JAKARTA, Indonesia -- The partnership between South Korea and Indonesia has grown stronger over the decades through collaborative endeavors, common interests and trust, according to speakers at the Korea-Indonesia Economic Cooperation Forum. Korea, a global powerhouse in science and technology, and Indonesia, one of the fastest-growing economies with large mineral reserves, mark half a century of diplomatic relations this year. Key figures at the forum said the two nations' distinctive comp

Hana Financial Group CEO Ham Young-joo (center), Vice Chairman Lee Eun-hyung (second from left) and some 300 officials celebrate the group’s 18th anniversary at its headquarters in central Seoul, Friday. During the event, the Hana employees boasted the new slogan "New Hana" to steer the financial giant’s future. Hana promised to take a big step forward, putting importance on a customer-first strategy and corporate social responsibility. (Hana Financial Group)

The Seoul government on Saturday welcomed the release of proposed U.S. guidance on U.S. tax credits for electric vehicles (EVs), noting it will help remove uncertainties surrounding the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The U.S. released the guidance on Friday (U.S. time), defining a "foreign entity of concern" (FEOC) whose battery components and critical minerals may disqualify EVs from U.S. incentives. "Our battery makers have been asking for an early release of FEOC requireme

Kakao Entertainment, a content arm under Korea’s IT giant Kakao Corp., said Friday that it proposed Japan's manga industry take joint legal action to tackle illegal distribution of webtoons and web novels. In the latest exchange session jointly held by Korea’s Copyright Overseas Promotion Association (COA), an organization of major Korean content companies for overseas copyright protection, and Japan’s Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA), a leading Japanese

South Korea's exports rose for the second consecutive month in November as semiconductor shipments rebounded, government data showed Friday. According to data released by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, South Korea’s exports rose 7.8 percent on-year to $55.8 billion in November. The country’s exports in November are currently the highest this year, surpassing the figure in October when the country’s exports saw a 13-month downturn and increased by 5.1 percent

SK Group Chair Chey Tae-won suggested that South Korean and Japanese business circles form a "union" to handle the global economic crisis triggered by geopolitical conflicts and division, speaking at a forum in Japan on Thursday. "The era of a single global market has passed due to geopolitical conflicts, climate change and digital transformation," said Chey, who doubles as the head of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in his opening speech at the Tokyo Forum 2023

Korea Aerospace Industries announced Friday that it has inked an agreement with US space firm SpaceX to launch South Korea's next-generation mid-sized satellite No. 2 into orbit in 2025. With the latest deal, KAI has entered a second partnership with SpaceX following a similar agreement signed in July 2021 to launch the next-generation mid-sized satellite No. 4. Under the agreement, both No. 2 and No. 4 satellites will be mounted on Space X’s Falcon 9 rocket for launch into space orbi

Kim Dong-myung, the newly appointed CEO of South Korean battery giant LG Energy Solution, on Friday vowed to execute winning strategies to lead qualitative growth and create a professional culture aimed at achievement. “If the past three years were the era of LG Energy Solution 1.0 where we laid the foundation for quantitative growth and business, now is the time to make the era of LG Energy Solution 2.0 that results in qualitative growth by securing a dominant upper hand among the competi

Toss Bank, a Korean internet-only bank, saw its first quarterly profit in the third quarter. The company on Thursday announced it logged a net profit of 8.6 billion won ($6.65 million) in the third quarter, shifting from a net loss of 10.5 billion won the previous term. This marked the first time the company posted a quarterly profit since its launch in October 2021. The company attributed the growth to increased interest revenue during the pandemic when mobile banking services saw an influx of

The Korea International Trade Association held the Korea Grand Sourcing Fair 2023 at Coex in southern Seoul on Wednesday and Thursday as part of its efforts to help domestic exporters enter overseas markets. According to KITA, this year’s event was attended by 152 buyers from 26 countries, who conducted more than 2,300 consultations with nearly 800 Korean companies. In particular, the proportion of buyers from the US, Vietnam, India, China and Japan, all key export markets, made up more th

Celltrion Healthcare, Celltrion Group's sales arm, announced Thursday that the company’s autoimmune disease treatment Zymfentra will make its debut in the US market on Feb. 29 next year. Zymfentra, which is also known as Remsima SC, is a subcutaneous injection formulation of Celltrion's infliximab Remsima, a treatment for patients with rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis in adult patients. Zymf

US tech giant Corning Inc. said Thursday that it had appointed Vaughn Hall, its international vice president, as the president of Corning’s Korea Region and Corning Precision Materials. Starting his career at Corning in 1995 as a senior engineer in the company's Harrodsburg plant in Kentucky, Hall has served a number of leadership roles in production management of the company's glass business in the US and Asia, including Japan, Taiwan and China. "As we celebrate 50 years in

In the journey to establishing Samyang Roundsquare's global presence with its ramyeon products, CEO Kim Jung-soo has played a pivotal role. Taking on the position of CEO in September, Kim has been a key figure in the family-owned Samyang Group's leadership since 2017, being the daughter-in-law of Samyang Foods' founder, Chun Joong-yoon. Kim envisions the global market growth not merely as a culinary delight but as a cultural phenomenon extending beyond food. For example, the "

South Korean food giant Samyang Roundsquare, under the leadership of CEO Kim Jung-soo, has been avidly pursuing its global market strategy, particularly focusing on key regions such as China and the US. With China contributing to 35 percent of overseas sales, the company is intensifying efforts to expand to the US, Europe and Southeast Asia, identified as the next growth drivers. During China's Singles Day shopping festival from late October to November, Samyang Roundsquare reached record s

Kyobo Life Insurance, one of Korea's leading life insurers, has launched a cost-effective renewable child insurance product that provides lifetime coverage starting from the prenatal period to facilitate the healthy growth of children. The new plan offers tailored protection against major health conditions and diseases throughout one’s life cycle from pregnancy and childbirth to adolescence. Upon turning 30, subscribers can transition to adult coverage, renewing the period up to the a

Buoyed by its rapidly expanding global presence, Woori Bank has vowed to achieve up to 25 percent of its net profit from overseas sales by 2030. As of November, Woori runs 469 global branches across 24 countries. Its global division logged an annual asset growth of 9 percent over the last three years, reporting a net profit of $340 million in 2022. To continue the upward trend, it plans to pour resources into its three units in the burgeoning Southeast Asian market -- Indonesia, Vietnam and Ca

Kakao Bank, Korea’s largest internet-only bank, has been leading efforts to achieve financial inclusivity in the industry, by developing various customer-friendly products and services. Since its founding in 2017, it has been catering to diverse financial needs by rolling out innovative savings accounts such as group savings accounts, 26-week and one-month installment deposit accounts, as well as tailored loan products for those with low credit scores. Buoyed by its user-friendliness and

JB Financial Group has accelerated its digital transformation efforts to bring more convenient options to a broader customer base by seeking innovative collaboration projects. Under the leadership of Kim Ki-hong, the group's chairman, the group has achieved record earnings over the past few years. To further expand its presence in the market and customer base, the banking group also tapped into the fintech and online banking industries. In July, it inked a partnership agreement with Seoul-b

GS Group, the South Korean energy, retail and construction conglomerate, on Wednesday said it promoted 50 executives across its affiliates, the most the group has carried out in its annual reshuffle since its establishment in 2005. The promotions include Kim Seong-min, new CEO at GS Caltex, Yoo Jae-young, CEO of GS Power, and Cheong Yong-han, CEO of GS Entec. Kim, along with Hur Sae-hong, the incumbent CEO of GS Caltex, will serve as independent heads of the oil refiner. GS Group last month appo

Despite Busan’s disappointing loss in its bid to host the 2030 World Expo, Korea's economic circle viewed its rallying efforts in the past year and a half as having "expanded the horizon" for companies with new opportunities in the global market. Saudi Arabia's Riyadh was chosen to host the World Expo in 2030 on Tuesday, garnering 119 votes out of 165 in a secret ballot held during the Bureau International des Expositions general assembly in Paris. Busan and Rome were k