LG CNS, an information and communications technology solutions affiliate of LG Group, is taking the lead in the ongoing efforts to build smart cities across South Korea by offering secure solutions, according to the company on Monday.The LG unit is currently participating in multiple smart city projects led by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and by provincial governments. Among others, LG CNS is providing consultations on government-led smart city projects in Sejong and B

Renowned American businessman and financial commentator Jim Rogers, chairman of Rogers Holdings, said Monday that the Korean Peninsula will become very appealing in the next couple of decades, while the ASEAN region will also emerge as a hot market for investments. He was speaking at a business forum of the ASEAN-ROK CEO Summit under the theme of “Collaboration and Tasks toward ASEAN-ROK Co-prosperity.” “The opening up (and unification) of the Korean Peninsula will combine Nort

South Korea’s GS Engineering and Construction said Monday that it has built a big data and artificial intelligence-based smart home system that could bolster security and add convenience for local apartment residents. The Xi AI platform, co-developed with its real estate development subsidiary Xi S&D, is programmed to offer customized living conditions for its users based on its analysis of relevant data. It has the ability to provide clean air by measuring the level of fine dust, cont

South Korean aerospace manufacturer and defense company LIG Nex1’s employees visited the Philippines on Nov. 18 to take part in an educational campaign and honor Filipino soldiers who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War. In collaboration with South Korean nonprofit organization World Human Bridge, the firm participated in a campaign that involved building a children’s library in Davao City on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao.  The campaign aims to improve the educational

BUSAN -- South Korea and the 10 member states of ASEAN agreed to form a consultative body at the ministerial level for sustainable cooperation in the smart city sector at a meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit, officials said Monday. The ASEAN-ROK Ministerial Meeting on Smart City took place Monday, hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport and the Presidential Committee on New Southern Policy. It was attended by ASEAN Secretary-General Dato Lim Jock

Korean oil refiner S-Oil on Monday held the 2019 Hero Citizens Award ceremony at its headquarters in Seoul.The oil refinery recognized 23 people who put themselves at risk to save others in peril, and awarded them a total of 140 million won ($119,000), the company said.  “The courage of unsung heroes can be a source of inspiration to many people,” said CEO Hussain Al-Qahtani. “S-Oil will continue to serve as a reliable custodian of unsung heroes, so that their deeds can ea

McDonald’s Korea said Monday that it will introduce a sanitation grading system for all its restaurants by 2020, following recent controversy over food hygiene.The US fast food chain said that it has decided to manage store operations with strengthened standards and introduce a restaurant sanitation grading system, in addition to random inspections at its stores conducted by outside specialist organizations. Late last month, a local media outlet released photos of undercooked patties

South Korean consumers found local coffeehouse chain Hollys Coffee to offer the highest level of customer service, the best products and the most favorable impression, an industry survey showed Monday.According to the survey conducted by the Korea Consumer Agency on 1,031 consumers who had visited the country’s six major coffee chains -- Starbucks, Angel-in-us, Ediya Coffee, Coffee Bean, Twosome Place and Hollys Coffee -- Hollys Coffee received the highest score for overall satisfaction wi

Air New Zealand on Monday began flight services to South Korea to absorb growing travel demand from Asia's fourth-biggest economy.On Nov. 23 (local time), Air New Zealand flight NZ75 departed Auckland International Airport for Seoul's Incheon International Airport for the first time in more than two decades, according to the airline. Travel demand from South Korea to New Zealand has been growing significantly in recent years. Seoul, with a population of over 10 million residents, will be a popul

South Korean drug firm SK Biopharmaceuticals Co. is expected to raise at least 5 trillion won ($4.25 billion) through a planned share sale, analysts said Monday. The company said Friday that XCOPRI, or cenobamate, has won approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of partial-onset seizures in adults.  Following the FDA approval, SK Biopharmaceuticals will likely speed up its IPO, with its shares slated to be listed early next year, according to them.SK Biopharmaceut

Samsung Heavy Industries Co., the world's second-biggest shipbuilder by orders, said Monday it has received a $1.5 billion LNG carrier order.Under the deal with an unidentified client in the Eurasian region, Samsung will build the LNG carrier by September 2022, the company said in a regulatory filing. The company didn't provide further details. The shipbuilder has bagged $6.9 billion worth of orders so far this year, achieving 88 percent of this year's order target of $7.8 billion, it said.

South Korea aims to host the 2030 World Expo in Busan, boasting its advanced infrastructure, prominent tourist attractions and know-how in international events, officials said Friday. The World Expo, which takes place for six months every five years, is one of the world’s three largest events, including the Olympics and soccer’s World Cup. If Korea is successful in attracting a World Expo, the nation plans to host the international event in Busan’s North Port area from May to N

South Korea is building stronger ties with the young and fast-growing economies of Southeast Asia in hopes of creating opportunities and seeking a breakthrough in a world facing new challenges amid the “fourth industrial revolution.”The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is emerging as a new growth engine of global consumer markets and production bases with enormous potential. The world’s youngest and most dynamic economic community has a combined population of 650 million

After a brutal downturn this year, South Korea’s memory chip industry is expected to start recovering in 2020, led by growth in demand for 5G-enabled devices and the resumption of investments in data centers, according to industry observers on Sunday.“The fundamentals of the semiconductor industry are showing signs of improving in 2020,” said Lee Su-bin, an analyst at Daishin Securities. The DRAM market is projected to reach a balance in supply and demand, as prices are expecte

Han Sung Motor, the largest official dealer of Mercedes-Benz in South Korea, held a lantern-lighting ceremony Thursday as part of its collaborative public art project with the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture.A public art projected titled “Sowon Bandi” was designed to invite citizens to write their personal wishes and dreams on each of 5,000 solar-power lanterns, donating 10,000 won ($8.50) for each one.The ceremony was attended by the heads of the two sponsors -- Han Sung Motor