Human desire for constant, convenient and unique interactions in digital spaces defines where the future of finance, as well as KakaoBank, is headed, the CEO of South Korea’s largest online lender said Wednesday. “People say the ‘uncontact’ phenomenon has triggered digitalization of industries under the pandemic, but they still love to contact, they just want to do it in a digital space. And we are going to see how such human desire will reshape the future of industrie

Shin Dong-min, a painter sponsored by The Korea Herald, has inspired many with his artworks, and now he is using his extraordinary talents to help people in Myanmar and Malawi. On Oct. 26, Shin and his mother invited The Korea Herald CEO Choi Jin-young, BT&I Group President Kay Song, and two officials from the Korean office of a Burmese government in exile -- Yan Naing Htun, the government’s special representative, and Soe Moe Thu, secretary-general of the National Unity Government of

SES on Thursday unveiled the world’s largest lithium-metal battery that is big enough to power an electric vehicle. According to the Singapore-based startup, the battery cell, dubbed “Apollo,” weighs just 0.98 kilogram and can deliver 107 amperes of electricity per hour. Also, it supports quick charging, taking just 12 minutes to go from 10 percent to 90 percent. SES claims that Apollo is the world’s first lithium-metal cell to have breached a 100 Ah threshold, but wh

Hybe announced in a disclosure on Thursday that its third-quarter operating profit jumped 63.33 percent on-year to 65.6 billion won ($55.41 million). 　 Its sales reached 341 billion won, up 79.49 percent from the same period last year. Both figures are the highest ever for the company. Its net profit ballooned 81.86 percent to 49.5 billion won. 　 Album sales, merchandise and licensing all propelled the stellar performance, said the firm. 　 Album sales increased 21 percent from the previous qua

Hybe, the K-pop powerhouse behind boy band BTS, announced its plan to augment its business portfolio and garner more people to engage in the process. The label held an online YouTube event Thursday morning to share its futuristic visions and strategies to lead the entertainment industry. Bang Si-hyuk, chairman of Hybe and founder of the label, said, “Hybe has always used the terms like ‘global’ and ‘connected,’ but now, these words are common and easily found els

The presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea said Thursday that he would push for winning a developed market status for South Korea from Morgan Stanley Capital International to revive the undervalued stock market here, if elected. “The price-earnings ratio in the domestic stock market is about one-third compared to other advanced economies. We must mitigate the so-called ‘Korea discount,’” Lee Jae-myung said during a conference with a group of repo

LG Energy Solution said Thursday it has joined a nonprofit coalition of leading companies dedicated to improving social, environmental and ethical conditions in their global supply chains. The company said it is the first Korean battery producer to join the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) which has some 180 members including Apple, Google, Volkswagen and Tesla. By becoming a member of the RBA, LG Energy Solution will apply RBA’s code of conduct in labor, health and safety, environmen

Autumn is in full swing in Samcheong-dong, a leafy area of art galleries and small shops near the Blue House. If you want to enjoy the blazing red and gold of the fall foliage with your meal and take in some art at the same time, a visit to Kukje Gallery might just be what’s called for. The well-established gallery has two restaurants -- the Cafe on the ground floor and the Restaurant on the second floor of the K1 building. The Cafe presents graphic designer Na Kim’s wall painting

The Korean Pacific Philharmonic Orchestra is to hold a concert at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday, introducing classical music works from the 20th century. The concert, led under the baton of conductor Kang Won-ho, will present the overture from Verdi’s opera “La Forza del Destina” and Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra, Sz. 116, BB 123. Following the intermission, the orchestra will perform Reinecke’s Flute Concerto in D major, Op. 283, joined

With Korea relaxing COVID-19 restrictions in line with its “living with COVID-19” scheme, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization are to resume a discount coupon program for travel accommodations to encourage the local tourism industry hit by the virus crisis. The Culture Ministry launched the coupon program twice last year, but had to suspend it to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus infections. Before the suspension, 520,000 coupon

The US Federal Reserve’s decision to dial back its bond-purchasing program in November will have a limited impact on the Korean financial market, the Korean government said Thursday while vowing to monitor market uncertainties surrounding the inflation outlook in the US. As widely expected, the Federal Open Market Committee, the US Fed’s monetary policymaking body, announced that it would reduce its bond purchases by a total of $15 billion a month starting in November. It left it

Female nonregular workers hit all-time high in 2021

President Moon Jae-in expressed high hopes for battery partnerships with Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia at a first business forum held between South Korea and the Visegrad Group nations in Budapest on Wednesday. The forum was held on the sidelines of Moon’s state visit to Hungary and a series of summit meetings with the leaders of the four Central European nations during his stay. “The Visegrad Group has become South Korea’s largest investment destination

The head of KT Corp., a South Korean telecom giant, was indicted Thursday along with more than a dozen of company officials for allegedly making illegal political donations in the past, prosecutors said. KT CEO Ku Hyeon-mo and 13 other company executives and managers were charged with violations of political fund laws and embezzlement. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office also indicted the company. Ku and the company officials are suspected of having purchased commercial gift certific