The Korea Herald is publishing a series of interviews with executives of South Korea’s leading corporations on their response to environmental, social and corporate governance, or ESG, issues, which have become central factors globally in measuring the sustainability of an investment or business decision. -- Ed.  Handling with the uncertainties and anxiety rising from the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses here and abroad have found themselves swept away by burgeoning ESG calls over th

Korea will need its own global positioning system, dubbed KPS, for the sake of the country’s national security as well as space industry development, said Kim Ji-chan, chief executive officer of LIG Nex1. “Without the country’s own satellite navigation system, Korea relies heavily on the GPS developed by the United States,” Kim told a meeting on Korea’s space development plan attended by President Moon Jae-in Thursday. LIG Nex1 is a leading defense technology

Calling the punishment by the United States’ trade watchdog “catastrophic and a harm to public interest,” South Korean battery maker SK Innovation said it was considering all options, including abandonment of its $2.7 billion manufacturing facilities in the US state of Georgia. In its latest appeal to the US International Trade Commission, SK Innovation alluded to halting the ongoing construction of its second battery manufacturing plant in Commerce City, Georgia, as well as

The South Korean construction equipment maker Doosan Infracore Co. said Sunday it has launched its 100-ton excavators, the biggest in its lineup in the global market, and won orders for them from Mongolia and Chile. Doosan Infracore bagged an order for one 100-ton excavator from a Chilean company, with a 100-ton excavator and a 80-ton excavator ordered by a Mongolian company, the company said in an emailed statement. Global demand for the large excavator market is estimated at about 1,000 unit

LG Uplus Corp., a major South Korean telecom operator, said Sunday it signed a deal to export $11.14 million worth of 5G solutions and content to Thailand's top mobile carrier, Advanced Info Service (AIS). Under the deal, LG Uplus will provide AIS with augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) 5G content and also oversee the rollout of the service from its testing to launch. LG Uplus said it expects its immersive 5G content, which includes Korean music shows, to gain popularity in Thaila

As spring creeps in, more people are seeking outdoor activities to take advantage of the warmer weather -- as evidenced by the recent uptrend in Korean-language Google searches for parks. Located 25 kilometers north of central Seoul, the ASEAN National Recreation Forest in the city of Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, makes for a good spot for outings with family and friends. The forest is especially accessible to those based in Seoul, Incheon, Ilsan and Uijeongbu, as it takes roughly an hour to make

To celebrate the launch of a collaborative collection with Polaroid, Lacoste recently set up six pop-up zones on Garosu-gil street featuring huge, brightly colored crocodiles. Visitors to the flagship Lacoste store on Garosu-gil in Gangnam, Seoul, look through a shop window at the exhibition “Lacoste X Polaroid.”  Visitors take pictures of their reflections in the store’s rainbow mirror in southern Seoul. (Photos: Yonhap) By Yoon Chae-won (choenayoon@heraldcorp.com)

Shin Choon-ho, chairman of major food company Nongshim Group, died Saturday of a chronic illness, the company said. He was 92. The group's flagship unit, Nongshim Co., is South Korea's top instant noodle maker. Born in 1930, Shin founded the food company in 1965 and became the group's chairman in 1992. (Yonhap)

A panel of civilian experts decided Friday to recommend that the state prosecution service halt its investigation into the allegation that Lee Jae-yong, the jailed de facto leader of Samsung Group, had taken propofol shots illegally. The committee of outside experts plans to deliver the opinion, which is not binding, to the Supreme Prosecutors Office. Among the 14 members of the panel who took part in the voting, eight opposed the continuation of the probe, and the rest favored it. They faile

In the wake of the Suez Canal blockage that is paralyzing regional and global logistics, South Korean companies are starting to feel an impact. With importers tense over possible delays in their material and product supplies, shipping companies are expected to gain from increased fees and surplus demands. HMM, Korea’s largest and the world’s eighth-largest shipper, saw its stock price climb 15.96 percent on-day to 34,150 won ($30.20) on Friday, prolonging the uptrend for nine co

Celltrion Group saw a generation shift in its leadership as the founder and honorary chairman stepped down from his official posts and his two sons obtained seats in key affiliates’ boardrooms, following a decision made at shareholders meetings Friday. The founder’s first son Seo jin-seok has been appointed as an executive director at Celltrion, filling an empty seat left behind after the founder stepped down from the chairman post in December. Second son Seo Joon-serk was also sepa

Samsung SDS President and CEO Hwang Sung-woo urged the company to realign itself into a cloud-based business platform that focuses on logistics and security services. “It is now time for Samsung SDS to transform into a true cloud company. Let us concentrate all strengths on cloud, logistics and security,” Hwang said Friday in an email sent out to staff and executives. Marking his first official message since taking office last December, Hwang made it clear that cloud-based busine

Shareholders OK Cho’s leadership despite NPS’ veto

SK Innovation said it cannot accept rival LG Energy Solution’s demands for damage compensation it suffered after its battery technologies were stolen, dragging on an already drawn-out settlement dispute involving the two battery makers. The corresponding remark came during the company’s annual shareholders meeting on Friday and also in the wake of LGES’ vow on the previous day that it will fight to receive reasonable compensation from SK. At the 14th shareholders meeting hel

LG Corp., the holding firm of South Korea’s fourth-largest conglomerate by assets LG Group, received approval from shareholders on Friday to set up another parent entity as part of the conglomerate spinoff plan. Set for launch on May 1, LX Holdings will take four non-electronics affiliates with promising outlooks -- LG International, LG Hausys, LG MMA and Silicon Works under its umbrella. LG Corp. will keep electronics, chemicals and communications businesses and focus on future growth e