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Lee Gyu-lee

Korea Times Business Reporter

Lee Gyu-lee is a business writer at The Korea Times, focusing primarily on IT & telecommunications, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA. Prior to this, she has covered a wide range of cultural news, from film, television and K-pop to lifestyle and fashion.

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Tech & Science

Samsung Biologics, CEPI seal $20 mil. vaccine manufacturing partnership

Samsung Biologics is joining hands with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to strengthen vaccine manufacturing for future epidemic and pandemic threats. The company said Wednesday it signed a partnership agreement with CEPI a day earlier to join the organization’s Vaccine Manufacturing Facilities Network, supported by up to $20 million in initial funding. The collaboration will support the development of scalable, rapid manufacturing processes for recombinant protein vaccines, aiming to pre-position a ready-to-activate process that can be deployed quickly when a new viral threat emerges. Samsung Biologics will work with CEPI to help ensure swift global vaccine supply in a future pandemic, with doses produced by the company to be supplied to Korea on a priority basis at CEPI’s request. CEPI is an innovative partnership spanning public, private, philanthropic and civil organizations, formed to support vaccine development and other biologic countermeasures against epidemic and pandemic threats. "This agreement reflects our commitment to supporting a reliable and a

Feb 4, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee
Samsung Biologics, CEPI seal $20 mil. vaccine manufacturing partnership
Companies

Korean Air expands Japan routes, eyes regional cities

Korean Air is stepping up its expansion of Japan-bound routes, aiming to capture an increase in demand and reinforce its profitability in a key market. While increasing capacity on major routes, the airline is placing particular emphasis on expanding services to smaller regional cities in Japan, where competition remains limited. Starting March 29, Korean Air will increase flights on the Incheon–Aomori route to five round-trips per week from three, operating daily except Tuesdays and Saturdays. It will be the first time since the route’s launch in 1995 that flights have been offered at this frequency. The route will also see an aircraft upgrade to a mid-size jet with 182 seats, replacing the previous 158-seat plane to increase passenger capacity. The expansion follows strong demand on the Aomori route. Korean Air exclusively operates the Aomori route, allowing it to maintain stable fares without the discount-price pressure seen on major routes such as Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka. The Aomori route recorded an average seat occupancy rate of 82.6 percent last year, placing it among Korean A

Feb 4, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee
Korean Air expands Japan routes, eyes regional cities
Tech & Science

LG Innotek to unveil advanced automotive lighting products in Germany

LG Innotek is set to unveil a wide range of advanced automotive lighting technologies at this year’s Driving Vision News (DVN) Lighting Workshop in Germany. The company announced on Tuesday that it will attend the event in Munich, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday (local time), and introduce its latest lineup of automotive lighting modules, Nexlide. Based in France, DVN is an intelligence platform for industry professionals in automotive lighting, interior, sensing and applications. Its annual Lighting Workshops, held across various regions globally, bring together global automakers, top-tier suppliers, academics and government officials to discuss key industry issues and share the latest technology trends. The company will showcase Nexlide Air, an ultra-lightweight silicone-based light product optimized for bumpers and grilles, and Nexlide Pixel, which dramatically improves resolution by reducing lighting pixel size to 2 millimeters by 2 millimeters, the smallest yet developed. Nexlide Pixel won an Innovation Award at CES 2026. Nexlide Pixel enables high-definition displays through

Feb 3, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee
LG Innotek to unveil advanced automotive lighting products in Germany
Tech & Science

AI subscription competition escalates with budget plans and bundles

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) services are entering a new phase of intense price competition as telecom companies roll out budget-friendly bundled AI services to attract mainstream users. Major global players are also introducing low-cost subscription plans as they accelerate monetization efforts. SK Telecom is using its AI assistant service A. (Adot) as a hub where users can tap into major global AI models, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude, under a multi-agent strategy. The company aims to convert A., which has surpassed 10 million cumulative users, into a paid service and is reviewing subscription and bundle options that package premium AI features for a monthly fee. Traditionally, telecom companies have competed by bundling voice, data and entertainment services, but with the rapid use of generative AI services, carriers see AI as a new lever for differentiation and to lock in subscribers. Especially with premium chatbots carrying steep monthly fees, bundled AI offerings can help ease users’ growing fatigue of mounting subscriptions

Jan 31, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee
AI subscription competition escalates with budget plans and bundles
Tech & Science

Merck names Benjamin Hein as new Electronics CEO

Merck has appointed Benjamin Hein as a new member of its executive board and CEO of the company’s electronics business. The company announced on Friday that Hein will officially assume the role on May 1, succeeding Kai Beckmann, who will take over as chair of the executive board and CEO of Merck Group on the same date. Hein, 38, will return to the electronics business sector at Merck’s global headquarters in Germany after holding several global leadership positions across the group. “During his 13 years at Merck, Ben Hein has consistently demonstrated strategic vision and a passion for innovation that has accelerated Merck’s growth,” the company’s Chairman of the Executive Board, Johannes Baillou, said. “Leading the electronics business sector is a natural next step, where Ben will bring deep understanding of the industry and customers, and the technologies we create. His extensive leadership experience in Asia, Europe and the United States, make him perfectly suited for this role.” To ensure a smooth transition, Hein will join the electronics' leadership team on March 1 a

Jan 30, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee
Merck names Benjamin Hein as new Electronics CEO
Companies

US exhibition of late Samsung chairman's collection marks successful run with gala

As the first U.S. exhibition of the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s art collection nears its end, Samsung Electronics hosted a high-profile gala in Washington D.C. to celebrate its success and the growing global appreciation for Korean art and culture. The exhibition “Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared,” which opened on Nov. 15 and will run through this Sunday at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Asian Art, puts on display some of the masterpieces from the chairman’s extensive personal collection. The gala, held at the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building on Wednesday (local time), brought together about 270 guests, including U.S. government officials, diplomats, business leaders, cultural figures and Korean War veterans. Among them were U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Senators Tim Scott and Andy Kim, Korean Ambassador to the United States Kang Kyung-wha, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun and Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna. Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong welcomed the guests and spoke about the late

Jan 29, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee
US exhibition of late Samsung chairman's collection marks successful run with gala
Companies

JobKorea rebrands as Worxphere, unveils AI-driven vision

JobKorea has rebranded itself as Worxphere in a bold move to expand beyond job matching and redefine the future of work through artificial intelligence (AI)–driven career services. The company unveiled its new corporate identity at the JobKorea The Reboot conference Thursday in Seoul, held to mark its 30th anniversary, outlining a strategic shift toward an AI-driven platform and the rollout of new AI-based services. “Worxphere carries the meaning of innovating every future experience of work to create one new, ideal world,” the company’s CEO Yoon Hyun-jun said during the event. “Going forward, our services will not stop at simply connecting jobs and people, but will build an ecosystem that understands people and memories far more deeply, transforming every experience they have and creating a new work culture.” Worxphere’s reorganization will bring together its affiliated services, JobKorea, Albamon, Jobplanet, Ninehire and KLiK, under one umbrella HR tech ecosystem that supports end-to-end talent and organizational growth. Yoon introduced the core concept of its AI transform

Jan 29, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee
JobKorea rebrands as Worxphere, unveils AI-driven vision
Tech & Science

Unclear guidance, vague terms in AI Basic Act leave businesses in limbo

Korea’s revised Basic Act on the Development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Establishment of Foundation for Trustworthiness, also known as the AI Basic Act, took effect on Jan. 22 as the world’s first comprehensive legal framework for AI. With the broad new obligations on companies that develop or deploy AI technologies, industry players are scrambling to interpret the new regulations, amid growing concerns over its vague standards and rising uncertainty about the business risks they may trigger. The regulations seek to balance AI innovation with safety and public trust in AI, creating a national governance framework centered on a national AI committee chaired by the president. It mandates an AI master plan every three years, reinforced powers for the presidential committee and government support for research and development, training data infrastructure — including open test beds at public institutions, — and special measures for small and medium‑sized enterprises and startups. On the industry side, the act obliges AI-generated content to be disclosed as such, mandat

Jan 29, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee
Unclear guidance, vague terms in AI Basic Act leave businesses in limbo
Companies

EcoPro steps up European push with 1st-ever local sales unit

EcoPro is accelerating its global expansion by setting up its first local sales subsidiary in Europe, aiming to strengthen its foothold in the region amid tightening trade regulations and shifting supply chains. The move follows the company’s recent build-out of a manufacturing base in Hungary and is seen as a preemptive response to Europe’s evolving trade environment, while also strengthening direct engagement with key customers. EcoPro said Wednesday it recently carried out an organizational reshuffle and established a European sales subsidiary in Germany, appointing Kimbal Virdi as its head. The new entity is expected to serve as a “European business hub” to identify new business opportunities amid rapid changes in the region’s electric vehicle and battery supply chains. The European market has been undergoing major shifts as automakers move to secure critical materials directly, driven by stricter intraregional sourcing requirements following the enforcement of the European Union’s Critical Raw Materials Act. Against this backdrop, EcoPro plans to leverage its European sa

Jan 28, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee
EcoPro steps up European push with 1st-ever local sales unit
Others

Korean gov't says Trump's tariff threat not linked to Coupang

The Korean government sees U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to raise tariffs on Korean goods as being unrelated to the controversy over Korean authorities’ investigation into Coupang or proposed online platform regulations. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said in a parliamentary session on Wednesday, “Based on our contacts with the U.S. Department of State following the announcement, we have concluded that it has no direct connection to Coupang or the online platform bill.” His comments follow speculation that Trump’s sudden tariff hike threat announced on social media on Monday (local time) was linked to Korea’s push to penalize Coupang over the U.S.-listed company’s massive customer data leak or its move to regulate online platform companies, which the U.S. says could potentially result in unfair treatment for American firms. The minister also implied the Korean government is still grappling to understand why Trump threatened to raise the tariffs from 15 percent to 25 percent. “It is difficult to pinpoint any specific and reasonably presumed special motive … I think tha

Jan 28, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee
Korean gov't says Trump's tariff threat not linked to Coupang
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