April 25, 2024

• 

EDITOR'S PICKS

• Companies 
  

  [From the Scene] KG Mobility poised to take next leap

  PYEONGTAEK, Gyeonggi Province -- A group of workers gathered to check a computerized system at KG Mobility’s Pyeongtaek plant in Gyeonggi Province on Tuesday afternoon. While most workers were taking their 10-minute break, they came together to try to improve the workflow. That passion played a crucial role in the company logging its first profitable year in 2023 for the first time in 16 years, according to the Korean automaker’s head of production. “I think (our turnaround)

• Companies 
  

  Samsung Biologics Q1 earnings hit all-time high

  Samsung Biologics, a leading contract development and manufacturing organization, announced Wednesday that the company’s earnings in the first quarter this year hit an all-time high. In the January-March period, Samsung Biologics’ sales increased by 31.3 percent on-year to 946.9 billion won ($690 million) from the previous year’s 720.9 billion won. Its operating profit also reached 221.3 billion won, up 15 percent on-year. “The operation of the fourth plant has largely

• Companies 
  

  KGC eyes broader customer base with Lim Young-woong

  Korea Ginseng Corp., the leading manufacturer of ginseng products in the country, has launched a new promotional video featuring trot singer Lim Young-woong. Released on Wednesday, the video showcases a day in the life of Lim, from morning routines to exercise and singing practice. The video highlights the use of JungKwanJang, the company's premium red ginseng brand, portraying its products as essential for daily vitality. Lim, known for his victory in a popular singing competition, appeals t

• Startups 
  

  Korean robot startup aims to transform human walking

  South Korean robotics startup WIRobotics aims to transform the walking experience via its award-winning wearable robot WIM, made lighter and more convenient for everyday use, the company's chief said Wednesday. "We believe humans will be able to enhance walking and physical abilities with the assistance of the interactive robotics technology, and have thought wearable robots will be optimal," WIRobotics CEO and Chief Technology Officer Kim Yong-jae said at the press conference in Seo

• Companies 
  

  Coway launches Berex massage bed with enhanced usability

  South Korean home appliance maker Coway has launched a new massage bed, the Berex Reclining Massage Bed, as part of product diversification aimed at the nation's soaring massage chair market. The new product is the first of its kind to incorporate an automatic upper-body reclining function, specifically designed to ease the process of lying down and standing up -- a feature that addresses usability for the elderly and those with mobility challenges. The model does not require users to manuall

• Markets 
  

  Hyundai Mobis breaks ground for W170b Spain plant

  Hyundai Mobis, the auto parts manufacturer under Hyundai Motor Group, said Wednesday it held a ground-breaking ceremony for its first factory in Western Europe, which will manufacture battery systems, particularly focusing on supplying the Volkswagen Group. The new factory in Navarre, Spain, will cover an area of 150,000 square meters, with a floor space of 50,000 square meters, and it will have the capacity to produce up to 360,000 battery system assemblies annually. In line with its goal to

• Companies 
  

  HD Hyundai teams up with Norway's Philly Shipyard for US footing

  HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Norway's Philly Shipyard signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on manufacturing, maintaining, repairing, and overhauling vessels and ships ordered by the US government, the South Korean shipbuilder said Wednesday. The signing ceremony was held at Philly's shipyard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 12 -- with key officials from both companies in attendance, including Joo Won-ho, head of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ special ship business

• Companies 
  

  Hanwha Life taps into global banking through Indonesian investment

  Hanwha Life, a leading Korean insurance company and the life insurance subsidiary of Hanwha Group, has made a strategic move into the Indonesian banking sector through a stake purchase. The company announced on Wednesday that its board had approved acquiring a 40 percent stake in Nobu Bank from Indonesia's Lippo Group, marking the first entry of a Korean insurer into the Indonesian banking industry. The decision was made during an extraordinary board meeting held on Tuesday. Hanwha Life's exp

• Tech 
  

  LG Energy Solution vows stern action to protect patent rights

  LG Energy Solution announced new stringent policies Wednesday to address rampant patent infringements by what it describes as "patent free-riders." The nation's top battery maker plans to enforce its intellectual property through legal actions and promote equitable competition by contributing to a legitimate battery patent licensing market. This decision comes in response to an increasing number of companies -- both new entrants and established manufacturers -- exploiting LG Energy

• Companies 
  

  Hyundai unveils versatile commercial EV platform

  Hyundai Motor Company launched its new ST1 series of electrified, purpose-built vehicles for commercial use on Tuesday, aiming to diversify and enhance the efficiency of commercial vehicles for both logistics applications and beyond. An open API-based software platform -- a first for Hyundai vehicles -- is a standout component of the series, which expands the possibilities of today's commercial vehicles by providing the exact telematics data that each business user needs. The unveiling took p

• Tech 
  

  Korea’s homegrown nanosatellite successfully launches into space

  South Korea launched its first homegrown earth observation nanosatellite into orbit as part of the country’s project to create a satellite constellation by 2027, the Science Ministry said Wednesday. The Earth observation satellite, named NEONSAT-1, lifted off aboard Rocket Lab's Electron rocket from a spaceport in Mahia, New Zealand. The Ministry of Science and ICT said the satellite was deployed into space at an altitude of 520 kilometers and successfully separated from the launch vehi

• Companies 
  

  Orion's Turtle Chips sales soar in US

  The popularity of the Orion brand's Turtle Chips continued to grow in the US last year, boosting its annual sales to around 12 billion won ($8.8 million). Orion, a South Korean confectionery and snack manufacturer, is supplying the chips at the snack bars of major firms such as Google and Netflix, the company said Wednesday. According to Orion, the annual sales of Turtle Chips in the US reached 12 billion, around 200 times higher than the figure in 2017 when the company first launched the snac

• Markets 
  

  Korean investment in US almost doubles from pre-pandemic: report

  South Korea's investment in the US increased about 1.8 times last year compared to the pre-COVID-19 period as major conglomerates set up large-scale facilities in the eastern part of the country, a report from a business lobby group showed Wednesday. According to the report published by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the total Korean investment in the US stood at $27.7 billion last year, up 75 percent from $15.8 billion in 2019. Large conglomerates like Samsung Electronics, SK hy

• Tech 
  

  Samsung starts production of 290-layer V-NAND chips

  Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest memory chip maker, said Tuesday it kicked off the mass production of its one-terabit triple-level cell vertical NAND, or V-NAND, which is about 50 percent denser and 10 percent more energy efficient than its predecessor that launched in 2022. “We are excited to deliver the industry’s first 9th-gen V-NAND which will take future applications leaps forward. To address the evolving needs for NAND flash solutions, Samsung has pushed the boun

• Companies 
  

  SK CEOs vow to bolster corporate value-up drive

  The chief executive officers of SK Group affiliates have agreed to ramp up efforts to bolster the conglomerate’s corporate value by swiftly carrying out rebalancing work to inspect and optimize businesses amid prolonged global management uncertainty. SK Group said Tuesday the latest decision came as top management agreed to bolster the corporate value-up drive at the April SK Supex Pursuit Council meeting held under the chairmanship of Chey Jae-won earlier in the day. Established in 201

• Tech 
  

  [Exclusive] Korean military set to ban iPhones over 'security' concerns

  South Korea’s military is considering a comprehensive ban on iPhones in military buildings due to increasing concerns about possible leaks of sensitive information through voice recordings, according to multiple military sources on Tuesday. The sources, a group of ranking officers who wished to speak on condition of anonymity, said that the Air Force headquarters released an internal announcement on the military's intranet server on April 11, instructing a complete prohibition on any dev