Food delivery app operators urged to take action to reduce plastic waste

South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission is looking into a case filed by legal counselling app LawTalk earlier this year against the Korean Bar Association after the organization decided to ban its members from joining such platforms. The clash between the disruptive mobile service and the bar association, which led to a series of tit-for-tat actions including a Constitutional Court case, could be judged from a fair trade point of view, if the FTC determines the association as a business assoc

“Game & Art: Auguries of Fantasy” -- on show at Daejeon Museum of Art Creative Center through Sept. 5 -- peeps into an altered world of “fantasy reality” forged through the synthesis of video games and art. The exhibition, sponsored and participated by NCSoft, one of the top three game developers in South Korea, examines how video games can become playgrounds of images and sounds conceived through imaginations. Walking into the exhibit, viewers are greeted by Ki

Automotive firm Kia launched a flagship store in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, Wednesday. The store features a futuristic interior and will offer car exhibitions, test drives, and other services and events.  Visitors can scan mobile QR codes for information on Kia’s newest cars and services.  Customers can see the latest vehicles in three dimensions via a large media wall installed at the store. Both the interior and exterior of each vehicle will be visible, and customers can see in deta

South Korean car-sharing platform Green Car will expand its advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) to its entire fleet of cars by the end of 2022 for a safer and more convenient driving experience, the firm said Friday. According to Green Car, about 85 percent of the vehicles it currently manages for its car-sharing service are equipped with each of the car models’ standard ADAS functions. The ADAS functions include autonomous emergency braking, smart cruise control and lane departur

Firm sees 66% increase in Q2 operating profit based on balanced growth of advertisements, commerce and content

Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering signed a 659.2 billion won ($577 million) deal to build an offshore plant for an American oil company, the South Korean shipbuilder said Friday. In a regulatory filing, KSOE said it would undertake the first phase of construction for an offshore crude oil storage facility under the deal. The company declined to reveal the client. The envisioned semi-submersible floating production storage platform is to measure 91 meters in length, 91 meters in wi

LG Uplus Corp., a major South Korean mobile carrier, said Friday its second-quarter net profit grew 40 percent thanks to the continued growth of 5G mobile subscriptions and its business infrastructure division. Net profit in the April-June period stood at 210.5 billion won ($184.2 million) on a consolidated basis, compared with 150.6 billion won the previous year, according to a company statement. Operating profit rose 12 percent on-year to 268.4 billion won in the second quarter, while sales

Hanwha Corp.’s operating profit surged 53.4 percent on-year to 769 billion won ($672.8 million) in the second quarter, backed by an earnings surprise from its affiliates, the company said Friday. According to the holdings firm of South Korea’s seventh-largest conglomerate, Hanwha Group, its revenue jumped 15.2 percent to 12.6 trillion won and its net profit rose 63.1 percent to 572.1 billion won. “Hanwha Solutions’ chemical division logged 2.8 trillion won in revenue

Samsung Electronics Co. saw its market share decline in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) smartphone market in the second quarter of the year, a report showed Friday, as Chinese brands expanded their presence. The South Korean tech giant was the leading smartphone vendor with a 16 percent share in the April-June period, but its market share was down from 20 percent a year earlier, according to the latest report from industry tracker Counterpoint Research. "The company boosted market spendi

Samsung Electronics Co. is expected to dominate the foldable smartphone market this year with an 88 percent share, a report showed Friday, as the tech giant prepares to unveil its new foldable devices next week. The global foldable market is estimated to triple from a year earlier to reach around 9 million units in 2021, and Samsung, the world's largest smartphone vendor, is projected to represent 88 percent of them, according to market tracker Counterpoint Research. "Although the market

Company confident in staving off challenges from smaller memory rivals, but long-term outlook remains a question

TDL has established a solid-state battery production line with an annual production capacity of 80 megawatts in Naju, South Jeolla Province, the company said Thursday. According to the South Korean industrial material company, the pouch-type 2-ampere-hour solid-state batteries will be mounted on small-sized energy storage systems with the capacity of 1 to 5 kilowatts. Lithium-ion batteries are filled with an inflammable liquid solution called electrolytes. Solid-state batteries replace the

South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission will hold a final review on Sept. 1 on allegations that Google had exploited its market dominance to coerce Korean device manufacturers and wireless carriers to use its Android operating system, shutting out rivals, the state antitrust watchdog said Thursday. It will be the third full-member meeting that the commission holds on the issue. At the Sept. 1 session, commissioners are expected to finalize whether to penalize the US firm, and if so, the co

Pinkfong, the creator behind the globally popular “Baby Shark” videos, received the Ruby Play Button from YouTube for notching over 50 million subscribers, the South Korean firm said Thursday. The Ruby Play Button, which is awarded to YouTubers with over 50 million subscribers, is custom-made instead of the usual plaque design for lower milestones. Pinkfong, which produces animated movies and clips featuring various children‘s songs, received an award shaped like a column of