LS Group said its Chairman Koo Ja-eun discussed business cooperation on Tuesday with the ambassadors of Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- five of the six member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council. The GCC is a regional, intergovernmental, political and economic union of the above countries plus Bahrain, which does not have an embassy in South Korea. Set up in 1981 for economic and security cooperation, the GCC is seeking to expand business beyond crude oil

The anonymous professional networking app which requires a work email to sign up is changing workplace cultures around the world

PK Valve & Engineering, a subsidiary of STX, which specializes in industrial valves, said it has developed the country’s first valves for liquefied hydrogen after three years of research and development. The “3-inch Globe valve for liquefied hydrogen,” made of 316L stainless steel, can be directly applied to containers that store liquefied hydrogen at minus 253 degrees Celsius. Hydrogen liquefies at the extremely low temperature of minus 253 degrees, and constantly gasifies

KT&G said it is taking part in an annual exhibition hosted by the Tax Free World Association in Cannes, France, from Oct. 3 through 6 as part of efforts to expand its duty-free business to Europe, the Middle East and Central and South Americas. The South Korean tobacco company is displaying premium products from Esse, Raison and Bohem brands at its booth. It is also holding meetings with global distributors and tax-free businesses at the TFWA World Exhibition and Conference. It is the 13th

Korea’s largest tobacco producer KT&G pledged to continue its job training programs to help young job seekers here, as the country suffers from a record-breaking rate of youth unemployment, the company said Wednesday. As of June this year, the youth unemployment rate reached 10.5 percent, marking the highest level since 1999, when the nation was struggling to recover from the Asian financial crisis. A mentor listens to a young job seeker at KT&G’s career camp. (KT&G)The company annually runs a f

Homeplus has introduced Italian quality wines at its local branches as a part of the company’s campaign promoting premium wines sold at reasonable prices in the Korean market, the company said Tuesday.Last year, Homeplus launched its Superstar project, bringing in quality wines from outside the country and offering them at lower prices to expand the nation’s wine market base. Italy’s Tuscany-based Banfi wines are displayed at a Homeplus branch in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, Tuesday. (Homeplus)This year,

Hyundai Oilbank, one of the top refiners in Korea, said Wednesday that the company would conduct maintenance activities at Hyundai Oilbank Daesan Plant, starting Tuesday. A week ahead of the scheduled project, Hyundai Oilbank CEO Moon Jong-bak held an event to encourage field workers that will be responsible for the refinery maintenance. “Safety is the most important value at a refinery site,” Moon said.  Hyundai Oilbank CEO Moon Jong-bak (left) helps a worker put on safety boots during an event

South Korea’s leading cosmetics firm Amorepacific aims to beef up its presence in the global market through wider investment in research, the firm said Monday.Between 1997 and 2016, the firm increased its research and development spending from 17.9 billion won ($15.7 million) to 119 billion won.“The R&D spending of the company is expected to increase again in 2017 as it did in previous years,” Amorepacific’s spokesperson said.Amorepacific was the first cosmetics firm to open a R&D office here in

Booyoung Group Chairman Lee Joong-keun was inaugurated as the 17th chairman of the Korean Senior Citizens Association. On Wednesday, the KSCA held an event in Seoul to celebrate the designation, with around 400 participants in attendance, including government officials and lawmakers.  Booyoung Group Chairman Lee Joong-keun delivers his speech at an inauguration ceremony held in Seoul on Wednesday. (Shim Woo-hyun/The Korea Herald)Upon his inauguration, Lee pledged to speak for the 7 million senio

The founder of South Korean retail giant Lotte lost his last remaining board member seat at the affiliate of the conglomerate, effectively leaving the management scene, the business group said Wednesday.The board of directors of Lotte Aluminum Co., a packaging material firm, decided not to extend the term of Shin Kyuk-ho on the decision-making body. The move by the affiliate marks the complete departure of Shin from the running of the company that he started with the founding of Dongbang Alumi I

Q: Can I fire employees who constantly show poor performance? What steps should I take? A: Article 23 of the Labor Standards Act stipulates that an employer shall not, without justifiable cause, dismiss or suspend a worker, reduce wages, or take other disciplinary action against a worker. It goes without saying that dismissal of a poor performer should also be based on a justifiable cause. Yet, no consistent legal principle has been established in regard to what constitutes justifiable cause for

Hanwha Group said Tuesday it will turn 850 temporary workers into permanent employees by the first half of next year, a decision that will mostly benefit young workers at its services affiliates.Group officials said each affiliate will begin work evaluations of each temporary worker from next month for a phased transfer to permanent positions. About 660 of these workers are in the services sector of the group, including duty-free shop operator Hanwha Galleria and leisure affiliate Hanwha Hotels

Lotte Duty Free, South Korea's top duty-free operator, said Tuesday it has pulled out of an airport in the capital city of Indonesia last month, after an unsuccessful bid to extend the contract.Lotte's duty-free store in Jakarta International Airport closed Monday after its contract expired, the company said. Opened in January 2012, it was the firm's first overseas store. The closure comes at a time when local duty-free stores are struggling to cope with the diplomatic row between Seoul and Beij

GS Retail Co., a major convenience store chain operator, said Monday it has signed an agreement with a Vietnamese company to make inroads into the Southeast Asian market.The Korean firm said it signed a deal with SonKim Group in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday to set up a joint venture with a plan to open the first GS25 store in the Vietnamese city within the year.The announcement came as the competition in South Korea's convenience store business, dominated by three chains -- CU, GS25 and 7-Eleven

T'way Air Co., one of South Korea's six budget carriers, has formed business ties with Sky Angkor Airlines in Cambodia to develop new routes and cooperate in flight operations, the company said Monday. On Friday in Phnom Penh, the two airlines signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop new routes and operate their existing routes, T'way Air said in a statement.  (Yonhap)Through the partnership, T'way Air expects to strengthen its services on routes to Vietnam and Cambodia, popular d