JINCHEON, North Chungcheong Province — For three decades, CJ CheilJedang has honed a seemingly simple recipe for instant rice under its Hetbahn brand, which more often than not stands in for microwavable rice itself in Korea. The nation's first aseptic-packaged cooked rice, debuted in 1996, now holds about 65 percent of the domestic market and has grown into a lineup of multigrain bowls, pot-cooked rice, porridge, cup meals and even rice-studded gelato. Innovation continues at CJ’s smart factory

Hana Financial Group posted a record net profit of 3.62 trillion won ($2.73 billion) in the first nine months of the year, while its share buybacks and cancellations approached 1 trillion won, marking its largest-ever shareholder return. The group said Friday that its consolidated net profit for the third quarter reached 1.22 trillion won, up 2.4 percent from the previous quarter and 7.8 percent from a year earlier. It was the highest quarterly profit since the group merged with Korea Exchange B

Woori Financial Group reported Friday a cumulative net profit of 2.66 trillion won ($2 billion) for the first nine months of 2026 as underlying income grew, though one-off gains from insurance acquisitions in 2025 mean the figure was down 4.9 percent year-on-year. Excluding bargain purchase gains related to last year's insurance acquisitions, profit rose 18.7 percent. Third-quarter net profit fell 15.7 percent from last year's record quarter, but at 1.05 trillion won, it was its second-highest e

South Korean shares closed slightly higher Friday after plunging more than 3 percent in the previous session, as investors hunted for bargains in major chip stocks amid persistent concerns over investments in the artificial intelligence value chain. The Korean won strengthened against the US dollar. After choppy trading, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 16.53 points, or 0.3 percent, to end at 5,550.30. The index opened 2.36 percent lower, but individual investors, who were ne

The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea and US networking giant Cisco called for greater attention to cybersecurity risks posed by aging IT infrastructure, urging Korean businesses to modernize outdated systems as artificial intelligence reshapes the threat landscape. The two organizations held a closed-door roundtable Thursday at Cisco Korea's office in Seoul, bringing together business executives and cybersecurity experts to discuss the risks of end-of-life, or EOL, technology — equipment an

Hanwha Asset Management is set to become the first Korean asset manager to list exchange-traded funds on a Middle Eastern exchange, taking two US-listed products tracking Korea's defense and manufacturing sectors to Abu Dhabi as it seeks to build a global investor base. The company confirmed to The Korea Herald on Friday that it plans to cross-list its PLUS Korea Defense Industry Index ETF (KDEF) and PLUS Korea Manufacturing Core Alliance Index ETF (KMCA) on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange on

"I ordered Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold8 with my wife, but returned mine unopened when I heard Apple was releasing a foldable." Kim, a Seoul-based game company employee in his mid-40s, was among the first customers collecting Apple's 3.29 million won ($2,300) iPhone Duo at Apple Myeongdong on Friday. His wife kept her Samsung phone. "I seriously considered switching to Android because of the Fold8," he said. But giving up his Apple Watch, AirPods and familiar iPhone software was too much of a barrier

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong joined senior executives Friday at a memorial service for his late father, former Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee, ahead of the sixth anniversary of his death on Sunday. Lee arrived at the family burial site in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, at around 8:40 a.m., shortly after returning from a business trip to the United Arab Emirates. He paid his respects at the grave, bowing twice before observing a moment of silence and performing a traditional memorial ritual

Hyundai Motor Co. said Friday it has supplied 11 County electric buses to Bali, marking the introduction of the first electric public transportation service on the Indonesian resort island. The South Korean automaker supplied the buses as part of an official development assistance program, after winning a bid organized by the Global Green Growth Institute in October 2025. The delivery marks Hyundai Motor's second supply of electric buses to Indonesia, following the delivery of 11 County electric

GS Caltex showcased a range of artificial intelligence-driven workplace innovations, from employee training tools to robotics and energy-saving initiatives, at its annual Deep Transformation Day held Thursday at GS Tower in southern Seoul. The fourth edition of the event, attended by GS Caltex Vice Chairman and CEO Hur Sae-hong and other executives and employees, featured 15 exhibition booths highlighting projects developed by staff to improve productivity and transform business operations. Amon

South Korean shares opened sharply lower Friday, weighed down by overnight losses in US artificial intelligence and semiconductor stocks, while rising oil prices added to market jitters. After opening 2.36 percent lower, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 156.6 points, or 2.83 percent, to 5,377.17 as of 9:15 a.m. Overnight, US stocks closed mixed, with losses in major technology shares weighing on the broader market. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.02 percent, while the

SK hynix Inc. said Friday it has decided to suspend plans for the listing of its US subsidiary Solidigm, citing market conditions. Reports have circulated that Solidigm was considering an initial public offering in the United States as early as next year, potentially valuing the subsidiary at up to $150 billion. "We have decided to halt its review of a pre-IPO fundraising round and a subsequent IPO after taking into account overall capital market conditions," the South Korean chipmaker said. How

Hanwha Life-backed Nobu Bank has topped Indonesia's QR payment market with an estimated 21.5 percent share by transaction volume, outpacing larger rivals despite its relatively modest size in the country's banking sector. Bank Indonesia separately identified Nobu as the largest provider of merchant-presented QR payment services by transaction volume in a March report. The figures reflect its presence in digital payments, although Nobu remains relatively small compared to Indonesia's major commer

BUSAN — South Korea’s first government-led Arctic shipping trial has shown the potential to cut the distance to Europe by about 35 percent and the transit time by roughly 10 days compared with the Suez Canal route, but participants said ice, severe weather and operational challenges remain obstacles to commercial service. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries shared the findings Thursday at a briefing in Busan with participants in the voyage, which ended Oct. 11 when the container ship Panstar Ac

A cafe in Hannam-dong, central Seoul, was bustling with visitors Thursday, with some lining up before opening to get their hands on branded merchandise from US software company Palantir Technologies, including hoodies, T-shirts and caps featuring the company's logo and messages. The two-day pop-up store, open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., marks Palantir's second merchandise event in South Korea, following its first pop-up in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, in October last year. This year's event, themed "Soverei