Line, the Japan-based mobile messenger operator owned by South Korea’s Naver, has announced plans to launch its own cryptocurrency and an underlying blockchain network to support it, in a move to attract more users to the Line business ecosystem.　The company plans to launch the digital tokens, dubbed Link, this month. Link tokens will not be issued in the form of an initial coin offering but via a reward system that gives users Link in exchange for using and engaging in services within Line.The

South Korean video game giant Nexon is working to expand its employee benefits, ranging from cultural and educational programs to special vacations for longtime employees, as it strives to keep in line with a corporate culture that prioritizes work-life balance.Among Nexon Korea’s most popular offerings is an arts and culture class program called Nexon Forum. Operational since 2012, the program has held more than 100 classes so far in areas such as woodcraft, pottery making, choral training and

Kakao, operator of South Korea’s top-used mobile messenger KakaoTalk, is moving to extend its influence in its major business divisions, through strategic acquisitions in the e-commerce sector and partnerships in the artificial intelligence platform business.　Kakao is reportedly looking to acquire Korea Center, which operates international shopping support site Malltail that helps Korean consumers make direct purchases from overseas sites and ships the purchased goods to Korea.A man makes an onl

South Korean biopharma company Medytox said Wednesday that it had submitted a biologics license application for its type A botulinum toxin drug, Medytoxin, to the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration.　Medytoxin has been filed for approval under the name Neuronox in Taiwan. If approved, the BTX product will be marketed locally by Medytox Taiwan, a joint venture between Medytox and Dynamic Medical Technologies, a Taiwanese medical equipment company with a specialty in aesthetic lasers.Neuronox woul

Kakao, the operator of South Korea’s most widely used mobile messenger service, KakaoTalk, said Wednesday that it will begin developing a medical big data platform in partnership with the Asan Medical Center in Seoul.The envisioned big data platform would pool and consolidate different kinds of medical records and other information into one integrated system, so they can be utilized and analyzed by interested parties.Kakao Investment, Kakao’s venture investment arm, has signed an agreement with

South Korean biopharma company Celltrion said Wednesday that it has concluded all clinical trials for its subcutaneous (SC) version of Remsima, and is scheduled to seek approval for the drug from European drug regulators by the year’s end.Celltrion said it had concluded phase 3 clinical trials for Remsima SC and is now preparing to submit the drug for approval to the European Medicines Agency in the latter half of the year.　 Celltrion employees are seen in an R&D lab at the company's headquarter

Factories have grown smarter over the years with tech-driven facilities automation and process optimization. And today, the concept of smart factories has taken on a new meaning with the adoption of artificial intelligence and big data analytics technologies.　Embracing this development, Samsung SDS has set out to be a leader in “intelligent factory” management solutions, which uses AI, the internet of things technology and data analytics to manage factories more efficiently and cut down operatio

Three out of 4 patients in South Korea were unaware of whether the medication they were taking was an original or generic drug, suggesting generally weak public understanding of drugs and their properties, according to survey results released by Bayer Korea on Tuesday. According to a survey of 1,000 Koreans aged between 40 and 60 on how knowledgeable they are about medication they regularly take, 71.5 percent did not know if the drug they were taking was an original or generic.Another 75.7 perce

Daewoong Pharmaceutical Chairman Yoon Jae-seung stepped down from his post Monday, following recent accusations that he had repeatedly abused employees with verbal threats and profanities during meetings.It marked yet another case of “gapjil” -- a Korean term referring to the abuse of power against a person in a lower-level position -- involving the controlling family of a major South Korean corporation. Daewoong Pharmaceutical is one of the country’s biggest pharmaceutical companies that is fam

Kumho Tire’s newly launched premium tire model Majesty 9 has been recording strong sales performance, with the market responding positively to the tire’s superior quality and upgraded features, the company said Monday.　According to Kumho, average monthly sales of the Majesty 9 SOLUS TA91 since May has been 30 percent greater than that of the tire’s former model in the same period last year, reflecting the newer model’s appeal.　The Majesty 9 tire offers a quieter and more comfortable ride on the

P&G Korea said Friday that it has named Balaka Niyazee, current director of sales at SK-II Worldwide under P&G, as its new general manager.Niyazee will replace the outgoing chief Kim Joo-youn, who has been newly appointed as the vice president of Gillette Asia. The new P&G Korea head will assume her post on Oct. 1, according to the company. P&G Korea`s new general manager Balaka Niyazee (P&G Korea)Niyazee initially joined P&G as a sales representative at P&G India. Since then, she has built up e

Samsung Electronics on Friday officially launched the Galaxy Note 9 smartphone in 56 markets around the world, including South Korea, the US, Canada, China and India, as well as all of Europe and Southeast Asia.Following this initial rollout, the South Korean tech giant plans to bring the Note 9 to 120 markets by early September, and embark on expanded marketing activities, the company said.The ninth edition of the Galaxy Note series sports a 6.4-inch AMOLED display and the largest-ever battery

When 30-year-old Kim Young-hoon started a new job at a tech firm in Pangyo this year, he decided on a practical investment: an electric scooter for his daily commute from his home in Seohyun-dong located about 5 kilometers away.　After all, whizzing to work on electric scooters seemed to be the popular thing in Pangyo, a tech-savvy neighborhood south of Seoul known for its quickness to adopt new technologies and trends.　Five months into scootering to work, Kim is beyond satisfied with his purchas

South Korean battery maker Samsung SDI is raising its focus on its small-sized lithium ion battery business, as the category has returned to the mainstream of cordless power tools and household devices popular today. Samsung SDI’s small-sized battery business is projected to bring in more than 400 billion won ($357 million) in operating profit this year, riding on strong global demand for cylindrical batteries, according to projections by local securities firms including Mirae Asset Daewoo.  (Sa

South Korea’s biggest used goods online marketplace Joonggonara has raised 5 billion won ($4.47 million) in fresh investment from JB Woori Capital and Kiwoom Securities, the company said Tuesday. Together with 8 billion won in Series A funding from venture capital investors in 2015, Joonggonara’s total funds raised now reach around 13 billion won, it added. Founded in 2003, Joonggonara is Korea’s largest online marketplace where users can buy or sell used goods, with more than 16 million monthly

South Korea’s Daewoong Pharmaceutical said Monday that Health Canada had granted marketing approval for its type A botulinum toxin drug Nabota, clearing the way for the product’s launch in North America.　Nabota has been approved by the Canadian drug regulator for the treatment of wrinkles in the forehead, according to the drugmaker. It is the first of Daewoong’s self-developed drugs to be approved for sales in a major global pharmaceutical market. The regulatory clearance comes three months afte

With widespread internet connectivity, high receptiveness to new technologies and a trend-conscious public, South Korea is arguably the optimal market for startups to introduce and test new tech-based services.Despite these opportunities, however, Korea can also be one of the most challenging places for startups due to rigid regulations that often shut down or limit the growth of new business models, such as those in high-growth sectors like smart mobility and financial technology.　This regulato

QLED TV ZONE -- The newly furbished QLED TV Zone at Samsung Digital Plaza in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, is displayed Sunday. Samsung Electronics has installed the QLED TV experience space at some 300 Samsung Digital Plaza locations nationwide to showcase the premium TVs’ superior display quality as well as unique features such as the “magic screen” and “magic cable.” (Samsung Electronics)

LG CNS, the information technology services unit of South Korea’s LG Group, said Thursday that it is spinning off its in-house venture Danbee, a developer of smart chatbot systems powered by artificial intelligence.Danbee was established as an in-house venture in January 2017 with just four employees. It was able to develop, test and perfect new chatbot technologies using LG CNS resources, while being given independent decision-making rights, LG said. (LG CNS)After a sufficient trial-and-error p

- 응답자 73%, 북한 ‘일부만 비핵화’ 혹은 ‘비핵화 약속 파기’ 예상- 문재인 정부 대북정책 지지 비율은 56.2%, 광주∙전라 비중高- 70%는 주한미군 주둔 찬성, ‘가장 신뢰되는 국가는 미국’ 응답 55.7%- ‘남북, 북미 정상회담 후 대한민국 안보위협 해소’ 응답 68.3%　　과반수의 한국인이 북한의 완전한 비핵화 약속은 이행되지 않을 것이라 생각하는 반면 문재인 정부의 대북정책은 지지한다는 여론조사 결과가 나왔다. 　　코리아헤럴드와 조원 C&I 가 전국 거주 19세 이상 남녀 1,000명을 대상으로 공동 진행한 ‘통일∙남북관계 여론조사’ 결과에 따르면 응답자의 약 73%가 북한의 완전한 비핵화 약속 이행에 대해 부정적인 입장을 밝혔다. 　　‘북한의 완전 비핵화 약속에 대해서 어떻게 생각하십니까’라는 질문에 대해 설문조사 응답자의 43.7%가 ‘일부만 비핵화 할 것이다’ 라고 답했고 29.3%는 ‘약속을 파기할 것이다 라고 답했다. ‘완전 비핵화 할 것이다’의 응답 비