October 18, 2024

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EDITOR'S PICKS

• Tech 
  

  Samsung to launch slimmer foldable phone next week

  Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest smartphone maker by shipment, is expected to launch its thinnest foldable phone next week to reinforce its footing in the global foldable smartphone market where Chinese rivals are edging their way up. Releasing a video invitation on Thursday, Samsung said it would introduce a new product on Monday and set the market launch date on Oct. 25. While the smartphone maker did not reveal what the product will be, it gave away a hint in the video showing

• Companies 
  

  Hanwha Securities acquires Indonesian brokerage house

  Hanwha Investment & Securities, under the wings of South Korea's defense-to-energy conglomerate Hanwha Group, announced Thursday, that it has completed the acquisition of Indonesia’s Ciptadana Securities. Completion of the deal comes over a year after the brokerage house signed an underwriting agreement to acquire an 80 percent stake in Ciptadana Securities for around 49 billion won ($35.7 million) in June 2023. It won final approval from the Indonesian financial authorities last mont

• Markets 
  

  Finance minister vows all-out efforts to win Czech nuclear deal

  Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choi Sang-mok vowed to secure the final deal for Czech nuclear plants amid ongoing criticism that it would result in a pork-barrel project. “We will put an utmost effort to ensure that the construction of the Czech nuclear power plant reaches the final contract without any setbacks,” Choi said during a ministerial meeting on external economics. Korea's consortium, led by the state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, is seek

• Tech 
  

  LG Uplus chief stresses quality in AI innovations

  LG Uplus CEO Hwang Hyeon-sik on Wednesday stressed service quality as the top priority in the telecom carrier’s ongoing efforts for artificial intelligence-based corporate transformation or AX. “The most fundamental aspect of growing into an AX company should be service quality,” the CEO said during a town hall meeting with employees on Wednesday. “No matter how innovative AI technology may be, it cannot create true customer satisfaction if not backed by quality.&rdquo

• Companies 
  

  Kia to start EV production in Slovakia by year-end

  Hyundai Motor Group’s smaller affiliate Kia is poised to start electric vehicle production in Europe by the end of this year at its Slovakian manufacturing plant, according to Marc Hedrich, president and CEO of Kia Europe. “(I had a) very good meeting today with Slovakian Economy Minister (Madame) Denisa Sakova and State Secretary Vladimir Simonak,” stated Hedrich in a LinkedIn post on Wednesday. “I had the opportunity to discuss challenges the automotive industry is fac

• Markets 
  

  Multinationals in Korea pay OECD’s lowest share of corporate tax

  The proportion of South Korea's total corporate tax revenue that comes from foreign multinational companies, including Google and Netflix, stands at just 7 percent, one of the lowest ratios in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. According to an analysis of OECD corporate tax data by Rep. Ahn Do-geol, submitted at the parliamentary audit of the National Tax Service on Wednesday, the share of corporate tax revenue from foreign multinationals in Korea is less than one-third

• Markets 
  

  Shinhan partners with China's BoCom on QR payment service

  Shinhan Financial Group announced Thursday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with China's Bank of Communications to enable its SOL Travel Card users to make payments using QR codes in China. The Bank of Communications, one of China’s five state-owned commercial banks, ranked ninth in The Banker’s 2023 Top 1000 World Banks. Its Seoul branch serves as the only designated renminbi clearing bank in Korea, managing settlements in yuan on behalf of other institutions. As part

• Markets 
  

  Hyundai Card to supply AI solutions to Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui

  Hyundai Card announced Thursday that it has secured a global deal to sell its self-developed artificial intelligence software. The Korean card issuer signed an agreement to sell its AI software, known as Universe, to Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Card Co., marking the first AI software export deal by a Korean financial company. While the exact financial details were not disclosed, Hyundai Card stated the deal is valued at several tens of billions of won, equivalent to at least $15 million. Univer

• Companies 
  

  LG Chem to develop plant-based cosmetics ingredient

  LG Chem said Thursday that it plans to commercialize an eco-friendly ingredient derived from plant-based oils for cosmetic products, becoming the first to do so. The South Korean chemicals giant is set to develop functional cosmetics using 100 percent bio-based 3-hydroxypropionic acid, a compound produced through the microbial fermentation of plant materials. This marks the first time 3HP will be applied as a cosmetics ingredient. While 3HP is considered as an innovative bio-material with vast

• Tech 
  

  Samsung to debut 24Gb GDDR7 DRAM chip next year

  Samsung Electronics, the world's largest memory chip maker, said Thursday it has developed the industry’s first 24-gigabit GDDR7 DRAM, set for a market debut early next year. Compared to the previous 16Gb GDDR7 DRAM, the new chip has improved capacity, performance and power efficiency, the company said. Samsung applied 12 nanometer-class processing technology to increase cell density within the same package size, achieving a 50 percent increase in capacity compared to the predecessor.

• Companies 
  

  Job Korea’s KLiK to host networking event for foreign talent

  KLiK, Korea’s largest foreign talent recruitment service, operated by Job Korea, announced Wednesday that it will host a networking event for international students and job seekers on Oct. 24. Organized to ease the often difficult process of job hunting for foreigners and create stronger ties within Korea’s expatriate community, “KLiK Happy Hour” will offer practical tips for job seekers, including guidance on how to effectively use the KLiK platform. In addition to inf

• Companies 
  

  CEOs at foreign insurers reappointed with hands full

  The CEOs of major foreign insurance firms in Korea have been reappointed as they navigate challenges posed by a slowing market and local competition. Lina Life Insurance, the Korean unit of American insurance group Chubb, recently nominated current CEO and President Cho Jee-eun as the sole candidate for reappointment. Barring any unexpected issues, she is expected to secure her next term at the extraordinary shareholders meeting on Oct. 29. Fubon Hyundai Life’s Lee Jae-won and MetLife Ko

• Companies 
  

  Hyundai, Kia develop 1st automatic system for press die design

  Korea’s two leading auto brands -- Hyundai Motor Company and Kia -- announced Wednesday that they developed the world’s first automatic press die system for all designs. Press dies are used to form a vehicle’s body parts such as the trunk, hood and fender. Depending on the part’s design, automakers usually conduct the press dying process three to five times to manufacture a part while press die designers line up numerous requirements for the production of each part. A

• Companies 
  

  Posco Group Chairman joins WSA executive committee

  South Korean steel giant Posco Group announced Wednesday that Chairman Chang In-hwa has joined the executive committee of the World Steel Association. The World Steel Association, consisting of 155 members ranging from global steelmakers to research institutes, aims to enhance profitability in the steel industry. Over the next three years, Chang will work on key issues such as low-carbon technology, the environment and safety. At the WSA executive committee meeting Sunday, leaders of the glo

• Companies 
  

  British activist fund takes aim at SK to unlock value

  London-based activist investor Palliser Capital is on its way to challenge South Korean chip-to-energy conglomerate SK Group, having secured a stake of over 1 percent in its investment arm SK Square. Having built a stake in SK Square over the past two years, the British activist fund is pushing for changes in the company to improve its market valuation, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. Though SK Square is the holding company of the group’s key chip-making affiliate S

• Tech 
  

  KB Kookmin Bank to launch ‘Starbucks Account’ for coffee aficionados

  KB Kookmin Bank and Starbucks Korea on Wednesday announced a partnership to launch a bank account product exclusively for local devotees of the US coffee chain. Set for launch in early 2025, the new partnership will introduce the first-ever "Starbucks Account," a savings account tailored to Starbucks customers, offering unique benefits that blend banking services with daily coffee purchases. Additionally, KB Kookmin Bank’s digital certificate service will be integrated into the