Kyobo Life Insurance, one of Korea’s biggest life insurers, has picked up speed in its digital transformation efforts this year by innovating its traditional businesses and securing future growth engines. According to Kyobo Life Insurance, the company reorganized its structure with a digital transformation, opening departments on digital strategy, digital new businesses and IT support. The life...

Shinhan Financial Group, South Korea’s second-largest financial company by market capitalization, is the first financial services firm in East Asia to have openly committed to carbon neutrality by 2050 -- a bold step in the global race to expand environmental, social and governance investment. “ESG investment poses an opportunity, not a risk, which means we should be able to take advantage of it...

When banks gave out loans, the only question they asked was, “Can you pay it back?” This was before the pandemic. But now, people hit hard by the COVID-19 are flocking to banks, desperate to get their hands on cash. Suddenly, lending money has become an emotional task. Banks have also come under increased scrutiny against the backdrop of a stronger push for environmental, social and governance ...

Global X ETFs, an exchange-traded fund provider fully owned by South Korea-based asset manager Mirae Asset Global Investments, is making inroads into European stock markets by adding new products to its lineup. As of Monday, Global X was trading 12 ETFs in European stock markets. Among them, seven new themed ETFs started trading on the London Stock Exchange earlier in November. The seven new pr...

BROKERAGE OF THE YEAR / MIRAE ASSET SECURITIES Mirae Asset Securities, a South Korean brokerage firm, has set new records this year. Mirae’s overseas stock and retirement pension assets each reached a record high of 20 trillion won ($16.8 billion), the brokerage firm said. The company’s overseas stock trading volume has surged 20 times more than it was in 2017. Compared to 2020, it increased b...

By Yoo Chang-jo / Professor of marketing at Dongguk University The Korea Herald initiated the Global Finance Awards with a belief that the nation needs to improve the competitiveness of the local financial sector and create financial ecosystems that are recognized worldwide to promote its growth momentum in the “fourth industrial revolution.” The awards, in their fifth year, aim to reward finan...

Taeyang of Big Bang and actor Min Hyo-rin recently welcomed their first child, a boy, according to media reports on Monday. The musician’s label YG Entertainment confirmed the news but did not provide any more details such as the exact date of birth. Min’s agency Plum ANC, and YG Entertainment, confirmed in late September that the couple was expecting a child following news reports. She s...

“KakaoBank’s core value comes from flexibility. Based on trust, we need to voice out different opinions and even clash with each other in order to solve problems quickly,” Yun said in a message he sent to staff in the same year. Highlighting that creative ideas come from a less rigid workplace, Yun goes by the name Daniel instead of “sir,” and other staff and executives follow suit. Yun plans t...

JTBC’s hit music competition “Sing Again” is returning with a second season, featuring a lineup of heavy hitters who hope to become famous after having been largely forgotten. Just like before, the second season of “Sing Again” aims to give a second chance to singers who never quite rose to the top ranks of the entertainment scene, despite their superb singing and performing skills. This season,...

At the 9th High-Level Meeting of Caring for Climate, held online and offline simultaneously, Yoon was invited on behalf of the global finance sector to speak on the topic of achieving a just, equitable and inclusive transition to a net-zero society. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Greenpeace International Executive Director Jennifer Morgan and British drugmaker AstraZeneca Chairman Leif Jo...

K-pop powerhouse JYP Entertainment on Monday revealed its much-anticipated first boy group in six years since the debut of Day6 in September 2015. Xdinary Heroes is to land in the highly competitive K-pop music scene, dropping its debut digital single titled "Happy Death Day" at 6 p.m. During a media showcase for the upcoming release, which was livestreamed from a music hall in Seoul, the band ...

Korean movie stars Park Jeong-min, Lee Je-hoon, Son Suk-ku and Choi Hee-seo are stepping behind the camera to direct a slate of short films for Korean streaming platform Watcha’s “Unframed” project. The omnibus short film project is jointly organized by Watcha and HardCut, a new production company co-founded by actor Lee Je-hoon, film producer Kim Yoo-kyung and film director Yang Kyung-mo. The p...

Kim has his eyes on an Asian Games medal, but outperforming some of Japan’s best breakers will be a challenge and obstacle to overcome, he said. At the same time, he vowed to put forth all of his effort and compete against rivals like a furious lion -- his stage name “Leon” means lion in Spanish, he added. “Japanese dancers are good at individual competitions, rather than crew battles. Since the...

Gina Alice Redlinger’s marriage to superstar pianist Lang Lang has perhaps dominated the headlines more than her professional career as a pianist, though this may be set to change. On Thursday, the 27-year-old Korean German musician, who has trained as a pianist for 23 years, released her debut album, “Wonderworld,” produced by Universal Music. Featuring 30 pieces that cover a variety of genres...

The Woodang Foundation for Education and Culture is honoring James Edward Hoare, former member of the British diplomatic service and current research associate in Korean studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies University of London, for his contributions to the nation with this year’s Woodang Award. Initiated in 2019, the annual award goes to domestic and foreign figures who follow ...