Unity, a licensed game engine, is in full throttle in South Korea as the domestic industry is seeking a major shift to the mobile sphere with the engine. According to Unity Technologies Korea, eight mobile games that have been or will be launched in Korea this year are based on its game engine as increasingly more companies here are making mobile versions of their popular PC games. “Unity’s game engine, optimized for mobile game development, is supporting legendary games that w

Merger virtually thwarted although Jeju Air does not specify closing deal date

Mercedes-Benz Korea said Thursday it is set to unveil, for the first time here, four new models under the premium high-performance brand Mercedes-AMG at the AMG Speedway in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. 　　 “There has been a growing demand for high-performance vehicles, especially among younger customers. In order to address this demand, the AMG brand is introducing a variety of performance models including the first-ever engine family 35 along with the 45 and the 45 S models,”

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong on Thursday visited Samsung Electro-Mechanics’ manufacturing facility for automotive multilayer ceramic capacitors located in Busan as part of the latest parade of on-site management. It marked the first visit by the Samsung heir since the factory began operation in 2018. Samsung Electro-Mechanics is an affiliate that supplies MLCCs for many of Samsung’s electronic products and camera modules for Galaxy smartphones. MLCC is an ess

Hanmi Pharmaceutical’s LAPS Triple Agonist (HM15211) was given fast-track approval by the US Food and Drug Administration, the company announced Thursday. LAPS Triple Agonist is Hanmi’s original pipeline for a form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease commonly called NASH for short. NASH is one of the most common incurable diseases that has high unmet medical needs. Current drugs only slow the progression of the disease, which can cause death due to scarring of the liver, but canno

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice Chairman Chung Euisun are expected to meet again to hold a second round of discussions on next-generation electric car battery technology, according to news reports Thursday. Lee is likely to visit Hyundai Motor’s research and development institution in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday, according to the reports. The visit is being planned in response to Chung’s visit to Samsung SDI’s

Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's largest carmaker by sales, said Thursday it will recall more than 272,000 vehicles in the United States as the electrical socket in the dashboard can overheat and cause a fire. The latest recall affects the Elantra compact and Sonata midsize sedan produced between 2011 and 2012, and the Accent subcompact and the Veloster hatchback produced in 2012, a company spokesman said. The problem takes place when an air compressor used to inflate tires is plugged into t

About half of office workers in Korea are still experiencing harassment in the workplace even after related laws were enacted last year, a survey conducted by a local civic group showed Wednesday. According to the report by civic group Gabjil199, which surveyed 1,000 office workers here, around 45.5 percent of office workers answered that they are still experiencing workplace harassment. Insults or defamation were the most frequent forms of harassment in the workplace, accounting for 29.6 pe

Foreigners who traveled to South Korea last year to consume K-pop goods and content were estimated to have spent $1,007 on average, according to a report Thursday. In its latest tourism industry analysis report, the state-run Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) estimated that some 1.11 million foreigners came to South Korea in 2019 to specifically consume goods and experiences related to "hallyu," a term referring to the global popularity of Korean pop culture, last year. On average, $

Samsung Electronics Co., South Korea's leading tech firm, is the world's second-largest semiconductor company in terms of market capitalization, data showed Thursday, despite a share price drop. Samsung's market value totaled $261.9 billion as of last Friday, only behind Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), whose market cap reached $306.3 billion, according to data analyzed by corporate tracker CEO Score and Yonhap News Agency. TSMC is the world's largest contract chip manufac

Samsung Electronics’ consumer electronics CEO Kim Hyun-suk on Wednesday expressed concerns over trade protectionism in major countries following a downturn in the home appliance market after the COVID-19 pandemic. During a brief meeting with local reporters, the head of Samsung’s consumer electronics said the company will undergo a more difficult situation in the fourth quarter of this year in the aftermath of the pandemic outbreak. “The global economy, consumer sentiment

Sales of electric vehicles have taken a hit globally as the coronavirus pandemic continues to take its toll on the economy, a new report has revealed. According to data from market analyst company SNE Research, global sales of electric cars between January and May this year dropped by 20.3 percent to 710,000 units, compared to the same time last year. Due to the worsening impact of the pandemic in the US and Europe in particular, global sales of electric vehicles in May were down by 28.7 perc

Expanding the line of products sold on its platform, Coupang said Wednesday it has launched Rocket Mobile, through which customers can browse and choose subscription plans offered by mobile carriers. The South Korean e-commerce giant said the new platform is an addition to the current sales of smartphone devices, including those made by Samsung Electronics and Apple. Through Rocket Mobile, customers can now choose monthly call plans as they purchase mobile devices, a one-stop service that wa

Diageo Korea said Wednesday that it has launched two new products, W 19 and W Honey, the first spirits in the local industry with just 32.5 percent alcohol by volume. The liquor maker said it had decided to lower the alcohol content of the new products to meet the rising demand for drinks that are less than full strength, as the drinking culture is rapidly changing here. Both drinks have the optimal strength for consumers in their 30s and 40s who value smoothness and new flavors, the compan

While the COVID-19 pandemic has depressed the performance of many businesses, the opposite is true for South Korean food company SPC Group, which has expanded its overseas business in recent months. In June, SPC Group -- owner of the country’s biggest bakery brand, Paris Baguette -- announced that it would launch the brand in Canada. It will be the seventh country the company has entered. The COVID-19 pandemic means it will take longer than usual to find partner firms and conduct market