[THE INVESTOR] Mobile messenger operator Kakao has opened its flagship store for character products based on its mobile stickers, called Kakao Friends, in the posh Gangnam district, Seoul, aiming to expand its clout in the mobile world into the retail realm.Despite the heavy rain in Seoul on Saturday, more than a thousand people formed a snaking line in front of the store on the opening day of the Kakao Friends Flagship Store.Kakao`s flagship store in Gangnam. KakaoAs Kakao ran a series of prom

[THE INVESTOR] Korea’s hot and humid summer weather makes keeping food fresh a challenge during the summer, and beverage brands are lining the shelves with specially packaged products to put health-conscious consumers at ease.Focusing on popular natural beverages like fruit juices and dairy, the packages are specially designed to keep heat and moisture out even when the products are kept at room temperature.Beverages using aseptic packaging. Clockwise from top left: Dole’s 100% Ice Juice Bar, De

[THE INVESTOR] Lotte Group chairman Shin Dong-bin returned to Korea Sunday afternoon after nearly a month out of the country, sparking questions about how he will handle the current investigation into the group.Shin, who landed at Gimpo International Airport at approximately 2:38 p.m., was largely silent when questioned by reporters on his stance on the ongoing prosecutors‘ embezzlement investigation. Lotte Group chairman Shin Dong-bin enters his Seoul office on July 4. / The Investor (Lee Sang-

[THE INVESTOR] Sales of hybrid cars more than doubled in June in Korea on the back of the popularity of new compact sports utility vehicle Niro produced by Kia Motors, industry data showed July 3.A total of 6,215 units of Korean-made hybrid cars were sold in June, up 140 percent from 2,617 a month earlier, according to the data.Kia Motors‘ sports utility vehicle Niro / Kia MotorsThe June figure marked a monthly sales record, outnumbering the previous record of 6,061 units tallied in April.Kia Mo

[THE INVESTOR] The Korean government has expanded its incentive program for home appliances with high energy efficiency to all major stores in a bid to encourage consumers to use environmentally-friendly products as well as to spur domestic spending, the commerce ministry said Saturday.The program offers cash backs of up 10 percent on five types of household electronic appliances that have the highest energy efficiency ratings.Initially, the government incentives were only offered on products so

[THE INVESTOR] LG Electronics has been trying to relocate and merge its production bases in Europe in order to enhance management efficiency.The tech company has moved its production facilities in Wroclaw in western Poland where it used to produce around 3 million TVs per year to Mlawa, a county located northwest of Polish capital Warsaw. The total production capacity at the Mlawa production plant has increased to 7 million with the relocation.“The latest decision to relocate the production faci

[THE INVESTOR] LG Electronics has revamped its troubled mobile business division in a desperate effort to restore slowing profits after continuing failures of its flagship G phones, including the latest G5. According to the company on July 1, a new position, called “product management officer,” has been set up under president and CEO Cho Ju-no with aims to pour resources into developing premium smartphones. Two PMOs were announced on the day: Oh Hyeong-hoon, former head of the division’s R&D cen

[THE INVESTOR] The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said July 1 that it is currently consult with experts for the possible rescheduling of the test launch of a 200-ton space vehicle, Korea Space Launch Vehicle-II.The announcement comes after local new outlets reported that the the test launch of the vehicle has been delayed by 10 months and the official launch in 2020 has been consequently postponed.The Korea Aerospace Research Institute, a state-run space agency, is scheduled to hav

[THE INVESTOR] Tech giant Samsung Electronics’ consumer electronics business is forecast to see its operating profit for the April-June period surpass 1 trillion won ($870 million). Market analysts also expect Samsung to show a strong business performance in the latter half this year, enjoying the weak Korean won due to Britain’s vote to exit the EU. The CE business will likely see its operating income for the second quarter cross 1 trillion won for the first time since 2009, according to invest

 [THE INVESTOR] Samsung Group’s electronic components businesses, including Samsung Electro-Mechanics, and Samsung SDI, are forecast to show disappointing earnings results for the April-June period, according to market analysts.Samsung Electro-Mechanics will post 21.7 billion won ($18.9 million) in operating income, down 49.4 percent from the previous quarter, with its revenue coming in at 1.6 trillion won, up 2.6 percent from the first quarter, according to a recent investment report released b

[THE INVESTOR] The delayed merger and acquisition deal between IPTV operatorSK Broadband and cable TV firm CJ HelloVision is wreaking havoc on both companies, hampering them from proceeding with their investment plans to beef up infrastructure and services.“As the review session for the M&A among the government bodies is being delayed, SKB is struggling to execute investment plans, which sequentially causes damage to its equipment suppliers and other partners,” a public relations representative

[THE INVESTOR] Game developer Nexon said on June 30 that its mobile role-playing game “HIT” will be released in global markets on July 7.The mobile game, which will support 10 languages including English, Chinese, German, French, and Thai, is to hit 140 global markets.But two neighboring countries Japan and China were excluded for the launch.“Japan is different from other markets as animation-inspired games featuring cute characters mostly top the mobile game chart, so we are planning to enter t

[THE INVESTOR] Korean network operator SK Telecom has signed a memorandum of understanding with Deutsche Telekom and Ericsson to develop core technologies for the next-generation network, or 5G.Through the partnership, the three will conduct trial tests of key 5G technologies including network functions virtualization, software-defined telecommunications infrastructure, and distributed cloud, all of which will provide optimized end-user experiences, SKT said on Thursday.  SK Telecom‘s booth for

[THE INVESTOR] Game developer Nexon said June 30 that its mobile role-playing game “HIT” will be released in global markets on July 7.The mobile game, which will support 10 languages including English, Chinese, German, French, and Thai, is to hit 140 global markets.But two neighboring countries Japan and China were excluded for the launch.“Japan is different from other markets as animation-inspired games featuring cute characters mostly top the mobile game chart, so we are planning to enter the