Hana chief cleared of severe punishment in DLF crisis

After a four-year legal battle, Hana Financial Group Chairman Ham Young-joo has escaped regulatory punishment imposed for internal control failure involving the misselling of derivatives-linked funds. On Thursday, the Supreme Court upheld the appellate court's decision to cancel the major disciplinary action taken by financial authorities on Ham over the losses from the overseas interest rate-linked derivative fund incident in 2019. The top court confirmed the lower court’s ruling, wh

July 26, 2024

Posco threads new life to old uniforms for Philippine communities

Posco Group announced Friday that it donated 30,000 uniforms that no longer serve its employees to be upcycled for communities in the Philippines affected by disasters. After introducing new uniforms in February, Posco sought ways to utilize the former ones. This latest effort brings their total number of donated uniforms to 100,000, following previous donations to vulnerable groups in Mongolia and Madagascar. The company collaborated with non-governmental organizations active in international r

July 26, 2024

NCSoft releases sustainability report to meet global green standards

NCSoft announced Friday the publication of its fourth sustainability report, highlighting its commitment to achieving global standards in environmental management. The game firm’s "ESG Playbook 2023" includes its environmental, social and governance strategies and key accomplishments from the previous year under domestic and international disclosure standards. The report complies with global guidelines such as the Global Reporting Initiative Standards, Sustainability Accounting S

July 26, 2024

Samsung may supply advanced image sensors for Apple: analyst

Samsung Electronics may supply its advanced camera sensors for Apple, ending Sony’s longstanding rein as an exclusive supplier to the global tech giant, according to a supply chain analyst. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, a supply chain analyst at TF International Securities, Samsung is expected to “begin shipping its 1/2.6-inch 48MP ultra-wide CMOS image censors (CIS) as early as 2026.” “To this end, Samsung has established a dedicated team to serve Apple” the analyst w

July 26, 2024

NCSoft launches official Discord channel for Throne and Liberty

NCSoft announced Thursday that it launched an official communication channel for its massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Throne and Liberty, to help users build community. By using voice, video and text communication service Discord, players can access various updates and announcements for the MMORPG, including notices and event information. Key developers of Throne and Liberty plan to engage closely and promptly with users through Discord. Captain Choi Moon-young posted a welcome me

July 26, 2024

Qoo10 liquidity crisis sparks massive complaints, fears of wider damage

Tensions are escalating over the liquidity crisis of online shopping platforms WeMakePrice and Tmon, both owned by Singapore-based e-commerce company Qoo10, sparking massive complaints and fears of wider damage. The platforms failed to pay money owed to sellers in May, prompting traders to leave the platform as well as customer complaints. In an urgent press conference Thursday, Ryu Hwan-hyun, CEO of WeMakePrice, said the value of delayed payments by the company was some 4 billion won ($2.9 mill

July 25, 2024

LG Electronics achieves record earnings in Q2

LG Electronics said Thursday it achieved its all-time high quarterly earnings in the April-June period this year, largely buoyed by the solid growth of its home appliance and vehicle component businesses. Sales increased 8.5 percent on-year to 21.7 trillion won ($15.7 billion) in the second quarter of this year, while operating profits soared 61.2 percent to 1.2 trillion won during the same period. The company attributed the upbeat earnings to the "balanced" management of its core busi

July 25, 2024

SK hynix Q2 earnings soar to record high on AI chip boom

SK hynix, the world’s second-largest memory chip maker by revenue, said Thursday it logged all-time-high sales of 16.4 trillion won ($11.8 billion) in the April-June period this year, riding on the robust demand for artificial intelligence chips. Reporting the second quarter's earnings, the company said it will supply the cutting-edge 12-layer HBM3E chips to customers before the end of the year, keeping its dominance in the burgeoning AI chip market. The operating profit posted 5.46 trilli

July 25, 2024

GS Entec's 1st monopile shipped for major offshore wind project

GS Entec, a South Korean offshore wind power and marine equipment manufacturer, said Thursday it has successfully shipped its first turbine base, or monopile, from its Ulsan plant for the Yeonggwang Nakwol Offshore Wind Power Project. Located off the southwestern coast of Korea, the Yeonggwang Nakwol Offshore Wind Power Project is a major development expected to generate 365 megawatts of electricity, sufficient to power 87,000 homes in Korea. GS Entec secured a 200 billion won ($144 million) c

July 25, 2024

Hankook & Co. invests in electrode startup for battery expansion

Korean tire giant Hankook & Co. announced Thursday a 9 billion won ($6.5 million) investment in JR Energy Solutions, a local secondary battery electrode foundry firm, in its first foray into the burgeoning EV battery market. JR Energy Solutions specializes in producing electrodes, a crucial component of secondary batteries, based on its smart factory technology. In February this year, the startup completed a 500 megawatt-hours electrode manufacturing facility in Eumseong, North Chungcheong P

July 25, 2024

[Business Diplomacy] Korea becomes popular destination for US governors

South Korea seems to have been a popular destination for US state governors. This year alone, four governors leading the US industrial heartlands of the Midwest and the South visited Korea to meet with corporate partners and attract new investors. “We're very excited about the relationship that we have built with Korea and Korean companies and we want it to grow,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said upon his first visit to Korea in July. “If there are ways that we can improve

July 24, 2024

Payment delays prompt exodus from Tmon, Wemakeprice

Sellers are leaving Tmon and Wemakeprice, the online shopping platforms owned by Singapore-based e-commerce giant Qoo10, due to delays in payment reportedly caused by liquidity issues, according to industry sources, Wednesday. Major retailers like Lotte Shopping, GS Retail and Hyundai Department Store suspended sales on Tmon and Wemakeprice earlier this week, citing a failures in getting paid by the two platforms. Similarly, travel agencies including Hana Tour, Modetour and Yellow Balloon Tour a

July 24, 2024

Samsung Biologics' H1 earnings hit W2tr for first time

Leading global contract development and manufacturing organization Samsung Biologics announced Wednesday that its earnings for the first half of this year reached an all-time high, surpassing 2 trillion won ($1.5 billion). According to its financial results for the first half of this year, the company reported consolidated revenue of 2.1 trillion won and an operating profit of 655.8 billion won, reflecting on-year increases of 33 percent and 47 percent, respectively. In the second quarter, conso

July 24, 2024

Zyx Technology, Eomji House team up for interior design innovation

South Korean design software developer Zyx Technology said Wednesday that it signed a memorandum of understanding with Eomji House, an interior architecture and design firm, to foster mutual exchange and cooperation. Zyx Technology and Eomji House will collaborate on developing and refining new technologies. They will also plan innovation in the large business-to-business interior market and enhance their competitiveness through each other's technological resources. Under the partnership wi

July 24, 2024

[KH Explains] $17b too low? Korea’s Czech nuclear bid faces profitability questions

The South Korean government recently celebrated a significant milestone: The state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power was chosen as the preferred bidder for a nuclear power project in the Czech Republic valued at 24 trillion won ($17.3 billion). It is being hailed as a “remarkable achievement after 15 years” by the government, reminiscent of a $20 billion nuclear plant deal in the United Arab Emirates in 2009. However, not everyone shares the government’s enthusiasm. Some expe

July 24, 2024

KIAT to support tech firms with regulatory sandbox

Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology is collaborating with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to bolster financial and direct investment support for companies approved under their collaborative regulatory sandbox. On Wednesday, KIAT hosted the first Investor Relations Day event for companies joining the regulatory sandbox initiative in Seoul. The event featured business presentations and one-on-one funding consultations. The regulatory sandbox permits the government to temporari

July 24, 2024

Amorepacific tops beauty sales during Amazon Prime Day

South Korean beauty giant Amorepacific said Wednesday that several of its brands topped sales during Amazon Prime Day, the global online retailer's largest shopping event. Amazon Prime Day is an exclusive annual event for its Prime members that took place on July 16 and 17 this year. Amorepacific’s key brands, including Cosrx, Laneige and Aestura, joined the event this year. In the beauty and personal care category, the Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence, Cosrx's flagship prod

July 24, 2024

[Photo News] Hana champions Paralympics heroes

Hana Financial Group Chairman Ham Young-joo (right) shakes hands with members of the South Korean Paralympics badminton team at the KPC Icheon National Training Center in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. Ham visited the center to show support and deliver an encouragement fund for the athletes participating in the upcoming 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris. (Hana Financial Group)

July 24, 2024

Talks between Samsung Electronics and striking workers end without agreement

Samsung Electronics and its largest labor union resumed wage talks Tuesday but failed to reach an agreement, informed sources said. The ninth round of talks was represented by Son Woo-mok, head of the National Samsung Electronics Union, and Kim Hyeong-ro, the company's vice president, according to the source. It was the first wage talks between the two sides since the NSEU declared a full-scale strike July 8. They held a preparatory meeting last week to discuss schedules for the talks. The

July 23, 2024

[Herald Interview] Investing in cows: how it works, where it's headed

In Korea, there's a saying that farmers raise a cow to send their children to college, reflecting the long-standing value of cattle. Once exclusive to farmers, livestock has recently become an investment option for the public, allowing individuals to invest without the burden of managing a farm. Bankcow, a fractional investment platform, recently achieved a milestone by completing Korea's first public offering of securities backed by live assets — 100 Korean beef cattle. Despite

July 23, 2024