The private meeting between SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and Posco Chairman Choi Jeong-woo two weeks ago has raised the possibility that the two conglomerates may partner for battery development.The two met in Seoul on Aug. 13, both companies confirmed Tuesday without elaborating. They were accompanied by 10 top management officials from the groups’ energy, chemical and telecom units.  According to local reports and industry insiders, those who attended included SK E&S CEO

Industry Aug. 27, 2019

Samsung Electronics has retained its top position in terms of brand value, a report by a British industry tracker showed Tuesday.According to Brand Finance, the brand value of Samsung Electronics was 83.2 trillion won ($68.6 billion) this year, down 6.3 percent from a record high of 88.8 trillion won last year. The brand rating of the world’s largest memory chip and smartphone maker dropped to AAA from AAA+, it added.The tech giant’s parent company, South Korea’s largest conglo

Industry Aug. 27, 2019

Carmakers here are mulling job cuts and restructuring as they enter the fog of uncertainties over a sharp drop in sales, continued confrontations with labor and the delayed launches of some new vehicles.Renault Samsung Motors, the Korean unit of the French carmaker, said Sunday that it may consider slashing jobs in response to declining production volume at its plant in Busan and sluggish sales. The management met union representatives last week to notify the union of its plan to reduce producti

Mobility Aug. 26, 2019

Hyundai Motor has opened a multimedia showroom in Shanghai to promote its hydrogen technology for the next two weeks, the company said Monday.Named Hyundai Hydrogen World, the showroom will display the South Korean automaker’s technologies in fuel-cell electric vehicles powered by hydrogen and its vision for the hydrogen economy, officials said. The 406-square-meter space has five zones to demonstrate air purification function developed for its latest FCEV Nexo, and to visualize the concep

Mobility Aug. 26, 2019

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won on Monday called for businesses to generate social value through technological innovation at a state-sponsored expo in the western Chinese city of Chongqing.During his opening speech at the Smart China Expo 2019, Chey said technological innovation would not only enhance the sustainability of companies but also maximize their capabilities in creating social value to help communities solve problems.“The theme of the expo, ‘Smart Technology: Empowering Eco

Industry Aug. 26, 2019

The name Korando, SsangYong Motor’s signature sport utility brand and the oldest such brand in Korea, has represented power, firmness and masculinity for the last 37 years. The all-new Korando that returned to the market early this year after an eight-year hiatus, however, flips the common image of the SUV on its head. It is stylish and sophisticated, yet affordable. The Korando gasoline model, launched six months after the 2.0-liter diesel version, showed no major flaws throughout the med

Mobility Aug. 25, 2019

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won called for strengthening the conglomerate’s competitiveness in innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence, the group said in a statement Friday.“If we do not minimize trade cost and utilize innovative technology to effectively deliver the value customers are looking for, we cannot secure the future of SK,” he said as he wrapped up four-day in-house forum held in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, on Thursday evening. “We need to redefin

Industry Aug. 23, 2019

South Korean steelmaker Posco said Thursday that it has completed construction of a plant in China that will produce cathode materials for rechargeable batteries starting late this year. Under a joint venture with China’s Huayou Cobalt, Posco built the plant in Zhejiang province, capable of producing 5,000 tons of cathode materials per year. It is Posco’s first overseas plant for cathode material production, officials said. Posco holds 60 percent in the venture, with Huayou Cobalt ta

Industry Aug. 22, 2019

SK Holdings, the holding company of the nation’s third-largest conglomerate, held a board meeting last month to push for the market listing of its drug unit, according to industry sources Thursday.With the board’s approval, SK Biopharmaceuticals is expected to apply for preliminary approval from the stock exchange soon, they added. In April, the drug unit named NH Investment and Securities to lead the initial public offering of the company and Korea Investment and Security as a joint

Industry Aug. 22, 2019

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Vice Chairman Chung Euisun (center) participates in a corporate social responsibility program designed to curb desertification in the region of Qagan Nor, Neimenggu, China, by making walls with tree branches to prevent grass seeds from flying off in the wind. Since 2008, the South Korean carmaker has carried out the Hyundai Green Zone project to turn infertile deserts into grassland in China. (Hyundai Motor Group)

Mobility Aug. 22, 2019

The government will spend 4.7 trillion won ($3.89 billion) next year to support the development of future industries as part of its effort to revitalize the nation’s sluggish economy, the finance minister said Wednesday.At a ministerial meeting in Seoul, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said the government would invest 3 trillion won in system semiconductors, bio-health and future mobility. The remaining 1.7 trillion won is to be set aside for data, fifth-generat

Industry Aug. 21, 2019

Mercedes-Benz Korea, a local importer and distributor of German luxury cars, has expanded its logistics center in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, 150 kilometers south of Seoul, the company said Wednesday. The changes required a 35 billion won investment. The logistics center opened in 2014 and its space has doubled from 17,800 square meters to 30,500 square meters after the yearlong project. The expanded center can house about 50,000 kinds of spare parts, as compared with 28,000 before the expansion

Mobility Aug. 21, 2019

Amid waning market demand for diesel-powered sport utility vehicles, SsangYong Motor unveiled the gasoline model of the Korando on Tuesday, to boost sales of its SUV brand. The carmaker has improved safety of the 1.5-liter turbo gasoline model by installing seven air bags and other safety features, including lane keeping assist, driver awareness assist and autonomous emergency braking systems. The launch came six months after the company unveiled the 2.0-liter diesel Korando here in February. Th

Mobility Aug. 20, 2019

South Korea’s Hyosung announced Tuesday it will invest 1 trillion won ($829 million) by 2028 to expand its carbon fiber production capacity, vowing to raise the country’s competitiveness to lessen dependence on other countries. To achieve this, it will put advanced materials, crucial for the “hydrogen economy,” at the forefront of its business portfolio.The textile giant plans to start 10 production lines for carbon fiber manufacturing at its plant in Jeonju City, capable

Industry Aug. 20, 2019

The sales unit of South Korean biopharma giant Celltrion Group is accelerating efforts to expand its overseas operations by launching 10 additional offices in Europe and Central America in the first half, the company said in a regulatory filing Monday.Celltrion Healthcare, the overseas sales and marketing unit of the biosimilar drug manufacturer, has launched offices in Italy, Germany, Belgium, Norway, France and Finland. The list also includes Canada, Chile and Peru.  Celltrion has been ex

Technology Aug. 19, 2019