LG Energy Solution on Wednesday announced an upgraded growth plan consisting of a threefold growth in sales and a two-digit operating profit ratio in the next five years. This year’s sales target has also been elevated to 22 trillion won ($17 billion) from 19.2 trillion won. The ambitious plan comes as the world’s second-largest battery maker for electric vehicles reported its second-quarter earnings earlier in the day. In the April-June period, the company posted 5.1 trillion wo

South Korean battery material firm LG Chem announced Wednesday plans to supply at least 950,000 tons of cathode active materials used for electric vehicles to General Motors over the next eight years, which would be enough for some 5 million units. Under the long-term supply agreement, LG Chem will supply cathode materials of nickel, cobalt, manganese and aluminum -- which represent about 40 percent of the cost of a battery cell -- starting the second half of 2022 through 2030. According to

With new announcement, 2nd-largest Korean conglomerate to invest $52b in total in US by 2030

LS Cable & System is expanding investment and tapping into new markets for undersea cables amid a rapidly growing demand for offshore wind power generation, which requires high-quality subsea cables, as countries began executing policies for carbon neutrality. Early this year, LS Cable inked a deal worth 350 billion won ($266 million) to supply undersea cables for wind power in North America. Demand for subsea cables is expected to grow further as US President Joe Biden announced earlier

The Chinese Ambassador to South Korea urged a Korean lawmaker who leads a parliamentary semiconductor committee to exclude “external interference” in chip supply chains and for closer bilateral cooperation in chips, according to the Chinese embassy in Seoul. “China is willing to work with South Korea under the principle of a fair and just market, eliminate external interference, strengthen cooperation in semiconductors and other fields, and jointly maintain the stability of th

Facing criticism over toxic chemicals claimed to have been found in Starbucks Korea giveaway “summer carry bags,” the company said Tuesday that it might consider additional compensation to appease angry customers. “Depending on the internal investigation result of a formaldehyde level test of the bags, the company might decide whether it will provide compensation other than giving free drink coupons,” a representative from Starbucks Korea told The Korea Herald. “W

French automotive parts maker Valeo will invest 73 billion won ($56 million) in Daegu to advance the autonomous driving market in the city, located 200 kilometers southeast of Seoul, officials said Tuesday. Under the deal signed with the Daegu city government, Valeo will build a factory that manufactures sensors for advanced driver assistance systems and steering at an industrial complex in the city. Sensors detect risks and warn drivers, which is essential for autonomous driving. The constr

Global health technology giant launches ‘Wonder of You’ campaign

Posco International, the trading arm of Posco Group, is supplying Incheon Airport with 23,000 tons of structural steel to be used in expanding the airport’s second passenger terminal. They will be supplying curtain walls and roofing materials made with eco-friendly materials until Incheon Airport finishes the construction of Terminal 2 by 2024, according to Posco International. A curtain wall is an outer covering of a building made of lightweight aluminum and steel that does not carry th

LG Energy Solution said Tuesday it looks to set up its first South Korean-Chinese joint battery cell recycling facilities in China for stable supply of key battery materials from battery manufacturing scraps and used batteries. LG Energy Solution, Korea’s largest lithium-ion battery manufacturer by production capacity, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt to launch a joint venture for the new recycling plant by the end of this year, according to its releas

US President Joe Biden and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won will hold a virtual meeting on Tuesday (US time) to discuss South Korea’s second-largest conglomerate’s spending and hiring plans in the US, according to the White House on Monday. “The president will virtually meet with the chairman and principal owner of the Republic of Korea conglomerate SK Group to discuss the company’s robust investments in American manufacturing and jobs,” the White House said, referr

With South Korea’s consumer prices jumping a whopping 6 percent in June from a year earlier, many workers here are contemplating cheaper options, including takeout boxed lunch, instead of eating out. South Korean boxed lunch takeout chain Hansot Dosirak said Tuesday that its sales in restaurants near Seoul’s office clusters rose by 23 percent during lunch hours in June compared to the same month last year. On the back of workers experiencing “lunchflation,” the takeout

South Korea's exports of ice cream reached an all-time high in the first half of this year, data showed Tuesday, amid a global heat wave and the growing popularity of Korean culture. Overseas shipments of South Korean-made ice-cream products came to $50 million in the January-June period, up 14 percent from a year earlier to reach a record high, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Imports inched up 0.3 percent on-year to $28 million, also hitting an all-time high, during t

The exports of petroleum products by major refiners in South Korea hit a record high of $27.95 billion in the first half of this year on the back of higher oil prices and strong demand recovery amid eased COVID-19 restrictions, data showed Tuesday. The outbound shipments by SK Energy Co., GS Caltex Corp., S-Oil Corp. and Hyundai Oilbank Co. represent a 97.6 percent increase from a year earlier and surpassed the previous record high of $27.7 billion in 2012, according to a latest report by the Ko

LG Energy Solution Ltd. (LGES) said Tuesday it has signed a joint venture agreement with a Chinese mining company to build a battery recycling plant to secure raw materials for lithium-ion battery components. The joint venture deal with Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Co. will commit the two companies to build two factories to extract nickel, cobalt and lithium -- key components for lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles -- from scrap batteries and used batteries, the South Korean battery maker