Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Co., an affiliate of shipbuilding conglomerate Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., sold its stakes in the affiliate recently spun off from its parent firm, a move seen to accelerate the conglomerate's drive for a holding company structure.In March, shareholders of Hyundai Heavy approved the company's plan to hive off its noncore businesses, aimed at what it claims will boost each business unit's competitiveness.Under the plan, the shipyard split into four independent entities: sh

Jeju Air Co., a South Korean budget carrier, said Wednesday it will open a route to Taiwan's Kaohsiung next month, the first such service offered by a local airline. The move is part of local budget carriers' efforts to expand routes to Southeast Asia and Japan not only to absorb growing low-budget travel demand but also to offset sharp declines in travel demand from China amid a diplomatic row over the deployment of a US anti-missile system in Korea. (Yonhap)Beijing banned the sale of travel pa

KB Kookmin Card Co., a unit of South Korea's banking giant KB Financial Group Inc., said Tuesday it has inked a partnership with Bank of Hope in the United States in a move to make inroads into the large North American market.The card company said it will set up a joint venture with the Los Angeles-based lender with the aim of pursuing joint projects. (Yonhap)KB Kookmin Card said it expects the partnership to help it make inroads into the world's No. 1 economy.Bank of Hope, which has more than $

Hotel Shilla Co., set to open its duty-free shops at an airport in Hong Kong later this year, said Tuesday it has participated in an international travel expo to expand its overseas foothold in the business.One of the major duty-free shop operators in South Korea, Hotel Shilla said it introduced its know-how about the duty-free and hotel business to local industry officials and tourists at the International Travel Expo Hong Kong which ran from Thursday to Sunday.In April, the operator of Shilla

South Korean tech giant LG Electronics Inc. said Sunday it has reorganized its structure and established two research centers devoted to the development of technologies related to artificial intelligence.The new centers -- AI and robotics -- will be directly under control of the Chief Technology Officer's office, and will focus on the development and implementation of AI-related services, the company said. (Yonhap)The move is part of the company's efforts to revamp research and development, and

The nation's top court has confirmed the designation of a nonprofit subsidiary of a law firm as the guardian of the founder of the country's retail giant Lotte Group, legal sources said Friday.The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed an appeal filed by Shin Kyuk-ho against a family court's decision that put him under the Sun's legal supervision. It is a subsidiary of law firm One Law Partners that handles matters of public interest. In this file photo taken on March 20, 2017, Shin Kyuk-ho, founde

South Korean retail conglomerate Lotte Group is likely to unveil a series of steps next week to simplify its complicated governance structure, which may include split-ups or mergers of key affiliates, industry sources said Friday.The group's two key affiliates -- Lotte Shopping Co. and Lotte Confectionery Co. -- are rumored to be rolling out the plan at their respective shareholders meeting next week to split themselves into an investment unit and a business arm, according to industry sources fa

GS Group chairman Huh Chang-soo, who is also the chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries, participated in the group’s quarterly board meeting on Wednesday and emphasized on the need to prepare for the uncertain future. GS Group Chairman Huh Chang-soo (GS)Encouraging on the group’s latest achievements, including the implementation of LNG terminal in Boryeong and GS Retail’s investment in K bank, Huh urged the board members to keep improving the overall competitiveness of GS and to prepare

The lady of the Samsung family Hong Ra-hee, 72, resigned last week from her position as the director of Leeum Samsung Museum of Art for personal reasons. The decision astounded the business and art communities as the “super collector” had the discerning eyes and financial capabilities to purchase valuable art works.As of March 7, Hong ranks 10th on The Superich Team’s “Korea’s Richest 100,” and is the richest female within the country.  Director of Leeum Samsung Museum of Art, Hong Ra-hee (Yonha

“The reluctant executive” was how Forbes magazine described Shin Chang-jae, the chairman of Kyobo Life Insurance, in a cover story in 2010. Despite being the firstborn son of Kyobo Life founder Shin Yong-ho, he never wanted to be a businessman. He chose to be a doctor, until one day, his father called. This week, The Super Rich team introduces the life and success stories of three doctor-turned-entrepreneurs from the medical school of the nation’s top Seoul National University. We start with Shi

Chey’s cousins run old businesses almost independently

The way SK Group reorganized its whopping 88 affiliates and subsidiaries into a holding company structure -- billed as an advanced model of multi-company governance -- is a subject of fervent study by Korea’s other family-run conglomerates often criticized for opaque governance. Through a series of carefully devised steps spanning well over a decade, Chairman Chey Tae-won simplified the group’s tangled ownership and eliminated highly controversial cross-shareholdings. He also secured greater con

The chief executives of key SK companies have been busy doing homework lately. In front of SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and his fellow CEOs, they have to make a presentation next month on ways to fundamentally challenge the way they make money, work and use assets. The task is an assignment given by Chairman Chey after his TED-style lecture-cum-speech in July on the changing business environment and SK’s future. “Companies that do not change in a changing environment don’t just risk perishing

Behind high drama and chaebol image, an unassuming and embracing boss

Instead of hiring glamorous TV stars, some Korean superrich have opted to model for their own business in print or on TV. Commercials featuring big bosses tend to give audience a sense of trustworthiness, not to mention the cost saved. This week, The Superrich Team introduces business chiefs who were featured on the advertisement of their own company.Tam Chul-kon, Orion Group Confectionary-focused Orion Group’s chairman Tam Chul-kon is one of the first business tycoons to appear in company comme