LG sets up automotive R&D unit in Vietnam

LG Electronics said Thursday it has elevated its research and development center in Vietnam into a corporate entity as the tech giant seeks to further bolster its fast-growing automotive solutions business. The new unit, called LG Electronics Development Vietnam, will be in charge of developing and testing software for in-vehicle infotainment systems, one of the key products of LG’s vehicle solutions division. The IVI systems encompass telematics, audio, video and navigation solutions prov

March 9, 2023

[K-Food] Pulmuone targets health-conscious Americans with tofu lineup

This is the second installment of a series of interviews with global business chiefs of South Korean food companies that are expanding aggressively in overseas markets. -- Ed. About 7 out of 10 tofu products sold in the US are made by South Korean food giant Pulmuone. Cho Kil-su, head of Pulmuone USA, said its unrivaled market position is an outcome of years of efforts to creatively localize one of the most highly regarded alternative sources for protein -- Korean tofu -- along with a slew o

March 9, 2023

SK Networks secures stake in US AI startup

SK Networks said Thursday it has committed a total of $22 million in both direct and indirect investments to secure a 2.6 percent stake in the recent Series C funding round held for Humane, an AI startup founded by ex-Apple employees through the company’s investment subsidiary Hico Capital. This bold investment decision, which SK Networks has disclosed to its stakeholders following the end of the Series C funding round, rides along the tides of the growing industry-wide interest in AI tech

March 9, 2023

Ex-TSMC engineer joins Samsung’s chip packaging team

Samsung Electronics has hired veteran engineer Lin Jun-cheng, who previously worked at the tech giant’s foundry rival, Taiwan-based TSMC, according to local reports on Thursday. Lin was recently appointed as senior vice president of the advanced packaging team under Samsung’s chip business division, Device Solutions. His key responsibility is expected to be overseeing the development of cutting-edge packaging technology, which plays a key role in enhancing advanced higher-performance

March 9, 2023

Hyundai Motor sets ambitious goals to beef up domestic output

Hyundai Motor Co. on Thursday laid out its goals to ramp up domestic production and exports to the highest figures since the COVID-19 pandemic began three years ago, showing the auto giant’s willingness to overcome various economic and geographical uncertainties. The record-high targets were announced as President Yoon Suk Yeol visited the automaker’s Ulsan plant. Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun accompanied Yoon as the president toured the automaker’s plant. Ac

March 9, 2023

OLED TV war looms as Samsung returns after 10-year hiatus

Samsung Electronics on Thursday debuted its first organic light-emitting diode TVs in a decade at home, making official its comeback to the fast-growing premium TV segment, which is currently dominated by its crosstown rival, LG Electronics. The tech giant held a media event at its headquarters in Gangnam, southern Seoul, unveiling its brand new TV lineup this year, which also included its latest high-end LCD TVs, branded as Neo Quantum LED or Neo QLED TVs. The world’s largest TV maker i

March 9, 2023

Sulwhasoo partners with the Met to promote K-culture

South Korean beauty giant Amorepacific's luxury skin care subsidiary Sulwhasoo said Thursday it signed a partnership with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in a bid to conduct various collaborative works with the New York-based art museum, including the preservation of Korean cultural artifacts. Sulwhasoo, which has been promoting traditional Korean art and craftsmen through its exhibition series, will be working with the Met for a year starting this March. Throughout the year, Sulwhasoo will

March 9, 2023

Seoul stocks open higher amid rate hike woes

Seoul stocks opened higher Thursday amid woes over faster rate hikes by the Federal Reserve. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 7.79 points, or 0.32 percent, to 2,439.7 in the first 16 minutes of trading. After his hawkish stance a day before, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday that no decision has been made on the pace of the Fed's rate hikes. US stocks wavered, with Wall Street's three main stock indexes closing mixed, as traders tried to assess Powell's c

March 9, 2023

[Herald Interview] 'Soft power plays key role in green push'

SK Ecoplant, the green business unit of SK Group, aims to solidify its footing into the US battery recycling market this year by working with partners to make aggressive investments, the company’s investment executive said. The company has made a major transformation from a builder into an environment and energy company though an array of merger and acquisition deals worth over 3 trillion won ($2.3 billion) in Korea and abroad. “This year’s biggest goal would be supporting SK

March 8, 2023

Korea has far fewer female managers than OECD peers

South Korea ranked second to last in terms of the percent of women in management positions among 36 countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), according to OECD statistics released Wednesday. The OECD said Korea has reported steady progress in elevating women leaders but still has a long way to go. The percentage of female managers in Korea was 16.3 percent as of 2021, less than half the OECD average of 33.7 percent. Japan with 13.2 percent was the only count

March 8, 2023

Finance minister pledges deregulation at AmCham meeting

Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho on Wednesday pledged to continue efforts to eliminate regulations that do not fit global standards. “The Korean government will work on removing hurdles that hinder US business operators from establishing Korea as a regional headquarters in the Asia-Pacific region,” Choo said at a special luncheon event held at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas Hotel on Wednesday. “To turn Korea into a No. 1 foreign investment destination, we will strive to

March 8, 2023

Female leaders at forefront of BAT’s vision for inclusivity

March 8, International Women's Day, has been a day to rally in support of gender equality and promote inclusivity across all areas globally. British American Tobacco, the cigarette giant, is one of the leading players in advocating the theme, “Embrace Equity,” in multiple areas of its workplace. BAT, which operates regional offices worldwide, including one in South Korea under the name, BAT Rothmans, says female leaders are at the forefront of the company’s vision for incl

March 8, 2023

LG welcomes more rivals entering OLED TV market

LG Electronics, the dominant No. 1 company in the organic light-emitting diode TV market, said Wednesday it welcomes more tech firms, including its archrival Samsung Electronics, entering the fast-growing OLED TV market. Ahead of the official release of its 2023 TV lineup, LG held a press briefing with a group of local reporters at the company's research and development campus in Seoul and boasted its confidence in the quality of its OLED TV products. “As observing an increasing numbe

March 8, 2023

[Herald Interview] Pernod Ricard Korea enjoys robust growth amid pandemic-fueled liquor boom

It was not just delivery services or online shopping that thrived in South Korea during the pandemic years. The liquor market, especially for high-end whiskeys and wines, has seen dramatic growth, according to Frantz Hotton, CEO of Pernod Ricardo Korea, the Korean unit of the French wine and spirit giant. Hotton, who took the helm in 2021 when COVID-19 was still rampant across the world, said that people's behavioral changes have had a significant impact on how they consume alcoholic bevera

March 8, 2023

SK Plasma to build $250m blood products plant in Indonesia

SK Plasma, a blood products unit of SK Discovery, announced Wednesday that the company has clinched a deal to build a blood products plant in Indonesia, which is expected to be worth around $250 million. SK Plasma has received final approval from the Indonesian Health Ministry for construction of a plasma fractionation facility, which will produce products like immune globulin and albumin, used for patients with immunodeficiency diseases and hemophilia. The plant will be capable of producing 1 m

March 8, 2023

Fed’s hawkish stance leaves Korea under pressure

Korean won weakens against dollar following Powell’s remarks forecasting further rate hikes The US Federal Reserve's signaling of further rate hikes weighs on the Korean economy sparking fears of a widening gap between the key rates of the two countries that could cause capital outflow and increase market volatility. US Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Tuesday hinted at a possible rate increase of 50 basis points in the Federal Open Market Committee meeting scheduled for later this month.

March 8, 2023

Samsung CEOs to discuss inclusivity with female employees

Celebrating International Women’s Day this week, Samsung Electronics’ top brass will hold luncheon talks with female executives to discuss woman’s leadership in the workplace, the tech giant said Wednesday. Its Co-CEOs Han Jong-hee, the mobile device and home appliance business chief, and Kyung Kye-hyun, who handles the semiconductor business division, will attend the event dubbed “One Table,” slated for Friday. The leaders are expected to discuss ways to improve ge

March 8, 2023

Bentley unveils first luxury showroom in Seoul

Bentley Motors said Wednesday it has opened Bentley Cube, its first high-end retail showroom, in South Korea, catering to the fast-growing number of luxury customers craving exclusive experiences. Located in Gangnam, southern Seoul, the four-story flagship shop offers a private space for Bentley customers to enjoy the brand’s bespoke luxury lifestyle. “Korea is a leading country in luxury sales, the biggest market in the Asia-Pacific region. (The grand opening of Bentley Cube) is

March 8, 2023

S. Korea to spend 70% of budget for job creation in H1: finance minister

South Korea plans to speed up spending the employment-related budget in the first half of 2023 amid signs of a slowdown in the job market, the finance minister said Wednesday. The remark came after Asia's No. 4 economy reported the largest number of job additions in more than 20 years in 2022 at around 820,000, while the figure is expected to rise at a narrower margin of just 100,000 on-year in 2023 amid economic uncertainties and the country's falling population. "Considering the

March 8, 2023

Seoul stocks open sharply lower on Fed chief's hawkish comments

South Korean stocks opened sharply lower Wednesday on renewed fears over further sharp rate hikes after the Fed chief's hawkish comments. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index was down 28.76 points, or 1.17 percent, to 2,434.59 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell cautioned Tuesday that "The ultimate level of interest rates is likely to be higher than previously anticipated," considering that the latest economic data suggests inflation

March 8, 2023