S. Korea sets official tariff on rice at 513%

South Korea said Friday it has officially set its tariff on imported rice exceeding a quota at 513 percent, ending its yearslong tariffication process for the nation's key staple grain. Under the measure, South Korea will slap a 513 percent tariff on imported rice for quantities outside a designated quota, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Quantities below the quota of 408,700 tons will be imposed with a tariff of 5 percent. The measure is aimed at providing on

Jan. 22, 2021

Seoul stocks open nearly flat on valuation pressure

South Korean stocks opened nearly flat Friday on valuation pressure after they hit another new high the previous session. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 0.34 point, or 0.01 percent, to 3,161.18 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics added 0.34 percent, while No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix lost 0.76 percent. Leading chemical firm LG Chem moved down 0.3 percent, but rechargeable battery maker Samsung SDI advanced 1.21 percent. P

Jan. 22, 2021

S. Korean observation satellite heads to Kazakhstan for launch

South Korea's science ministry said Friday its new midsized satellite has started traveling to Kazakhstan for a launch this year as the country seeks to develop homegrown space technology. The 500-kilogram low Earth orbit satellite is scheduled to be launched into space on Russia's Soyuz 2.1a rocket from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome on March 20, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT. Once in orbit, the satellite, equipped with an imaging sensor system developed by South Korean resea

Jan. 22, 2021

WTO rules in favor of S. Korea in lawsuit against US

South Korea's trade ministry said Friday that the World Trade Organization (WTO) has ruled in favor of Seoul in its lawsuit against the United States centering on high tariffs imposed on local steel and power transformer products. Washington has been levying high tariffs on some South Korean products by applying the "adverse facts available" (AFA) provision since May 2016, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The provision allows extremely high anti-dumping and co

Jan. 22, 2021

ULikeKorea, Sumitomo sign deal on Japanese pet care market

ULikeKorea on Thursday announced that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Sumitomo Corporation Korea to develop a health care tracker chip for pets in Japan. While existing microchip implants for dogs and cats reveal their identification serial numbers and can be used to trace lost animals back to their families, the proposed new product could enable real-time monitoring of an animal’s body temperature and activity levels through a mobile application. With this information, p

Jan. 21, 2021

Gopizza achieves monthly sales of W100m in Singapore

Gopizza, a Korean pizza franchise specializing in single servings, saw sales break past SG$100,000 ($75,000) in Singapore in December, eight months after its first launch in the country, the company said Thursday. The pizza franchise tapped into the Singaporean market in April 2020, and has been seeing its monthly sales rise steadily, with an increase rate of 20 percent in average following the opening of new outlets, the company said. With December sales of SG$110,000, Gopizza attributed i

Jan. 21, 2021

Samyang Foods vows to focus on ESG program

Samyang Foods on Thursday unveiled a new corporate management vision that focuses on environment, society and improved corporate governance. The company, known globally for its popular Buldak Spicy Chicken noodles, said it plans to launch an audit committee and a compensation committee in March to actively promote transparency and environment-friendly values in business management. “This year, we will create social values by actively promoting ESG management,” Samyang Foods Pres

Jan. 21, 2021

Kyobo Life shareholder feud intensifies on unfulfilled IPO

A foreign investor group of South Korea-based Kyobo Life Insurance is in hot water as its plan to exit from the insurer faces a setback after an indictment of its officials, while its demand for an initial public offering by Kyobo Life since 2012 remains unfulfilled to this day. Key officials of the international investor group, led by Hong Kong-based private equity firm Affinity Equity Partners, and Seoul-based accounting firm Deloitte Anjin have been indicted by Korean prosecutors for alleged

Jan. 21, 2021

Upbit launches digital currency exchange in Thailand

Upbit, a South Korean digital asset exchange, said Thursday that its Thailand unit was up and running after receiving the necessary licenses from regulators. The Thailand Securities and Exchange Commission recently granted approval for Upbit Thailand in four business areas -- digital asset exchange and brokerage and digital token exchange and brokerage -- with Upbit Thailand being fully operational as of Wednesday, the company said. “It is a very exciting time for the digital asset indu

Jan. 21, 2021

Hanwha sets eyes on green hydrogen

Market turbulence brought on by the pandemic has left many companies in shambles. Some forward-looking corporations took the unease as an opportunity to reset and refocus, in order to emerge stronger in the post-pandemic era. For Hanwha Solutions, this was a prime time to invest. Aiming to dominate the global solar-to-hydrogen business, the Hanwha Group company announced last month a plan to raise 1.2 trillion won ($1.09 billion) through rights offering. The new share issue is part of the

Jan. 21, 2021

LG Group chief is richest Korean under 50

Among South Korea’s rich stockholders aged under 50, LG Group Chairman Koo Gwang-mo ranks No.1 with an estimated stock value of 2.8 trillion won ($2.55 billion), industry data showed Thursday. Also, in the superrich group of those with stock assets worth more than 1 trillion won, two were chaebol heirs while the other two were self-made men in the up-and-coming entertainment and game industries -- reflecting the market changes over recent years. The number of those under 50 and with s

Jan. 21, 2021

Kim Dong-kwan reinvents Hanwha’s identity as renewable energy leader

From a wartime gunpowder supplier to a retail-to-finance conglomerate, Hanwha Group has made quite a transformation in its near seven-decade history. Yet, its change from now on may be even more dramatic, as the group with 86 affiliates and total assets of 71 trillion won redefines its core to future-leading technologies such as solar power and hydrogen. At the very center of this ongoing shift in Hanwha’s identity stands Kim Dong-kwan, the eldest son of Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seun

Jan. 21, 2021

To infinity, and beyond: Hanwha enters global satellite race

A new space race has begun in the US, as billionaire entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos set out to launch thousands of small satellites to provide high-end internet coverage everywhere around the globe. Although a late comer to the space in general, South Korea, too, has an ambitious player seeking to join the race -- the defense units of Hanwha Group. At the forefront is Hanwha Aerospace, which manufactures aircraft components and commercial engine parts. The group announced last mont

Jan. 21, 2021

LG Energy Solution No.1 in battery, Hyundai No.5 in electric vehicle markets

LG Energy Solution topped the global market of electric vehicle batteries in 2020, while Hyundai Motor and its sister company Kia have ranked fifth in the global electric vehicle market. According to market tracker EV-Volumes, the country’s battery giant LG Energy Solution deployed the most electric vehicle batteries in the world – a total of 34.5 gigawatts, or enough to power 700,000 electric vehicles. LG was followed by China’s CATL and Japan’s Panasonic, which sold

Jan. 21, 2021

Lee’s 1st message from prison: ‘Compliance drive should continue’

Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong finally broke his silence, three days after he was sent back to prison on Monday for bribing former President Park Geun-hye. In a message sent via his attorneys on Thursday, the Samsung Electronics vice chairman reaffirmed the importance of his ongoing drive to establish a law-abiding culture at the conglomerate. “While reaffirming my continued support for Samsung’s legal compliance monitoring committee, I implore its chairman and its members to carry

Jan. 21, 2021

[Photo News] Wait in line

Hydrogen-powered vehicles wait in line for a free refueling at a rest area along a highway in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, Thursday. The hydrogen station, which is on a trial run, is offering free refueling Thursday and Friday between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. for up to 2 kilograms of hydrogen.  (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Jan. 21, 2021

Seoul stocks hit record high on optimism for Biden presidency

South Korea's benchmark stock index hit an all-time high Thursday on strong foreign buying, buoyed by stimulus hopes related to the inauguration of US President Joe Biden. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 46.29 points, or 1.49 percent, to close at 3,160.84 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 1.3 billion shares worth some 24.6 trillion won ($22.4 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 602 to 246. Foreigners bou

Jan. 21, 2021

Pfizer to submit application for COVID-19 vaccine approval by end-Jan.

A local office of global pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. is expected to submit an application for the approval of its COVID-19 vaccine to South Korea's drug safety agency, industry sources said Thursday. The company is planning to submit the application to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety before the end of this month, they said. Approval would mark the country's first batch of vaccines as part of a procurement program. Earlier, the government signed a COVID-19 vaccine procurement contra

Jan. 21, 2021

Experts discuss how Korean biotech firms can attract US investments

Exactly a week after the year’s biggest global investor relations event JP Morgan Healthcare Conference wrapped up on Jan. 14, Korean biotech firms were still more than eager to pitch their businesses to the US investors in a spin-off event, held virtually on Thursday. There were several key takeaways from the event’s panel talk comprising members from US law firm Sidley Austin, US venture capital firm Novatio and a couple of Korean biotech firms who have made exemplary forays into

Jan. 21, 2021

Posco’s LNG-powered bulk carrier successfully finishes first trip

The world’s biggest LNG-powered bulk carrier has successfully returned from its first trip to bring in iron ore to South Korea, the country’s leading steelmaker said Thusday. Posco introduced two bulk carriers, dubbed HL Eco and HL Green, in December in line with its efforts to reduce gas emissions in its business operations. According to Posco, HL Green has successfully completed its first trip from Mokpo, South Jeolla Province, to Australia, and brought back 180,000 metric ton

Jan. 21, 2021