On Tuesday, Kim Dong-yeon, a former Finance Minister who threw his hat in the ring for the presidency in August, introduced an artificial intelligence spokesperson named Aidy as the first hired employee of his election committee. He also presented an avatar character named Windy, who is his second hired employee. “I want to be chosen by the people with a new way of campaigning that fits the new...

In times of digital transformation, bigger firms have the tools, technology and personnel for digital transformation, but smaller companies often lack the necessary resources. This is where the Seoul Business Agency steps in to support small- to medium-sized companies in the capital. "Conglomerates or IT companies are undergoing digital transformation and making business opportunities out of it....

Jungheung Construction, a midsized local builder, said Wednesday that it will sign a deal this week to buy a controlling stake in Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co. In July, Jungheung Construction was named the preferred bidder to take over the 50.75-percent stake in its bigger rival from an investment fund under the state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB). The deal is known to be worth aroun...

Hyundai Motor Group is likely to post a better-than-expected fourth quarter result as well as a record-high operating profit of 7 trillion won ($5.9 billion) this year, despite the ongoing chip shortage, market experts said Wednesday. Market analysts viewed that the Korean automaker’s focus on expanding sales of its ecofriendly models and broadening its product mix to enhance its brand value has...

Samsung Electronics said Wednesday that it was ranked 4th out of the top 150 global tech companies in an index that gauged corporate efforts in using technology ethically and for reducing digital inequality overall. The Korean tech giant’s ranking soared from last year’s 10th position from the World Benchmarking Alliance’s Digital Inclusion Benchmark, topping all of its Asian peers. The WBA is ...

The average price of Seoul apartments has soared more than twofold in about five years under the current Moon Jae-in administration, according to a civic group analysis Wednesday. According to the analysis by the Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ), an apartment in Seoul fetched 43.09 million won ($36,590) per pyeong, or 3.3 square meters, on average as of November, up 109 percent co...

With the clock ticking on his term in office, President Moon Jae-in is taking every opportunity to push his agenda to declare the end of the Korean War. But experts are raising questions about his motivations and about the validity of his goal. “The declaration of an end to the war is the first step toward peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula,” Moon said in a congratulatory video s...

Hybe, home to South Korean pop group BTS, is throwing a live concert featuring its artists to celebrate the end of the year with fans. The concert, titled “2022 Weverse Con [New Era],” will take place at the Korea International Exhibition Center (KINTEX) located in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on Dec. 31 at 9 p.m. The event will also be streamed live on Weverse, the fan community platform created ...

South Korea has developed its first homegrown technology for early detection of chemical weapons attacks at long distances, the state-run weapons development agency announced Wednesday. The Agency for Defense Development said it had independently secured a “Hyperspectral Imaging Stand-off Chemical Agent Detection System,” which provides early warnings by monitoring and identifying the transmissi...

South Korea on Wednesday opened a new state cemetery for fallen national heroes, including independence fighters and Korean War troops, on the southern island of Jeju, the veterans affairs ministry said. The ministry held a ceremony opening the Jeju National Cemetery, the first such facility on the island, with the attendance of some 100 people, including Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, Veterans Af...

I loved watching the members run around the stage, sit on a moving bed and couch and try to make each other laugh, and travel around the stadium to get up close and personal with ARMY. Seeing the choreography to Idol in person is a dream come true and the textbook definition of a good time. My favorite moment might’ve been when Baepsae came on and I watched the members have the time of their live...

SK Gas Co., a key energy unit of South Korea's No. 3 conglomerate SK Group, said Wednesday it has invested in a US startup that has the original decarbonizing technology to produce clean hydrogen, as part of efforts to advance its transition to clean energy. SK Gas did not disclose the value of the investment in C-Zero, a California-based tech company, citing the terms of the contract. C-Zero i...

South Korea's antitrust regulator said Wednesday it has decided to impose a combined 20.7 billion won ($17.6 million) in fines on eight makers of aluminum alloy products for colluding to fix bidding prices. Altechno Metal and seven other firms colluded to fix their quotations between 2011 and 2021 for bids on aluminum alloy products by the country's largest carmaker Hyundai Motor Co. and its aff...

South Korean banks' loans to households grew at a slower pace in November amid the government's stepped-up control on home-backed loans and other lending, central bank data showed Wednesday. According to the data from the Bank of Korea, banks' household loans stood at 1,060.9 trillion won ($901.2 billion) as of end-November, up 3 trillion won from a month earlier. The on-month growth decelerate...