South Korea has started to roll out measures to address the increasing public concern over the risk of earthquakes, after the nation was hit by two of the strongest earthquakes over the past two years.Korea has long been regarded as an earthquake-free country but the latest record-high quakes in Pohang and Gyeongju have triggered concerns over future quakes on the peninsula, with experts here forecasting possibilities of stronger quakes hitting in the future.Primary concerns are over the low rat

Industry Jan. 1, 2018

GS Retail, a major Korean convenience store chain operator that runs GS25, said Friday that the company will open its first branch in Vietnam in January. Starting with the first branch opening in mid-January, GS Retail plans to launch a total of four convenience stores in Vietnam’s largest city Ho Chi Minh next month, the company said.  (Yonhap)GS Retail expects its annual earnings to reach tens of billions of won from loyalties and also dividends, mainly from the joint venture it forged with Vi

Industry Dec. 29, 2017

Samsung Heavy Industries said Thursday that it will sign a deal worth 210 billion won ($195 million) to build a liquefied natural gas carrier.It will ink the contract with a foreign shipping company by the end of the year, Samsung Heavy Industries officials said. The name of the company, however, remained undisclosed.  (Yonhap)With the deal, orders secured by the shipbuilder this year will reach $6.9 billion for 28 ships, surpassing its annual target of $6.5 billion. The ship maker also said it

Industry Dec. 28, 2017

The Foreign Language Newspapers Association of Korea awarded outstanding reporters of the year at a ceremony held at the Korea Press Center in Seoul on Wednesday. Song Su-hyun, reporter at The Korea Herald, Lee Hee-soon, international desk editor at the Korea Times, Seo Ji-eun, senior reporter at Korea JoongAng Daily, and Wang Haina, reporter at Aju News, were awarded during the event.  From left, The Korea Herald reporter Song Su-hyun, Korea JoongAng Daily senior reporter Seo Ji-eun, Foreign La

Industry Dec. 28, 2017

LG Chem will invest a total of 300 billion won ($278.6 million) to expand its petrochemical facilities in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, the company said Tuesday.With the investment, the company plans to increase the annual production capacities of crude acrylic acid and super absorbent polymer by 180,000 tons and 100,000 tons, respectively.  (LG Chem)CAA is used to produce acrylates and other derivatives used in paint, paper, textile, adhesives, specialty coatings. SAP is mainly used in disposab

Industry Dec. 26, 2017

The South Korean government said Tuesday that it will inject 3.2 trillion won ($2.9 billion) into research and development in the next year to boost growth of next-generation industries.Despite the ambitious cause, the size of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s R&D investment has been decreasing over the past several years, falling to 3.158 trillion won for 2018, down 1.3 percent from 3.338 trillion won this year.  (Yonhap)But by category, the ministry‘s investments in five next-genera

Industry Dec. 26, 2017

Final-stage works are being done at Raemian brand apartments in Seocho district, Seoul, Tuesday. Residents will start to move in from January next year. According to local market research company Real Estate 114, a total of 43,066 households will move in, a record high for the month of January. Throughout next year, some 440,000 households are expected to settle into new apartments, surpassing a record-high figure marked in 1990s when five new metropolitan towns opened, the report added. (Yonhap

Industry Dec. 26, 2017

South Korean customers expect emotional responses from artificial intelligence programs more than technological benefits, a survey showed Monday.  (Innocean Worldwide)Innocean Worldwide, an advertising agency under Hyundai Motor Group, analyzed some 480,000 AI-related keywords online. Its big data analysis team found that customers sought more for interaction and understanding from artificial intelligence, considering them friends and assistants.Related keywords when sharing experiences with AI

Technology Dec. 25, 2017

Hyundai Engineering will start sales of its new Hillstate brand apartments in Songjeong, Gumi, the company said Monday. Lot sales will start in January next year, and residents will be able to move in around May 2020, according to the company’s officials. The complex consists of seven apartment buildings as high as 20 stories. It will hold 526 households, mostly small or medium-sized, the company added An artist’s drawing of the Hillstate apartment complex in Songjeong, Gumi, North Gyeongsang Pr

Industry Dec. 25, 2017

Hanwha Land Systems, a defense business run by Hanwha Group, signed a contract with the Norwegian government to supply two dozen K9 Thunder self-propelled 155 mm howitzers, the company said Thursday.Under the 245.2 billion won ($226.6 million) deal, Hanwha Land Systems will deliver 24 K9 howitzers and six K10 ammunition resupply vehicles by 2020.  Son Jae-il, Hanwha Land Systems CEO, shakes hands with Mette Elin Sørfonden, head of Norway's defense material agency, after a contract on K9 self-pro

Industry Dec. 21, 2017

Zero Space, a domestic fashion brand, was launched with the support of Yuhan-Kimberly, a South Korea personal care products manufacturer, as part of efforts to help senior citizens. The fashion brand is a collaboration between local senior dressmakers and young marketers. It has now grown to join overseas fashion design fairs, such as Maison et Objet Paris and Centrestage in Hong Kong. The brand’s sales have also increased by some 270 percent, according to Yuhan-Kimberly.  (Yuhan-Kimberly)The co

Industry Dec. 21, 2017

(Yonhap)Shilla Duty Free, operated by Hotel Shilla, has secured the license to operate its duty-free business at the airport in the country‘s resort island of Jeju, the Korea Customs Service said Wednesday. Shilla Duty Free now has the right to run duty-free stores at Jeju International Airport for five years. The bidding took place as Hanwha Galleria, retail unit of Hanwha Group, decided to withdraw its business from the airport after the company suffered from a drop in the number of visitors f

Industry Dec. 20, 2017

SK Holdings, the holding unit of SK Group, said Tuesday that the company has received fourth-quarter dividends worth $10 million from the company‘s investment in Eureka Midstream Holdings. In September, SK Holdings purchased shares worth $100 million in Eureka Midstream Holdings, a US-based shale gas gathering and processing company owned by Morgan Stanley.　 (Yonhap)Houston-based Eureka currently operates midstream assets in the Marcellus and Utica Shales, the area where North America’s largest

Industry Dec. 19, 2017

Bilateral trade between South Korea and Vietnam increased by 43 percent on-year to reach $58.5 billion this year, making Vietnam South Korea’s fourth-largest trading partner, according to a report by the Trade Ministry on Tuesday. Bilateral trade has increased for three consecutive years since the free trade agreement between the two nations took effect in 2015. (Yonhap)According to the report by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Korea’s combined exports to Vietnam reached $43.7 billio

Industry Dec. 19, 2017

South Korea’s exports of traditional rice wine, or makgeolli, plunged by more than 75 percent last year compared to five years ago, according to a market report Monday. Last year, outbound shipments of Korean rice wine fell to $12.87 million, down by 75.6 percent from 2011, when combined shipments reached their highest level of $52.74 million, according to data compiled by Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade.  (Yonhap)The figure for this year is expected to go down further, as exports of Korean

Industry Dec. 18, 2017