It has been revealed that the hourly wages of domestic helpers in South Korea are more than four times higher than in neighboring countries such as Hong Kong and Taiwan. In an effort to alleviate the burden of caregiving services, which is considered one of the causes of low birth rates, the Bank of
Samsung Biologics announced on March 6 that it has entered into a contract manufacturing organization (CMO) production agreement valued at 381.9 billion won (US$287.0 million) with UCB, which is headquartered in Belgium. This agreement is an increase to the contract signed in 2017 with the company,
The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) conducted an on-site investigation into AliExpress, the shopping platform of the Chinese Alibaba Group, which is suspected of violating consumer protection obligations.According to industry sources on March 6, the KFTC recently sent investigators to the Seoul o
Taihan Cable & Solution Co. announced on March 6 that it is set to supply a high-voltage power grid worth approximately US$38 million to the global infrastructure group Balfour Beatty.This project involves the construction of a new 132 kV high-voltage power grid in the northern region of the U.K. It
The Korean government will launch the Top 10 Promising Markets Trade Mission, which will lead strategic market exploration to help the country achieve US$700 billion, the largest ever, in exports this year,.The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) announced on Mar. 5 that it will send the
It has been confirmed that recent complaints from domestic consumers using China’s Alibaba shopping platform AliExpress have sharply increased.According to the response data on “the status of consumer consultations related to AliExpress-related complaints and damage compensation” received by the off
The domestic defense industry has gained new momentum through the revision of the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Korea Eximbank) Act. It is expected to accelerate towards achieving the goal of US$20 billion in defense exports this year.On Feb. 29, a bill to amend the Korea Eximbank Act, which increase
Since the beginning of this year, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) has achieved over 50 percent of its 2024 annual order target within just two months.HD KSOE announced on March 4 that it had signed construction contracts for two medium-sized liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carri
Hanwha Foodtech, which is led by Hanwha Hotel & Resort Vice President Kim Dong-seon, the third son of Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn, has acquired U.S.-based robot pizza brand “Stellar Pizza.”In January, Hanwha Foodtech signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Serve Automation, the pare
Hanwha Ocean announced on March 4 that it signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to build 12 liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers with a Middle Eastern shipping company.Hanwha Ocean did not disclose the client but it is believed to be Qatar Energy, the state-run energy company of Qatar.Qatar Energy
Hanwha Ocean submitted a complaint to the National Police Agency’s National Investigation Division on March 4 to investigate alleged systematic leakage of military secrets related to the Next Generation Korean Destroyer (KDDX) Project by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI).“It is an objective fact tha
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. She can be reached at hzl.lee@nhqv.com -- Ed.Excluding losses at YG Investment, YG Ent’s 4Q23 results met our expectations. BabyMonster’s first debut album, which is to feature the return of main member Ahyeon, is to be released on Apr 1. We e
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on March 3 that it discussed the establishment of a ministerial-level consultative body with the UAE Ministry of Economy during its attendance at the Investopia global investment event held in Abu Dhabi, UAE, from Feb. 28 to 29 (local time).Investopia is a
KT announced its vision to transform into an AICT company, combining its telecommunications capabilities with IT and AI, at MWC 2024, marking the start of its full-fledged leap into becoming a leading enterprise in global AI and ICT.At the recently concluded MWC 2024, KT received high praise for sho
The Hyundai Research Institute (HRI) has forecasted that the South Korean economy will enter a recovery phase after passing its lowest point this year.According to a report titled “Now is an Important Time to Form an Early Economic Cycle Bottom” released by the HRI on March 3, there is a high possib
Naver and Samsung C&T are joining forces to expand their future business ecosystems by leveraging each other’s capabilities. On Feb. 28, Naver Cloud and Naver Labs, along with the Construction Division of Samsung C&T, announced that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the Naver 1
The government has come up with a detailed blueprint at the inter-ministerial level, encompassing export targets for key items such as semiconductors, automobiles, and plants, to achieve this year’s export goal of US$700 billion. It includes the largest-ever support measures to accelerate progress,
Samsung Electronics and SK telecom have embarked on forming alliances with global operators to lead the development of 6G and integrate Large Language Models (LLM) into their services. While Samsung Electronics is co-establishing a consortium with big tech companies across various sectors such as te
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), accused of leaking military secrets, will not receive sanctions, so it will be able to continue to bid in winning maritime defense projects. As a result, the company will be able to take part in a tender for the construction of the Korea Destroyer KDDX, which will
HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE) recently signed a contract on the construction of four 174,000-cubic-meter liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers with an Oceania-based shipping company.The LNG carriers are valued at US$270 million per vessel, which is US$5 million more than the pre