It has been revealed that global SPA brand H&M is struggling to overcome challenges in the domestic market.According to the Financial Supervisory Service’s electronic disclosure system on April 24, the operating profit of Hennes & Mauritz AB, the operator of H&M, for the fiscal year 2023 from Decemb
China’s Alibaba Group, the parent company of AliExpress, which has been embroiled in controversy for selling knockoffs and distributing low-quality, unauthorized goods in Korea, is reportedly considering making a 100 billion won equity investment in Korean women’s fashion application Ably, causing a
The amount of short-term foreign currency borrowings hastily acquired by banks alone has exceeded 4 trillion won. With the won-to-dollar exchange rate surpassing 1,400 won and reaching new highs, the risks associated with short-term foreign currency debts have also increased.According to business di
Hyundai Motor and Kia Corp. have decided to use lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) batteries produced by Indian companies in their customized electric vehicle models for the Indian market. Localizing batteries that account for 40 percent of the cost of producing electric vehicles is a way to lower prices
With the amendment of the Export-Import Bank of Korea Act, the legal capital limit for the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Korea Eximbank) has significantly increased. However, there is a discrepancy between the government and industry regarding how and how much the government will invest in Korea Exim
The amount of debts owed by households and businesses in Korea was more than twice Korea’s gross domestic product (GDP). About half of the nation’s companies were unable to pay even interest on their debts with money they earned from sales, revealing their vulnerability.The ratio of private credit t
Korea’s trade surplus with the United States, which peaked in 2023, is likely to gradually shrink in the future, according to a new report.The Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade (KIET) released a report on a structural analysis of the causes of Korea’s surplus in trade with the United
As the Bank of Japan (BOJ) has embarked on its first interest rate hike in 17 years, it is anticipated that the strengthening of the yen due to the lifting of Japan’s negative interest rates could have a positive impact on domestic exports such as semiconductors, automobiles, and shipbuilding. Howev
A huge wave that began with Chinese e-commerce platform AliExpress is now on the horizon, making it to more difficult to predict the future of the Korean e-commerce market.While Korean e-commerce players are competing fiercely for survival, the United States, China, and other Asian countries have jo
The U.S. Department of Defense is reported to have withdrawn a plan to support Intel with semiconductor subsidies of US$2.5 billion.According to Bloomberg on March 13, the Department of Defense held an informal meeting and decided to cancel the plan to support Intel with US$2.5 billion in subsidies.
Kia announced on March 10 that its flagship electric vehicle, the EV9, has been named as the 2024 U.K. Car of the Year.The U.K. Car of the Year is selected each year by a 30-member judging panel of locally based automotive journalists who vote on vehicles launched in the last 12 months. Participatin
Lotte Chemical is reportedly considering the sale of its Malaysian subsidiary Lotte Chemical Titan (LC Titan).According to industry sources on Mar. 6, Lotte Chemical is searching for potential buyers for LC Titan, including Korean and foreign petrochemical companies and large private equity funds (P
The Korean government has set a higher plant order intake target for this year than 2023 and will provide intensive support to help Korean plant builders attain the goal. This is because the global plant market is expected to grow and Korean companies’ order-taking competitiveness has been strengthe
At the Huawei Product & Solution Launch held during MWC Barcelona 2024, Bruce Xun, President of Huawei's Global Technical Service Dept, announced the launch of Huawei's digital intelligent series of solutions in the ICT services & software field. New AI technology is applied to solutions such as Int
Domestic game companies are putting significant effort into capturing the Middle East market. Based on “oil money,” this region possesses high financial power and purchasing capability but is still an untapped market due to inadequate communication infrastructure and other issues. Although the uncer
Civic groups in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, collectively known as the “POSCO Citizens’ Response Committee,” held an urgent executive committee meeting on Feb. 12 to formally oppose the nomination of former POSCO President Jang In-hwa as the CEO candidate for POSCO Holdings.The Citizens’ Commi
It has been revealed that the dividend payouts of major domestic companies increased by nearly 10 percent last year. Particularly noteworthy is the recent announcement by the government regarding the introduction of the “Corporate Value-Up Program” aimed at addressing the “Korea Discount,” which ref
Due to the severe downturn in the global commercial real estate market, overseas real estate mutual funds are rapidly emerging as a new potential catalyst in the financial market. With recent one-year returns plummeting to as low as -80 percent, there are signs indicating the looming realization of
Samsung, Kia and other major Korean companies spent a record amount of money on lobbying the U.S. government in 2023 as they prepared for uncertainties in their trade environments.Last year, Samsung Group (Samsung Semiconductor, Samsung Electronics America and Samsung SDI America) spent US$6.3 milli
Local customs officials have apprehended executives of a distribution company involved in the smuggling of U.S.-made semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) chips, classified as strategic items, into China after importing them for domestic use. This marks the first instance of customs discovering the