South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang said Tuesday it will take legal action against People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, a local NGO, for spreading false information on the company’s audit report. The NGO said in a statement that Coupang is illegally aiding its subsidiary called CPLB by receiving only 2.55 percent commission while demanding around 31.2 percent commission to other sellers. The 31.2 percent includes advertising fee and standard brokerage fee, it claimed.

SK Inc., the holding company of South Korea’s second-largest conglomerate SK Group, said it plans to buy back 200 billion won ($148 million) of its own shares, which is equivalent to some 1 percent of the market cap, the firm said Tuesday. The firm’s board of directors on Aug. 30 approved the share repurchase to enhance shareholders’ value. It marks the first step to implement the shareholders return policy and strengthen the market confidence, according to the firm. The buyb

KT Corp. CEO Ku Hyeon-mo speaks during an event celebrating the company’s 20th anniversary of privatization, titled “Digico KT Making a Better World,” in Seoul on Tuesday. During the event, Ku highlighted the contributions KT made in expanding South Korea's information and communication technology industry, and outlined KT's future road map on how it will foray into the global market as an international digital company.

LG Electronics said Tuesday it will debut its new shoe care solution, consisting of LG Styler ShoeCase and ShoeCare, at the upcoming IFA trade show in Berlin this week. Using the steam technology of its popular Styler clothing care system, the new appliances aim to cater to the growing demand from young consumers, especially shoe enthusiasts. The ShoeCase, in particular, offers interior features such as transparent panels, a 360-degree rotating turntable and a modular design that makes it possib

While the pay gap between large conglomerates and small- and medium-sized firms here may have been narrowing during the pandemic years, the disparity appears to have returned to the pre-pandemic level more recently, a report showed Tuesday. According to a report released by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the average wage at SMEs with less than 300 employees remained at 60.78 percent that of larger companies with 300 employees or above in 2019. The disparity inched up to 63.29 per

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won recently discussed metaverse cooperation with Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon in bidding efforts to host the World Expo 2030 in Busan, according to industry sources Tuesday. Chey visited Naver’s recently-built headquarters 1784 in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, to meet the IT giant’s leader last month. The exact date of his visit was undisclosed as the visit and the meeting took unexpectedly, SK and Naver officials said. Chey who doubles as chairman of the Korea

Researchers have developed the world’s first electroceutical technology that can be used to treat the Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology said Tuesday. CMT disease is a group of inherited disorders that cause nerve damage. Its common symptoms are weakness in the legs and feet, loss of muscle bulk and curled toes. Although CMT is one of the most commonly inherited neurological disorders -- found in about one in 3,000 people -- there are no a

South Korean chemical company LG Chem said Tuesday it is building its fourth carbon nanotube manufacturing plant to bolster its responsiveness to the rapidly growing demand globally, especially for electric vehicle batteries. Carbon nanotube, widely called CNT, is considered a next-generation material that offers equivalent level of electricity and thermal conductivity as copper and diamond, and has 100 times the strength of steel. Demand for the material has surged recently as it is used as con

South Korean builder Daewoo E＆C is accelerating its overseas operations, gearing up to become a top global developer. To support Daewoo E＆C's efforts, Jungheung Group Vice Chairman Jung Won-ju, along with a business delegation, met with newly elected Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier this month to discuss potential roles the construction company could play in developing the island nation’s infrastructure and real estate. Jungheung Group is the largest shareholder of Daewo

South Korean conglomerate LIG Group said Tuesday that it has delivered a 200 million won ($148,228) relief package to the Hope Bridge Korea Disaster Relief Association to aid flood victims. South Korea recently sustained heavy damages from torrential downpours in early August, leaving over 15,600 residential and retail properties flooded and 1,774 hectares of agricultural lands damaged. Twenty people were reported dead or missing, with over 7,850 people being displaced, according to the Central

[Advertorial] Barcelona is among the most popular cities to live worldwide, and was recently ranked as best place in the world to visit by UK newspaper The Daily Telegraph. The city is also the first destination in the world to obtain Biosphere Platinum certification. Barcelona is ramping up its promotion targeting global visitors after it recently became the permanent home of the Mobile World Congress. The world’s largest mobile tech event has been held in Barcelona every year since 2006.

The industry ministry said Tuesday it has requested 10.74 trillion won ($7.95 billion) in its budget for next year to spur semiconductors, nuclear energy and other advanced industry sectors, and to strengthen supply chains. The budget for 2023 marked a 3.7 percent drop from this year's 11.16 trillion won, as the ministry has been focusing on the development of key future strategic technologies while ensuring financial soundness, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The p

LG Energy Solution said Monday it is building a new 5.1 trillion won ($4.4 billion) electric vehicle battery plant in the US in a joint venture partnership with Japanese auto giant Honda -- the first of its kind signed between a Korean battery maker and a Japanese carmaker. The world’s second-largest EV battery maker held a signing ceremony of the new deal in Seoul later in the day, with LG Energy Solution CEO Kwon Young-soo and Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe in attendance. The plant, with an

South Korean tech rivals Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are heading to Berlin this week to show off their latest home appliances, including flagship TVs, during the IFA trade show that kicks off Friday (local time). Keen interest is being paid to whether Samsung will showcase its latest OLED TVs during the annual gathering. After a nearly nine-year hiatus, Samsung started rolling out OLED TVs early this year, but no high-profile promotional event has been held, raising speculation abou

South Korean tobacco company KT&G said Monday it plans to build a new eco-friendly tobacco packaging factory in the central administrative hub of Sejong City. Under the 180 billion won ($133.5 million) project, the factory will be constructed at Sejong Mirae Industrial Estate, a government-developed area for local manufacturing companies, by 2025. KT&G said the factory will produce tobacco packaging such as cigarette papers and boxes, based on a cutting-edge logistics automation syste