South Korean bakery giant SPC Group announced Sunday that the number of its overseas Paris Baguette stores has reached 500, with the latest opening in Singapore. The 500th store opened at Terminal 2 of Changi International Airport as part of the bakery chain’s expansion into Asia and the Middle East. “The group will continue its expansion in the US and China, while making a foray into the global halal food market, which has 1.9 billion potential customers representing some 24 percent

DONGHAE -- LS Cable & System, South Korea's leading cable manufacturer, showcased last Thursday its extensive line of undersea cable production facilities at its Donghae plant in Gangwon Province, aiming to more than double its yearly sales from undersea cables to 1 trillion won ($740 million) over the next five years, tapping into the global surge in demand for energy and power grids. The plant is Asia's most expansive undersea cable production base. A gangway that resembles a tra

KT Corp. said Sunday it is teaming up with Thailand’s telecom giant Jasmine Group to co-develop an artificial intelligence language model specialized in Thai and to launch related services together in Southeast Asia. Following the signing of a memorandum of understanding in September last year, top executives, including KT CEO Kim Young-shub and Jasmine Group Chairman Pete Bodharamik, gathered in Seoul on Thursday to discuss more details of the partnership. Under the extensive partnership,

Language barriers, tricky hiring process cited as key concerns in hiring foreign nationals

Mercedes-Benz Korea has been investing heavily in training employees and young students as part of efforts to enhance customer service and technical expertise in the automotive maintenance field. Since 2007, the Korean unit of the German luxury carmaker has organized “Korea TechMasters,” a biennial technical skills competition, while also running separate automotive training programs including Ausbildung and Automotive Electric Traineeship. This year’s technical contest saw

South Korean battery materials manufacturer EcoPro, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, has laid out a goal to post 10 trillion won ($7.41 billion) in sales next year. EcoPro CEO Song Ho-jun and top executives of the firm's subsidiaries, including EcoPro BM, participated in a celebratory event held at the company’s headquarters in Ochang, North Chungcheong Province, on Friday. Preparing for the next 25 years, EcoPro said it plans to develop game changer materials, diversi

Korean drivers increasingly turning their eyes to Tesla cars for bargains, not for luxury cachet

Dong-A Otsuka CEO Cho Ik-sung (right) and Korean Basketball League President Kim Hee-ok pose for a photo after signing a sponsorship deal at the KBL headquarters in Seoul, Thursday. The beverage maker agreed to supply professional basketball players with various drinks, including its flagship Pocari Sweat, together with iceboxes and towels, for the 2025-26 season. (Dong-A Otsuka)

Hana Financial Group Chairman Ham Young-joo (third from right), Vice Chairman Lee Eun-hyung (third from left), and other company officials unveil the Hall of Fame for top employees at Hana Global Campus in Cheongra, Incheon, Saturday. A total of 186 employees have been selected to honor their performance across sales, marketing and consumer satisfaction. The financial giant said the new launch aims to create a customer-first corporate culture. (Hana Financial Group)

Smaller bookshops increasingly cater to self-published writers rather than readers; some face criticism as mere photogenic backdrops

Samsung Electronics unveiled its newest chip technologies and products at its annual global event in San Jose, California, Friday, eyeing a key role in providing hyperscale artificial intelligence models. Under the theme of “Memory Reimagined,” about 600 people, including technicians, analysts and industry officials, attended this year’s Memory Tech Day to look into Samsung’s technologies in areas such as cloud, edge devices and automobiles. The tech giant unveiled its la

Korean tech conglomerate Kakao could lose its controlling shareholder position in its internet-only bank affiliate, as its top leaders have become embroiled in stock manipulation allegations stemming from the acquisition of K-pop agency SM Entertainment. On Friday, the country’s financial watchdog Financial Supervisory Service summoned Kakao founder Kim Beom-soo to appear for questioning on Monday for an investigation into the mobile platform service provider’s possible violation of

South Korean air carrier Asiana Airlines will reportedly convene a meeting of its board of directors on Oct. 30 to decide whether or not to sell its cargo business, as a part of its efforts to accelerate its merger with its bigger rival Korean Air, industry sources said Friday. In order for the sale of the company’s cargo unit to be approved, four out of six of Asiana’s directors must agree. "Nothing has been concretely confirmed in regards to the board of directors' meetin

South Korean food manufacturer Samyang Foods said Friday it would launch a new tom yum flavor of its bestseller Buldak Spicy Chicken Ramen series in the US market later this year. Featuring the traditional Thai hot and sour soup, tom yum, the new export-version of Buldak targeted Asians as well as big fans of Asian food in the United States. It blended the tangy, sweet and sour flavor of Thai soup with spicy chicken noodles and also added lemongrass and cilantro to complete the iconic tom yum ta

Fitch said that South Korea's "AA-" sovereign rating, which has remained steadfast over 10 years, could be adjusted upward if geopolitical issues such as inter-Korean relations and US-China conflicts are improved, during the 2023 Fitch on Korea seminar held in Seoul on Friday. While improved relations with North Korea are necessary for a positive rating adjustment, Fitch does not see that improvement as promising in the near term, said Jeremy Zook, Fitch's director of Asia-Pa