In January, Airbnb “Superhost” Diana Jeong quit her job as she was expecting a baby this spring. What she did not expect was a pandemic that would upend her transition to becoming a full-time Airbnb host. The former college lecturer made the decision because she found great satisfaction in providing hospitality to guests, but more importantly she could make a living renting her three-bedroom apartment on the global home-sharing platform. She now finds herself selling used items on

Cho Won-tae faces challenges over coronavirus-hit Korean Air, unfinished leadership dispute

GS Group is expected to undergo a transformation under the leadership of Huh Tae-soo, who was formally appointed CEO of the group’s holding firm and chairman of the board during a shareholders meeting Friday. Huh Tae-soo, the youngest brother of former GS Group Chairman Huh Chang-soo, has been widely known for his experience in the global market, as well as his emphasis on digital transformation. “Huh Tae-soo is expected to take the leadership role to bring new business models an

Construction firms invests in drone startup company

South Korea’s leading oil refinery and gas station operator SK Energy said Sunday it had completed a successful trial run of its desulfurization facility, ready for commercial production. Since 2018, SK Energy has spent 1 trillion won ($820 million) on building the vacuum residue desulfurization facility with a capacity of 40,000 barrels of low-sulfur fuel oil a day to prepare for stringent regulations on ship fuel. The VRDS facility is expected to allow SK Energy to produce more low-

Outrage over the Telegram sexual abuse ring is spilling over to children’s online games that depict preadolescent characters in sexualized ways. An online Cheong Wa Dae petition posted Tuesday raised alarm over video games in which characters who physically resemble children wear revealing costumes. This follows the news that at least 58 women and 16 underage girls were sexually abused over several months so the abusers could produce videos and sell them in Telegram chat rooms. &ldqu

Hyundai Mobis said Sunday it would target the global market with future mobility technologies including vision-autonomous driving, connectivity and electrification technology. The auto parts unit under South Korea’s largest auto conglomerate Hyundai Motor Group pledged to develop high-performance sensors for self-driving cars with independent technology within this year. It marks 25 years since its transition to the auto parts business, After developing the country’s first shor

LIG Group Honorary Chairman Koo Cha-won died Saturday of a chronic illness, the company said. He was 86. Born in 1935, Koo was the second-generation leader at LIG Group, which was spun off from LG Group in 1999. Koo headed LIG Insurance before selling the country's fourth-largest non-life insurer to KB Financial Group Inc., a major South Korean banking group, in 2015. He also served as honorary chairman of LIG Nex1, a key South Korean defense company. Koo was a younger cousin of LG Group Hon

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called on South Korea to offer a comprehensive rescue package to support local airlines "in grave and immediate danger of insolvency," according to Korean Air Lines Co. on Friday. In a letter sent to President Moon Jae-in this week, IATA, a global trade association for the airline industry, asked the Seoul government to urgently extend direct financial support, loan guarantees by the government, support for corporate bond issuanc

LG Electronics has decided to drop plans to highlight its flagship smartphone brand G Series as part of efforts to turn around its struggling mobile device business, according to industry sources Friday. The company has reportedly decided to ditch the brand name for premium, mass-market models, according to sources. Instead it will start giving separate names for each model. The decision was made public at a meeting between the company and mobile carriers in South Korea. Since launched

SPC Samlip, a bakery and restaurant franchise giant, said Friday it has appointed Hwang Jong-hyeon as its new chief executive. SPC Group, the holding company, said it has also appointed Ahn Ji-yong as the new CEO to lead its subsidiary SPC GFS. Hwang served as the CEO of Samjin Eomuk, a fish cake maker, and previously worked for Dongwon F&B, the food division for Dongwon Group, for 30 years to lead numerous mergers and acquisitions and contributed to the growth of Dongwon’s dairy

Lotte Shopping said Friday it plans to undergo major restructuring, including shutting down money-losing stores and sluggish businesses, while taking measures to strengthen its e-commerce platform. Lotte Shopping operates the retail unit of Lotte Group, including the department store and mart. During its general shareholders meeting held in Seoul, Lotte Shopping CEO Kang Hee-tae announced improving profitability as the company’s utmost priority this year. “While we expect a dif

Baemin Order, an ordering and payment service for restaurants, accumulated over 2 million orders in five months since its launch in November, its operator Baedal Minjok said Friday. Baemin Order, which can be accessed through the Baedal Minjok delivery app, is a service in which users can order and pay for food in advance of a visit to a restaurant. This service allows users to either pick up the food or dine in at the restaurant without making contact with a server, Baedal Minjok explained.

South Korea’s biggest companies Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics have decided to lower the pay raise for employees this year, according to industry sources Friday. Samsung’s management and representatives of the employees have agreed on a 2.5 percent increase in base salary. However, depending on personal performance evaluation, the rate will vary. Samsung granted a pay raise of 3.5 percent in 2018 and 2019. The lower increase this year reflects growing uncertainties in

Both Hanjin KAL, Korean Air board also formed favorable to Cho Won-tae