While most South Koreans wish to become public servants, in reality they strive to land jobs in the corporate world, a survey showed Friday.According to a Saramin HR, South Korea’s online job recruiting matching platform that surveyed 1,143 adults on job preferences, 66.6 percent of 404 job seekers answered that their desired job and their actual target did not match.  To a question asking which jobs they desired the most, irrelevant to how realistic it was, 26.7 percent said working

Economy Nov. 30, 2018

Samsung SDI, the battery-making unit of South Korea’s Samsung Group, will be expanding its battery pack plant for electric vehicles in the Unites States, the company said Thursday. Samsung SDI will be investing over $62 million to extend its existing plant in Auburn Hills in Michigan nearby Detroit. (Yonhap)The company had acquired the electric battery pack plant that had been owned by Magna Steyr, an automobile manufacturer based in Graz and Austria.Industry insiders predict that the expansion

Technology Nov. 29, 2018

The market for used cars is expanding rapidly, with anticipated sales this year likely to exceed the 2016 record of 3.78 million units, data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport showed Thursday.According to the ministry, 3.16 million used vehicles were registered upon purchase between January and October this year, up 1.2 percent from about 3.12 million tallied in the same time period last year.  An SK Encar representative inspects a used car. (SK Encar)Over the past five year

Mobility Nov. 29, 2018

Samsung Display has been engaged in social acitivities designed for teenagers and the underprivileged throughout this year as part of the firm’s corporate social responsibility program, the company said Tuesday.For teenagers, the firm has supported students in promoting the importance of reading with a project called “BOM (Bread of Mind) Dream” since 2014.  Participants attend the 2018 BOM Dream Awards ceremony. (Samsung Display)The program involved remodeling school libraries and providing othe

Industry Nov. 27, 2018

Incheon International Airport signed a memorandum of understanding with San Miguel Holdings to push ahead with a project to develop a new airport in Manila in the Philippines, the firm said Monday.  Chung Il-young (right), president of Incheon International Airport, and Ramon See Ang, CEO of the San Miguel Holdings Corporation pose for cooperative partnership‘s signing ceremony of new Manila Airport project at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, Japan. (IIAC)The new project of Manila aims to set up an

Industry Nov. 26, 2018

Fine dust levels are expected to remain “bad” across the nation Monday, and will be accompanied by thick fog in some areas. The fog is expected to last throughout the day in South Korea’s inland and west coast areas.Bad fine dust levels are forecast for the capital area as well as Gangwon Province, North Chungcheong Province, North Jeolla Province, Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, according to the Air Quality Forecasting Center within the National Institute of Environment Research. Fine dust

Social Affairs Nov. 26, 2018

The combined training on foreign stock given to private banking managers at Samsung Securities surpassed the 25,000-hour mark, as part of their enhanced focus on raising global investment capabilities, the firm said Sunday. This means, an inidivual PB manager received an average of 30 hours of training. Private Banking managers of Samsung Securities pose for a photo at Twitter in San Francisco. (Samsung Securities)Samsung Securities sent their “Global PB Research Group” to Vietnam, Japan, and th

Industry Nov. 25, 2018

As the peak shopping season approaches, with Black Friday falling in the US this week and the holiday season next month, consumers are at an increased risk of fraud when using cross-border shopping sites, the Seoul Electronic Commerce Center said Thursday. The center under the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it had handled eight consumer complaints against Rogervi2018, an online shopping site that purported to sell products from the French luxury shoe brand Roger Vivier, owned by To

Economy Nov. 22, 2018

Mirae Asset Global Investments has become the first South Korean asset management company to qualify as a private equity fund operator in China, officials said Wednesday. Mirae Asset Global Investments websiteMirae Asset Overseas Investment Fund Management Shanghai, the Chinese office of Mirae Asset Global Investment, has registered with the Asset Management Association of China as a private fund management wholly foreign-owned enterprise.The Korean company became the 16th overseas financial com

Industry Nov. 21, 2018

Encouraged by its expanding battery cells business, analysts here are raising their estimates of the value of SK Innovation amid a series of new orders and investment plans by the firm.SK Innovation(Yonhap)SK Innovation, the owner of South Korea’s biggest refiner, SK Energy, is expected to see its corporate value in 2022 increase by 14 trillion won from the current level, according analyst Lee Do-yeon of Korea Investment and Securities Co. Added to the current value, the figure in four years cou

Industry Nov. 20, 2018

Korea South-East Power Co. has donated 18 million won ($16,000) to a young patient from Pakistan with a cleft lip and palate as the first beneficiary of its medical social contribution service, the company said Sunday. The firm helped with the surgery expenses while paying a visit to the 7-month-old patient at the Dental Hospital of Gangneung-Wonju National University.The donation was part of the KOEN Miso-Dream project jointly launched with the Seoul Medical Service Foundation in April this yea

Industry Nov. 18, 2018

WISH TREE -- A child stands next to a wish tree set up by Hanwha Galleria and the Make-A-Wish Korea foundation at Seoul National University Children’s Hospital in central Seoul, Tuesday. The Christmas event, the first of its kind to be organized by the company, is intended to help children under treatment to celebrate the holiday season by offering gifts to those participating, according to Hanwha Galleria. (Yonhap)

Industry Nov. 14, 2018

 Pernod Ricard Korea’s leading Scotch whisky brand Imperial on Tuesday launched new low-alcohol spirit drink Smooth 12.As part of the promotion, the company has also opened pop-up store The Smooth Hotel & Malt Bar at Banyan Tree Seoul. Interior of Moon Bar at The Smooth Hotel & Malt Bar (Pernod Ricard Korea)Under a theme of “The Smooth Men,” the pop-up store will host events such as a tasting and cocktail class in Moon Bar, Smooth Signature Dining and special hotel room promotions until Nov. 30.

Industry Nov. 13, 2018

 The average age of the 122 CEOs at South Korea’s five leading conglomerates is 58.1, according to corporate rating agency CEO Score. Samsung Electronics` Chairman Lee Kun-hee, left, and Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong in a file photo (Yonhap)Of all the CEOs at companies affiliated with Samsung, Hyundai Motor, SK, LG and Lotte, LG Group CEOs were the oldest on average at 60.9 years. Park Jin-soo, LG Chem’s retiring vice chairman and CEO, was the oldest at 66. Lotte Group had the highest number of CEO

Industry Nov. 12, 2018

Winner successfully wrapped up its first solo concert “Winner 2018 [Everywhere] Tour in Manila” in the Philippines on Saturday. Local fans threw special events for the group as gifts.  (Winner performs at “Winner 2018 [Everywhere] Tour in Manila” on Nov.10. / YG Entertainment)Fans flocked to the airport to welcome Winner by passionately singing “Everyday.” Banners showing images of each member adorned street lamps around the concert hall. The unique fashion donned by fans also grabbed attention,

Performance Nov. 11, 2018