Vine Group wraps up 2024 winter youth English camps

South Korean education provider Vine Group announced Thursday that its Sollute study abroad program has successfully concluded its 2024 winter vacation youth English camps. The winter vacation English camp, which attracted 141 participants, took place throughout January and February, lasting either three or seven weeks ahead of the new academic term. Its primary objective was to facilitate cross-cultural interactions while enhancing English language skills. Conducted in Canada, New Zealand, and

March 8, 2024

Shinsegae heir apparent promoted to chairman

Chung Yong-jin, heir apparent of South Korea's Shinsegae Group, has been promoted to chairman to help the retail giant ride out unfavorable business environments and meet rapidly changing customer demands, the group said Friday. Shinsegae Group, which operates the country's biggest discount store chain and second-biggest department store chain, suffered a decline in sales for the first time last year since 1997, when it began to release the figures. "The appointment is aimed at ma

March 8, 2024

Seoul shares open higher amid hopes for Fed's early rate cut

South Korean stocks opened higher Friday as US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell hinted the confidence needed for the rate cut is approaching. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 34.79 points, or 1.31 percent, to 2,682.41 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the US stock market closed higher with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 0.34 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite advancing 1.51 percent. The S&P 500 closed at an all-time high by moving up 1.0

March 8, 2024

Woori revamps private banking service

Woori Bank, South Korea's fourth-largest commercial lender, is enhancing its private banking services to solidify its reputation as a trustworthy institution for clients. In a press conference Thursday, the bank unveiled its renewed commitment to expanding its presence in the asset management sector amid ongoing trust issues within the banking industry. With this vision, Woori Bank has assembled a team of experts spanning various sectors, such as tax, foreign exchange and real estate. The l

March 7, 2024

Lotte, LG in talks to sell petrochemicals plants

Korean petrochemicals firms are downsizing their businesses as they are grappling with lower demand and higher supply of products from China, according to industry sources Thursday. Lotte Chemical, South Korea’s leading petrochemicals company, has reportedly embarked on the process of selling its Malaysian unit Lotte Chemical Titan Holdings. In addition, its domestic rival LG Chem is said to be in talks with Kuwait Petroleum Corp. to sell a stake in its naphtha cracking center in Yeosu, So

March 7, 2024

Seoul shares end tad higher amid Fed chief's testimony

South Korean stocks closed slightly higher Thursday after US Fed Chairman Jerome Powell hinted at a possible rate cut this year, while acknowledging economic uncertainties still remain. The local currency gained against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 6.13 points, or 0.23 percent, to 2,647.62. Trade volume was moderate at 447 million shares worth 10.2 trillion won ($7.72 billion), with losers outpacing gainers 591 to 297. Foreigners offloaded 308 billion won

March 7, 2024

[KH Explains] ‘Kimchi premium’ returns, but weaker

After the global rally of bitcoin earlier this week, the “kimchi premium,” -- the price discrepancy in cryptocurrency between Korea and international markets -- has soared as well. Shortly after the global price of bitcoin hit a record high, rising above $69,000, the gap had widened to 12 percent as of Wednesday, meaning the bitcoin that traded in Korea was 12 percent more expensive than the global average. It later came down to the 6 percent range as of Thursday. While the bitcoin p

March 7, 2024

Seoul court bans former SK hynix chip researcher from working for US rival

In the wake of heated competition for chip supremacy, a Seoul court has stepped in to block a former chip researcher involved in chip design at SK hynix from working for US-based rival Micron Technology, alleging possible technology leaks. According to industry sources on Thursday, Seoul Central District Court granted permission to an injunction request filed by SK hynix late last month to prevent the former researcher from working for another company, and ordered the executive to pay 10 milli

March 7, 2024

Hyundai Motor begins trade-in services for EVs

Hyundai Motor has begun a trade-in service for customers looking to buy new electric vehicles by offering incentives to encourage domestic EV sales, the South Korean automaker announced Thursday. The trade-in benefits, which became effective on March 1, apply to those who sell their cars to Hyundai Motor’s certified used vehicles service and buy the automaker's EVs: the Ioniq 5 and 6 as well as the Kona Electric. According to the company, customers who sell their used EVs made by Hyun

March 7, 2024

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries opens Manila office to foray into Southeast Asia

South Korean shipbuilding giant HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is seeking to continue its expansion into the burgeoning warship market in Southeast Asia as it opens a regional base in the Philippines. The company said Thursday it recently held the opening ceremony of its engineering office in Bonifacio Global City, Manila. The event was attended by HD HHI’s Naval and Special Ship Business unit chief Joo Won-ho and Philippine Deputy Minister of Undersecretary for Acquisition and Resource Manag

March 7, 2024

Air Premia, Air Incheon strong contenders for Asiana’s cargo arm

Close competition is predicted among the four domestic low-cost carriers vying for the acquisition of Asiana Airlines' cargo division, with Air Premia and Air Incheon emerging as the prime contenders, according to industry sources on Thursday. Financial services firm UBS, which is overseeing the sale of Asiana Airlines' cargo division, recently selected four LCCs -- Jeju Air, Eastar Jet, Air Premia and Air Incheon -- as shortlisted candidates for the acquisition. The decision follows t

March 7, 2024

AmCham holds policy talks with FTC chief

Fair Trade Commission Chair Han Ki-jeong on Thursday shared the key policies of the antitrust regulator for this year, including the controversial anti-monopoly platform bill, at a conference hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea. “The Fair Trade Commission will strive to establish a fair market economy system that serves as the basis for economic stability and market innovation,” Han said, citing deepening inflation and high interest rates as continued economic difficu

March 7, 2024

3 Five Guys stores in Seoul rank in global top five for weekly sales

FG Korea, the South Korean operator of the US burger chain Five Guys, said Thursday that its three local stores have ranked in the top five among the burger chain's global branches in terms of weekly sales. At this year’s Five Guys Conference, a biennial event where the US burger chain shares business results with global operators, FG Korea won two awards -- the International Average Weekly Sales Award 2023 and the International Development Award 2023 -- in recognition of their sales

March 7, 2024

Eximbank, US energy department join hands on supply chain resilience

The state-run Export-Import Bank of Korea said Thursday that it has inked a memorandum of understanding with the US Department of Energy to bolster their partnership in supporting the Korea-US supply chain and sustainable energy projects between the two nations. This marks the first time Eximbank has entered into such a partnership agreement with a US government agency, underscoring the growing ties and shared interests between the two nations in the realms of sustainable development and clean e

March 7, 2024

[Investor] Posco mulls LFP joint venture with Chinese firm

A top executive of Posco Holdings has hinted at a potential joint venture with a Chinese company for the production of lithium iron phosphate (LFP). Kim Jun-hyung, head of eco-friendly future materials at Posco, revealed the suggestion during a meeting with reporters at the company's booth at the Interbattery 2024 exhibition in Coex, southern Seoul, on Wednesday. Kim mentioned the strong presence of Chinese companies in the LFP sector, highlighting the historically good relationships that s

March 7, 2024

Seoul shares open higher as Fed chair hints at possible rate cut this year

South Korean stocks opened higher Thursday as US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell hinted that the rate cut is likely "at some point this year." The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 9.77 points, or 0.37 percent, to 2,651.26 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the US stock market closed higher with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 0.2 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite advancing 0.58 percent. During the testimony delivered before the House o

March 7, 2024

[Graphic News] Imports of frozen fruit hit new record in 2023 on higher fresh produce prices

South Korea’s imports of frozen fruit products hit a new record in 2023, data showed Sunday, amid the growing burden on consumers to purchase fresh goods due to lingering inflation. The country’s imports of frozen fruit products came to 64,000 metric tons in 2023, up 6 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Korea Rural Economic Institute. In 2023, prices of agricultural, livestock and fishery products climbed 3.1 percent on-year. Of major items, the pric

March 7, 2024

Hyundai E&C seeks to join UK SMR project

Hyundai Engineering & Construction announced Wednesday that the company signed business agreements with US energy equipment supplier Holtec International, and with UK construction firms Balfour Beatty and Mott MacDonald, in a bid to join the UK government’s small modular reactor project. The UK government plans to expand nuclear energy capacity to 24 gigawatts by 2050, through building a fleet of SMRs. Holtec is one of the six developers that have been shortlisted to win the project. Holte

March 7, 2024

Fitch keeps S. Korea's 'AA-' credit rating, eyes 2.1% growth

Global credit appraiser Fitch Ratings said Wednesday it has reaffirmed South Korea's sovereign rating at "AA-" with a stable outlook. It is the fourth-highest level on the agency's sovereign ratings table, and Fitch has maintained AA- for South Korea since September 2012 when it upgraded the rating by one notch from A+. "(South) Korea's rating balances robust external finances, resilient macroeconomic performance and a dynamic export sector against geopolitical ri

March 6, 2024

NH Bank cracks down on W11b internal failure

A NongHyup Bank employee is being investigated by local police for possible embezzlement reaching nearly 11 billion won ($8.2 million), the bank disclosed on Wednesday. The bank's internal investigation revealed a financial irregularity that could extend up to 10.95 billion won, which is the total amount of the financial products the accused employee had handled at the related department between March 2019 until November last year. According to an official from the bank, a 1.2 billion won d

March 6, 2024