SK Pharmteco, a global contract development and manufacturing organization under Korean conglomerate SK Group, said Wednesday that it has acquired the Center for Breakthrough Medicines, a US cell and gene therapy firm. The Korean firm exercised its right to acquire a controlling stake in CBM to obtain the management right of the Philadelphia-based cell and gene therapy CDMO, offering pre-clinical to commercial phase therapies. The right was given when SK Pharmteco made its capital investment i

K-pop girl band IVE performs during the Hana Playlist Concert held at Yonsei University in Seoul, Sunday. Other singers in the lineup included singer and producer Psy, folk duo MeloMance, ballad singer Sung Si-kyung and K-pop boy band Zerobaseone. The two-day event was hosted by Hana Financial Group as part of its ongoing cultural projects aimed at raising its brand awareness. (Hana Financial Group)

Non-fungible token platform company Art Token said Monday that it recently joined hands with Anicube Entertainment, a music metaverse platform company, in a move to drive the global expansion of Korean digital art content. The latest partnership was inked at Art Token's headquarters in Gangnam, southern Seoul earlier last week, with top executives including Art Token CEO Hong Ji-sook and Anicube Content Market Business Head Lee Cheol-jae in attendance. Under the agreement, Art Token aims

Information technology service provider LG CNS said Thursday it has inked a deal with Korea University to nurture future talent in the burgeoning field of artificial intelligence and data science. Under the new industrial-academic partnership, a department temporarily named “AI and Data Science” will be set up at Korea University’s graduate school, and students will receive a job offer at the company upon graduation. Starting next year, the department plans to admit over 20 gra

Innocean Worldwide said Wednesday that its Indonesian unit was named the second-best agency of the year by Campaign Brief Asia, a global online portal specialized in marketing and advertising. Campaign Brief Asia assessed firms in Indonesia based on their history of receiving creative awards and an internal evaluation, conferring second place to Innocean Indonesia in the Agency of the Year 2023 ranking on Sept. 7. Despite being a relative newcomer to the Indonesian market, the firm outpaced reno

HD Hyundai Oilbank's new design featuring its updated corporate identity is displayed at the GRC gas station in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. The design, renewed for the first time in 23 years, has blue and green lines against a white background as its prominent feature, underscoring simplicity. The two lines on top converge with a gap, creating an eye-catching and yet harmonious aesthetic. The two lines are illuminated brightly on the gas station roof, enhancing visibility at night.

South Korean conglomerate Hanwha Group said Tuesday that it will stage its biggest event yet at the 2023 Seoul International Fireworks Festival at Hangang Park in Yeouido on Oct. 7. The annual event, organized by Hanwha Group as part of its social contribution program, typically draws an audience of one million people every year, with participation from various countries. Under the theme "Lights of Tomorrow," this year's event will feature a total of three teams from Korea, Chin

LG Innotek CEO Jeong Cheol-dong joined the “Zero Disposables Challenge,” an environmental initiative launched by the Ministry of Environment in February to encourage the use of reusable items in public, the firm said Monday. The campaign typically involves CEOs posing for a photo, signaling their commitment to slashing single-use plastic waste. The photo is then posted on social media platforms, with the CEO naming the next participant. Since its launch, a number of key business le

Some 700 Chinese tourists visited the Shilla I'Park Duty Free Shop in Yongsan, central Seoul, on Friday, marking the first group visit to a domestic duty-free store in six years, according to the store operator HDC Shilla Duty Free on Sunday. Following a tour of Gyeongbokgung, South Korea's iconic ancient palace, the group visited the store to enjoy some shopping. They also got the opportunity to try various Korean cuisines at food and beverage stores within the I'Park shopping ma

South Korean cosmetic giant Amorepacific announced Thursday that its high-end cosmetic brand Hera has entered the Japanese market. Riding on the global popularity of brand ambassador Jennie from Blackpink, Hera has been gaining traction in the global market, with its leading Black Cushion foundation logging over 8.56 million combined domestic and international sales. At the end of August, a pop-up store was launched at Shibuya Scramble Square, a large shopping complex in Japan’s capital.

KT Corp. said Wednesday that it discussed bolstering its partnership with Canada's Vector Institute, a nonprofit firm dedicated to artificial intelligence research, to advance its latest AI technologies. The two parties have already been collaborating in the area of AI research and business development since its partnership agreed in September last year. On Tuesday, Vector Institute CEO Tony Gaffney visited KT’s R&D center in Seocho-gu, Seoul, during which more concrete steps were

CJ Foodville, operator of South Korean bakery chain Tous Les Jours, announced Tuesday that it has decided on a location in the state of Georgia to establish its first US production facility, as it seeks to open 1,000 bakeries in the country by 2030. The factory, construction of which is set to be complete by 2025, will occupy some 90,000 square meters in Gainesville, Georgia. With a capital investment worth over 50 billion won ($37 million), the factory is expected to have an annual output cap

Dong-A Otsuka on Tuesday unveiled new packaging for its flagship Confidence vitamin drink. The renewed design, while maintaining its signature yellow hue, features an eye-catching character that captures the unique shape of the drink bottle. The all-new youthful design is expected to appeal to millennials and Generation Z. Confidence, first released in 1995, is a caffeine-free fruit-flavored vitamin drink that also contains amino acids, electrolytes and minerals. (Dong-A Otsuka)

KB Financial Group is set to host its women's golf championship from Thursday through Sunday at the Blackstone Golf Club in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, it said Tuesday. Called KB Financial Group Star Championship, the annual competition is a major tournament for the 2023 Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour. With 1.2 billion won ($905,000) in prize money, including 216 million won for the winner, the tournament will see a number of South Korean star golfers contending for the titl

Posco International said Monday that it has signed two agreements to secure some 90,000 metric tons of natural graphite, bolstering its supply chain for the key material for secondary batteries. In a memorandum of understanding signed with Canada’s NextSource on Aug. 28, Posco agreed to invest in the company’s Molo Mine, one of the largest mines in Madagascar. The agreement is expected to help Posco secure 30,000 tons of natural graphite, or 15,000 tons of spherical graphite, on an a