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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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Companies

Nongshim’s Shin Ramyun rides on ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ fame

Nongshim is attempting to ride the trend of Netflix’s smash-hit animation “KPop Demon Hunters” for its flagship instant noodle product Shin Ramyun to expand worldwide, especially with its competitor Samyang's Buldak instant noodles gaining ground globally. On Aug. 20, the leading instant noodle maker rolled out special packaging for its products, including its shrimp crackers and classic Shin brand instant noodles, to feature characters from “KPop Demon Hunters” for local and international distribution. The animated film about a K-pop girl group battling against supernatural danger has garnered massive success, becoming the most-watched title ever on the platform. With the animation's global fame, songs, food and fashion featured in the film have also been put in the international spotlight, including the instant noodles eaten by the main characters, which resembled Nongshim's classic Shin brand. The collaboration quickly generated buzz, as the company’s stock rose by 6.3 percent on the day of the announcement. Its stock closed at 426,500 won ($306) on Wednesday, an increase

Sep 5, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
Nongshim’s Shin Ramyun rides on ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ fame
Tech & Science

Calls grow for probe into KT, LG Uplus data leak allegations

Seoul YMCA urged the Personal Information Protection Commission to investigate alleged data leaks at KT and LG Uplus on Thursday, filing a formal request. “Recently, KT and LG Uplus users have been worried that their personal information may have also been leaked,” the civic group said. “This follows the government’s initial announcement in July that inspections of KT and LG Uplus showed ‘no damage.’ However, its repeated revisions — from ‘under review’ to ‘tentative data breach’ and ‘under inspection’ — have created confusion and uncertainty.” Noting that the delay in disclosing the risks of possible leakage only heightens confusion among the public and damage to the companies’ subscribers, the group claimed that the telecoms have previous track records of attempting to conceal breaches in personal information. “LG Uplus has a history of failing to disclose or delaying the reporting of personal data breaches, with incidents in 2018 and 2023. On both occasions, the company only notified the public of the leaks after receiving alerts from the Korea Intern

Sep 4, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
Calls grow for probe into KT, LG Uplus data leak allegations
Companies

CJ CGV’s 4DX rides success with 'Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle'

The animated film “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle” is seeing unprecedented success in CJ CGV’s 4DX theaters, not only in Korea but also globally, recording an exceptional sales rate. The cinema chain announced the Japanese animation packed out local 4DX theaters with over 90 percent seat occupancy during the first weekend since its release on Aug. 22. The number sets new opening weekend records, previously held by the 2022 sci-fi film “Avatar: The Way of Water.” The popularity of the 4DX experience for the film extends worldwide, scoring 80 percent occupancy on average for the film. In countries like Malaysia, Vietnam and Macau, the movie saw the highest opening weekend 4DX gross of the year. Taiwan proved especially strong, maintaining an average occupancy of over 90 percent for the week after it opened on Aug. 15. The 4DX screening offers an immersive viewing experience for the audience with action sequences brought to life through multisensory effects. For one of the key battle scenes between characters Shinobu and Doma, audiences are immersed with fragrance and cooling effe

Sep 3, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
CJ CGV’s 4DX rides success with 'Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle'
Companies

Gov't unveils $9.74 bil. financial aid to cushion blow from US tariffs

The Korean government Wednesday came up with a support package for industries affected by U.S. tariffs, including 13.6 trillion won ($9.74 billion) for business financing and a record 270 trillion won for export credit insurance. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the comprehensive emergency strategy was based on three principles: fully mobilize policy finance, coordinate efforts across all ministries and address corporate needs. In July, Seoul and Washington agreed to a 15 percent blanket tariff on Korean exports after rounds of negotiations. However, despite a reduction from the previously threatened 25 percent, the rate still presents a significant financial challenge. The package aims to cushion local exporters from the tariff. “Some 13 government ministries have joined forces to develop these countermeasures in response to the tariffs,” Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said. “We will move swiftly to ensure that businesses will feel the impact of today’s measures on the ground. And as the trade environment continues to shift, we will keep uncovering and d

Sep 3, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
Gov't unveils $9.74 bil. financial aid to cushion blow from US tariffs
Companies

Ride-hailing rivalry intensifies as Kakao, Uber launch membership services

The mobility market is entering a fierce membership war as leading ride-hailing services Kakao Mobility and Uber both roll out paid subscription programs, aiming to secure loyal customers and build stable revenue. Kakao Mobility recently launched its subscription service, Kakao T Members, targeting frequent users with a curated package of benefits. Meanwhile, Uber Taxi is introducing Uber One to the Korean market, setting up to challenge Kakao’s long-standing dominance by offering attractive rewards while matching its competitor's pricing. Kakao Mobility membership, officially launched Aug. 27, comes in two options: Mobility Plus and My Car Plus. Mobility Plus, priced at 4,900 won ($3.52) per month, is targeted at taxi users. It offers 3 percent payback in points when using premium taxi services like Venti or Black, and 5 percent payback for bike- or pet-friendly ride services. It also includes coupons to use its Blue and Booster services, and up to 20,000 won worth of monthly coupons for selected rental cars, leisure activities and overseas ride-hailing services. The My Car Plus membe

Sep 3, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
Ride-hailing rivalry intensifies as Kakao, Uber launch membership services
Companies

Naver Webtoon, KTO collaborate to promote tourist spots

Naver Webtoon’s Japanese-language platform, Line Manga, and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) have joined forces to promote Korea’s tourist destinations using popular Korean webtoon characters. The organization announced the collaboration on Tuesday, which aims to highlight Korea’s diverse charms to Japanese audiences through illustrations, especially as Korean webtoons have continued to gain momentum in Japan. “Korean webtoons have emerged as a new leading K-content, especially among Japan’s Generation Z,” said Jeong Keun-hee, director of KTO’s Japan Team. “By leveraging webtoon intellectual properties (IP) that are familiar to its fans, we aim to organically share the appeal of Korea’s tourist destinations, and do our best to attract a record number of Japanese visitors to Korea through various K-culture-related initiatives.” The illustrations feature characters from some of Naver Webtoon’s popular works, including “My Daughter Is a Zombie,” “Killer Peter,” “I Thought My Time Was Up!” and “Can’t Get Enough of You.” They depict the characters tr

Sep 2, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
Naver Webtoon, KTO collaborate to promote tourist spots
Trends

Everland brings Netflix hit 'KPop Demon Hunters' to life this fall

Everland is bringing Netflix’s smash hit animation “KPop Demon Hunters” to life with a brand new themed zone this fall. Samsung C&T Resort Group, the operator of the theme park, announced Monday it is partnering with Netflix to create an immersive “KPop Demon Hunters” zone starting Sept. 26. The zone will feature storylines and popular characters from the film, including Huntrix and Saja Boys, as well as K-food to invite visitors into the movie’s universe. The animated film tells the story of a K-pop girl group battling against demons to protect their fans from an ever-present supernatural danger. It was a massive success, remaining on Netflix’s Top 10 chart for films since its release in June. The animation became the streaming service’s most-watched film ever within two months of its launch, with 236 million total views, surpassing Hollywood blockbusters “Red Notice” and “Carry-On.” Its soundtrack also garnered huge popularity, sweeping global music charts like the U.S. Billboard and U.K. Singles Charts. One of the songs, “Golden,” has topped Billboard’s Ho

Sep 1, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
Everland brings Netflix hit 'KPop Demon Hunters' to life this fall
Tech & Science

SK, AWS break ground for AI data center in Ulsan

ULSAN — SK Group kicked off the construction of an artificial intelligence (AI) data center in Ulsan, set to be the largest AI data center outside the Seoul metropolitan area, in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS). SK Telecom, SK ecoplant, AWS and the city government of Ulsan on Friday held a groundbreaking ceremony for SK AI Data Center Ulsan. SK SUPEX Council Chair Chey Chang-won, SK Telecom CEO Ryu Young-sang, SK ecoplant CEO Kim Hyung-keun, Ulsan Mayor Kim Doo-kwan and more than 200 officials attended the ceremony. SK Group inked a partnership with AWS in June to build the hyperscale data center, designed to meet world-class standards in AI computing architecture. It will be equipped with ultra-high rack density, hybrid cooling systems combining air and liquid cooling, and robust network infrastructure for high-performance, highly efficient AI workloads. “(SK AI Data Center Ulsan) is not about just launching a data center business. We are aiming to shape the core foundation of the AI ecosystem,” Chey said during the ceremony at the center’s site in southern Ulsan. “

Aug 29, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
SK, AWS break ground for AI data center in Ulsan
Tech & Science

Samsung SDS to showcase AI agent-driven innovations at REAL Summit 2025

Samsung SDS is set to host its annual REAL Summit 2025, where it will unveil its business innovation strategies driven by cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) agent technologies, next month. Marking its seventh year, the event will highlight the future direction of Samsung SDS solutions and services while sharing real cases from customers who have been using its products across industries. This year’s event, scheduled for Sept. 11 at Coex in Seoul, will showcase how generative AI is reshaping the future of workplace tasks and business operations. “Designed to help companies tackle pressing challenges in the rapidly evolving AI era, the event welcomes anyone interested in generative AI, cloud, data and enterprise solutions,” the company said in a press release. Samsung SDS President and CEO Lee June-hee will open the summit with a keynote speech to discuss the company’s journey in adopting AI technology. He will be followed by Peter Pluim, president of enterprise cloud services at SAP, and Michael Dell, founder and CEO of Dell Technologies, who will share insights on their gl

Aug 28, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
Samsung SDS to showcase AI agent-driven innovations at REAL Summit 2025
Tech & Science

LG CNS, Naver team up to enhance AI-driven ad efficiency

LG CNS is partnering up with Naver to strengthen artificial intelligence (AI)-powered advertising optimization services for online shopping. The company announced Thursday that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Naver to leverage LG CNS’s marketing optimization platform (MOP) to improve advertising efficiency for Naver Shopping sellers. MOP uses AI and advanced optimization technology to automatically manage digital ads around the clock, helping improve the performance of digital ads such as search and shopping ads. “Building on LG CNS’s unique AI transformation capabilities, including AI and advanced optimization, we will work with Naver to create the best advertising ecosystem and continue developing solutions that deliver distinct value to a wide range of advertisers, including small and medium-sized businesses,” Choi Moon-keun, senior vice president of LG CNS' Digital Technology Division, said. Under the agreement, the two plan to refine algorithms and add new features to the platform. Naver Shopping’s sellers can now use both Naver’s AI-based ad solution, A

Aug 28, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee
LG CNS, Naver team up to enhance AI-driven ad efficiency
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