state-run Korea Development Bank, said it is extending the deliberation period for the restructuring plan by up to one month to allow more time before finalizing plans to normalize the company. Taeyoung, the 16th-largest builder in South Korea in terms of constructio

March 13, 2024

Samsung Biologics on smooth ride for record orders

Samsung Biologics is off to a promising start this year with two large-scale contract manufacturing deal signings in March alone. According to Samsung Biologics on Wednesday, the company recently inked a contract manufacturing deal with MSD Switzerland, worth some $71 million. The deal, set to expire in December 2032, is a separate deal from the previous 277 billion won ($210 million) deal signed between the two companies in 2022. Samsung Biologics declined to reveal the product details of the n

March 13, 2024

Trade chief says US chip subsidies coming

The US Commerce Department is expected soon to announce the amount of federal funding it will spend to support Korean chipmakers building facilities on its land, the Korean trade minister said on Tuesday, US time. “The US government is expected to announce the subsidy plan for Korean firms as soon as around the end of March,” Minister for Trade Jeong In-kyo told reporters at Dallas International Airport in Texas, as he was traveling to the country for the first time after having been

March 13, 2024

[KH Explains] Will Webull reshape Korea's mobile trading?

Webull Corporation, a prominent US-based online stock trading platform, has initiated preliminary operations to establish its presence in South Korea. Speculation surrounding the debut of the New York-headquartered company's services rose recently following reports indicating Webull's engagement with local financial regulators to secure related licenses for domestic operations. Citing Webull Korea Preliminary CEO Rhee Won-jae, Herald Biz disclosed last month that Webull "plans to

March 13, 2024