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  • Companies

    FTC approves Coupang’s co-prosperity plan for its private brand contract

    The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has approved a 3 billion won ($2 million) "co-prosperity" remedy package proposed by Coupang to resolve its allegation that the e-commerce giant unfairly slashed supply prices for its private brand (PB) products. The decision will allow Coupang to avoid regulatory sanctions and will instead fund product development, advertising and other related expenses for its subcontractors. Since October 2022, Coupang had been under investigation for violating the Fair Transactions in Subcontracting Act. The company allegedly failed to issue formal, legally compliant contracts to 314 subcontractors. It was also accused of forcing 94 suppliers to fund uncontracted promotional events and cut supply prices for its PB goods. The FTC finalized Tuesday the consent decree for Coupang and Coupang Private Label Brands, which handles manufacturing and sales operations for the retailer’s private brand products. Under the consent decree, companies can settle antitrust cases without admitting liability by offering voluntary remedies. The decision marks the first time a consent dec

    2 MIN READBy Lee Min-hyung
    FTC approves Coupang’s co-prosperity plan for its private brand contract
  • Banking & Finance

    Seoul shares open 1.86% higher despite US chip sell-offs

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Seoul shares open 1.86% higher despite US chip sell-offs
  • Companies

    Homeplus ordered by court to submit 200 bil.-won funding plan by next week

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Homeplus ordered by court to submit 200 bil.-won funding plan by next week
  • Tech & Science

    LG Chem bets $9.7 bil. on semiconductors, mobility, robotics materials

    2 MIN READBy Lee Gyu-lee
    LG Chem bets $9.7 bil. on semiconductors, mobility, robotics materials
  • Banking & Finance

    New fire protection association chief vows shift from response to prevention

    2 MIN READBy Lee Hyo-jin
    New fire protection association chief vows shift from response to prevention
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Tech & Science

PHOTO Kakao founder reappears in public after acquittal

Kim Beom-su, Kakao founder and head of its Future Initiative Center, visits the company's onboarding program for newly hired employees at its artificial intelligence campus in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. The founder made a public appearance for the first time after being acquitted of charges related to alleged stock price manipulation involving SM Entertainment in October last year. Courtesy of Kakao

Jan 16, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee
[PHOTO] Kakao founder reappears in public after acquittal
Companies

Coupang voucher draws mixed response after rollout

Coupang’s compensation vouchers for customers following a data breach that affected 33.7 million users went into effect on Thursday, drawing mixed reviews. The vouchers, which can be used across Coupang’s multiple shopping platforms, have pleased some customers with discount bargains. Others, however, have criticized the move as a sales tactic rather than proper compensation and said they would continue their boycott of the e-commerce giant. The voucher package, totaling 50,000 won ($34) per each customer, was distributed to Coupang's paid membership users, regular users and former customers who have closed their accounts. The package consists of 5,000 won in coupons for Coupang's e-commerce platform, 5,000 won for food delivery service Coupang Eats, 20,000 won for Coupang travel products and 20,000 won for R.LUX luxury beauty and fashion items. This invited criticism, because the two 20,000 won vouchers can only be used on its less popular platforms, with just 5,000 won offered for Coupang and Coupang Eats. Unlike initial criticisms, some reviews by shoppers who used the compensatio

Jan 16, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan
Coupang voucher draws mixed response after rollout
Companies

High-end apartment brand marketing faces consequences

The recent boom in high-end brand marketing in Korea’s apartment construction market has come at a cost as an increasing number of landlords refuse to place orders with companies that reject their requests to use premium brand names such as “Acro,” “Le El,” “The H” and “Summit” for new residential complexes. After several disputes over naming rights led some landlords to switch contractors, construction firms now face a dilemma over whether they should keep their luxury brands exclusive or allow broader use. Earlier this month, landlords of Sangdaewon Redevelopment Zone 2 in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, began seeking a new construction firm to replace DL E&C after the company refused to name their new complex “Acro” instead of “e-Pyeonhansesang,” its midrange brand. DL E&C faced a similar issue in the past with landlords of Seoul’s Sindang Redevelopment Zone 8, who canceled their contract in 2023. They turned to POSCO E&C, which proposed using its high-end brand “Hauterre," instead of the mid-tier “The Sharp.” Likewise, landlords of Heukseok Redevelopmen

Jan 16, 2026By Park Jae-hyuk
High-end apartment brand marketing faces consequences
Companies

Citibank Korea accelerates AI adoption in daily workflows, enhances employee productivity

Citibank Korea said Friday that it has begun the full deployment of Citi AI, Citi’s newly introduced artificial intelligence platform, across the organization. As part of this initiative, the bank hosted Citi AI Days on Wednesday and Thursday, as employees shared practical examples of how Citi AI can be applied in their day-to-day work. Citi AI is a purpose-built platform designed based on a human-led AI approach, which supports and enhances employees’ professional expertise and decision-making. With safety and responsible use as its core principles, the platform helps employees perform their work in a more efficient and consistent manner. Through Citi AI, Citibank Korea expects to more effectively leverage the data and expertise accumulated across Citi’s global network, while reducing the burden of repetitive tasks such as data analysis and document preparation. This will enable employees to focus on higher-value activities. The bank plans to systematically embed AI across client support, talent development and overall business operations. In addition, the bank is operating the Ci

Jan 16, 2026By Lee Hyo-sik
Citibank Korea accelerates AI adoption in daily workflows, enhances employee productivity
Companies

Injection of emergency funds essential to revive Homeplus: CEO

An injection of emergency operating funds would help revive financially troubled discount store chain Homeplus, a company executive has said, dismissing any chance of liquidation. Homeplus submitted its rehabilitation plan to the Seoul Bankruptcy Court last month, with creditors raising no objections to the proposal. The program focuses on business reorganization and a merger and acquisition (M&A) process to find a new owner after court approval of the plan. It also includes measures to secure emergency operating funds worth 300 billion won ($205 million), shut down dozens of loss-making outlets, offload non-core business units and relocate workers. "There might be a crisis in one to two weeks from now as product volumes at Homeplus outlets have nearly halved compared to normal operating times. An urgent injection of emergency funds will help normalize the company's operations," Homeplus co-Chief Executive Officer (co-CEO) Joh Joo-yun told Yonhap News Agency in a recent interview. The court and creditors represented by Meritz Securities view a cash injection as a positive approach, she sa

Jan 16, 2026By Yonhap
Injection of emergency funds essential to revive Homeplus: CEO
Tech & Science

Naver Cloud, NC AI cut from national AI foundation model race

Two consortia, led by Naver Cloud and NC AI, have been eliminated from the government-led national artificial intelligence (AI) foundation model project after the first round of evaluation. The Ministry of Science and ICT announced the results of the first evaluation on Thursday, revealing that only three teams — LG AI Research, SK Telecom and Upstage — advanced to the second round. The ministry said that the evaluation for the first stage involved three assessments: benchmark performance, expert evaluation and user experience. LG AI Research’s team received the highest overall score with 90.2 points, while the average score of the five shortlisted teams was 79.7 points. LG's model dominated in all three assessments, scoring 33.6 out of 40 points in benchmark, 31.6 out of 35 points in expert review and a perfect 25 points in user experience. The ministry explained that Naver Cloud was disqualified for failing to meet the project’s requirement for technology originality. Naver said it accepts the ministry's decision and will not seek to rejoin the project, despite the option to app

Jan 15, 2026By Lee Gyu-lee
Naver Cloud, NC AI cut from national AI foundation model race
Banking & Finance

US makes rare intervention in Korea’s FX market

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s rare intervention in Korea’s foreign exchange market comes as the two countries recognize the need to jointly address the rapid depreciation of the Korean won, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance on Thursday. The rare verbal intervention reflects the importance of the Korean won’s stability for bilateral economic cooperation, including Korea’s planned $20 billion annual investment in the U.S. as agreed to in tariff negotiations last year, Deputy Minister for International Economic Affairs Choi Ji-young said. His remark came after Bessent addressed the won’s depreciation in a social media post and a readout posted by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. In a rare intervention by a top U.S. economic policymaker, Bessent noted that the won’s depreciation “was not in line with Korea’s strong economic fundamentals.” According to the readout, the secretary also “emphasized that excess volatility in the foreign exchange market is undesirable, and reaffirmed that Korea’s strong economic performance, especially in key indu

Jan 15, 2026By Yi Whan-woo
US makes rare intervention in Korea’s FX market
Tech & Science

Korea gauges impact of Trump’s 25% chip tariff order

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) enacted a new 25 percent tariff on certain advanced chips, including Nvidia’s H200 artificial intelligence (AI) accelerators, introducing greater uncertainties across the entire semiconductor supply chain. Semiconductor companies in Korea are scrambling to assess their exposure across global supply chains in the wake of the move. Many memory chips bound for Nvidia are first shipped to third countries for integration into finished products before being exported to the United States, limiting immediate impact on Korean firms. However, higher costs are often passed down the supply chain, and Trump has also warned of broader tariffs, forcing companies to navigate fresh uncertainties. According to Trump’s proclamation and a White House fact sheet, the president imposed a 25 percent tariff on advanced computing chips such as the Nvidia’s H200 and AMD MI325X. The fact sheet noted, “This tariff will not apply to chips that are imported to support the buildout of the U.S. technology supply chain and the strengthening of domestic manuf

Jan 15, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
Korea gauges impact of Trump’s 25% chip tariff order
Banking & Finance

Investors urged to seek $29.3 mil. in unclaimed dividends and other financial assets

Investors are being encouraged to check for unclaimed dividends and shares worth a combined 43.2 billion won ($29.3 million), associated with over 2 million shares, the Korea Securities Depository (KSD) said Thursday. The stock deposit service provider’s campaign aims to help shareholders locate their unclaimed financial assets, including 24.95 billion won held by the Korea Inclusive Finance Agency under a law supporting financial access for ordinary citizens. The 43 billion won comes from “unregistered shares,” which arise when investors withdraw physical share certificates from securities firms but fail to register them in their own name. Investors typically withdraw shares for safekeeping, for transfer or to put them up as collateral for loans. While the shares remain legally unregistered, dividends and bonus shares — collectively called entitlements from unregistered shares — are generated but remain unclaimed until shareholders file a claim. Since 2018, KSD has conducted a campaign to help investors reclaim these assets, and so far has returned about 2.91 billion won to own

Jan 15, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Investors urged to seek $29.3 mil. in unclaimed dividends and other financial assets
Banking & Finance

Brokerages woo investors back to Korean stocks amid won's weakness

Securities firms have rolled out aggressive marketing campaigns, including fee waivers and free share offerings, to lure individual investors who have shifted to overseas stock markets back to domestic equities, in line with government initiatives, industry officials said Thursday. The government has announced a range of incentives, including tax exemptions for investors who sell U.S. stocks and return to the local market, as part of efforts to ease upward pressure on the won-dollar exchange rate while revitalizing the domestic stock market. In step with the government’s move, Korea Investment & Securities is offering a raffle in which customers who open new online accounts by the end of this month will receive two shares selected from the KOSPI 200. Daishin Securities has launched a campaign targeting investors who have not traded stocks over the past six months, offering commission-free domestic stock trading, with only mandatory regulatory charges applied. “The event is intended to ease the cost burden for customers seeking to return to the market as domestic equities regain momen

Jan 15, 2026By Jun Ji-hye
Brokerages woo investors back to Korean stocks amid won's weakness
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