South Korean bakery giant SPC Group announced Friday that construction of a halal-certified bakery factory in Malaysia is set to be completed by year-end, as it aims to expand the reach of its flagship brand Paris Baguette across Southeast Asia and into the Middle East. Ahead of the plant’s opening in Johor Bahru, SPC Group President Hur Jin-soo met with Johor Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi in Seoul on Monday to discuss potential collaborations, including local ingredient sourcing and jo

Companies Nov. 1, 2024

Posco International, the trading and energy arm of Posco Group, unveiled its first brand identity Thursday, presenting a new vision under the tagline, “We Find Answers Planet Wide.” The new identity reflects Posco International’s mission to seize the lead across diverse sectors, including steel, energy, food and emerging industries, while contributing to sustainable growth, CEO Lee Kye-in explained at the brand launch event, where he outlined the company’s ambitions for g

Companies Oct. 31, 2024

The US burger franchise Five Guys is set to launch its first delivery service in South Korea, enabling more customers to enjoy its menu at their convenience, its Korean operator FG Korea announced Thursday. Starting Friday, the service will be available through one of the nation's biggest food delivery platforms, Coupang Eats, served by two locations in Seoul: Gangnam and Seoul Station. This marks the first time the popular chain has offered delivery in Korea since its launch last year, and

Companies Oct. 31, 2024

South Korean retail and finance company TGS Holdings announced Tuesday that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Philippines-based Glyphstudios to expand e-commerce and mobile payment services in the Southeast Asian market. As part of the agreement, TGS Holdings will launch a subsidiary called Woori Ventures Group to oversee its e-commerce operations in the Philippines. This deal, finalized last Wednesday with one of the Philippines’ largest mobile services and content provider

Technology Oct. 30, 2024

Innocean, a South Korean marketing agency affiliated with Hyundai Motor Group, held its annual Partners Day event Tuesday. The event, which brought together around 180 executives and employees from partner firms, provided a platform for open dialogue and strategic discussions on shared growth, according to the company. This year’s gathering featured presentations on Innocean’s collaborative initiatives and introduced a range of new programs aimed at enhancing partner capabilities. Th

Companies Oct. 29, 2024

Mercedes-Benz announced Monday that it is upgrading its automated driving system, Drive Pilot, allowing it to operate at speeds of up to 95 kilometers per hour on German motorways. The upgrade is expected to be available in early 2025, following this year’s anticipated approval from Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority. With this update, Drive Pilot will become the fastest Level 3 automated driving system in a production vehicle. The enhanced system will allow drivers to hand

Mobility Oct. 28, 2024

Posco Holdings announced Sunday it has completed the first phase of its lithium hydroxide plant in Argentina, a key step in securing a stable supply of the key material for electric vehicle batteries. Located in Guemes, Argentina, the plant will produce 25,000 tons of lithium hydroxide annually, sourced from the lithium-rich Hombre Muerto salt flat, where Posco holds mining rights. The output is enough to power 600,000 EVs, making it the largest brine lithium facility operated by a single compan

Companies Oct. 27, 2024

Doosan Enerbility has signed an agreement with Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy to help modernize the country’s power infrastructure, the Korean nuclear power plant builder announced Thursday. The memorandum of understanding was formalized during a Wednesday visit by Kazakhstan’s Energy Minister Almassadam Satkaliyev to Doosan’s headquarters in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. Accompanying the minister were senior officials, including the heads of Kazakhstan’s nu

Industry Oct. 24, 2024

South Korean bakery giant SPC Group said Wednesday that President Hur Jin-soo attended a dinner banquet hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at Elysee Palace in Paris earlier this week. He was the only Korean business leader to be invited to the exclusive event marking the 60th anniversary of SIAL Paris, one of the world’s largest food trade fairs. The dinner brought together around 40 global business leaders from major food and distribution companies, including the Netherlands&rsquo

Companies Oct. 23, 2024

South Korean beauty company APR announced Tuesday that it has strengthened its presence in Hong Kong’s competitive market through strong sales from both a pop-up store and a major e-commerce platform. Earlier this month, APR’s flagship skincare brand, Medicube, launched on HKTVmall, Hong Kong’s largest online shopping platform, generating 180 million won in sales within just three days. The brand’s success continued with live broadcasts featuring popular products like the

Companies Oct. 22, 2024

South Korean tiremaker Kumho Tire announced Tuesday that it has officially launched its tire digital twin system, marking a major step in the company’s efforts to digitalize its tire development process. Shifting from traditional physical testing to virtual tire development, Kumho Tire said the new system enables the automatic design of multiple tire versions using digital data and big data-based performance predictions. With the help of artificial intelligence, the system then selects the

Technology Oct. 22, 2024

South Korean internet giant Naver announced Friday that a number of its research papers have been accepted at the annual Empirical Methods in Natural Language Processing, one of the world’s leading natural language processing conferences, amidst the company’s ongoing efforts to advance AI-driven technologies. “We are proud to see our search technology being acknowledged on the global stage,” said Kim Kwang-hyun, head of Naver’s Search and Data Platform Division. &ld

Technology Oct. 18, 2024

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 p

Companies Oct. 17, 2024

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 infor

Companies Oct. 16, 2024

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 S

Technology Oct. 16, 2024