[Photo News] Coal for heat

Shinhan Financial Group Chairman Jin Ok-dong (center) and other company officials deliver coal briquettes to low-income households in Seodaemun-gu, northern Seoul, Thursday. The financial giant raised donations of 200 million won ($150,000), with some 150 million won coming from employees. The fund will be used to provide heat supplies through a local charity. (Shinhan Financial Group)

Jan. 28, 2024

South Korean exports to China plunge to three-decade low

China’s imports of Korean goods plunged to the lowest level in three decades last year, amid the escalating Washington-Beijing rivalry and Seoul’s strategic pivot. According to data from the Korea International Trade Association on Sunday, South Korea accounted for 6.3 percent of China’s imports last year, down from 7.4 percent a year earlier. In 2022, Korea ranked second on China’s top importer list, following Taiwan. Last year, the country was outpaced by Taiwan and the

Jan. 28, 2024

[Photo News] Record preorders

Customers line up to activate their preordered Galaxy S24 smartphones at Samsung Electronics’ flagship store in southern Seoul on Friday. The latest smartphone scored record preorders in Korea, selling more than 1.21 million units during the preorder period from Jan. 19-25. On Sunday, Samsung said it is extending the preactivation period to Feb. 8, due to an influx of customers. (Samsung Electronics)

Jan. 28, 2024

[KH Explains] Will OpenAI, Korean chipmakers team up to take on Nvidia?

Sam Altman, the chief executive officer of OpenAI, visited Seoul last week to hold a series of meetings with top executives of Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, the world’s top two memory chipmakers, fueling speculation that the “father of ChatGPT” is in search of allies to take on Nvidia, the unrivaled market leader in chips for artificial intelligence. For Samsung and SK, being part of a possible alliance would provide a chance for them to step up their game in the heated com

Jan. 28, 2024

OpenAI CEO Altman visits Korea for Samsung, SK Hynix meetings: reports

ChatGPT creator OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, has arrived in South Korea to meet with the leaders of chip giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, reports said Friday. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are the world's two biggest memory chipmakers, and the latter this week said it had returned to profit after four consecutive quarters of losses driven by demand for chips used in artificial intelligence. The two South Korean chip giants are among the few companies worldwide that manufacture

Jan. 26, 2024

BOK extends open market operations to non-banking entities

The South Korean central bank on Thursday said it will start to buy or sell securities with non-banking finance institutions in open markets, expanding the scope of entities subject to its key monetary policy instrument to control the money supply in the economy. With the latest change in the Bank of Korea's open market operations, local asset management firms, mutual savings banks and credit unions will now be eligible to engage in repurchase agreements (repos) for securities transaction

Jan. 26, 2024

Genexine seeks approval for anemia treatment in Korea

Korean biotech firm Genexine announced Friday that the company has submitted a biologics license application to the country's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for the company’s anemia treatment Efesa. Efesa is intended for the treatment and maintenance of anemia induced by chronic kidney disease with or without dialysis. The drug candidate uses GX-E4, a long-acting erythropoiesis stimulating agent. Genexine has used its own hyFc fusion protein technology to maximize the half-life of t

Jan. 26, 2024

Lotte Duty Free, Modetour seek to capitalize on Vietnam's tourism boom

Lotte Duty Free said Friday that it signed a memorandum of understanding with the South Korean travel agency Modetour on Thursday to strengthen joint marketing efforts toward Korean tourists to Vietnam. Under the agreement, Lotte Duty Free and Modetour will work together to develop new product packages combining duty-free shopping and tourism in Vietnam. Lotte Duty Free has been grappling with the decline of Chinese tourists to South Korea due to an economic slowdown. As an alternative, the comp

Jan. 26, 2024

NongHyup's new chief to push for major revamp

The National Agricultural Cooperative Federation on Thursday elected Kang Ho-dong as the 25th NongHyup chairman, marking the first time in 17 years for the cooperative to have a directly elected chairman at its helm. The federation, South Korea's biggest agricultural cooperative comprised of 2 million members, is expected to see a significant reshuffling of the federation's governance structure under the new leadership. The former head of the Yulgok Nonghyup chapter in Hapcheon-gun, So

Jan. 26, 2024

Hyundai Mobis logs 14% sales growth in 2023

Hyundai Mobis, an auto parts manufacturing unit under Hyundai Motor Group, said Friday its revenue surged over 14 percent last year to nearly 60 trillion won ($44.9 billion). The company posted an annual revenue of 59.25 trillion won in 2023, breaking the record of 51.9 trillion won it set the year before. Its operating profit came to 2.29 trillion won, a 13.3 percent increase over the same period. The stellar performance comes after an increase in the supply of electric car parts, following a b

Jan. 26, 2024

Orion promotes locally-source food in Vietnam

Orion, a South Korean confectionery manufacturer, said Friday that it has teamed up with Vietnam National University of Agriculture in a bid to secure quality raw materials for its snack production in Vietnam. Orion Food Vina, the confectioner’s Vietnamese unit, and the Institute of Argo-Biology under the VNUA signed a strategic partnership agreement on Thursday in Hanoi, stipulating their cooperation in production, development, supply and quality control of seed and raw potatoes over the

Jan. 26, 2024

LG Energy Solution hits record earnings on upbeat US sales

Despite the slowdown of electric vehicle sales, LG Energy Solution broke the record in earnings last year, largely driven by a boost in sales in the all-important US market. In its earnings report released Friday, the battery maker said its annual revenue surged by 31.8 percent to 33.7 trillion won ($25.3 billion) while operating profit skyrocketed 78.2 percent to 2.2 trillion won -- both hitting all-time high figures. With robust sales in the US, some 677 billion won worth of tax credits were a

Jan. 26, 2024

Seoul shares end higher on battery gains

Seoul shares closed higher Friday on battery gains amid a report that the US economy remains resilient. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 0.33 percent, or 8.22 points, to 2,478.56. The Kospi has risen 0.2 percent this week. Trading volume was slim at 285.54 million shares worth 7 trillion won ($5.2 billion), with gainers outpacing losers 549 to 312. Institutions and foreigners bought a combined 380 billion won worth of stocks, offsett

Jan. 26, 2024

Cha Vaccine Institute develops its own mRNA delivery system

The Cha Vaccine Institute, a vaccine development arm of Cha Medical and Bio Group, has developed its own messenger RNA delivery system which does not require frozen storage, the company said Friday. The firm expects that Lipoplex would be a more efficient and stable option than lipid nanoparticles, which have been widely used as carriers for mRNA vaccines. Medicines utilizing mRNA have gained traction since the COVID-19 pandemic as they can be designed and produced quickly once the genome of the

Jan. 26, 2024

S-Oil donates W30m with New Year's trekking event

South Korean oil refiner S-Oil on Friday held an annual New Year’s trekking event with some 120 company staff in Gyeonggi Province and fundraised 30 million won ($22,488) for a social welfare group. S-Oil President and Head of Operations Park Bong-soo, President and Head of Corporate Strategy & Services Ryu Yul, President and Head of Marketing & Sales Ahn Jong-bum, and new employees joined this year's trekking event at the Haengjusanseong Fortress History Nurigil Trail in Goya

Jan. 26, 2024

Galaxy S24 series set new all-time presales record in Korea

Samsung Electronics’ latest Galaxy S24 series, touted as its first artificial intelligence smartphone, broke the company’s presales record in Korea, selling 1.21 million units in just a week. After the global Unpacked event in San Jose, California on Jan. 17, Samsung carried out a presales event for the latest Galaxy S24 series from Jan. 19 to 25 in Korea. During the weeklong event, the smartphone maker sold 173,000 units per day on average. The latest presale record not only surpass

Jan. 26, 2024

Seoul shares open lower on tech losses despite US gains

Seoul shares opened lower Friday on tech losses, despite overnight gains on Wall Street following a report indicating the US economy remains stronger than expected. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 0.06 percent, or 1.44 points, to 2,468.90 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.6 percent to 38,049.13, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq climbed 0.2 percent to 15,510.50. The US economy grew at an estimated 3.3 percent in the fourth quarter

Jan. 26, 2024

[From the Scene] New Macan signals true beginning of Porsche EV

SINGAPORE -- Porsche debuted the new Macan -- the automaker’s second all-electric vehicle and first battery-powered sport utility vehicle -- in Singapore on Thursday, officially signaling the start of its future lineup based on the company’s EV-dedicated platform. “We are taking the Macan to a completely new level with exceptional E-Performance, the new driver experience and a very impressive design,” said Oliver Blume, chairman of Porsche’s executive board, durin

Jan. 25, 2024

LG Electronics reports another sales record

LG Electronics reported another year of record sales in 2023, driven by upbeat sales of home appliances and automotive parts and solutions, the Korean tech giant said in its earnings conference Thursday. The company posted all-time high annual sales of 84.2 trillion won ($62.9 billion) last year, up 0.9 percent from the year before. This is the third consecutive year the company has achieved record-breaking sales figures. Despite the global economic downturn and decreased demand, LG Electronics&

Jan. 25, 2024

Hyundai-Kia retains global No. 3 spot as profits top Tesla's

Hyundai Motor Group has retained its position as the world's third-largest automaker for a second year, trailing only Toyota Motor and Volkswagen Group, based on its 2023 fourth-quarter and yearly financial results disclosed Thursday. The Korean automotive giant, comprising the Hyundai, Kia and Genesis brands, sold approximately 7.32 million vehicles last year, marking a 6.7 percent on-year increase from 2022. Kia, in particular, hit a record operating margin of 11.6 percent, surpassing tra

Jan. 25, 2024