These days, China is narrowing its gap with South Korea at a rapid pace in the manufacturing sector by maintaining low labor costs and making huge R&D investments. Analysts say China is already ahead of South Korea when it comes to future technologies such as big data, autonomous driving and artific
Korean exporters are groaning under mounting U.S. trade protectionism. According to industry sources, President Donald Trump is likely to put pressure on the Korean semiconductor industry, as well as the automobile industry, by imposing excessive tariffs based on Section 232 of the Trade Expansion A
Hans Biomed Corp., the first Korean company to develop and produce a breast prosthesis, is seeking to expand its market overseas.The company held a news conference on Oct. 18 to launch its new product called "BellaGel Micro Golden Line" and announced that it will expand its market to foreign countri
Nongshim, Korea’s leading instant noodle producer, said on Oct. 16 that its sales in China have increased 40 times in 20 years since its entry into the huge market. Sales of Shin Ramen, the company’s flagship noodle, have grown rapidly, riding on the back of its differentiation strategy and marketin
The United States is likely to designate China as a currency manipulator next month, according to industry sources on Sept. 19. Under the circumstances, concerns are mounting over an increase in forex market volatility.Once China is designated as a currency manipulator, the U.S. and China have to co
The price of paraxylene, which is a raw material for PET bottles, jumped in the past one month with China banning the import of waste plastic. South Korean oil refining companies, which have continued to increase their paraxylene production capacity, are expected to benefit from the situation.Accord
More than half of the memory semiconductors China imported last year were supplied from South Korea. Despite the Chinese government’s efforts to nurture its semiconductor industry, large imports from South Korea are likely to continue for a while in view of both countries’ technical gap.Last year, C
South Korea’s two major air carriers – Asiana Airlines Inc. and Korean Air Lines Co. – are moving to reorganize their fleet for Chinese passengers as the Chinese government has lifted the restrictions on group tours to South Korea.The two companies will introduce larger-capacity airplanes for Chines
China is planning to accelerate the conclusion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) amid its ongoing trade war with the United States. Under the circumstances, China, South Korea, Japan and the 10 ASEAN member countries are predicted to reach an agreement on major issues in Nove
Some of Volvo's new flagship models have begun to be produced in China. But many Korean consumers still do not trust cars made in China yet. Thus, attention is being paid to whether or not Volvo Korea will maintain its growth in Korea, shaking off concern in the market.According to Volvo Korea o
The United States is expected to designate China as a currency manipulator in October. The designation would increase the value of the yuan, which in turn would cause the Korean won to appreciate, dealing a blow to the South Korean economy heavily reliant on exports.The United States Department of t
Security risks stemming from China are spreading across South Korea as personal information could be leaked when CCTVs made in China are hacked.According to industry sources, concerns over the possibility of hacking via home IP cameras made in China are spreading to cover public CCTVs installed nati
The Bank of Korea claimed that South Korea’s business strategy vis-à-vis China needs to be overhauled as China is seeking to turn itself into a country with an advanced industrial structure concentrating on high technology. The overhaul means a shift in focus from intermediate goods exports toward m
The Hyundai Motor Group is in a serious situation in China. Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors began to recover at the beginning of the year after sustaining a direct hit from China’s trade retaliation for the deployment of the terminal high altitude area defense (THAAD) system in South Korea last year. Y
The business environment of South Korean steel companies is deteriorating amid U.S. import quotas and tariffs, EU safeguard measures, and China’s investigation into steel products from four countries including Korea.The Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced on July 23 that it has initiated an anti-
South Korea’s leading chemical company LG Chem plans to invest around 2.3 trillion won (US$1.8 billion) in building its second electric car battery plant in Nanjing, China.According to multiple industry sources on July 18, LG Chem Nanjing signed a deal with the local government on the previous day t
LG Electronics' robotics business is taking shape towards the creation of an LG robot empire. LG Electronics started to make a foray into the smart factory market in China by appointing the chief financial officer (CFO) of LG Electronics China as an inside director of industrial robot company Ro
As China has been ramping up investment in semiconductor manufacturing facilities, its semiconductor production equipment market is expected to get bigger than that of South Korea, which is the world’s largest.According to the Mid-year Forecast released by the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials I
The Chinese government has finally approved LG Display’s plans to build an organic light emitting diode (OLED) plant in Guangzhou, China. The plan was okayed in one year since LG Display announced the plan to build the plant in July of last year.LG Display announced on July 10 that the company recei
Samsung Electronics said on July 10 that the company would start the world's first mass-production of the fifth-generation (96-layer) V NAND flashes. "Now, the V NAND layer-stacking competition is meaningless," Samsung Electronics said. "The key is how to solve issues such as speed and capacitie