Researcher-turned-entrepreneur sees huge potential for its antibacterial spray lineup

Ventex started off in 1999 as a tiny textile developer. Through a relentless search for new materials using nanotechnology, the Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province-based company is now building its global presence as a biochemical company. According to founder and CEO Go Gyeong-chan, the company is on course to achieve 34.8 billion won ($31.2 million) in sales this year, which is expected to more than double to 73.5 billion won next year. Driving the growth are disinfection and sanitization produc

South Korean pharmaceutical giant Celltrion said Tuesday that the company has submitted marketing approval applications for the company’s COVID-19 treatment to health authorities in several countries in the Middle East. The countries include Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Iraq and Morocco. Celltrion’s announcement on Tuesday followed a day after the company said it landed its first overseas supply deal to export 100,000 vials of Regkirona to Pakistan. Celltrion expects

When walking into a restaurant, people usually have a sense about how expensive the food would be. But when it comes to cosmetic surgery clinics here, it is a different story. Not many -- perhaps none -- openly display the price of their services or procedures, not to mention the specs of medical equipment they use. “Say that I want to receive a skin toning laser treatment and there are two hospitals. One uses equipment that costs 200 million won (about $180,000), and the other uses o

South Korean pharmaceutical giant Celltrion clinched the first overseas supply deal for its COVID-19 antibody treatment Regkirona, according to Celltrion Healthcare’s announcement on Monday. Celltrion Healthcare, which is in charge of Celltrion‘s overseas business, signed a contract with a state-run company in Pakistan to export 100,000 vials of Regkirona, enough for around 30,000 people. The firm will dispatch its experts to Pakistan to train medical workers who will administer t

A panel of medical experts here gave a nod to US pharmaceutical company Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Monday. The advisory panel’s review is the first of the three-stage evaluation process before South Korea gives final approval. The next stage of the evaluation is scheduled on Thursday. If finally approved, Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine would become the fourth COVID-19 vaccine to receive an approval from the South Korean govern

SK hynix, the world’s second-biggest memory provider, vowed Monday to make more efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The pledge was made alongside the chipmaker’s announcement of its social value figures for 2020. Since 2019, major affiliates of SK Group have been quantifying the values they created in three areas of “indirect contribution to the economy,” “social performance,” and “social contribution.” SK hynix put its indirect con

Naver, South Korea’s largest portal site, said Monday that the company will create a joint research arm with Seoul National University to delve into the field of artificial intelligence. The two sides held an online signing ceremony, agreeing on the need for research on Korean-based AI and the establishment of the SNU-Naver Hyperscale AI center. Around 100 AI researchers from Naver and the university will take part in the project for the next three years. The cooperation aims to de

In a subtle but noteworthy change of tone, President Moon Jae-in on Monday spoke of the mounting challenges facing South Korean chipmakers when asked about the fate of the jailed Samsung Electronics chief Lee Jae-yong. “It is a clear fact that we need to further enhance the competitiveness of our semiconductor industry, with global competition on chips intensifying,” Moon told reporters in a nationally televised press conference. He then added that he also has to consider the

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. To truly embrace the ESG trends in business management, it is important to look at things from an investor’s point of view, says Lee Bang-sil, vice president of South Ko

Eyes are on new investment plans to be unveiled by Samsung, SK hynix in response to government support

Samsung Electronics will share its 505 patented technologies with local small and medium enterprises, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Friday. The list comprises 213 mobile technologies, 68 semiconductor technologies, 68 display technologies, 45 telecommunications technologies and 31 medical equipment technologies, and others. The SMEs that wish to benefit from the governments technology transfer program are required to submit their application via the ministry or the Korea Ins

Naver plans to expand its research and development network in the North American region, particularly focusing on Silicon Valley, as part of its globalization efforts, according to officials. The research team is seeking talent from across the globe who will be allowed to work in either Korea or the US, the South Korean internet giant said at 2021 Naver Search Colloquium which took place online on Friday. Kim Jin-young, the newly appointed Head of Data Science and Director of US R&D at Nav

Roche Diagnostics Korea announced Thursday that the company has received approval for the cobas test, an assay used to specifically detect the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus in laboratories settings. According to Roche, the cobas test is capable of qualitative detection and differentiation between SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A and Influenza B present in nasal swab samples collected from individuals suspected of a respiratory infection. Roche’s laboratory-based assay cobas SARS

Amid the heightening competition in the global chip foundry market, Samsung Electronics unveiled a new packaging technology Thursday that would help differentiate its foundry service.  Samsung said it has completed the development of the next-generation 2.5D packaging technology named Interposer-Cube4, or I-Cube4, which is immediately available for customers. Samsung’s I-Cube is a heterogeneous integration technology that horizontally places one or more logic dies, such as a CPU or