Twenty years ago, the wage level of workers in South Korea was not even half of that in Japan, but now it has surpassed Japan. The wage gap between large, medium, and small-sized enterprises has further widened due to the cumulative wage increases in large companies.On March 17, the Korea Enterprise
Kumho Tire plans to invest more than 1 trillion won to build its inaugural factory in Europe by 2027. The company intends to evaluate incentives and tax benefits pledged by four countries -- Romania, Serbia, Portugal, and Turkey -- including the size of subsidies, before finalizing the factory’s loc
Samsung Electronics is projected to relinquish its leading position in the global foldable phone market share to Chinese rival Huawei in the first half of this year.According to market research firm DSCC on March 14, the global shipment of foldable phones in the fourth quarter of last year totaled 4
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Express announced a consumer protection policy on March 14 that offers unconditional returns and refunds within 90 days for cross-border online purchases. Additionally, it has officially launched a customer service hotline and plans to invest about 1.5 trillion won o
For the fourth consecutive month, semiconductor exports have shown double-digit growth rates, leading the charge in exports. With increases in exports across various components such as displays and computer/peripheral devices, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector as a whole is s
The value of overseas construction orders to Korean contractors exceeded US$30 billion for the fourth year in a row in 2023. Korean builders’ target for 2024 is US$40 billion. They have been looking for opportunities in overseas markets as the Korean real estate market has been slumping for a long t
According to foreign media reports, Samsung Electronics is set to adopt High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) process technology from SK hynix to catch up with its competitors in the HBM market.Reuters reported on March 13, citing multiple sources, that Samsung Electronics has purchased related manufacturing
Chinese TV manufacturers are aggressively targeting the OLED market, dominated by Samsung and LG, with their large LCD products offered at breakthrough prices.During the “Korea Display Conference” hosted by Omdia in the Seocho district of Seoul on March 13, Park Kyung-sun, director at Omdia Korea, s
Following their competition in integrated washing and drying machines, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are now launching AI TVs, sparking another pride battle. On-device AI, which operates AI within the device without a network connection, is rapidly spreading to TVs.On March 13, Samsung Elec
Even after surpassing the “psychological resistance level” of 100 million won, bitcoin continues its upward trend in the domestic market.In particular, a phenomenon known as the “kimchi premium” is observed, where the price of bitcoin in the domestic market is forming higher than that in the U.S. ma
South Korean shipyards are continuously winning contracts for very large crude carriers (VLCCs). Recently, Hanwha Ocean and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HKSOE) have pursued high-value contracts for VLCCs as part of their strategy to diversify their vessel portfolios and prioritize s
CJ Logistics announced on March 13 that it has received the Center of Excellence for Independent Validators Lithium Batteries (CEIV Lithium Batteries) from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The CEIV Lithium Battery Certification is an international standard certification issued by
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at junsup@nhqv.com -- Ed.We believe that Samsung Life will boast the most visible and active shareholder return among major insurance plays. However, with such expectations already partially reflected, the firm’s share price
A medical waste treatment system, which is capable of 99.9999 percent sterilization by using high-temperature and high-pressure steam, has been developed for the first time in the country.The Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (President Seog-Hyeon Ryu, hereinafter referred to as KIMM), an i
Hyundai Motor Group will launch a large-scale electric vehicle recall. It is the largest voluntary recall in three years since the automaker entered the market with an electric vehicle-only platform (E-GMP) in 2021. Hyundai and Kia will replace faulty integrated charging control units (ICCUs) in som
The 2024 season opening of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo racing series, hosted by Italian supercar brand Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A and exclusively supplied with racing tires by the world’s leading tire company Hankook Tire & Technology (Hankook Tire), will be held in Florida, USA for three days, f
As the global semiconductor war has become a hot race among nations, major countries such as the United States, China, and Japan have been providing large cash support to their own companies or foreign companies that make investments in their semiconductor industries to boost the growth of their sem
Coupang announced on March 11 that it has expanded its “Rocket Direct Purchase” service to Japan. The company has been expanding its direct purchase regions, starting from the United States in 2017, followed by China in 2021 and Hong Kong in 2022.Coupang’s decision to add Japan to its Rocket Direct
To strengthen its global operations, Shinhan Bank is accelerating the development and marketing of products targeting local customers, including the launch of digital loan products overseas.According to Shinhan Bank on March 12, Shinhan Bank Indonesia is partnering with local fintech platform compan
POSCO International has embarked on expanding its electric vehicle component business by signing a contract worth 1.16 trillion won (US$882.46 million) for the supply of rare earth permanent magnets for electric vehicles.The company announced on March 12 that its U.S. subsidiary has recently secured