The management conflict within the founding family of Hanmi Pharmaceutical Group ended, as the sons of founder Lim Sung-ki -- Lim Jong-yoon and Lim Jong-hoon -- secured a majority within Hanmi Science’s board at the general meeting of shareholders last week. However, there are still multiple hurdles for the Lim brothers to get the country’s leading pharmaceuticals company back on track. According to industry sources Sunday, the Lim brothers are likely to attempt to repair the relatio

Industry March 31, 2024

The expected merger between OCI Group and Hanmi Group has been called off after a general meeting of shareholders at Hanmi Science, the holding company of Korea's leading drug firm Hanmi Pharmaceutical, on Thursday. The management conflict within the founding family has also temporarily ended as Lim Jong-yoon and Lim Jong-hoon, the first and second sons of founder Lim Sung-ki, secured enough seats on Hanmi Science’s board to stop the merger. "(OCI) humbly accepts shareholders

Industry March 28, 2024

South Korea’s growing biopharmaceutical production capacity is increasingly making the country an attractive investment destination for global life science companies, industry sources said Thursday. Since 2016, global pharmaceutical and biotech firms started building their research and development centers and production facilities in Korea, especially within the Songdo Bio Cluster in Incheon, where the biopharmaceutical production capacity has reached 1.2 million liters, the world’s

Industry March 28, 2024

KT&G's Senior Executive Vice President Bang Kyung-man has cleared the final hurdle to become the company's CEO by winning shareholders approval Thursday, marking the cigarette maker's first leadership change in nine years. The decision was made at the company’s 37th annual general meeting of shareholders, held at KT&G Human Resources Development Center in Daejeon. “I am deeply grateful to the shareholders for entrusting me with the honorable opportunity to serv

Industry March 28, 2024

Chang In-hwa, a company veteran, officially took office as chairman of South Korean steel giant Posco Group, the nation’s fifth-largest conglomerate, on Thursday after winning unanimous approval from shareholders. It marked the group’s first change in leadership in almost six years, following the conclusion of the second term of Choi Jeong-woo. No objection was made against the appointment during the general meeting of shareholders held in Seoul earlier in the day. Right after the ge

Industry March 21, 2024

German pharmaceutical group Merck Life Science said Thursday the company will invest around 300 million euros ($326 million) to build a new bioprocessing complex in South Korea, its largest investment yet in the Asia-Pacific region. The new investment comes as the company renews its commitment to expanding its production capacities for biotech products in the fast-growing market. It also aims to boost the overall biotech industry in the region, saying the new facility alone will create some 300

Industry March 21, 2024

The ongoing tug-of-war between the South Korean government and medical professionals over the proposed increase in the number of medical students could have negative impacts on local drug companies’ revenues as well, industry sources said Tuesday. According to officials from local pharmaceutical companies, the ongoing walkout of local doctors is causing a short-term decrease in the overall use of drugs and medical supplies at local hospitals where surgeries are being postponed and appointm

Industry March 19, 2024

A Korean research team has recently unveiled a bowl of pink rice, a new lab-made hybrid rice, which they say could offer a cheaper and more sustainable source of protein not just for those on a vegan diet, but also for countries still reeling from food crises. “The lab-made beef rice could hit supermarket shelves sooner than you think if regulatory issues are cleared,” Hong Jin-kee, a chemical and biomolecular engineering professor at Yonsei University and the leader of the research

Industry March 18, 2024

Korean biopharmaceuticals firm Celltrion announced Monday that its new autoimmune disease treatment Zymfentra has been launched in the US market. Zymfentra is a subcutaneous injection formulation of Celltrion's infliximab Remsima. In October last year, the US Food and Drug Administration approved Zymfentra (infliximab-dyyb) for the maintenance treatment of adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. "Infliximab is a well-established treatment

Industry March 18, 2024

South Korean pharmaceutical giant Yuhan has decided to reinstate the chairperson and vice chairperson positions for the first time in 28 years, since Chairman Yeon Man-hee stepped down from his post in 1996. Yuhan shareholders approved changes to the articles of incorporation to reestablish the posts during the 101st general meeting of shareholders on Friday. Who will become the company’s chairperson and vice chairperson, however, has not yet been decided, according to the company. “

Industry March 15, 2024

The sales and operating profit of South Korea's top ramyeon maker Nongshim hit all-time highs last year thanks to the popularity of ramyeon products in foreign markets, the company said Friday. The company’s operating profit in 2023 jumped by 89.1 percent from a year earlier to reach 212 billion won ($159 million), while its annual sales came to 3.4 trillion won, up 9 percent on-year. "As global inflation stubbornly remains high, ramyeon products have appealed to foreign consumer

Industry March 15, 2024

Hanjin Group Chairman and Korean Air CEO Walter Cho (center) attends the groundbreaking ceremony of the flag carrier’s new aircraft engine maintenance cluster in Unbuk, near Incheon International Airport, on Thursday. The new 578 billion won ($439 million) facility, set to be operational by 2027, is expected to become the largest engine maintenance complex in Asia with an annual capacity of handling maintenance of some 360 aircraft. “The new facility will pave the way for Korean Air

Industry March 14, 2024

Samsung Biologics is off to a promising start this year with two large-scale contract manufacturing deal signings in March alone. According to Samsung Biologics on Wednesday, the company recently inked a contract manufacturing deal with MSD Switzerland, worth some $71 million. The deal, set to expire in December 2032, is a separate deal from the previous 277 billion won ($210 million) deal signed between the two companies in 2022. Samsung Biologics declined to reveal the product details of the n

Industry March 13, 2024

Hyundai Engineering & Construction announced Tuesday that the company has signed a power purchase agreement with Glennmont D&D Solar Holdings to aid in Hyundai Motor Group’s use of renewable energies. Glennmont D&D Solar Holdings is a joint venture between SK Eternix and Glennmont Partners, one of the world’s largest fund managers investing in clean energy, based in the UK. According to Hyundai E&C, the recent deal is a virtual power purchase agreement, which involves

Industry March 12, 2024

LG Group said Monday that its artificial intelligence research lab is teaming up with US biomedical institution Jackson Laboratory to develop AI models that can be used to treat Alzheimer's disease and cancer. The new partnership comes after the two entities signed a memorandum of understanding in December last year. Under the new contract, LG Group will use its AI model, EXAONE, to analyze Jackson Laboratory’s research data relating to different types of cancers and Alzheimer's

Industry March 11, 2024