Researchers develop biosensor that can test blood for cancer

Researchers at the Institute for Basic Science have developed a biosensor that can detect cancer with a drop of blood, the IBS said Wednesday. A group of researchers led by Cho Yoon-kyoung developed nanoporous gold electrodes to construct a biosensor with high sensitivity and accuracy, according to the IBS. The researchers named the development process SEEDING, which stands for surfactant-based electrochemical etch-deposit interplay for nanostructure and nanopore growth. The study confirme

May 18, 2022

3 more Paris Baguette stores open in Indonesia

SPC has opened three more Paris Baguette stores in Indonesia, the South Korean food and bakery company said Wednesday. According to SPC, two of the new stores are located at shopping malls in the country‘s capital Jakarta and the other is in South Tangerang. The latest opening of the bakery cafe came two months after the company’s fourth Paris Baquette store began operation in Bekasi in March. The first Paris Baguette in the Southeast Asian country opened in November 2021, shor

May 18, 2022

Hyundai Motor Group unveils W21tr plan to quadruple EV production in Korea

Amid looming reports that Hyundai Motor is set to announce a $7 billion investment in US, the South Korean carmaker unveiled a whopping 21 trillion-won ($16 billion) plan on Wednesday to quadruple its domestic electric vehicle production capacity by 2030.  The plan is aimed at digesting about half of its target goal of producing 3.23 million units of EVs globally, the company said. It came two days prior to US President Joe Biden’s official visit to Korea of which the company report

May 18, 2022

Siita, dubbed 'the Apple of cosmetics,' aims to lead sustainable cosmetics with plastics decomposition tech

South Korean skincare brand Siita said it has developed a new technology to speed up plastic decomposition, becoming the only zero-waste enterprise globally to treat its own plastic waste. Siita’s technology, unveiled in September, accelerates the decomposition process of plastic from 500 years to just 3 months, according to the skincare company. Celebrities such as Hollywood actor Jeremy Renner and K-pop singer CL voiced their support for the skincare company’s sustainable and ec

May 18, 2022

Posco Energy, CIP to cooperate on offshore wind power, green hydrogen

Posco Energy said it signed a deal with a Danish fund management firm focused on renewable energy infrastructure to work together on offshore wind power and green hydrogen business. The largest private energy producer in South Korea said it will cooperate with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners on the offshore wind power business; supply chain including steel products for offshore wind power; green hydrogen business; and run a joint working group. Posco Energy President Chung Ki-sup, CIP Manag

May 18, 2022

Hyundai to launch upgraded Palisade SUV this week

South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co. said Wednesday it will launch the upgraded Palisade SUV in the domestic market this week amid the prolonged global chip shortage. The face-lifted Palisade comes with a 3.8-liter gasoline engine or a 2.2-liter diesel engine, and is priced at 39 million won-52 million won ($30,700-$41,000), the company said in a statement. Hyundai plans to ship the flagship SUV to the United States and other markets within this year. Carmakers have been struggling with the

May 18, 2022

Samsung Electronics reigns as best-run firm in S. Korea in 2021

Global tech behemoth Samsung Electronics Co. was ranked as the best-managed company among South Korea's top 500 businesses in 2021 to retain the top spot for three years running, a corporate tracker said Wednesday. Samsung, the world's top memory chip and smartphone maker, obtained 766.9 out of 800 points in an assessment of high growth, investment, global competitiveness, job creation and four other categories, the highest among the leading firms by sales, according to CEO Score. Sams

May 18, 2022

Seoul shares open higher on US tech rally

South Korean shares opened higher Wednesday, tracking overnight rallies on Wall Street amid lingering uncertainty over higher inflation and combative monetary tightening in major economies. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 23.55 points, or 0.90 percent, to 2,643.99 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, US stocks closed higher, boosted by a rally in tech stocks, in the face of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's hawkish comments. Powell said the Fed was ready to act a

May 18, 2022

[Newsmaker] Surge in embezzlement fuels calls for tougher oversight

A recent report that three employees had stolen 3 billion won ($2.3 million) from South Korea’s biggest cosmetics maker Amorepacific in the wake of other huge embezzlements at the country’s major banks is fueling calls for tougher oversight. The employees at the cosmetics maker had allegedly used the money to buy stocks, cryptocurrencies and gamble by falsifying company documents such as tax records, a local report said Tuesday. Amorepacific said the employees were facing disciplina

May 17, 2022

Level 4 self-driving IONIQ 5 starts delivering food in California

Hyundai Motor’s IONIQ 5 loaded with Level 4 self-driving technology has started delivering food in California. Motional, a US autonomous vehicle company that Hyundai Motor Group and US mobility startup Aptiv formed, and Uber Eats began operating their pilot program of automated delivery service in Santa Monica, California, on Tuesday. The partnership was announced in December. At Level 4, a vehicle can drive itself under limited conditions and will not operate if all required conditions

May 17, 2022

Amid buyout talks, SsangYong to launch new SUV Torres

South Korean sports utility vehicle maker SsangYong Motor unveiled its new mid-size SUV called Torres on Tuesday, scheduled to be launched next month. The launch of the new vehicle came amid growing financial pressure on the SUV maker, which has been struggling to find a new suitable buyer. The new vehicle was named after the Torres del Paine National Park located in Chile’s Patagonia region, a place often known as “the end of the world.” “We adopted the name Torres bec

May 17, 2022

Seoul shares up nearly 1% as investors buy beaten-down issues

South Korean shares rose nearly 1 percent Tuesday as investors picked up recently downbeat issues, including Samsung Electronics, amid worries over inflation and aggressive monetary tightening in major economies. The Korean won gained ground against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 23.86 points, or 0.92 percent, to close at 2,620.44 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 859 million shares worth some 9.3 trillion won ($7.3 billion), with gainers

May 17, 2022

Corporate Korea expects Biden’s IPEF to resolve supply disruption, Japan ties

Korean businesses have pinned high hopes on the imminent launch of a new US-led economic initiative, called the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework or IPEF, in tackling supply chain disruptions and improving soured ties with Japan. But they remained cautious about the new platform’s anti-Chinese undertones. South Korea’s envisioned entry into the IPEF is expected to top the agenda during summit talks between Presidents Yoon Suk-yeol and Joe Biden in Seoul on Saturday. The IPEF aims

May 17, 2022

[Photo News] Consumer price woes

A customer looks around a cosmetics section of a department store in Seoul. Manufacturers for health and beauty products have been under increasing pressure to raise product prices amid the prolonged Russian attack on Ukraine and intensifying concerns over Indonesia’s palm oil export ban.

May 17, 2022

Kakao to offer mobility services in Guam

South Korean IT giant Kakao will provide mobility services in Guam before the end of the third quarter through a partnership with Miki Taxi, one of the largest taxi services on the US island territory, Kakao Mobility said Tuesday. In doing so, the firm will become the country’s first mobility company to apply the entire infrastructure ranging from the platform, driver application and administration on foreign soil in terms of taxi business, according to Kakao Mobility. Miki Taxi’

May 17, 2022

WeWork Korea looks to ‘export’ its premium service overseas

Patricia Chun, general manager of WeWork Korea, said Tuesday that the company is considering launching its premium office service in the global market, driven by soaring demand for worker-friendly and customized official rental services. Launched on May 1, the WeWork premium service is available at its Seoul Square, Gangnam, Yeoiudo and Gwanghwamun branches. The firm plans to export the service to the global market including the United States. Among global WeWork branches, WeWork Korea

May 17, 2022

SK inks strategic ties with TerraPower

SK Group said Tuesday it has signed a nonbinding agreement with the US small-sized nuclear power reactor design company TerraPower to solidify the groupwide push to reduce carbon emission. But the second-largest conglomerate in South Korea did not disclose a plan for an investment in the company. Under the plan, SK Inc., SK Innovation and TerraPower will jointly develop “next-generational technologies” needed for small modular reactors which operate at a capacity of 500 megawatts

May 17, 2022

Criticisms grow as car buyers are pushed to pay more on delayed orders

Consumer criticisms are mounting as the country’s finished carmakers are unable to meet the delivery deadline due to ongoing supply shortages globally, as well as obligating customers to pay more to get the latest edition models.  As carmakers like Hyundai Motor stops manufacturing the older version of vehicle when they release the new edition in the new year, customers having to wait more than a year for delivery of their cars are being pushed to buy more expensive, newer edition v

May 17, 2022

Korean food tours for foreigners launched

SEJONG -- A program aimed at introducing Korean food to foreigners kicked off Monday, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Tuesday. The program, which consists of a total of 20 food tours, will run between May and November this year in Seoul and across the country. Foreign residents and tourists can also learn recipes for a variety of Korean food, including traditional sauces and kimchi, in one-day cooking classes by Korean food chefs and masters nationwide, the ministry sa

May 17, 2022

Henkel Korea launches ‘Zero Mosquito’ campaign

Henkel Homecare Korea’s insecticide brand Home Keeper & Home Mat said it has launched an awareness campaign to provide information about the dangers of mosquitoes in collaboration with the Korean Red Cross for the second year running. The “Zero Mosquito Campaign” is aimed at helping vulnerable groups to get through the summer, when mosquitoes are most active, according to the insecticide maker. Last year, the company held the “Zero Mosquito Donation Challenge&rdqu

May 17, 2022