As the global pandemic has caused disruption in the global supply chain, companies should manage key suppliers, secure multiple and alternative sources and establish regional supply chains, experts said in a symposium held Thursday. The public-private joint video symposium in response to the global supply chain crisis was held jointly by the Industry Ministry and the Korean Production & Operations Management Society. The seminar aimed to find out the impact of the pandemic-led crisis on i

Industry May 7, 2020

The true impact of the pandemic on the job market in March was far more serious than government data would suggest, a local research institute said Wednesday. The Korea Economic Research Institute said a team led by professor Park Ki-sung from Sungshin Women’s University reworked the raw material used to calculate the employment statistics, instead using the Full-Time Equivalent method to determine actual employment growth. Under the FTE method, an employee working 40 hours a week count

Industry May 6, 2020

South Korea plans to create an organization dedicated to the International Civil Aviation Organization, aiming to upgrade its status and raise global competitiveness, officials said Tuesday. The Transport Ministry said it will create a team named, ICAO and Global Partnerships, responsible for policies related to international civil aviation. ICAO is a UN specialized agency, established by States in 1944 to manage the administration and governance of the Convention on International Civil Avia

Mobility May 5, 2020

South Korea’s airline industry is likely to record its worst performance in the first quarter with the dismal situation continuing in the near future. The nation’s largest airline Korean Air, which will announce its first-quarter earnings next week, is expected to post an operating loss of around 240 billion won ($195 million), the first red in 18 quarters since 2015, according to industry watchers. Passenger traffic is expected to shrink around 30 percent on-year. Asiana Airlin

Mobility May 5, 2020

The outlook for South Korea’s exports, which plunged in April due to the novel coronavirus, remains grim as the pandemic persists in key trading partners the US and Europe. Korea’s exports fell 24.3 percent in April to $36.9 billion year-on-year due to weak global demand triggered by the novel coronavirus. The country’s trade balance posted a deficit of $950 million, the highest deficit in 99 months. All major export items, including chips, shipbuilding, petrochemicals and

Industry May 3, 2020

The number of workers subscribed to the national pension program has dropped by more than 10,000 over the past two months in South Korea, as the global COVID-19 pandemic has dampened corporate business, according to a local corporate tracker on Wednesday. CEOScore surveyed 492 companies out of the nation’s top 500 companies on the number of their employees who joined the mandatory National Pension Service. According to the survey, the number of pension subscribers stood at around 1.6 mi

Industry April 30, 2020

The Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry is calling for innovative companies in Korea to apply for the “6th KGCCI Innovation Awards” until May 31, the organization said Tuesday. “Companies of all industries and sizes located in Korea can apply for the award by submitting their applications through the official awards homepage,” KGCCI said. “Not only innovations made in Korea but also innovations made in Germany that have add value in the Korean market c

Industry April 28, 2020

  With South Korean businesses in China suffering from low business sentiment and depressed sales amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Chinese ambassador to Korea said Tuesday that Seoul and Beijing had agreed on a fast-track system to guarantee efficient business travel between the two countries. In a keynote speech at a meeting hosted by the Federation of Korean Industries, Chinese Ambassador Xing Haiming said Korea and China had agreed on the plan and that details of their consultations

Industry April 28, 2020

LS Group plans to expand into the power infrastructure, smart energy and digital transformation sectors in the global market, the firm said Monday. Chairman Koo Ja-yeol, in his New Year’s address this year, urged the company to “thoroughly localize the organization and manpower of its global business and increase their operational efficiency.” To this end, LS plans to establish a group-level regional strategy centered on areas with high growth potential, such as China and th

Industry April 27, 2020

Doosan Group said Monday it finalized a self-rescue plan to secure 3 trillion won ($2.4 billion) by selling assets and reducing costs to improve struggling Doosan Heavy Industries’ financial structure. Minutes later, its main creditors released a statement, saying they accept the plan and have begun reviewing additional financial support. “Even if the recovery of the global economy and power generation market are delayed, Doosan will make self-rescue efforts to improve its financia

Industry April 27, 2020

Change seems to be looming for Hyundai Motor’s labor union -- known for hard-line protests and strikes -- with their new pragmatic leader and as the global pandemic persists. Hyundai Motor’s wage negotiations, which are normally launched in late April or May at the latest, are expected to be delayed until July this year. “We are considering a plan to finalize the requests in mid-June and hold a meeting with the management in July. We have to watch the global pandemic trend

Mobility April 26, 2020

South Korea on Thursday decided to inject emergency funds into the nation’s five key industries -- automobiles, aviation, shipping, shipbuilding and oil refineries -- that are facing a liquidity crisis since the outbreak of the new coronavirus. It discussed customized support measures for each industry at the crisis management meeting led by Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki as a follow-up measures to President Moon Jae-in’s announcement of a 40 trillion won ($32.5 billion) worth relie

Industry April 23, 2020

South Korea’s antitrust watchdog has approved low-cost airline Jeju Air’s takeover of the management of struggling Eastar Jet, officials said Thursday. Early last month, Jeju Air signed a deal with Eastar Holdings, the largest shareholder of Eastar Jet, to acquire the airline for 54.5 billion won ($45 million). The firm acquired 4,971,000 common shares for a 51.17 percent stake. “The Fair Trade Commission conducted the review as promptly as possible, considering the circu

Mobility April 23, 2020

South Korean shipbuilders are jittery as oil prices in the US plummeted to negative territory for the first time in history this week, coupled with the reduced demand for crude oil and global shipments driven by the novel coronavirus pandemic. The business outlook for the global shipbuilding industry is also not very rosy. In the first quarter of this year, global orders for ships fell 78 percent year-on-year to 2.33 million compensated gross tons. Here, only two liquefied natural gas carri

Industry April 22, 2020

Compared with years past, more of the executives from owner families at South Korea’s conglomerates are women or members of the younger generation, data from a local corporate tracker showed Monday. Six group chairpersons were born since 1970 and nearly a quarter of the conglomerates’ 150 young executives are women, the Korea CXO Institute said, citing its survey of the 200 largest groups. Among the younger business leaders in charge at the nation’s top 10 conglomerates are

Industry April 20, 2020