Last year, South Korea’s online shopping transactions nearly reached 230 trillion won (US$172.67 billion), setting a new all-time record. The surge was attributed to a sharp increase in travel demand and the unprecedented milestone of overseas direct purchases surpassing 6 trillion won for the first
The pharmaceutical patent disputes between domestic biosimilar companies and original pharmaceutical firms are escalating.According to industry sources on Jan. 31, Samsung Bioepis and Celltrion are embroiled in patent disputes with original pharmaceutical companies.Alexion Pharmaceuticals, a subsidi
In 2023, South Korean and Japanese tourists took first place in the rankings of the numbers of foreign tourists to Japan and South Korea. This is attributed to an improvement in bilateral relations following a South Korea-Japan summit, the Korean Wave, and weaker Japanese yen effects.The Korea Touri
Italian supercar brand Lamborghini sold more cars in South Korea than in its home country of Italy in 2023.Lamborghini, which celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2023, sold 10,112 units globally, up 10 percent from the previous year, the company said on Jan. 31. This was the first time Lamborghini ha
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) has set a target of US$700 billion for South Korea’s exports next year, with a plan to attract US$35 billion in foreign direct investment in Korea and US$150 trillion in private investment.MOTIE Minister Ahn Duk-geun said in a briefing at the Sejong
Korean Air has received approval for its merger with Asiana Airlines from Japan’s competition regulator, facing the final hurdle in its quest to become Korea’s megacarrier.The Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC), Japan’s competition authority, approved the merger of Korean Air and Asiana on Jan. 31.T
Lithium-for-earth and Hydro Lithium announced on Jan. 31 that two technologies invented by Dr. Jun Woong -- Lithium Extraction from Saline and Other Sources (CULX), and Environmentally Friendly Lithium Hydroxide Production Using Water (CULH) -- have recently been granted patent registrations in mult
POSCO Group is making significant strides into the clean hydrogen sector in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), a state-owned petroleum company in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).POSCO International announced on Jan. 31 that it has signed a “strategic cooperation agreement
South Korean trading firm SK Networks is joining hands with the Bow Capital, the U.S.-based venture capital firm, to pursue a transformation into an investment company focused on the artificial intelligence (AI) sector.SK Networks announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the
Daewoong Pharmaceutical announced on Jan. 30 that its partner, AEON Biopharma, presented the Phase 2 clinical trial results and preclinical PTSD data of Daewoong’s botulinum toxin ABP-450 at the TOXINS 2024 conference. TOXINS 2024, a significant conference on neurotoxins, took place in Berlin, Germa
In response to a warning from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that the Korean government’s proposed Platform Fair Competition Promotion Act (Platform Act) could violate trade agreements, the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) said that it will prick up its ears for stakeholders’ opinions.“We would like
Excessive administration of analgesic drugs frequently results in medical accidents. To prevent the occurrence of these accidents, a drug infusion pump featuring a technology for safely detecting medication administration has been developed for the first time in the world.The research team led by Pr
Positive tangible results are being made by the Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and the CF Alliance pursuing a strategy to expand carbon-free power sources in the industrial sector.Major countries such as the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, and the United Arab Emirates
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
Korea-based automakers exported 2.76 million vehicles to 196 countries in 2023, according to the Korea Automotive and Mobility Industry Association (KAMA). This was the highest in eight years since 2015. Exports to the U.S. smashed the 1-million-unit milestone.Six Korea-based carmakers -- Hyundai Mo
The Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) announced that Trade Minister Cheong In-kyo held the 8th Multilateral Trade Strategy Meeting with the MOTIE and related ministries on Jan. 29.In preparation for the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC-13) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to
Celltrion announced on Jan. 29 that it has completed its application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the approval of CT-P47, a biosimilar to the autoimmune disease treatment drug Actemra (ingredient name: tocilizumab). The application was based on the results of a global Phase 3 c
South Korea’s share of China’s import market fell to 6 percent last year. This is the lowest level in 30 years since 5.2 percent in 1993, the year after the establishment of diplomatic relations between South Korea and China. South Korea also slipped to third place in the rankings of countries from
Artificial Intelligence (AI) stands at the forefront of the technology supremacy battle between the U.S. and China this year.On Jan. 26, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo stated in an interview with Reuters that regulations mandating U.S. cloud companies to report foreign customer information fo
The world’s most efficient quantum dot (QD) solar cell has been developed by the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST). A quantum dot solution and a device used in the development of the solar cell can maintain high performance even after long-term storage, taking a step closer