The state-run Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH) said Wednesday it will launch an "anti-cartel" headquarters as part of its effort to overhaul poor construction practices and stamp out the "construction cartel," a matter under scrutiny by the ruling party for potential collusion during the previous Moon Jae-in administration. LH CEO Lee Han-jun made the announcement at an emergency meeting of key officials, after a government-led probe found that the agency had failed to dete

South Korea saw the third-largest decline in gross domestic product per capita among major economies in 2022 amid a strong US dollar, data released on Wednesday showed. The country's GDP per capita fell 8.2 percent to record $32,142 in 2022 when compared to the year earlier, when it posted $34,998, according to data compiled by the Bank of Korea that was based on information from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the World Bank. The decline was the third larges

South Korean battery cell maker SK On, affiliated with the nation’s second-largest conglomerate SK Group, on Tuesday named Sung Min-suk an automotive veteran as its first chief commercial officer. Sung, the former CEO of Hanon Systems, a Korea-based automotive parts maker, will take the new role to handle client relations as part of the battery maker’s aggressive global expansion. In line with the new appointment, SK On has also restructured its marketing, purchasing and project mana

Doosan Corp., the holding unit of Doosan Group, said Monday it had secured a total of 500 billion won ($390 million) in preorders since 2019 for its lightweight patterned flat cable — or PFC — from corporate clients around the world. The PFC is a next-generation cable system pioneered by Doosan that can replace traditional cable harnesses in electric devices by reducing the weight, volume and complexity significantly, especially for electric vehicles. The PFC combines multiple cables

Hyundai Elevator said Wednesday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with LG Electronics and KT in order to drive advancements in the applications of robotics and explore new business opportunities in the field of smart buildings. The signing ceremony was attended by Do Ik-han, vice president and head of the Service Business Division at Hyundai Elevator; Roh Kyu-chan, vice president and head of the Robot Business Division at LG Electronics; and Lee Sang-ho, vice president and head of the

"South Korea aims to establish itself as a central hub within the global intellectual property network through strategic partnerships, technology-focused policies and active international engagement,” said Commissioner Lee Insil of the Korean Intellectual Property Office during her speech at the 64th World Intellectual Property Organization General Assembly held in Switzerland on July 6. During the first half of the year, the patent chief underscored Korea’s dedication to creati

The two firms operating the nation’s largest part-time job portals, Albamon and Alba Heaven, were fined 2.6 billion won ($2 million) for collusion, the antitrust watchdog said Monday. Following a record 16.4 percent minimum wage hike in 2018, JobKorea and MediaWill Networks, which run Albamon and Alba Heaven, respectively, colluded with each other to reduce the type of jobs available in free job postings. They also increased and fixed the price of paid services in order to steer users towa

Vietnam is responsible for about half of Nike’s footwear production globally, and almost half of the Vietnamese production is shouldered by South Korean equipment manufacturers that have operated there for decades. Nike is just one example of South Korean businesses’ presence in Vietnam in the textile and apparel industry. But changes proposed to a trade system that would make foreign companies like Korean textile firms in Vietnam no longer eligible for tax exemptions has sent jitter

The “SK Boulevard” debuted in Jackson Country in the US state of Georgia on Wednesday, replacing the former Steve Reynolds Industrial Parkway in recognition of the contributions of SK Battery America to the local economy, SK On, the battery making unit of SK Group said Thursday. The announcement was made at a signage ceremony at SKBA's Georgia facility attended by key local figures including Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Commerce City Mayor Clark Hill, and Jackson County Chamber of C

Between 7:58 a.m. and 7:47 p.m on July 11, Cho Young-eun, a resident in Guro-gu, southern Seoul, received a total of 13 alerts from six different public offices regarding heavy rain. Five were from the Ministry of Public Administration and Safety, three were from the Korea Forest Service, two were from the Seoul Metropolitan Government and one each from district offices of Yongsan-gu, Gwanak-gu and Seongdong-gu. Mostly titled "Public Safety Alert," the messages urged the recipients to

Illegally parked cars and other vehicles hindering the flow of traffic are not an uncommon sight in Seoul. Since around 2019, even pedestrian walkways are no longer immune from obstruction, having been invaded by a new type of vehicle: e-scooters. While e-scooter riders are often the first to blame, challenges also exist as users find it increasingly difficult to locate approved drop-off zones, which are only shown virtually on the mobile app's map, without any physical markers posted in th

Street vendors in Myeong-dong, one of Seoul's main tourist districts, could be forced to label their prices following complaints of overcharging, Jung-gu District Office said Sunday. According to the district office, a considerable number of vendors in Myeong-dong do not display their prices, making it difficult for consumers to compare costs without making direct inquiries. The proposed system aims to enhance transparency by obligating all vendors to display their prices prominently. The d

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is making another attempt to transform Jamsu Bridge, a submersible bridge connecting Yongsan and Seocho, into the first pedestrian-only Han River bridge and a new leisure and cultural space. The city government announced on Thursday that it will hold an international design contest to reimagine the bridge, with the hope of completing the project by 2026. The contest is a part of the Great Han River Project of Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon to enhance the convenience and

As summer's first heatwave warnings struck this week, medical professionals on Wednesday urged individuals with diabetes to exercise greater caution against the increased risk of a severe complication of the condition called diabetic foot disease. Diabetic foot disease encompasses a range of foot problems afflicting diabetics, with foot ulcers being the most debilitating, as explained by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Summertime coincides with a heightened risk of the dise

The prosecution said Monday it has suspended indictment of South Korean actor and former Environment Minister Son Sook, who is under suspicion of accepting golf club gifts between 2018 and 2021 while she was in public service. Citing her age of 79 and the relatively small value of the gift she received, worth over 1 million won ($760), the prosecution said it would not indict her. Indictment of Lee Hee-beom, the current chairman of Booyoung Group and former trade, industry and energy minister, w

Nearly one-third of South Korea's internet cafes, known locally as “PC bang,” could be illicit gambling operations, warned a police administration academic at a regulation forum on Thursday. Disguised as "PC Bang" only in name and exterior, these establishments run offline gambling operations for the general public, most commonly by installing unclassified games and converting gains obtained through these games into cash. At a forum attended by lawmakers and gaming ind

Two-wheeled vehicles, particularly high-noise automobiles like motorcycles, will be clamped to stricter controls on their permissible noise increase with an updated policy effective from July, imposing fines of up to 2 million won ($1520) for excessive noise emissions, the Ministry of Environment announced Thursday. Under the new standard, all two-wheeled vehicles will not be allowed to exceed their noise certification value by 5 decibels. The change aims to put the brakes on vehicle modificatio

AI-generated profile pictures are not eligible for use on Korean national ID cards, the government stated Tuesday, saying that such photos violate current guidelines prohibiting the use of “transformed” images. The announcement follows the increasing popularity of AI profile photo services offered by prominent smartphone camera apps -- that of SNOW being the most notable. SNOW's AI profile feature, introduced in May, allows users to upload 10 to 20 selfies from different angles

Two robbers in their 20s were apprehended in South Gyeongsang Province last Thursday for their intensely quick-handed series of break-ins in Yangsan and Jinhae in the region, the Yangsan Police Station reported Monday. The pair stormed into a jewelry shop in Yangsan at dawn on June 22, snatched gold bracelets and other valuables worth 20 million won, and made their escape -- all in under 17 seconds. Security footage shows a man, wearing a helmet, shattering the storefront window with a hammer an

South Korean law firm LAWWIN participated in the recent LAWASIA Employment Law Conference to discuss legal trends and issues concerning work and workers across Asia. The LAWASIA Employment Law Conference, which took place in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia from June 8 to 10 this year, is a regional forum for lawyers to learn and discuss various aspects of employment law in the Asia-Pacific region. Leading the firm's foreign affairs team, attorney Dasom Park highlighted the challenges that foreign w