Hanwha Investment & Securities, under the wings of South Korea's defense-to-energy conglomerate Hanwha Group, announced Thursday, that it has completed the acquisition of Indonesia’s Ciptadana Securities. Completion of the deal comes over a year after the brokerage house signed an underwriting agreement to acquire an 80 percent stake in Ciptadana Securities for around 49 billion won ($35.7 million) in June 2023. It won final approval from the Indonesian financial authorities last

Shares of Doosan Enerbility, DL E&C surge on possible SMR deals

LG Uplus CEO Hwang Hyeon-sik on Wednesday stressed service quality as the top priority in the telecom carrier’s ongoing efforts for artificial intelligence-based corporate transformation or AX. “The most fundamental aspect of growing into an AX company should be service quality,” the CEO said during a town hall meeting with employees on Wednesday. “No matter how innovative AI technology may be, it cannot create true customer satisfaction if not backed by quality.” &

Hyundai Motor Group’s smaller affiliate Kia is poised to start electric vehicle production in Europe by the end of this year at its Slovakian manufacturing plant, according to Marc Hedrich, president and CEO of Kia Europe. “(I had a) very good meeting today with Slovakian Economy Minister (Madame) Denisa Sakova and State Secretary Vladimir Simonak,” stated Hedrich in a LinkedIn post on Wednesday. “I had the opportunity to discuss challenges the automotive industry is faci

Shinhan Financial Group announced Thursday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with China's Bank of Communications to enable its SOL Travel Card users to make payments using QR codes in China. The Bank of Communications, one of China’s five state-owned commercial banks, ranked ninth in The Banker’s 2023 Top 1000 World Banks. Its Seoul branch serves as the only designated renminbi clearing bank in Korea, managing settlements in yuan on behalf of other institutions. As par

Hyundai Card announced Thursday that it has secured a global deal to sell its self-developed artificial intelligence software. The Korean card issuer signed an agreement to sell its AI software, known as Universe, to Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Card Co., marking the first AI software export deal by a Korean financial company. While the exact financial details were not disclosed, Hyundai Card stated the deal is valued at several tens of billions of won. Universe is a hyperpersonalized platform b

LG Chem said Thursday that it plans to commercialize an eco-friendly ingredient derived from plant-based oils for cosmetic products, becoming the first to do so. The South Korean chemicals giant is set to develop functional cosmetics using 100 percent bio-based 3-hydroxypropionic acid, a compound produced through the microbial fermentation of plant materials. This marks the first time 3HP will be applied as a cosmetics ingredient. While 3HP is considered as an innovative bio-material with vast p

Hyundai Motor Company launched the new Casper, an upgraded model of the subcompact sports utility vehicle first released in 2021, in the Korean market on Friday. According to the automaker, the new Casper sports a stronger and more stylish design than the previous version while offering a wider range of safety features and convenient functions. The price for the new Casper, which is sold under the name Inster in overseas markets, is set to begin at 14.5 million won ($10,615). (Hyundai Motor Grou

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars introduced the refined Cullinan Series II and Black Badge Cullinan Series II in Korea on Thursday, with updates that hone the SUV’s reputation. The first-ever Illuminated Pantheon Grille lends a modern touch to the vehicle’s already iconic front fascia, enhancing its presence in low light. Inside, the new Duality Twill upholstery, made from bamboo-based rayon, features a unique natural texture and is intricately embroidered with up to 2.2 million stitches, taki

Samsung Electronics, the world's largest memory chip maker, said Thursday it has developed the industry’s first 24-gigabit GDDR7 DRAM, set for a market debut early next year. Compared to the previous 16Gb GDDR7 DRAM, the new chip has improved capacity, performance and power efficiency, the company said. Samsung applied 12 nanometer-class processing technology to increase cell density within the same package size, achieving a 50 percent increase in capacity compared to the predecessor.

Klik, Korea’s largest foreign talent recruitment service, operated by Job Korea, announced Wednesday that it will host a networking event for international students and job seekers on Oct. 24. Organized to ease the often difficult process of job hunting for foreigners and create stronger ties within Korea’s expatriate community, “Klik Happy Hour” will offer practical tips for job seekers, including guidance on how to effectively use the Klik platform. In addition to infor

The CEOs of major foreign insurance firms in Korea have been reappointed as they navigate challenges posed by a slowing market and local competition. Lina Life Insurance, the Korean unit of American insurance group Chubb, recently nominated current CEO and President Cho Jee-eun as the sole candidate for reappointment. Barring any unexpected issues, she is expected to secure her next term at the extraordinary shareholders meeting on Oct. 29. Fubon Hyundai Life’s Lee Jae-won and MetLife Kore

Shares of Korean chipmakers fell on Wednesday in a bearish market as major chip-related stocks worldwide declined following a gloomy 2025 forecast from semiconductor bellwether ASML. ASML, a Dutch company that makes the world’s most advanced chip-making equipment, reported its booking was half the orders the market expected in its quarterly earnings, and saw its shares plunge 16 percent to close at 668.10 euros ($727) in Amsterdam. Other chip stocks also declined, with Nvidia falling 4.5 p

Hyundai Mobis, an auto parts manufacturer under Hyundai Motor Group, said Thursday that it signed an agreement with the Slovakian government to set up its first manufacturing plant for electric vehicle power systems in Europe. With a 350 billion won ($256.7 million) investment, Hyundai Mobis will construct a plant in the Novaky region of western Slovakia to produce EV drive units consisting of an electric motor, inverter and reducer. Once completed next year, the facility will have the capacity

South Korean IT solutions provider LG CNS has emerged as a major initial public offering contender for next year as it began the listing process on the country’s main bourse Kospi earlier this month. Market watchers estimate the firm’s corporate value to reach around 7 trillion won ($5.14 billion), making it Korea's largest IPO since LG Energy Solution in January 2022. For a successful market debut, it will be crucial for the company to add more corporate clients and improve pro