Business - The Korea Times

Samsung SDS to offer AI interpretation at int’l insurance conference

Samsung SDS said Monday it will provide AI-powered simultaneous interpretation at the Pacific Insurance Conference, which begins Tuesday in Seoul. The company’s Brity Copilot platform will deliver real-time interpretation in English, Japanese, Chinese and Korean for the Asia-Pacific region’s largest insurance industry event, bringing together 80 companies. Brity Copilot uses generative AI to support workplace collaboration, including email, messaging, video meetings and document management. Samsung SDS is also developing a personal agent feature designed to carry out tasks based on user-defined goals. The conference marks the first use of the personal agent’s interpretation function at a major international gathering. The tool now supports seven languages, including German, Vietnamese and Spanish, and will expand to 17 by November with the addition of Portuguese, Italian and others. Samsung SDS plans to introduce additional agent-based features, including briefing, answering, curating and voice interaction, by the end of the year. “Samsung SDS’ interpretation service has proven

Sep 22, 2025By Nam Hyun-woo

Samsung SDS to offer AI interpretation at int’l insurance conference

PHOTO HD Hyundai Oilbank, Korean Air sign SAF supply deal

HD Hyundai Oilbank employees pose at its factory in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, Monday, to celebrate the company's provision of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to Korean Air. The oil refiner said a 1 percent SAF blend will be used on the airline's flights from Incheon to Kobe, Japan, through the end of next year. The two companies signed the supply deal ahead of the government's upcoming mandate on using SAF in all outbound flights starting in 2027. Courtesy of HD Hyundai Oilbank

Sep 22, 2025By Park Jae-hyuk

[PHOTO] HD Hyundai Oilbank, Korean Air sign SAF supply deal

Volkswagen Atlas courts Korean market with family-oriented features

Volkswagen’s large SUV, the Atlas, is becoming an attractive option for Korean drivers with its family-oriented appeal, including spacious interiors for multiple car seats, safety features and versatility to accommodate weekend leisure activities. The Atlas is noted for its space configuration, which makes it suitable for families with multiple children. All seats in the second row are equipped with ISOFIX anchors, allowing up to three car seats to be installed in the seven-seat model. Although the third row does not have ISOFIX, booster or infant seats can be secured with seat belts and anchors, making it possible to install as many as five car seats in total. Unlike other six- or seven-seater SUVs, which only allow passengers to access the third row after folding the second-row seats, the Atlas addresses this with a sliding function that allows the entire second row to move smoothly forward, even with a child seat installed. Through this mechanism, passengers can get in and out of the third row more comfortably, enabling more spaces for parents to take care of children in the back se

Sep 22, 2025By Nam Hyun-woo

Volkswagen Atlas courts Korean market with family-oriented features

PHOTO Shin Ramyun hits Camp Humphreys

U.S. service members sample Nongshim’s Shin Ramyun instant noodles at a food truck event at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, in this photo released Monday. Nongshim showcased a bundle of Shin Ramyun, Shin Ramyun Toomba and Shin Ramyun Black noodles in collaboration with Netflix’s "KPop Demon Hunters" during the event, held Friday and Saturday. Courtesy of Nongshim

Sep 22, 2025By Ko Dong-hwan

Hanwha Group invites US Korean War veterans to defense production sites

Hanwha Group said Monday it has hosted a visit by U.S. veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War to its defense system production plants in Korea as part of a government program to recognize their service and sacrifice. According to Hanwha, the veterans visited the production facilities of Hanwha in South Gyeongsang Province for three days from Thursday. The program was arranged in cooperation with the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. The group of 85 participants included Lois Rae Guin, a 98-year-old former U.S. Navy nurse who served on the hospital ship the USS Haven, and Robert Max Martinez, a 94-year-old former U.S. Army sergeant, along with U.S. Forces Korea service members and their families. At Hanwha Aerospace's Changwon plant, they observed demonstrations of the company's various weapons systems. They also visited the Geoje shipyard of Hanwha Ocean Co. to observe naval vessel construction. Many expressed amazement at Korea's rise as a global defense power, according to the group. "This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Korean War. As a leading defense company, Hanwha will

Sep 22, 2025By Yonhap

Hanwha Group invites US Korean War veterans to defense production sites

Korean Air expands use of sustainable fuel on Japan routes

Korean Air, Korea's biggest carrier, said Monday it has begun using more environmentally friendly aviation fuel on its Japan routes as part of efforts to reduce carbon emissions. A 1 percent blend of domestically produced sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) has been introduced on flights from Incheon to Kobe and those from Gimpo to Osaka, starting Friday and continuing through Dec. 31, according to Korean Air. The program applies to about 90 flights on the Incheon-Kobe route and 26 flights on the Gimpo-Osaka route. Korean Air previously used locally produced SAF on the Incheon-Haneda route beginning in August 2024 for about a year to verify the fuel's safety and performance. SAF is estimated to reduce life-cycle carbon emissions by up to 80 percent compared with conventional jet fuel and is considered a key component of the aviation industry's decarbonization strategy. Korean Air said the SAF used by the company is supplied by Korean refiners HD Hyundai Oilbank and GS Caltex. Earlier this month, the government announced plans to mandate a minimum blending ratio of 1 percent SAF in outbound fli

Sep 22, 2025By Yonhap

Korean Air expands use of sustainable fuel on Japan routes

Never lose contact with customers: Kia’s top salesman

Lee Sung-hum, a salesman at Kia, has made it a rule never to lose contact with customers, even from his early years of sales career back in the late 1990s. He achieved accumulated auto sales of 4,000 last month, earning the carmaker's title of "grand sales master." The title is awarded to salespeople whose total sales surpass this figure. This is Kia’s second-highest sales glory, just below the title of “great master” granted to those with accumulated sales of more than 5,000 cars. Lee started his sales career at the carmaker in 1996 in Seongsu-dong in eastern Seoul. The region was once regarded as the industrial hub of Seoul, packed with factories. Most of his customers at the time were factory workers. However, the area soon lost vibrancy, with factories relocating their facilities to the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province amid an economic downturn in the late 1990s. Lee said many of his customers also moved to other cities in Gyeonggi Province, such as Goyang and Namyangju. “I have kept in touch with them, even after they left Seongsu-dong, and provided all necessary services for t

Sep 22, 2025By Lee Min-hyung

Never lose contact with customers: Kia’s top salesman

Dongsuh Foods' pop-up brings tradition, modernity to Gyeongju

Dongsuh Foods is offering a unique brand experience with a new pop-up store at a hanok, reinterpreting the traditional Korean house with a touch of modernity to turn it into a space where the past and present coexist. Since opening its first pop-up store in 2015, the instant coffee giant has drawn consumers’ attention with a succession of pop-ups. This time, it has turned to distinctly Korean elements to deliver a warm welcome to its customers. The latest pop-up store, Maxim Gaok, is nestled in the historic city of Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, under the themes of happiness and hospitality. Maxim Gaok, which opened on Aug. 28, will operate until Friday. Under the catchphrase "Come on in happiness," the tranquil hanok harmonizes traditional sentiment with modern sensibility. Visitors can enjoy Maxim coffee and various activities through different spaces with the hanok, each decorated with a special concept, to experience a Korean-style welcome. "We are conducting pop-up stores with various concepts to share Maxim's unique brand sentiment of the leisure and happiness that a cup of

Sep 21, 2025By Lee Gyu-lee

Dongsuh Foods' pop-up brings tradition, modernity to Gyeongju

APEC CEO Summit in spotlight for possible attendance of tech gurus

Expectations are growing that Gyeongju, the host city of the 2025 APEC CEO Summit, will serve as the venue where the world’s most prominent tech magnates share their insights on the future of the global economy. With less than 40 days remaining until the 2025 APEC meetings, which will focus on economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, business leaders in the host country are stepping up efforts to invite key figures from around the world. The target event is the APEC CEO Summit slated for Oct. 28 to 31. Some 900 CEOs have already expressed their intent to join the event, which is expected to host 1,700 company leaders and officials from APEC economies. Chaired by Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Chairman Chey Tae-won, the event is expected to serve as a platform connecting business leaders and their companies to tap into new economic prospects. One of the high-profile figures expected in Gyeongju is Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, the world’s most influential figure in chips for artificial intelligence (AI). While his participation at the CEO summit remains unconfirmed a

Sep 21, 2025By Ko Dong-hwan

APEC CEO Summit in spotlight for possible attendance of tech gurus

US tariffs on Korea show world’s sharpest increase

The U.S. tariffs imposed on Korean goods grew at the sharpest pace among Washington’s trading partners, data showed Sunday, indicating a sharply rising burden on Korean businesses. According to the data from the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), the cost of U.S. tariffs on Korean imports in the second quarter of this year stood at $3.3 billion, the sixth-largest among Washington’s top 10 trading partners in terms of amount. China had the highest with $25.93 billion, followed by Mexico with $5.52 billion, Japan with $4.78 billion, Germany with $3.57 billion and Vietnam with $3.34 billion. Compared to the amount imposed during the fourth quarter of last year, the tariff on Korean imports grew by $3.23 billion, representing a 47.1-fold growth. This was the sharpest growth factor among other trading partners during the same period, followed by 19.5 for Canada, 17.8 for Mexico and 8.2 for Japan. In contrast, China saw the largest tariff increase of $14.18 billion during the same period, but showed the slowest growth among the top 10 countries because high duties on items suc

Sep 21, 2025By Nam Hyun-woo

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