For the next three years, South Korean tech giant Kakao and SK Square, the ICT arm of conglomerate SK Group, will be banned from expanding their designated driver service business to make room for small and midsized enterprises entering the market, the Korea Commission for Corporate Partnership said Tuesday. Other large corporations seeking to start chauffeur services are prohibited from entering the industry worth 3 trillion won ($2.4 billion) in the cited period as well. Although the decisi

Mobility May 24, 2022

Moda Moda, the South Korean producer of the world’s first coloring shampoo using the browning reaction in stale bananas, is seeking a breakthrough in overseas markets to sidestep cumbersome regulations at home. The company is revamping overseas operations to extend its sales network connecting the US, China and Japan. Korean beauty products are increasingly popular in these countries, riding high on the popularity of K-content. Unlike many other K-beauty brands that depend heavily on l

Industry May 20, 2022

Zigbang, a South Korean proptech startup, said Thursday it will launch a global metaverse office platform that allows closer virtual interaction among staffers working for companies in the world. Soma is named after the ‘South of Market’ neighborhood in San Francisco, the home ground of Twitter and Airbnb. Zigbang has high hopes to build a business complex in the metaverse for innovative global startups, according to a company official. The new platform is an upgraded version of M

Technology May 19, 2022

Amid the rise of the platform era where tech giants have a strong foothold based on their abundant resources, small companies must build a solid brand identity through digital branding and target a specific customer base, experts said Wednesday. “Big tech corporations such as Amazon wield enormous power over industries -- especially e-commerce, since they provide a simple but powerful platform with a wide range of purchase choices,” said Kim Byung-gyu, a business professor at Yonse

Technology May 18, 2022

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

Industry May 17, 2022

South Korean researchers have added new evidence that mRNA vaccinations can prevent severe symptoms in breakthrough infections of omicron and other variants of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the Institute for Basic Science said Monday. The research team led by Shin Eui-cheol, professor at KAIST graduate school of medical science and engineering, has analyzed the bloodwork of participants who received mRNA vaccine and those who were vaccinated after contracting COVID-19. The team found

Industry May 17, 2022

Even 100 days after South Korea’s new industrial safety law has come into effect, almost 7 out of 10 companies here say they still cannot fully understand the law and face difficulty complying with it, a survey showed Sunday. According to a survey on 930 local companies by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 68.7 percent said they still have a hard time coming up with countermeasures to respond to the new law aimed at better protecting workers from fatal industrial accidents. On

Industry May 15, 2022

Despite rapid digital transformation shaking up industries from manufacturing to finance, South Korea still lacks companies that can provide digital solutions to business challenges, a tech chief executive officer of retail and food giant CJ Group said Wednesday. “It’s the ugly truth that although it is crucial to use cutting-edge digital technologies to improve business operations and satisfy customers, these initiatives are not being delivered fast enough,” said Cha In-hyuc

Technology May 12, 2022

SK Shieldus, the South Korean security service subsidiary of SK Group’s ICT arm SK Square, said on Friday that it has scrapped its plans for market debut, citing dampened investor sentiment. “We have submitted a delisting notice to the Financial Supervisory Service because the recent demand forecasting, which decides initial public offering prices, showed that our corporate value may not be well received,” the company said. Stressing that market sentiment has turned sour fol

Technology May 6, 2022

Aiming to become a next Coupang, e-commerce platform 11st said Wednesday that it would work on raising its corporate value before its market debut slated for next year. “Based on our premium e-commerce service and joint membership service with SK Telecom, we will expand our business, boost sales and garner traction within the market this year,” said Ha Hyung-il, CEO of 11st. Ha said the company will strengthen its cross-border online shopping segment, Amazon Global Store, which wa

Consumer May 4, 2022

With digital technology becoming the key drivers for growth across industries, South Korea’s tech behemoths Naver and Kakao are going all-in to win the tech war using artificial intelligence through AI-powered search engines and logistics solutions businesses. Naver announced Tuesday it has made upgrades to its AI search engine, called “Airsearch,” now offering more optimized search results for users. “Since the Naver mobile app has access to users’ personal info

Technology May 3, 2022

With the growing buzz around the metaverse driven by every sector of industry around the world, The Korea Herald and the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Korea are co-hosting a forum on Monday to discuss what the hyper-interactive virtual world holds for the future. The two-hour forum, held from 1 p.m. at Four Seasons Seoul, has invited a number of business leaders and experts, who are leading the rise of the metaverse to share their insights on the recent frenzy and how it will shape

Technology May 1, 2022

South Korea biotech firm Seegene is expected to build production facilities for molecular diagnostics in West Coast of the US in a bid to expand its presence in the all-important market, its US chief hinted in a recent media interview. “Seegene Technologies will move beyond serving as a distribution channel of Seegene-made products and self-produce bio products tailored to the needs of the US market,” Richard S. Creager, CEO of the US affiliate Seegene Technologies, said in an int

Industry May 1, 2022

South Korea’s cosmetics giant Amorepacific Group said Thursday its first-quarter net profit plummeted on-year by 13.4 percent to 171.2 billion won ($134.6 million), as sales dropped in duty-free business and in the Asian market due to the coronavirus pandemic. The group’s sales revenue decreased to 1.3 trillion won, down 9 percent in the cited period. Amorepacific Group’s domestic sales, accounting for approximately 60 percent of the total sales, decreased by 9.9 percent to

Consumer April 28, 2022

A sibling feud over Ourhome, a Korean food company, has reignited as Koo Bon-sung, Ourhome’s former vice president and the eldest heir, launched a legal challenge against his sister and Vice President Koo Ji-eun. Koo Bon-sung and Koo Mi-hyeon, the eldest sister of the Koo family, released a statement Tuesday saying that they have filed a requisition to Seoul Southern District Court to convene a temporary shareholders meeting. They are seeking to pass a vote to appoint 48 new board of dir

Consumer April 27, 2022