Recently, there has been a trend where shareholder demands for increased shareholder returns have slightly subsided as proposals such as the retirement of repurchased stocks or dividend expansions were rejected at shareholder meetings. While companies have temporarily relieved the pressure by proact
The combined operating profit of the top 10 companies by market capitalization in the South Korean stock market falls short of those of leading Japanese company Toyota and top Taiwanese company TSMC.To address the “Korea discount,” which refers to the undervaluation of South Korean stocks, it is poi
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 Biologics held its 13th regular general shareholders’ meeting at the Songdo Convensia in Incheon on March 15. The shareholders’ meeting, attended by approximately 1,500 shareholders both on-site and online, lasted for about 30 minutes starting at 9 a.m.During the meeting, a total of four age
Shinhan Bank announced on March 14 that Shinhan Bank Indonesia has signed a strategic business agreement with Indonesian electronic payment company Indodana (PT Artha Dana Teknologi Indodana) to expand its digital platform-based lending market.Indodana is a digital payment solutions provider that ha
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
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at esshim@nhqv.com -- Ed.GnBS Eco is a manufacturer of eco-friendly equipment, including plasma scrubbers for use in the production of semiconductors, displays, and solar panels. We foresee the materialization of a steep earn
Korea Airports Corporation (KAC) announced on March 14 that it will launch the country’s first airport online duty-free shops at Gimpo, Gimhae, and Jeju airports in Korea, following the selection of a new duty-free shop operator for Gimpo Airport on March 6.KAC completed the construction of a common
Korean Air will build an engine maintenance cluster in the Unbuk district of Yeongjong Island, Incheon, to expand its aircraft engine maintenance capacity and expand its aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) business.Korean Air announced on March 14 that it held a groundbreaking ceremony f
Big South Korean companies are exiting China one after another. Business uncertainties are being fueled by fiercer competition and declining profitability in the Chinese market coupled with the U.S. government’s checks on China and policy changes by Chinese government authorities.Lotte Chemical sold
Top executives of LG’s major affiliates visited the headquarters of Mercedes-Benz in Germany. A lot of attention is being paid to whether or not the visit will lead to further cooperation between LG and Mercedes-Benz in the automotive electronics business.Top executives of LG’s major affiliates in t
On March 13, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to ban TikTok, a Chinese video platform, from being downloaded in the United States due to security concerns. The bill was approved with an overwhelming majority of 352 votes in favor and 65 against. Europe is also engulfed in national sec
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
Samsung Electronics is set to unveil its next-generation storage service tailored for the artificial intelligence era.According to industry sources on March 14, Samsung Electronics will participate in the GTC 2024 NVIDIA AI Developers Conference held at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, Cal
In January, Korean display companies received a shocking report card. According to market research firm DSCC, Samsung Display, which held 36% of the market share in the foldable market and was considered the future of the industry, lost its first-place position to China’s BOE, which captured 42% in
SK bioscience, a global innovative vaccine and biotech company committed to promoting human health from prevention to cure, announced today Prof. Jan Holmgren of Sweden, and Profs. Barney Graham and Jason McLellan of the United States as the winners of the 2024 International Vaccine Institute-SK Bio
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
After the Korean government has announced a strategy to secure 33 key minerals used in high-tech industries, including lithium and graphite, by reducing its dependence on China to 50 percent by 2030, Korea’s dependence on China for some key items began to shrink in 2023.Korea’s lithium hydroxide imp