LG Hausys, which specializes in building and interior decor materials, unveiled new premium interior options at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show on Tuesday in the US city of Las Vegas.The company displayed 16 new products at the show, including HI-MACS, a solid acrylic surface that boasts smooth curves; and Viatera, a quartz surface with a marblelike finish.  LG Hausys’ booth at the Kitchen and Bath Industry show in Las Vegas this week (LG Hausys)The use of artificial marble is no longer restric

South Korea’s telecom-to-chip giant SK Group is close to taking the second spot from Hyundai Motor Group in the list of conglomerates by size of assets, a local corporate tracker suggested Wednesday, citing its large-scale investments. According to CEO Score, Samsung held 418.2 trillion won ($3.67 billion) in assets as of September last year, higher than the Korean government’s 2017 budget of 400.7 trillion won. It was the first time that the tech giant saw its assets surpass the 400 trillion wo

British luxury carmaker pledges to comply with ‘lemon law’ for ‘ultimate quality control’

Hanjin Group on Wednesday opposed Korea Corporate Governance Improvement’s qualification to exercise shareholder rights, in a move to counter its recent string of criticisms and demands on corporate governance and transparency.The Korean conglomerate, which operates the country’s leading air carrier Korean Air, claimed that KCGI was only a minority shareholder and had no grounds to make such demands.(Korean Air`s official Facebook account)“According to the commercial act on special cases for lis

South Korea's finance minister said Wednesday that Seoul will become the first country in the world to start commercial operations of fifth-generation mobile network services next month.Hong Nam-ki made the announcement at a meeting with senior officials on innovation-led growth in Seoul. (Yonhap)KT Corp., South Korea's leading wireless and fixed-line services provider, carried out a world first trial service of its 5G system during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics last year.5G data transmission

The five-passenger QX50 compact crossover by Japanese automaker Nissan’s luxury car brand Infiniti hits the South Korean market Wednesday with a redesigned interior and exterior. The 2019 model features the 2.0L VC turbo engine with technology developed for the first time in the world’s combustion engine history, according to the company.  (Infiniti)The technology is based on a multilink system that automatically controls the range of the engine’s piston for optimized power and fuel efficiency,

SK hynix has become the 14th company in the world and the first in South Korea to obtain international Zero Waste to Landfill certification, the company said Tuesday. The honor is granted to businesses that send almost no waste to landfills despite running manufacturing facilities. The semiconductor supplier has diverted 90 percent of the waste from its main corporate campus in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, away from landfills and toward alternative disposal methods such as reuse or recycling. For

　With South Korea gearing up for the commercial launch of 5G services this March, mobile carriers are facing pressure from consumer activists to minimize prices. 　During a meeting organized at the National Assembly with government officials and consumer activists, participants said while the mobile carriers have invested heavily in building their 5G networks, the cost could be offset by an increase in the total number of subscriptions. Some also recommended a new pricing system for non-data serv

LG Innotek said Tuesday it will start mass-producing 3D sensing modules for smartphones, including LG Electronics’ upcoming G8 ThinQ phones. The electronics parts supplier of LG Group is rolling out the time-of-flight module, known as ToF. LG Electronics had previously announced that it had adopted the ToF sensor made by Germany’s Infineon Technologies for its new flagship phone G8 ThinQ.  ToF module (LG Innotek)The ToF sensor supplied by the German firm and assembled into a module by LG Innotek

Mobile carriers see virtual reality games as ‘killer contents’ in 5G environment

Advertising expenditure on digital platforms rose to over 4 trillion won ($3.55 billion) in 2018, surpassing the amount spent on broadcast ads for the first time, data showed Tuesday.Samsung-owned advertising agency Cheil Worldwide’s data on Tuesday showed that the total advertising spending in Korea marked an on-year growth of 4.6 percent to 11.18 trillion won in 2018. Analysts credited international sporting events such as the PyeongChang Olympics and Asian Games as chief market growth drivers

An annual scholarship program for aspiring artists by Han Sung Motor, the largest official dealer of Mercedes-Benz, was launched for its 8th year on Tuesday, with 15 new recipients. The Dream Gream is a corporate social responsibility program initiated by the dealer in 2012. The project is dedicated to broaden the horizons of young artists, and offer them a chance to participate in the list of art shows, the company explained. Under this year’s theme, “Customize your story,” the Dream Gream scho

LG Chem has introduced new sales and investment goals for five of its core business areas  in hopes of earning a spot in the global top 5 in the industry by 2025. It is the first Korean company to have been selected as one of the top 10 companies in C&EN’s Global Top 50 chemical companies of 2018, published by American Chemical Society. LG Chem plans on increasing its sales this year by 14.5 percent to 32 trillion won (US$28.37 billion) to further advance its standing in the industry. Officials

Kumho Tire has maintained its top position in South Korea’s replacement tire market for two years in a row, data from the Korea Tire Manufacturers Association showed Tuesday.Buoyed by consumer demand for premium tires and the launch of new tire products last year, Kumho Tire said it had recorded high sales of tires here.According to data from the association, Kumho Tire ranked No. 1 with sales of 6.52 million tires in 2018, accounting for 40.6 percent of locally produced tires sold in the countr

South Korean airlines said Tuesday they have raised their fuel surcharges on international routes for next month to reflect rising oil prices.Local airlines currently charge fuel surcharges of up to 19,200 won ($17) for one-way travel tickets on long-haul routes. The one-way travel fuel surcharges on international routes will rise to 34,800 won starting in March, airline officials said. (Yonhap)Airlines impose fuel surcharges on customers that increase every time the average jet fuel price on th