my timesThe Korea Times
gyulee

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.

Go to Email

Read more

Companies

'KPop Demon Hunters’ sweeps YouTube year-end charts

Netflix’s smash-hit animation “KPop Demon Hunters” has dominated YouTube Korea’s 2025 year-end charts, cementing its status as the phenomenon of the year as its soundtrack and related fan content have taken center stage on the platform since the movie’s June release. YouTube Korea on Wednesday announced four year-end lists for 2025: Trending Topics, Top Creators, Top Songs and Top Songs on Shorts, focusing on topics that either newly surfaced this year or recorded sharp spikes in user interest in the country. For trending topics, three K-content titles — “KPop Demon Hunters,” “When Life Gives You Tangerines” and “Squid Game” — made the list. “KPop Demon Hunters” and “Squid Game” in particular also appeared on most countries’ trending topic lists, reflecting the global influence of Korean entertainment on the platform. Along with those three titles, the chart included K-pop newbies Allday Project and Hearts2Hearts, and games such as Roblox and Mabinogi. The impact of “KPop Demon Hunters” is most visible in the music charts, with three of its soundtr

Dec 3, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
'KPop Demon Hunters’ sweeps YouTube year-end charts
Companies

President Lee Jae Myung orders punitive measures against Coupang data leak

President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday ordered a thorough investigation and punitive punishment over Coupang's recent massive customer data leak. “The scale of the damage is massive, involving about 34 million victims, but it is truly shocking that the company failed to detect the breach for five full months after the initial incident,” the president said during a Cabinet meeting at his office in Yongsan District, Seoul. “We must identify the cause of this accident swiftly and hold those responsible strictly accountable. I urge you to mobilize all available resources to prevent secondary crimes arising from the misuse of this leaked information.” Expressing concerns over the recent surge in data leak cases, Lee urged the government to implement harsher penalties and effective countermeasures, referencing international standards to actualize punitive damages. “This is also an opportunity to completely overturn the misguided practices and perceptions that trivialize the protection of personal data — a core asset in the age of AI (artificial intelligence) and digital technology,”

Dec 2, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
President Lee Jae Myung orders punitive measures against Coupang data leak
Tech & Science

Daum splits from Kakao, aims to reclaim market share

Internet portal Daum completed its split from Kakao on Monday, becoming an independent business run by AXZ, a new subsidiary that spun off from Kakao’s in-house content company-in-company (CIC) in May. After 11 years under the tech giant, Daum now faces the challenge of reversing its declining market share and revitalizing its struggling portal business, which is dominated by Naver and Google. Daum’s service operations have officially shifted from Kakao to AXZ, following the companies’ full separation at both legal and business-operation levels, including privacy policies and terms of service. AXZ now manages core services such as email, the community platform Cafe, search, news, shopping, games and the blog-hosting service Tistory. The company is led by Yang Joo-il, former head of Kakao’s content CIC, who previously held positions at Naver and NHN affiliates. Kakao said the separation is intended to enable faster, independent decision‑making and a sharper business focus at Daum, while Kakao concentrates on its own artificial intelligence (AI) strategy and KakaoTalk‑centered

Dec 1, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
Daum splits from Kakao, aims to reclaim market share
Companies

Mercedes-Benz spurs young athletes’ dreams with charity run

Mercedes-Benz is creating a meaningful cycle of giving with its annual charity run, Give ’N Race, aimed at supporting promising young athletes in pursuing their dreams. As part of the initiative, the company’s social contribution committee donated 150 million won ($102,000) raised through the fundraising event to 50 adolescent and children athletes through its Give ’N Dream scholarship program in September. Since its launch in 2020, the program has provided a total of 900 million won in scholarships to 300 talented youth. This year, it expanded its support beyond sports like taekwondo, football and judo, to now include climbing, table tennis, basketball and triathlon, offering more opportunities to young athletes in various fields. Among this year’s awardees, figure skating prospect Lee Youn-ho was selected as a featured scholarship recipient, receiving support through the committee for competition and training expenses, equipment and injury treatment. Give ’N Dream operates in conjunction with Give ’N Race, which was designed to encourage public participation in charity. Sin

Nov 30, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
Mercedes-Benz spurs young athletes’ dreams with charity run
Companies

Nexon stock price sets new high amid outlook on record earnings

Gaming giant Nexon has set a new high in its stock price on the back of the strong global launch of its latest titles and solid performance of its long-running franchises, driving its market capitalization to reach 3.1 trillion yen ($19.8 billion). The Korean company’s stock closed at 3,768 yen on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Thursday, surpassing its previous all-time high set in April 2021. It has been trading in the 3,600 yen to 3,700 yen range since the third-quarter earnings were released on Nov. 11, and managed to reach a new high as investors showed confidence in Nexon’s long-term growth trajectory. Nexon noted that its CEO Lee Jung-hun’s intellectual property (IP) strategy has played a crucial role in the market optimism. During Nexon’s Capital Markets Briefing in Tokyo last September, Lee outlined a two-track plan focused on vertical growth through core IP expansion and horizontal growth by cultivating new IP, targeting to raise its revenue to 750 billion yen by 2027. “Under the IP expansion strategy, (Nexon) plans to accelerate the growth of both its core franchises and n

Nov 30, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
Nexon stock price sets new high amid outlook on record earnings
Tech & Science

Naver Financial-Dunamu acquisition: Naver to merge AI with fintech, focus on global expansion

Naver’s fintech arm Naver Financial’s acquisition of Dunamu, the operator of Korea’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Upbit, signals the tech powerhouse’s aggressive push to converge artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain-based Web3 finance to reshape the global digital finance landscape. “Naver has built and continues to build unparalleled AI capabilities for financial services, leveraging its high-quality data and technical expertise across the digital space. And Dunamu has developed competitiveness through its experience operating a world-class digital asset exchange, as well as in token economics, on-chain services and the broader Web3 sector. And now, Web3 is added to Naver’s capabilities,” Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon said during a press conference to announce the acquisition at its headquarters in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on Thursday. “Sharing a common vision to pursue innovation on the global stage, Naver and Dunamu aim to combine our user bases, data technology, services and capital to create a full line-up and take a bold step forward into the global Web3

Nov 27, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
Naver Financial-Dunamu acquisition: Naver to merge AI with fintech, focus on global expansion
Companies

EcoPro to launch high-voltage mid-nickel cathodes production

EcoPro, the leading company in high-nickel cathode technology, is now diversifying its product lineup with mid-nickel materials. The company announced that it has completed technical validation of its newly developed high-voltage mid-nickel (HVM) cathode material and is preparing for full-scale mass production to meet automakers’ growing demand for lower-cost battery components. High-nickel cathodes, used in premium electric vehicle (EV) batteries, contain over 90 percent nickel, whereas mid-nickel cathodes contain around 60 percent. As nickel, one of the three main elements for ternary cathode materials, accounts for about 70 percent of their raw material cost, reducing nickel content helps lower overall costs. HVM sets itself apart from conventional mid-nickel cathodes through a single-crystal design that boosts performance at high voltages, while improving the battery’s lifespan and safety. In particular, the company has significantly improved its performance in low-temperature conditions, which previously was seen as a weak point of mid-nickel batteries, allowing them to deliver

Nov 26, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
EcoPro to launch high-voltage mid-nickel cathodes production
Tech & Science

SK Telecom, Samsung join forces to co-develop 6G AI-RAN technology

SK Telecom announced on Wednesday that it has signed a partnership agreement with Samsung Electronics to develop 6G wireless communication technology and conduct joint research on an artificial intelligence-based radio access network (AI-RAN). The two companies have joined forces to strengthen their competitiveness in the race for AI-driven next-generation network technologies and to lay the groundwork for 6G rollout. The collaboration will focus on key 6G technologies that will ensure faster, more reliable and smarter networks, including AI-based channel estimation, distributed multi-input and multi-output (MIMO) transceiver systems and AI-RAN-based scheduling and core network solutions. “Integrating AI and wireless communication is key to gaining an edge in the 6G race,” said Yu Tak-ki, head of SK Telecom’s Network Technology Division. “Through our collaboration with Samsung Electronics, we aim to pioneer world-class AI-RAN-based 6G technology and lead in shaping the global 6G ecosystem.” The joint research will be led by SK Telecom’s network technology division and Samsung

Nov 26, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
SK Telecom, Samsung join forces to co-develop 6G AI-RAN technology
Tech & Science

ChatGPT launches conversational shopping research tool

OpenAI has launched a new shopping research feature in ChatGPT, aiming to transform the way users explore and compare products before making purchasing decisions. The feature is designed to create a more personalized and convenient shopping experience by enabling users to conversationally discuss products they are looking to buy directly with the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot. Regardless of their subscription status on the platform, users can access the feature by describing their needs. ChatGPT scans the web for product options, prices, reviews and related images. Depending on the product, ChatGPT can also ask follow-up questions about budget, preferred features and styles to help refine its recommendations. As a result, users get a personalized buyer’s guide, including top picks, side-by-side comparisons and direct links to purchase items. OpenAI said the feature respects user privacy, with no personal data shared with merchants, and that all results are generated organically from publicly accessible sources. When testing it with a search for “good sneaker-type shoes for wint

Nov 25, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
ChatGPT launches conversational shopping research tool
Companies

Dongsuh Foods' Maxim celebrates over 40 years of consumer engagement

Since its debut more than four decades ago, Dongsuh Foods' flagship coffee brand Maxim has enriched consumers’ everyday lives by combining manufacturing expertise with a commitment to delivering happiness through “a good cup of coffee,” the core value behind Maxim’s continued success. In line with the growing “feelconomy” trend here, which emphasizes emotional satisfaction and experiential value over functional benefits, Maxim has broadened its happiness-focused brand message to include special consumer engagements. “Maxim has long stood by consumers, sharing its brand message of ‘happiness’ by offering unique and delightful experiences to their daily lives,” the company’s official said. “We remain dedicated to continuing to create special moments for people of all generations to enjoy Maxim together.” The recently launched special package, Color of Maxim, reimagines its signature lineups, Mocha Gold, White Gold and Supreme Gold, offering limited-edition merchandise, such as towels, slippers, chair covers and cups in their signature colors of yellow, ivory and o

Nov 25, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
Dongsuh Foods' Maxim celebrates over 40 years of consumer engagement
previous page
3233343536
next page

Top 5 stories

Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.