NCSoft said Friday its North American subsidiary NC West will release a new rhythm game “Fuser” for both PC and console in North America and Europe on Nov. 10. Fuser is an interactive DJ music game developed by Harmonix -- a US-based video game development company -- and will be published by NC West. Fuser will be available on PC and three major console platforms -- PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. In Fuser, players will become music festival DJs, mixing vocals, bas

Industry Sept. 4, 2020

Diageo Korea said Friday it has appointed Dan Hamilton as a new CEO. According to the world‘s largest distiller and producer of major whisky brands including Johnny Walker and Windsor, Dan Hamilton has become the new CEO starting Friday as his predecessor Robert Rhee, who had led the company since 2018, will leave the business on Oct. 31. After joining Diageo in 2011, Hamilton served several senior leadership and general management roles in India, China, Japan and Europe. As the CEO

Industry Sept. 4, 2020

Smilegate said Thursday that it has teamed up with UNESCO to support an education campaign for children in less-developed countries in South Asia. According to the South Korean game company, the Smilegate Foundation’s Hope Studio signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korean National Commission for UNESCO to jointly develop education programs and to support and raise funds to help South Asian countries develop more independent education systems. Hope Studio will first support &

Industry Sept. 3, 2020

South Korea’s No.2 conglomerate SK Group had 125 companies as of May, more than any other conglomerate in the country. But under Chairman Chey Tae-won’s command, the group appears to have finally decided which branches to trim, and which seeds to sow, so that the whole field can flourish. Through Chey’s “deep change” initiative, SK Group plans to liquidate its gas and lubricants businesses -- which guarantee stable profits but with little growth potential -- an

Industry Sept. 2, 2020

Kumho Petrochemical said Wednesday the company and its affiliates are putting more emphasis on business management based on environment and safety in response to stricter environmental regulations. According to the world’s No.1 NB latex manufacturer, it has pursued a rigorous campaign to respond to environmental regulations and will take further measures such as upgrading air pollutants reduction facilities and curbing greenhouse gas emissions. As for safety, Kumho Petrochemical&rsqu

Industry Sept. 2, 2020

Unity said Tuesday it has officially launched Unity Distribution Portal, which allows developers to create a single version of a game that can be published in multiple app stores. According to Unity Technologies Korea, UDP is capable of automatically creating different versions of a single game that can meet software requirements of each app store, saving developers a substantial amount of time when publishing in multiple app stores. “Previously, developers had to create different ver

Industry Sept. 1, 2020

Due to the prolonged coronavirus outbreak, South Korea’s electricity sales are projected to shrink 3.3 percent this year compared to a year prior, signaling the worst retreat in demand since 1998, according to a research body under Korea Electric Power Corp. on Tuesday. Kepco Management Research Institute said Kepco’s electricity sales volume this year is expected to suffer a negative growth of 1.8 to 3.3 percent on-year, its second-worst figure next to minus 3.6 percent in 1998

Industry Sept. 1, 2020

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice Chairman Chung Euisun will give a congratulatory speech at this year’s “Social Value Connect,” the largest privately-held social value festival in Korea hosted by SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won. According to SK Group Sunday, SOVAC 2020 -- which will be held online from Sept. 1 to 24 -- will feature business leaders including Chung, Posco Chairman Choi Jung-woo and Shinhan Financial Group Chairman Cho Yong-byoung giving congratulatory speech

Industry Aug. 30, 2020

Hyundai Motor will launch nine new cars in China by the end of next year to seek a turnaround in its sluggish sales in the world’s biggest car market. South Korea’s largest automaker announced Sunday that, starting next month with sport utility vehicle Palisade, it will introduce three sedans, three recreational vehicles and two electric vehicles in the country through 2021 to rebound after sales there plummeted in recent years. The automaker’s three sedans include the new

Mobility Aug. 30, 2020

SK Innovation on Thursday lost a compensation lawsuit it filed against LG Chem in Seoul for breaching a patent settlement. The Seoul Central District Court delivered a verdict siding with LG Chem, saying that the patent settlement both companies signed in 2014 is only effective in Korea. It has dismissed SK Innovation’s claim that LG Chem should drop its lawsuits against SK Innovation in the US and pay 500 million won ($42,000) in compensation to SK Innovation and its US subsidiary SK B

Industry Aug. 27, 2020

LIG Nex1 said Thursday that it has adopted a remote working system. It is the first company in South Korea’s defense industry to do so. The military electronics and missile manufacturer said it has decided to allow all staff members, except key personnel, to work from home on weekdays in response to the resurgence of the coronavirus. “LIG Nex1 took a preemptive measure after the government raised social distancing rules to Level 2 from Level 1 in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province rec

Industry Aug. 27, 2020

South Korea’s leading game company Nexon has rolled up its sleeves to foster better education on coding for students. Since 2016, the firm has been running the “Nexon Youth Programming Challenge,” an annual coding competition that has attracted more than 17,000 eager students. To help familiarize students with coding, Nexon has used what it knows best: games. Instead of solving textbook coding problems, students are given practical problems that are more relatable. Last y

Industry Aug. 27, 2020

PUBG Corp.’s eponymous game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds will be made into a movie and TV series, Krafton said Wednesday. According to PUBG’s parent company, it has made a strategic investment in a domestic production firm “Hidden Sequence” to expand its business to entertainment business. “The investment is aimed at expanding (the application) of Krafton’s intellectual property. We will utilize our IP including PUBG to make TV series, movies and v

Industry Aug. 26, 2020

A series of fires in electric vehicles in China recently has raised concerns over the batteries they are equipped with. According to local media reports, three Aion S sedans -- Chinese automaker GAC’s first pure EV model -- went up in flames on May 18, Aug. 12 and Aug. 23. Though GAC hasn’t disclosed an official cause for the cases, the most recent fire reportedly started from batteries manufactured by China’s leading battery maker CATL. GAC’s Aion S sedans are pow

Industry Aug. 26, 2020

Hanwha General Chemical is preparing to go public by April 2021 with its value estimated between 4 trillion won ($3.3 billion) and 5 trillion won. The initial public offering is expected to facilitate Hanwha Group’s succession process. According to Hanwha and industry sources Tuesday, the chemical unit of Hanwha Group is thinking of going public either on Korea’s main bourse, Kospi, or on the US Nasdaq. After selecting an underwriter next month, it is expected to begin the IPO pr

Industry Aug. 26, 2020