The Korea Herald is publishing a series of articles and videos about some of the most expensive and fascinating landmark office buildings in Seoul. -- Ed.In contrast with the cooling housing sector, the transaction volume for large-sized office buildings here grew at a record pace last year, exceeding the 10 trillion won ($8.8 billion) mark with the uptrend continuing this year.Among the mega deals was one prime building which accounted for about one-tenth of the city’s total real estate transac

South Korea’s venture capital industry finally appears to be headed toward a boom, after going through a rough patch during the dot.com bubble in the early 2000s and the global financial crisis that started in 2008. Last year alone, the country saw a record inflow of 3.8 trillion won ($3.2 billion) of venture investment. The figure for the first quarter of this year is poised to set a quarterly record. Based on such explosive growth, veteran venture capitalist Chung Sung-in, who took t

　South Koreans in their 50s were the most aggressive investors in digital currencies last year, a survey showed, with experts calling for a more cautious approach to the volatile investment destination. 　According to the survey by the Korea Financial Investors Protection Foundation, of 2,530 people aged from 25 to 64, 7.4 percent were investing in digital currencies as of end-2018, up 1 percentage point from a year earlier.　The average investment came to 6.93 million won ($6,100), soaring 64.2 p

　Naver said Monday three of its web comics had been nominated in the Eisner Awards’ best web comics category, amid the South Korean internet giant’s foray into overseas markets. 　According to Naver Webtoon, its web comics “Lavender Jack” by Dan Schkade, “Let’s Play” by Mongie and “Lore Olympus” by Rachel Smythe have been nominated for the Best Webcomic for 2019 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award.  Naver`s web-based cartoon, "Let`s Play." Naver Webtoon　Other nominees in the category include “The Co

Businesspeople, experts, investors and government representatives from around the world will gather on the South Korean resort island of Jeju to promote carbon-free mobility technology at an international exhibition that kicks off Wednesday. The sixth annual International Electric Vehicle Expo -- the world’s first and largest event dedicated entirely to EVs and EV components, technology and infrastructure -- runs May 8-11 at International Convention Center Jeju, organizers said Monday. Ioniq (Hy

Falling inbound travelers, saturated market threaten profitability of small players, late starters

Telecommunications firm KT is doubling down on its 5G service with its new esports broadcast platform, E-Sports Live. KT will exclusively live stream PUBG Mobile Street Challenge, the official mobile esports competition of “Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds,” in 5G multi-view, the company said Monday.KT’s E-Sports Live is a game live streaming application that is limited to KT’s 5G subscribers. The super speed, low latency characteristics of the 5G network enable simultaneous watching of up to five

South Korea's transport ministry on Sunday issued recall orders for 11,500 units of 58 different imported cars, including those from BMW, Volkswagen and Honda.The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said 2,461 units of Germany-based carmaker BMW's 320d and 116i models will be recalled, citing battery problems.  (Yonhap)Around 2,000 units of 22 different BMW models, including the 523i, will also be recalled over heater issues.Another 2,000 units of seven Volkswagen models, including th

Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy Watch has gained popularity among Android phone users, coming in second to Apple Watch in the global market in the first quarter, an industry report showed Saturday.Global smartwatch shipments rose 48 percent on-year in the first quarter of 2019, as wearables with fitness tracker and health monitoring functions attracted more users, according to industry tracker Counterpoint.  (Samsung)Apple Watch remained the world's most popular smartwatch with a 35.8 percent m

Korean Air said Friday it will increase fares on domestic routes by 7 percent starting next month to reflect rising fuel costs. The national flag carrier attributed the fare increase to an unfavorable business environment, due to rising oil prices and volatile exchange rates. (Yonhap)The increased fares will be applied to tickets for domestic travel beginning June 1, the company said in a statement. Korean Air hasn’t raised fares on the domestic routes in the past seven years due to tougher comp

California-based Blue Bottle Coffee has opened its first cafe in Korea on Friday, making Korea the second international market for the company. Blue Bottle’s 1,300-square-meter store in Seoul will be located in Seongsu-dong, an area referred to as the “Brooklyn” of Seoul, according to the company. Blue Bottle Coffee Korea (Yonhap)“We tend not to open locations in the most commercial areas and we like to pick a location that has a strong community and reflects our values,” Bryan Meehan, CEO of Bl

South Korea and Kuwait are expected to expand cooperation on renewable energy, the government said Friday. Deputy Minister for Trade Kim Yong-rae, who accompanied Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon on his visit to Kuwait, visited a test complex for layered solar power generation, which is operated by a joint consortium of the two nations on Thursday. The complex located within Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity and Water has been jointly run by the ministry and Korea’s Kepco Engineering & Construction si

Samsung Heavy Industries has received a $190 million order to build one liquefied natural gas-carrying ship, according to its regulatory filing Friday. Under the deal, the Korean shipbuilder is slated to deliver the LNG ship by March 2022 to an Oceania-based ship owner. The name of the company was not disclosed due to confidentiality reasons. (Samsung Heavy Industries)So far this year, Samsung Heavy has won orders to build eight LNG ships and one floating production storage and offloading vessel

South Korean firm Kono, known for a commemorative watch used by the Blue House, said Friday it will be launching a smart LED stick that utilizes internet of things technology. Kono, originally a maker of watches and jewelry, is now expanding into IoT-based products, and the new LED stick is designed to reflect a user’s lifestyle, responding to sound sources at concert venues or hiking conditions to prevent accidents. The product, which will be released under the brand Mangosteen Swing, requires

SEJONG -- South Korean travel agencies have actively diversified their overseas deals in terms of offering trips to various new destinations over the past decade.They have been competing to offer package deals for Eastern Europe involving Balkan countries, such as the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia. In the case of Southeast Asia, they have strived to attract customers by providing tours to destinations like Penang, Malaysia and Da Nang, Vietnam.Bracing for the 2020s, one of their