The author is an analyst for Shinhan Securities. He can be reached at sokang@shinhan.com -- Ed.4Q23 review: New game and profitability disappointNCsoft registered operating profit of KRW3.9bn (-91.9% YoY, -76.7% QoQ, operating margin of 0.9%) on sales of KRW437.7bn (-20.1% YoY, +3.5% QoQ) for 4Q23,
Korea’s four major oil refiners are posting a gradual drop in their exports to China. They are diversifying their export destinations to Australia, Japan, and other countries to fill the void. China used to be Korea’s top petroleum product export market.According to the Korea National Petroleum Asso
Starbucks Korea, the leading coffee chain by sales, has been reported to have the fourth-largest number of stores worldwide. According to the distribution industry on Feb. 12, data from Starbucks’ global website showed that, as of the end of last year, the number of Starbucks stores in South Korea i
On Feb. 7, Bloomberg reported that Tesla sold only one unit of the Model Y in Korea in January, citing Korean market research firm CarIsYou and government data.The growth of the electric vehicle market in Korea slowed as high interest rates and inflation have kept consumers from spending, while conc
On Feb. 8, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) unveiled its agenda for the year, intending to elevate the criteria for designating business conglomerates subject to disclosure. Criticism has been directed at the regulations governing the disclosure of business groups as they are unique to South Korea. T
The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) has decided to review the designation of dominant business entities, which is at the core of the Fair Competition Promotion Act (the Platform Act for short). This means that virtually, the Korean market watchdog will review the designation from scratch. Industr
Kim Joo-sun, president of SK hynix, who is in charge of the newly established artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, announced on Feb. 7, “We will continue to ensure that no one doubts the proposition ‘AI memory equals SK hynix’ by enhancing communication and partnership to maximize the value
A report has emerged stating that the level of maternity and childcare leave provided by domestic companies in South Korea ranks fifth among 38 countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). However, despite the increase in the number of individuals taking childcare l
Hyundai Rotem’s U.S. subsidiary has won an electric vehicle supply order. The company announced on Feb. 6 that Hyundai Rotem USA was selected as the final bidder for the LA Metro electric train supply project ordered by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The business is va
Xiaomi and Huawei, major Chinese smartphone manufacturers, are set to launch a series of new premium phone models, intensifying competition for Samsung Electronics, which is already contending with Apple’s iPhone. The Xiaomi 14 series will be globally released this month, featuring the Qualcomm Snap
Samsung smartphones, once leading the market in the United States, have seen a significant drop in market share, facing a crisis as Galaxy sales plummet in one of the world’s largest markets.According to market research firm Counterpoint Research on Feb. 6, Samsung Electronics’ market share in the U
The Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy revealed on Jan. 6 that last year a total of 23 cases of overseas leakage of industrial technology, including “national core technologies,” were detected, marking an increase of 3 cases from the previous year. The government designates as national core tec
The feared situation has finally emerged for China’s e-commerce giant AliExpress, which ambitiously entered the South Korean market by prioritizing cost-effectiveness.In particular, consumer dissatisfaction is pouring in regarding services and customer responses, which have been consistently critici
Nine out of 10 Korean manufacturers believe that overseas carbon neutrality policies such as those in the United States and Europe affect their business operations, a survey found.According to the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), which recently surveyed 300 Korean manufacturing compani
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at sw.kang@nhqv.com -- Ed.While Secretary Yellen's key goal in 2023 was to secure TGA cash despite a massive fiscal deficit, the one for 2024 is to be improving the fiscal balance by using the tax revenue surplus. This implie
Overseas organizations that conduct joint research with Korean institutions will be able to directly participate in Korea’s national R&D projects as lead and joint R&D organizations.To ease the burden of R&D expenses for companies conducting international joint research, international joint R&D expe
The government has announced its plan to expand the global Korean cuisine industry to a scale of 300 trillion won by 2027. The strategy involves increasing the number of overseas Korean restaurants to 15,000 and more than tripling the number of Michelin-starred Korean restaurants compared to the cur
Hana Securities announced on Feb. 1 that it is establishing a foreign investment solution team to expand its customer base to non-resident foreigners.Last year, the foreign investor registration system, which had been criticized as one of the obstacles for foreign investors in domestic investments,
South Korea’s exports posted double-digit growth in January, led by a recovery in semiconductor exports.Korea’s exports totaled US$54.69 billion in January, while Korea’s imports totaled US$54.39 billion, according to the Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE).Exports increased 18 per
SillaJen announced on Jan. 1 that it has applied to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval to amend the Investigational New Drug (IND) application for Phase 1 clinical trials of its BAL0891 cancer drug candidate.BAL0891 is a mitotic checkpoint inhibitor (MCI) class anticancer drug