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Baek Byung-yeul

Korea Times K-Culture Reporter

Baek Byung-yeul is a journalist at The Korea Times focused on cultural content, including films and cultural events in South Korea. You can contact him at baekby@koreatimes.co.kr to share your insights.

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Companies

Genesis cars ace IIHS crash tests in US

Genesis's GV70 SUV / Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group By Baek Byung-yeulGenesis' newly launched cars ― the GV70 SUV and the G70 sedan ― have been recognized as some of the safest vehicles in crash test ratings by the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), Hyundai Motor Group said Friday.IIHS, an organization funded by car insurance companies, is known to apply the most demanding standards in its safety evaluations. The organization said Genesis' mid-size GV70 SUV and face-lifted G70 compact sedan earned the TOP SAFETY PICK+ award after receiving good ratings in crashworthiness tests.To win the TOP SAFETY PICK+ award, vehicles must earn good ratings in all six crashworthiness evaluations, including driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests. They must also be available with a front crash prevention system that earns advanced or superior ratings in both the vehic

Oct 2, 2021By Baek Byung-yeul
Genesis cars ace IIHS crash tests in US
Companies

Will NCSOFT be able to attract users again?

The poster for NCSOFT's upcoming game, “Lineage W” / Courtesy of NCSOFTBy Baek Byung-yeulNCSOFT announced Thursday that its upcoming role-playing game, “Lineage W,” will debut around the world on Nov. 4. The company said that the new game can be played on gaming consoles, PCs and mobile devices, so will have a different pay-to-win business model.The Lineage role-playing game franchise has been hugely popular for more than two decades. However, NCSOFT has recently faced criticism from users who claim that they must spend too much money to purchase items to stay ahead of other users in the game.Such negative sentiment toward the company peaked when NCOSFT's new game, “Blade & Soul 2,” was released in August.As a sequel to the fantasy game, “Blade & Soul,” based on Asian martial arts, the new game was expected to appeal to users seeking to play a role-playing game with action combat. But the company faced heavy criticism shortly after the sequel's release, because it prevented users from acquiring in-game items tradable between pla

Oct 1, 2021By Baek Byung-yeul
Will NCSOFT be able to attract users again?
Companies

HLB transforming into prominent biopharma company

HLB Chairman Jin Yang-gon / Courtesy of HLBThis article is the fifth in a series highlighting the growing importance of the biotech industry after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, shedding light on the nation's biotech companies. ― ED.By Baek Byung-yeulWith Korean biotech companies receiving the global spotlight, the domestic biopharmaceutical company, HLB, is making its name known worldwide as an emerging business active in research, development and manufacturing.HLB is widely known for its anticancer treatment, Rivoceranib, developed by its U.S. subsidiary, Elevar Therapeutics. The firm also has been seeking growth through merger and acquisition activities in an effort to become an industry leader.“HLB is actively engaging in takeovers with an open attitude. We are looking for a way to grow together by joining up with companies that align with us or have a vision,” a company representative said.As part of these efforts, HLB acquired domestic biopharmaceutical company Mediforum Pharmaceutical ― now called, “HLB Pharmaceutical” ― last year to strengthen

Sep 30, 2021By Baek Byung-yeul
HLB transforming into prominent biopharma company
  • LG Chem expands presence in China, Japan with bio products
  • Seegene spearheading Korea's biotech drive
  • Samsung Biologics aims for win-win growth with local bio industry
  • ABL Bio leading Korea's new drug development
Companies

ABL Bio leading Korea's new drug development

ABL Bio CEO Lee Sang-hoon / Courtesy of ABL BioThis is the fourth in a series of articles to highlight the growing importance of the biotech industry after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and shed light on the nation's biotech companies. ― ED.By Baek Byung-yeulKorea's biotech industry has been focusing on medical equipment, drug manufacturing and diagnostic kit businesses, but has achieved relatively few results in new drug development, which can create high added value.Many domestic biotech firms are trying to stay ahead in the race against global biopharmaceutical firms through drug development projects and ABL Bio is leading the country's new drug development scene by specializing in bispecific antibody technology.Established in February, 2016, ABL Bio is a biotech firm that develops bispecific antibody platform-based therapeutics for immuno-oncology and neurodegenerative diseases. In recognition of its distinguished bispecific antibody technology, the company was listed on the tech-savvy KOSDAQ market in December, 2018, less than three years after its foundation.A bispecifi

Sep 29, 2021By Baek Byung-yeul
ABL Bio leading Korea's new drug development
  • LG Chem expands presence in China, Japan with bio products
  • Seegene spearheading Korea's biotech drive
  • Samsung Biologics aims for win-win growth with local bio industry
  • HLB transforming into prominent biopharma company
Companies

Samsung Biologics aims for win-win growth with local bio industry

Samsung Biologics CEO John Rim / Courtesy of Samsung BiologicsThis is the third in a series of articles to highlight the growing importance of the biotech industry after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and shed light on the nation's biotech companies. ― ED.By Baek Byung-yeulWhen a COVID-19 vaccine shortage emerged as a major problem facing countries around the world, Samsung Biologics stepped up to play the role of a troubleshooter by signing a production contract with U.S. biotech firm Moderna in May. Starting in the third quarter of this year, the Korean drug manufacturer produced hundreds of millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses through a fill-and-finish production process at its Songdo factory in Incheon, southwest of Seoul.The Moon Jae-in administration is trying to develop the biotech industry into a new axis of the Korean economy, and Samsung Biologics is eyeing a key role in that scheme by helping other domestic biotech companies grow.One example of Samsung Biologics' efforts to foster local firms can be found in its cooperation with domestic parts equipment maker Junghyun

Sep 28, 2021By Baek Byung-yeul
Samsung Biologics aims for win-win growth with local bio industry
  • LG Chem expands presence in China, Japan with bio products
  • Seegene spearheading Korea's biotech drive
  • ABL Bio leading Korea's new drug development
  • HLB transforming into prominent biopharma company
Companies

Seegene spearheading Korea's biotech drive

Seegene CEO Chun Jong-yoon / Courtesy of SeegeneThis is the second in a series of articles to highlight the growing importance of the biotech industry after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and shed light on the nation's biotech companies. ― ED.By Baek Byung-yeulAt a time when the government is striving to foster biotech as one of the nation's key industries, the local molecular diagnosis company Seegene is spearheading the initiative.Last year, Seegene made its name known around the world by quickly developing its COVID-19 test kits following the outbreak of the coronavirus.Although the virus was not yet spreading rapidly in Korea, the company presumed that it would in the near future as the number of virus victims was increasing greatly in China, so it rolled out its test kits just two weeks after it began developing them.Seegene's test kits are still used widely around the world as the risks of COVID-19 variants are still weighing on the world. Thanks to the effectiveness of its products, the company posted 1.1252 trillion won ($957 million) in sales in 2020, surpassing the 1

Sep 27, 2021By Baek Byung-yeul
Seegene spearheading Korea's biotech drive
  • LG Chem expands presence in China, Japan with bio products
  • Samsung Biologics aims for win-win growth with local bio industry
  • ABL Bio leading Korea's new drug development
  • HLB transforming into prominent biopharma company
Companies

LG Chem expands presence in China, Japan with bio products

LG Chem researchers conduct experiments to find new drugs. Courtesy of LG ChemThis is the first in a series of articles to highlight the growing importance of the biotech industry after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and shed light on the nation's biotech companies. ― ED.By Baek Byung-yeulThe outbreak of COVID-19 served as a momentum to further highlight the importance of fostering the nation's biotech industry. President Moon Jae-in has outlined the country's vision to become a biotech powerhouse and vowed to provide active support to nurture future experts in the sector and help local firms develop new drugs.In line with the country's vision to expand the biotech industry to produce Korea's core exports, which already include semiconductors and electric car battery cells, LG Chem is also strengthening its biopharmaceutical business.The chemical, battery and biotech affiliate of LG Group said the company has been expanding its presence in neighboring countries such as China and Japan with its hyaluronic acid filler, “Yvoire,” and rheumatoid arthritis treatment, &l

Sep 26, 2021By Baek Byung-yeul
LG Chem expands presence in China, Japan with bio products
  • Seegene spearheading Korea's biotech drive
  • Samsung Biologics aims for win-win growth with local bio industry
  • ABL Bio leading Korea's new drug development
  • HLB transforming into prominent biopharma company
Companies

Boston Dynamics' robot dog on safety patrol duty at Kia factory

Boston Dynamics' safety patrol robot Spot patrols inside Kia's factory in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor GroupBy Baek Byung-yeulBoston Dynamics, a U.S.-based robotics firm acquired by Hyundai Motor Group, has started test operations of its factory safety service robot in an effort to expand the use of its robotics products for various industrial tasks.The automotive group said Friday that the robotics company's factory safety service robot has started pilot operations at a Kia factory here. Hyundai Motor Group bought the U.S. robotics firm from Japan's SoftBank in June 2020.The Boston Dynamics' quadruped robot called Spot is equipped with artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous navigation, tele-operation technology and computing payload features developed by the automotive group's Robotics Lab.Hyundai said Spot is able to detect people around it, monitor high-temperature situations and potential fire hazards thanks to its thermal camera and 3D LiDAR sensor. The robot can be remotely controlled, enabling engineers to observe various remote industria

Sep 17, 2021By Baek Byung-yeul
Boston Dynamics' robot dog on safety patrol duty at Kia factory
Tech & Science

Samsung, Apple rivalry continues over newest smartphones

Apple CEO Tim Cook showcases the new iPhone 13 smartphones during an event, Spet. 14. Reuters-YonhapBy Baek Byung-yeulThe long-standing competition between mobile device manufacturing giants Samsung Electronics and Apple shows no signs of abating as both companies are bringing high-end smartphones to market. At Apple's event to unveil its new iPhones, iPads and Apple Watch held Sept. 14, the company said its new A15 “Bionic processor” performs better than its competitors.In response, Samsung seems to have indirectly criticized Apple by posting a sniper post via its social media channel claiming the new iPhone 13 comes with no innovation.“Anyone else feeling deja vu? Just us?” Samsung Electronics' U.S. branch said on Twitter as Apple was announcing its new phones.Samsung's U.S. branch added, “Now how much cooler would that be if it could fold in half?” pointing to the relative lack of design innovation from previous iPhones.The tweet was interpreted by some as Samsung using criticism of the new Apple products as an opportunity to draw customer atten

Sep 17, 2021By Baek Byung-yeul
Samsung, Apple rivalry continues over newest smartphones
Companies

Indonesian Embassy purchases Hyundai's IONIQ 5

Indonesian Ambassador to Korea Umar Hadi, second from right, poses with Kim Chang-beom, second from left, former Korean Ambassador to Indonesia and Hyundai Motor's advisor; Hyundai Motor Vice President Kim Kyoung-soo, left, and Vice Ambassador Zelda Wulan Kartika during Hyundai's electric car delivery ceremony at the embassy's headquarters in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Hyundai MotorBy Baek Byung-yeulThe Embassy of Indonesia in Korea purchased Hyundai Motor's electric vehicle (EV), the IONIQ 5, as part of the Southeast Asian nation's effort to boost EV-related businesses as its next economic growth engine, Hyundai Motor said Thursday.The Korean automotive giant said that it held a ceremony at the Indonesian embassy in Seoul, Wednesday, to deliver the EV to Indonesian Ambassador to Korea Umar Hadi.Indonesia has recently been pushing forward with the development of EV-related industries, as well as expanding the availability of EVs there. In line with these initiatives, the Embassy of Indonesia in Korea has decided to replace its official vehicles with Hyundai's EV.The purchase is al

Sep 16, 2021By Baek Byung-yeul
Indonesian Embassy purchases Hyundai's IONIQ 5
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