Groupon Korea on Monday punctuated its launch on the Korean market with a monthly sales target of 10 billion won ($880 million) during the first half of this year.The goal falls behind the annual 200 billion won targeted by Ticket Monster, the nation’s top social commerce operator, but Groupon brushed aside concerns, saying its initial goal would be to create a healthy social commerce environment

Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Kun-hee is causing a stir with his remarks apparently disparaging the government’s policy performance and castigating a former prime minister’s drive for profit sharing between large and small firms.Asked to assess the Lee Myung-bak administration’s economic policies, he had said on Thursday, “I am not satisfied but still won’t give out a failing mark since the eco

LG calls Samsung’s bluff, proposing public demonstrationsLG on Thursday touched off a second round in the ongoing 3-D TV war by challenging Samsung to a public demonstration as tension grew between the two rivals who have been engaged in serious bashing over 3-D technology. “It is our wish to see (our) competition come out for a demonstration," said LG Display’s chief executive Kwon Young-soo in a

Technology should be bringing people together closer: Twitter co-founderTechnology, while it often appears to be the driving force behind tidal waves of change capable of forever altering the way we live, is but a tool for enhancing humanity, Biz Stone, the co-founder of Twitter Inc., said on Thursday. “If we are to be a triumph, we are not to be a triumph of technology but a triumph of humanity,” Stone said at a session of the MBN World Economy and Future Forum. “People are basically good, and

The Korean corporate sector, despite its rapid industrial success and latest attempts to become a trusted member of the global corporate society, has yet to gain the full trust of global opinion leaders, an executive of PR firm Edelman said. In its annual survey for measuring trust in business, government, NGOs and media in over 20 nations, the company said that opinion leaders across the world le

Samsung Group marked its first step into the biopharmaceutical business with the establishment of its joint venture with U.S. drugmaker Quintiles Transnational Corp. The company on Friday said the joint venture will be established during the first half of this year, to be capitalized at 300 billion won ($265.5 million).It will be controlled 90 percent by Samsung Group. Quintiles will hold a 10 per

Apple’s MacBook Air expected to be firm’s biggest competitionSamsung Electronics aims to become the world’s sixth-largest player in the mobile PC market by establishing itself as a high-end brand, the company’s executive vice president Nam Seong-woo said Thursday.The electronics maker launched a super-slim laptop computer as a part of its strategy to carve a bigger share out of the high-end market

An iron concrete mould collapsed Wednesday at a construction site in South Korea, leaving eight people injured and one missing, police said.The accident happened at around 3.25 p.m. in Gwangju, south of Seoul, when the mould fell on the fourth floor of a building under construction. Nine people working on the rooftop also fell down during the collapse.   Eight of them were rescued and transported

 CAIRO -- A defiant Moammar Gadhafi vowed to fight to his ``last drop of blood'' and roared at supporters to strike back against Libyan protesters to defend his embattled regime Tuesday, signaling an escalation of the crackdown that has thrown the capital into scenes of mayhem, wild shooting and bodies in the streets.This image broadcast on Libyan state television Tuesday shows Libyan leader Moamm

Samsung Electronics Co. said Wednesday that it has succeeded in developing the world's first full-color display using quantum dots, paving the way for producing large displays that are brighter, cheaper and more advanced.The South Korean tech giant said that its researchers made a prototype of a four-inch, full-color display through a new way of display patterning, which will enable producing a la

South Korean stocks started lower on Wednesday as investor sentiment remained fragile amid concerns that political turmoil in Libya would jack up oil prices, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 2.99 points, or 0.15 percent, to trade at 1,966.93 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Already-rising oil prices, sparked by the economic recovery and money printing by

LG Electronics on Wednesday unveiled its first 3-D television using film-type patterned retarder panels that it claimed have effectively eliminated problems with the current 3-D technology. The Seoul-based electronics firm said in a press conference that the current shutter glass panels have serious limitations such as flickering and cross talk ― blurry ghosting images ― that viewers have persiste

Black, colored appliances in vogue as customers get style-consciousKim Hye-in, a soon-to-be bride, still faces a myriad of decisions as she prepares for her upcoming wedding, but she is quite firm on one point: no white or pastel appliances. “That’s why I chose black as my color scheme for the appliances I will be buying for our place,” said Kim, who was browsing Hi-Mart, a local electronics retai

   Overseas investors have shown a keen interest in new bonds issued by Hyundai Capital Service Inc., a financial unit of South Korea's Hyundai Motor Group, financial sources here said Tuesday.     Hyundai Capital Services successfully raised US$700 million byselling bonds maturing in five-and-a-half years. The bonds carry aninterest rate of 245 basis points above U.S. government debts.      Bookr

   Three banking groups, including top financial firm Woori Finance Holdings Co., have expressed their intention to buy an ailing savings bank, a state insurance agency that arranges the deal and sources said Tuesday.     On Jan. 14, the financial regulator suspended mid-sized SamhwaMutual Savings Bank for six months as it failed to meet regulatorycapital requirements. State-run Korea Deposit Insu

   South Korea plans to propose to the North on Wednesday to hold working-level talks next month in order to open the window for their first military talks in five months, government sources said Tuesday.   "The government plans to officially suggest to North Korea within tomorrow to hold preparatory talks for high-level military talks," a government official said.   Military talks with the North

LG CNS will become the first South Korean firm to forge a cross-border partnership with a Japanese financial company to provide IT services, the Seoul-based company said Tuesday.With Japan’s SBI Group, LG CNS said it would be forming a joint entity called SBI-LG Systems that would handle all of the IT services related to SBI, a top Japanese financial company with assets worth 13 trillion won ($11.

Legal battle begins over operation of Louis Vuitton shop at Incheon AirportLotte Duty Free has filed a lawsuit against Incheon International Airport for allowing Shilla Duty Free to open a Louis Vuitton store at the nation’s largest international airport.Lotte said on Thursday that it filed an injunction against the airport because it gave improper favors to Shilla. Lotte Duty Free’s argument was

LG Group plans to foster strong leadership among younger employees to fulfill the growing need to secure new human resources and a new organization to stay ahead of the markets, the company said Sunday. “People and their organization must first change if they are to persistently face challenges to lead the markets,” LG Group chairman Koo Bon-moo was quoted as saying. Koo said LG will select 500 em

Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara said Saturday that North Korea should take concrete stepsdemonstrating its seriousness of purpose and first hold dialoguewith South Korea if six-party nuclear talks are to reopen.Maehara also said that inter-Korean dialogue should be the starting point for any talks with North Korea and urged the communist nation to take specific steps demonstrating its comm