Most Popular
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1 in 3 Koreans live alone, family types becoming diverse
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Korea, Japan finance chiefs vow to tame rampant FX market volatility
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US 'incredibly concerned' about suspected NK-Iran military ties
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K-pop group's manager dismissed for setting up spycam in theater dressing room
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K-pop singer lost consciousness after being hit by foul ball, cancels show
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Korean Muslim YouTuber's plan to build mosque in Incheon goes viral
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[Kim Seong-kon] Democracy and the future of South Korea
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Yoon's office denies considering liberal figures for key posts
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Why is Apple Pay struggling to get purchase in Korea?
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Seoul says Fu Bao loan 'not going to happen'
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Kakao Healthcare boosts partnership with Google
Kakao Healthcare, the digital health care unit under platform giant Kakao, announced Thursday that the company would boost its collaboration with Google to improve its cloud-based data platform. The announcement came after Kakao Healthcare CEO Hwang Hee shared the company's recent progress with Healthcare Data Research Suite (HRS), the company’s cloud-based data platform service, during Google's Cloud Next conference in Las Vegas this week. According to Hwang, Korea has a significant amoun
April 11, 2024
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Yoon's plans to boost stock market likely to fizzle
With the liberal opposition clinching a landslide victory in Wednesday's general election, expectations over President Yoon Suk Yeol’s economic policies that favor stock market investment falter. Yoon’s People Power Party faced a major defeat in the parliamentary elections, as the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea and its satellite party won 175 seats in the 300-member National Assembly. The election results sent a signal to the market that Yoon and his party’s drive to
April 11, 2024
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Seoul shares close almost flat despite higher US inflation; won sharply down
South Korean stocks ended almost flat Thursday thanks to gains in techs and autos despite higher-than-expected US inflation that dimmed hopes for the Federal Reserve's early rate cuts. The Korean won sharply fell to the lowest point in 17 months against the US dollar. After starting 1.45 percent lower, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index pared earlier losses by rising 1.8 points, or 0.07 percent, to close at 2,706.96. Trade volume was moderate at 522.4 million shares worth 12.5
April 11, 2024
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Korea's national debt hits record high in 2023
South Korea's national debt surged by nearly 60 trillion won ($44 billion) last year, reaching a record high. According to a report on the 2023 national settlement of accounts approved at a Cabinet meeting, the country's national debt stood at 1,126.7 trillion won, up by 59.4 trillion won from 2022. The total includes 1,092.5 trillion won owed by the central government and 34.2 trillion won owed by provincial governments, increasing by 59.1 trillion won and 300 billion won, respectively, from th
April 11, 2024
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AXA CEO makes first Korea visit
French insurance giant AXA's Chief Executive Officer Thomas Buberl made his inaugural visit to South Korea, engaging with the local workforce and meeting with the nation's top financial regulator, according to the Korean unit on Thursday. Buberl visited the local office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on Tuesday and held discussions with employees and executives. This marked the CEO's first visit to Korea since assuming the top position in 2016. During his meeting, he commended employees for their contrib
April 11, 2024
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Kia unveils new pickup brand Tasman
Korean automaker Kia on Thursday officially unveiled its first-ever pickup truck, the Kia Tasman, setting its sights primarily on the Australian market with a diesel-powered model planned for 2025. The Tasman, whose name pays homage to the Tasman Sea that lies between Australia and New Zealand, represents Kia's most direct nod to Australian culture. It is the first Kia product to bear an Aussie-inspired name. The name also reflects the country’s deep affinity for pickup trucks, colloquiall
April 11, 2024
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SK hynix exec pins high hopes on new US packaging plant
With the advances in artificial intelligence, there is a growing demand for cutting-edge memory chips. As the technology environment has evolved, SK hynix vice president expressed his ambition to contribute to the development of the highest-performance memory products through advanced packaging technologies. “Package and test (P&T) technology is turning into a crucial factor in the battle for semiconductor leadership,” Choi Woo-jin, vice president in charge of SK hynix’s pa
April 11, 2024
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Korea aligned with US export curbs on chips to China: minister
South Korea is largely aligned with the US government’s export curbs on chips to China, but it is also making efforts to maintain trade ties with Beijing, Korea’s trade minister said in the US on Wednesday. Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Duk-geun, who is visiting the US for the first time after he was inaugurated in January this year, added that the government is working to ensure the US trade curbs do not hurt the interests of Korean chipmakers. "Our basic stance is
April 11, 2024
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Seoul shares open sharply lower on higher US inflation
South Korean stocks started sharply lower Thursday as higher-than-expected US inflation data poured cold water on investors' hopes for early rate cuts. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index plunged 39.34 points, or 1.45 percent, to 2,665.82 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, major US indexes lost ground as the release of a key measure of inflation dashed investors' hopes that the Federal Reserve may start cutting its rates soon. The US' consumer price index f
April 11, 2024
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Exports rise 21.6% in first 10 days of April on solid chip sales
South Korea's exports rose 21.6 percent on-year in the first 10 days of April on robust global demand for semiconductors, data showed Thursday. Outbound shipments reached $16.44 billion in the April 1-10 period, compared with $13.52 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Per-day exports advanced 13.5 percent on-year to $2.19 billion. Imports grew 5.8 percent on-year to $18.4 billion during the period, resulting in a trade deficit of $2 billion.
April 11, 2024
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Naver, Intel team up to counter Nvidia’s dominance in AI chips
US chip giant Intel is teaming up with Naver, Korea's leader in artificial intelligence, in an apparent move to counter Nvidia's dominance in the burgeoning AI chip market. Unveiling its more powerful next-generation AI accelerator, Gaudi 3, on Tuesday, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said the cutting-edge central processing unit has been enhanced to perform better than Nvidia's graphic processing unit "at a fraction of the cost." He also said the company is working together wit
April 10, 2024
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Politicians push for telemedicine amid doctors’ walkout
Discussions on expanding telemedicine services are speeding up here as no immediate breakthrough can be seen in the prolonged mass walkout by junior doctors in protest against the government’s push to raise the admission caps of medical schools. Ahead of Wednesday’s General Election, candidates from both ruling and opposition parties also announced pledges to expand the availability of telemedicine services. Currently, remote clinical services via phone or video calls are offered on
April 10, 2024
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Competition to become Korea's 4th online-only bank heats up
The race to receive the license to become South Korea’s fourth internet-only bank is growing fiercer, with four bidders announcing their will to contend. There are currently three online lenders in Korea: KBank, Kakao Bank and Toss Bank. But four new contenders -- Soso Bank, Korea Credit Data Bank, and the U-Bank and Douzone Bank consortiums -- have lined up to compete for the fourth license. In line with the local regulator Financial Services Commission’s vision to encourage financi
April 10, 2024
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Samsung retains No. 1 spot in US home appliance market
Samsung Electronics retained its No. 1 spot in the US home appliance market for an eighth consecutive year, dating to 2016, thanks to strong sales of key household products including refrigerators and washers, industry data showed Wednesday. According to market tracker TraQline, Samsung notched a 20.9 percent market share based on sales in the US home appliance market in 2023, followed by its crosstown rival LG Electronics with 18.8 percent, GE Appliances and Whirlpool, which secured 17.6 percen
April 10, 2024
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Korean battery firms await grim Q1 earnings amid EV slowdown
Korea's top three battery makers -- LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI and SK On -- are buckling up for the impact of their first-quarter earnings, which are certainly looking dispirited amid the withering demand for electric vehicles across the globe. According to LG Energy Solution’s preliminary earnings released on Friday, the country’s leading battery firm is expected to post 6.13 trillion won ($4.53 billion) in revenue and 157 billion won in operating profit from January to Ma
April 10, 2024
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Chinese e-commerce platforms catching up with Korean rivals
Chinese e-commerce platforms, including the big three AliExpress, Temu and Shein, saw their Korean sales more than double over the past six months, while their Korean rivals suffered lukewarm sales performance during the same period, according to payment transaction data released Wednesday. According to an analysis report by BC Card, the nation’s largest payment processing company, payments made on Chinese e-commerce platforms soared more than 130 percent from October last year to March th
April 10, 2024
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[Photo News] Mental health for athletes
LG Electronics, the South Korean home appliance giant, said Wednesday it donated $100,000 to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, a US-based organization overseeing intercollegiate athletics. The contribution aims to support the NCAA's program dedicated to promoting mental health within collegiate athletics. “We hope this contribution fosters the mental well-being of young athletes, enabling them to pursue successful careers," said Jung Kyu-hwang (center), head of LG Ele
April 10, 2024
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[Photo News] 10th anniversary of Samsung Innovation Museum
The Samsung Innovation Museum, Korea's largest electronics industry museum, located at Samsung Electronics' headquarters in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, marks its 10th on April 21. Since its grand opening in 2014, the museum has attracted some 500,000 visitors from 180 countries, including state guests from 23 countries. The 10,950-square-meter museum houses some 150 historical products such as light bulbs invented by Thomas Edison, transistor radios and TVs, as well as a multi-purpose Sa
April 10, 2024
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Hybe likely to join FTC’s antitrust watch list
Hybe, the powerhouse behind K-pop sensation BTS, is poised to claim the "large firm" status, with its total assets passing beyond the 5 trillion won ($3.7 billion) mark last year. According to the company's regulatory filings, Hybe's total assets stood at 5.35 trillion won by the end of last year, marking a 9.8 percent increase from the 4.87 trillion won tallied in 2022. This milestone heralds a groundbreaking achievement as the first K-pop company to enter the esteemed "
April 10, 2024
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Samsung hopes to shed Galaxy brand's ‘ajeossi phone’ reputation
Samsung Electronics is striving to shed the reputation of its flagship Galaxy smartphones as "ajeossi" phones among teens and users in their 20s, with short films starring popular TV celebrities. An "ajeossi" is an older married man or an uncle in Korean, but in this context, it implies a sense of being "old" or "out of style." The world's largest smartphone maker by shipment said its short film series, “S24 Hours Movie Series,” starring a
April 9, 2024