Foreign direct investment (FDI) in Korea shrank by more than 11 percent in 2020 due to COVID-19, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said on Jan. 12.FDI has sunken by a double-digit figure for two consecutive years after reaching an all-time high in 2018.The ministry said FDI in Korea reached
The Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology announced on Dec. 22 that its research team led by Dr. Kwon Ki-seon confirmed a correlation between senile sarcopenia and a decrease in muscle cell membrane fluidity.At present, senile sarcopenia is regarded as being due to various interre
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at ys.hwang@nhqv.com. -- Ed. In order to reduce demand for petroleum-based plastics that result in environmental harm (eg, in the form of excess waste and global warming), ‘white bio’ revitalization policy is being promoted. F
The South Korean government released a series of plans on Dec. 7 to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. According to the plan, the government will pursue carbon reduction in every field of economy by replacing fossil fuels as main energy sources with renewable energy. Last year, coal-based power gene
The South Korean government is planning to invest three billion won for three years to come in order to help small and venture firms develop and commercialize technology related to bioplastics.These days, white biotechnology is emerging as a solution to plastic wastes and carbon emissions. The techn
The Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology announced on Nov. 15 that South Korea’s top 50 R&D investors included eight pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies last year. This is noteworthy in that pharma and biotech companies’ sales are smaller than those of enterprises in the other sector
ViGenCell, a biotechnology affiliate of Boryung Pharmaceutical that specializes in immune cell therapy technologies, has launched a scientific advisory committee composed of immunological and clinical research experts to accelerate the development of treatments for intractable diseases and strengthe
CJ CheilJedang will make a foray into the white biotechnology market based on its competitive fermentation technology. White biotechnology uses plants and other biological resources to produce materials such as industrial materials or bio-fuels. Its importance is rapidly growing as it produces mater
The author is an analyst of KB Securities. She can be reached at kahye.hong@kbfg.com. -- Ed. Initiate coverage with POSITIVE rating; top pick: Samsung BiologicsWe initiate coverage of Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology with a POSITIVE rating. Our optimism lies in our view that the growing global biophar
The Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy announced plans to establish a council comprised of leaders in bio manufacturing and supply to further strengthen the K-bio industry through collaborative efforts.At a ceremony to establish and recognize the creation of the council, Samsung Biologics CEO K
LG Chem held a board meeting on Sept. 17 and decided to split off its battery business unit. The company is planning to hold an extraordinary shareholder meeting on Oct. 30 to that end and the new company, named LG Energy Solutions for now, is likely to be launched on Dec. 1.LG Energy Solutions will
The Korean government is planning to invest about 1 trillion won to commercialize artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors and develop next-generation semiconductor manufacturing processes.The plan calls for investing 500 billion won in public-private funds by 2026 to commercialize AI semiconduct
The Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology announced on Aug. 18 that some COVID-19 drug and vaccine candidates showed antiviral effects in its recent primate experiments sponsored by the South Korean government.The institute selected three candidates in March this year and has cond
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on Aug. 11 that 15 clinical trials are underway in South Korea in relation to COVID-19 and those are divided into 13 for treatment development and two for vaccine development. A total of 20 COVID-19 treatment and vaccine clinical trials have been approv
Samsung Biologics announced on Aug. 5 that it has signed a contract manufacturing deal with GlaxoSmithKline Trading Services Limited (GSK) to produce neutralizing antibodies for the new coronavirus (COVID-19) being developed by the multinational pharmaceutical company.The contract value is 439.4 bil
Mirae Asset Management announced on Aug. 4 that net assets of Tiger NASDAQ 100 ETF, which invests in the U.S. NASDAQ market, has surpassed 300 billion won. The NASDAQ consists mainly of IT, consumer goods and healthcare stocks, which are expected to benefit from the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Its
The authors are analysts of NH Investment & Securities. They can be reached at william.ku@nhqv.com and weihan@nhqv.com, respectively. – Ed. 1. Domestic market conditions remain soundMajor pharmas sustain growthUp until 2012, Korea’s pharma industry players mainly focused on generic drug sales, targe
Samsung Biologics' contract manufacturing organization (CMO) business is getting into its stride.The company announced on July 21 that its sales in the second quarter of 2020 jumped 294 percent on year to 307.7 billion won. It swung into positive territory with an operating profit of 81.1 billio
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at william.ku@nhqv.com. -- Ed. A large number of pharmaceutical/bio players, particularly testing kit companies, have been seeing earnings expansion amid the Covid-19 outbreak. With share prices of related treatment and vaccin
Korea’s COVID-19 diagnostic kits have led the world to pay attention to K-Bio's capabilities. At the same time, they prompted hackers to attack Korean bio companies.The primary target of foreign hackers is Korean companies that produce COVID-19 diagnostic kits. Hacking attempts have also been ma