Traveling during the Lunar New Year, or Seollal in Korean, is often a big hassle because it usually involves being stuck in traffic for long hours. Hence a range of technology has been launched to help ease the pain, including mobile applications and sensors, to help travelers have a smooth trip as well as to put their minds at ease about leaving their homes unattended. 　For instance, LG Uplus’ Internet of Things services platform -- dubbed IoT@home -- allows users to manage and control their ho

SK Innovation, South Korea’s top oil refiner, said Wednesday it posted its second best performance to date in 2015 thanks to high refining margins on the back of heightened global demand for oil products and reduced inventory losses.　The company logged an operating profit of 1.98 trillion won ($1.62 billion) and net sales of 48.36 trillion won last year, swinging to recovery after falling into the red for the first time in 2014.　Though its sales plunged by around 26.6 percent in 2015 compared to

South Korea's Incheon Transit Corp. began commercial operations of a magnetic levitation train made by Hyundai Rotem, the train-building affiliate of Hyundai Motor Group, on Wednesday.　It marks the second urban magnetic levitation train ever to be commercialized in the world, after Japan’s Nippon Sharyo launched its own service in Nagoya in 2005.　The unmanned train will carry passengers on a 6.1 kilometer route linking Incheon International Airport and Yongyu Station, a tourist location on the s

CHEONAN, South Chungcheong Province - Thyssenkrupp, a leading German diversified industrial group, is looking to combine its engineering expertise with South Korean innovation to better address expanding urban infrastructural and mobility needs.　As a global industrial group adapting to digitalization and fast-paced urbanization, Thyssenkrupp views Korea as an important player with which it can build new technologies and foresee future developments, according to Heinrich Hiesinger, chief executiv

Hyundai Rotem, the train-making affiliate of Hyundai Motor Group, rolled out plans Monday to expand its railway system maintenance business, among other efforts, in a bid to revive struggling profits this year.　This development comes after Hyundai Rotem recorded its worst annual performance to date in 2015 -- a net loss of 303.5 billion won ($252.5 million) and operating deficit of 192.9 billion won -- since its acquisition by Hyundai in 2001. 　Performing below market expectations, the company l

CHENGDU, China -- On Chunxi Road, the largest shoppers’ street in downtown Chengdu, the capital city of China’s Sichuan province, large signboards and images of Korean entertainers promote fashion, cosmetics and other consumer goods. 　From “Running Man” star Lee Kwang-soo to actress Jun Ji-hyun and K-pop group Big Bang, Korean pop culture icons attract people seeking things they have seen on TV. 　Twenty-two-year-old college student Fei Lui went shopping Saturday morning at the Innisfree store, a

삼성바이오에피스가 개발한 첫 번째 바이오 복제약(바이오시밀러)이 처음으로 해외 시장에 공식 진출한다.　　관련 업계에 따르면 지난 29일 삼성바이오에피스의 류머티스관절염 등 자가 면역 질환 치료제인 ‘베네팔리’가 노르웨이 의약품 국가 입찰(LIS)에서 TNF-알파억제제 부문의 대표 의약품으로 선정 되었다.　　이는 ‘베네팔리’가 지난 17일 유럽에서 첫 공식 판매허가를 받은 지 약 2주만에 달성한 쾌거로서 삼성이 2012년부터 개발에 돌입한 바이오시밀러 의약품의 본격 상업화의 시작을 알린다는 점에서 의미가 크다.　 인천 송도에 위치한 삼성바이오에피스 본사 전경 (삼성바이오에피스 제공)　‘베네팔리’는 미국의 글로벌제약사인 암젠이 개발한 바이오 의약품 ‘엔브렐’의 바이오 복제약이다. 지난해 ‘엔브렐’의 유럽 특허가 만료되며 해당 국가에서 바이오시밀러 판매가 가능해졌다.　　노르웨이 보건당국에 따르면 ‘베네팔리’는 삼성바이오에피스의 유럽 마케팅 협력사인 바이오젠을 통해 오리지널 약제 대비 약

Samsung Bioepis has won its first overseas bid to supply its copy of the blockbuster arthritis treatment Enbrel in Norway, paving the way for its push to challenge global phamaceutical giants in the nascent but lucrative market for biosimilar drugs.　The development comes just two weeks after the European Commission’s approval of Benepali, Samsung’s biosimilar replication of Amgen’s top-selling drug Enbrel, known scientifically as etanercept, on Jan. 17. The Samsung Bioepis headquarters in Songdo

McDonald’s Korea rolled out its “Signature Burger” menu in five stores in Busan last week, following the successful launch of the fast-food chain’s premium menu in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province last year.　The “Signature Burger” menu allows customers to build their own burgers by choosing from more than 20 ingredients through an instore touch-screen kiosk. Customers can either build burgers from scratch or choose a combination of ingredients recommended by McDonald’s. A server later brings the cust

Nonagon, a fashion brand co-launched by Samsung C&T’s fashion unit and YG Entertainment, has opened a pop-up store at the Galleria Department Store in Apgujeong, Seoul. It will run until Feb. 11.　As part of its 2016 spring and summer collection, Nonagon has launched apparel inspired by military and circus concepts such as motifs from freak shows. 　Since the pop-up store opened in Galleria last week, Nonagon’s signature goods, which include its bomber jackets and backpacks, have been selling espe

Nike Sportswear has launched the Air Force 1 Ultra Flynit in South Korea. It is an upgraded rendition of the brand’s iconic Nike Air Force 1 sneakers, which were first launched in 1983 and inspired by basketball and street culture. 　The new sneakers edition is made with Nike’s breathable lightweight Flyknit material while still retaining its original silhouette. The shoes boast enhanced performance and comfort compared to the original, according to Nike.　At around half the weight of the original

Sempio, a South Korean food company, showcased its natural food additive Yondu at this year’s Madrid Fusion food fair, the company said Thursday.　At the event, Sempio featured a variety of European and Korean dishes prepared with Yondu. The fair attracted some 100 chefs from 14 countries, 700 industry officials and 12,300 visitors, according to Sempio.　Yondu is a liquid food additive made by fermenting beans. Developed exclusively by Sempio, the 100 percent vegetable-based seasoning is used to e

Organica’s Just Juice Cleanse, a range of all-natural, cold-pressed vegetable- and fruit-based detox juices, is now available for purchase at Starbucks, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and E-mart Traders, the organic food maker said Thursday.　Developed exclusively by Organica, a Herald Corp. affiliate and a premium natural foods company, Just Juice Cleanse juices are available in different sizes and unique flavors at each of the two coffee chains and the supermarket. 　Unlike conventional juices, Orga

The Korean government on Wednesday announced a set of new plans to support start-ups and encourage entrepreneurship overall with aims to become one of the top seven start-up accelerating nations by the end of this year. 　The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning unveiled its 2016 work plans that, among other things, aim to vitalize the start-up sector and support research and development projects for ICT, science and biotechnology. 　The ministry did not specify the budget for the plans bu

OCI COMPLETES HUAI’AN SOLAR PLANT — OCI president Huh Man (center) and company officials hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday to mark the completion of OCI’s 10-megawatt solar power plant located in a 270,000-square-meter-wide crab farm in Hongze County of Huai’an, China. The plant, able to produce electricity for some 3,600 households, will become a supplier to the State Grid Corporation of China for the next 20 years, according to green energy and chemical company OCI. (OCI) OCI’s 10-megaw

SK Group has selected alternative energy as a new business area to lead its future growth, eyeing forthcoming changes to sweep the global business landscape in an era of global warming.　Officially announcing “new energy” as its next growth engine Wednesday, SK said it has drawn up a special committee, led by the chief executive of SK E&S, to lead its foray into the emerging segment.　New energy refers to alternative forms and sources of energy other than conventional fossil fuels. Alternative ene

Despite global economic woes last year, LG Chem saw its operating profit increase by 39.1 percent to 1.82 trillion won, compared to the preceding year, according to the firm’s annual earnings report released Tuesday.　　The company’s annual revenue, however, decreased to 20.21 trillion won, down 10.5 percent from the year before.　The chemical and battery business affiliate of LG Group said in the earnings report that “Overall sales have decreased due to slow recovery of the global economy and oil

In response to the launch of video-streaming service Netflix in the Korean market earlier this month, SK Broadband, an Internet and pay TV services provider, has introduced a new mobile media platform. Called Oksusu, which is the Korean word for corn, it combines the firm’s on-demand mobile TV service Btv and video-streaming service Hoppin.　The wholly owned subsidiary of SK Telecom said it would focus on making a wide range of video content available on the new platform.　Oksusu will feature the

Yamaha Music Korea announced Tuesday that it has appointed Hideo Kaneda, former head of Yamaha's Taiwanese operations, as its new chief executive.　　The company expects its new CEO “to work not only for the expansion of Yamaha’s instrument business, which is its main focus, but also to nurture its burgeoning audio device segment” in Korea.  Hideo Kaneda (Yamaha Music Korea)　Hideo Kaneda first joined Yamaha in 1986. He later served as the sales director of the company’s Chinese operations from 200

Samsung Group’s biosimilars unit is likely to delay its public listing on the Nasdaq, originally scheduled for the first half of this year, industry sources said Tuesday. 　Samsung Bioepis, which develops biosimilars -- cheaper near-replicas of brand-name biologic drugs -- had sought to raise up to 2 trillion won ($1.7 billion) through the initial public offering to pour more resources into research and development activities.　According to news reports and sources, however, the company is unlikel