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    Will Homeplus liquidation decision be postponed again?

    Homeplus has submitted an amended rehabilitation plan just three days before a court deadline, but its failure to secure a crucial 200 billion won ($129 million) capital injection is increasing uncertainty over whether the troubled retailer will face liquidation, industry sources said Wednesday. The Seoul Bankruptcy Court will now assess the feasibility of the revised proposal to determine whether to continue with rescue proceedings or dissolve the company. Although the current deadline expires this Friday, expectations are rising that the court will defer the date once more to review the new submission. The country’s second-largest retail chain, controlled by private equity firm MBK Partners, filed for corporate rehabilitation on March 4 last year after struggling with financial difficulties and facing credit rating downgrades. The original deadline for court approval of its rehabilitation plan was March 4 this year, but the court first extended it to May 4 before granting an additional extension until this Friday. Bankruptcy law dictates that a rehabilitation scheme must receive appr

    3 MIN READBy Jun Ji-hye
    Will Homeplus liquidation decision be postponed again?
  • Companies

    Renault Korea's June sales plunge 45 % on weak demand

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Renault Korea's June sales plunge 45 % on weak demand
  • Companies

    GM Korea's June sales rise 6.6% on robust overseas demand

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    GM Korea's June sales rise 6.6% on robust overseas demand
  • Companies

    Hyundai Motor's global sales down in June on weaker demand

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Hyundai Motor's global sales down in June on weaker demand
  • Companies

    JoongAng Ilbo puts controlling rights up for sale amid creditor workout

    1 MIN READBy Jung Min-ho
    JoongAng Ilbo puts controlling rights up for sale amid creditor workout
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Business

Biz sentiment hits 10-month high in September on chips, stimulus: BOK survey

Business sentiment in South Korea rose to a 10-month high this month, driven by improvement in the chip and other manufacturing fields, and the government's stimulus measures, a central bank survey showed Friday. The Composite Business Sentiment Index (CBSI) for all industries stood at 91.6 in September, up 0.6 point from the previous month, according to data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). The figure marked the highest level since November 2024, when the index came to 91.8. It also marked the second consecutive monthly gain. The index measures corporate outlooks on overall business conditions, with a reading below 100 indicating that pessimists outnumber optimists. The CBSI among manufacturers edged up 0.1 point from the previous month to 93.4 in September, while the index among non-manufacturers advanced 1.1 points to 90.5. "Amid heightened uncertainties due to delays in follow-up U.S. tariff negotiations, the manufacturing sector, led by semiconductors, showed slight improvement, while non-manufacturing, particularly retail and wholesale, also benefited from the government's consumer cou

Sep 26, 2025By Yonhap
Biz sentiment hits 10-month high in September on chips, stimulus: BOK survey
Companies

US unions urge SHIPS Act, boosting prospects for Korean shipbuilders

Cautious optimism is growing that Korean shipbuilders may win orders from the United States for commercial and naval vessels in the near future, as U.S. unions once again urged their country's lawmakers to pass a bill that would allow certain foreign-built ships to be treated as U.S.-built vessels. Industry officials view HD Hyundai as the top beneficiary of the proposed bill, given its operations of multiple shipyards across the globe and the planned merger of its two shipbuilding subsidiaries. Multiple U.S. news outlets reported that five U.S. labor unions, including the United Steelworkers and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, sent a letter to U.S. lawmakers Tuesday (local time), as there has yet to be any major action to pass the Shipbuilding and Harbor Infrastructure for Prosperity and Security (SHIPS) for America Act, despite strong bipartisan support. "We urge you to support the SHIPS for America Act and to schedule action," the unions said in the letter, according to reports. In June, six U.S. unions sent a similar letter to U.S. senators and representatives. "W

Sep 26, 2025By Park Jae-hyuk
US unions urge SHIPS Act, boosting prospects for Korean shipbuilders
Companies

Kia workers tentatively OK 2025 wage deal amid tariff concerns

Kia Corp. and its union have tentatively agreed on a wage deal for 2025 amid growing concerns over U.S. import tariffs, the company said Thursday. Kia's 26,000-member union accepted the company's proposals, which include a 100,000 won ($71) increase in basic monthly pay, four and a half months of performance-based bonuses, 15.8 million won in cash, 200,000 won in gift certificates per worker and 53 Kia shares, the company said in a press release. Under the deal, the maker of the K5 sedan will also hire 500 engineers for its production lines by the end of next year. Kia and the union also agreed to cooperate in transforming the automaker's domestic plants into core production facilities for next-generation models, such as purpose-built vehicles, the release said. "Facing unprecedentedly high U.S. tariffs on imported vehicles, the company and the union reached the tentative deal to weather growing uncertainties and strengthen future competitiveness," a Kia official said. Kia and its union had signed wage deals without strikes for the past four years through 2024. The tentative agreement will

Sep 25, 2025By Yonhap
Kia workers tentatively OK 2025 wage deal amid tariff concerns
Companies

European firms denounce 'yellow envelope law' as threat to jobs

European companies doing business in Korea have once again urged the government to reconsider the planned amendment to the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act — better known as the "yellow envelope law" — warning that they may withdraw from the Korean market if the changes proceed. The companies have also recommended establishing a system for proactive oversight of dominant digital platform providers, puzzling Seoul, which is facing strong U.S. opposition to the regulations. "Questions have been raised about whether criminal liability on top of existing economic and financial sanctions aligns with international standards. This year's white paper reflects these concerns," European Chamber of Commerce in Korea (ECCK) Chairman Philippe van Hoof said Thursday during a press conference for the publication of the chamber's 2025 white paper, which includes the abovementioned suggestions. According to the ECCK, the latest edition of the white paper includes a total of 70 recommendations submitted by 15 committees and two forums. While some suggestions have continuously been submit

Sep 25, 2025By Park Jae-hyuk
European firms denounce 'yellow envelope law' as threat to jobs
Banking & Finance

Lotte Card data breach puts spotlight on low cybersecurity investment

Concerns over cybersecurity have spread across the credit card industry following a recent data breach incident at Lotte Card, which exposed the personal information of 2.97 million customers, industry officials and politicians said Thursday. Consumer anxiety has intensified as major card issuers, despite highlighting increases in information technology (IT) staffing and budgets, allocated only around 10 percent of those resources to information security. Citing data from the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), Rep. Kang Min-kuk of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) said that the combined IT budgets of eight major domestic card companies totaled 5.56 trillion won ($3.97 billion) between 2020 and 2025. Of this, only 556.2 billion won, or about 10 percent, was spent on cybersecurity. Rep. Kim Sang-hoon of the PPP, also citing FSS data, noted that Lotte Card recorded the lowest ratio of information security spending to total annual budget this year at 0.3 percent. Other issuers, including Shinhan, Samsung, BC and Hyundai, allocated about 1 percent of their budgets to cybersecurit

Sep 25, 2025By Jun Ji-hye
Lotte Card data breach puts spotlight on low cybersecurity investment
Companies

LG Energy Solution ventures beyond batteries to cover software, ESS

Electric vehicle (EV) battery maker LG Energy Solution is bolstering new businesses to expand its reach beyond EVs into battery maintenance solutions and energy storage systems (ESS). The expansion is in line with the company's vision, announced last year, to expand its business beyond hardware into software and services. This includes battery management systems, which are emerging as a core technology for battery safety, as well as building a Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) ecosystem to expand service businesses like battery leasing, rentals and recycling. The company currently runs B.around, a signature brand for its business management total solution business. Advanced from existing battery management solutions, software from B.around diagnoses a battery's safety level, remaining battery life and degradation in real time based on artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud technologies. The brand also offers platforms for software-defined vehicles. The company said B.around has advanced its algorithm with information on battery cells from diverse EVs to boost accuracy for battery prognosis by

Sep 25, 2025
LG Energy Solution ventures beyond batteries to cover software, ESS
Companies

PHOTO Backing Saudi Arabia's shipbuilding industry

HD Hyundai Executive Vice Chairman Chung Ki-sun, right, shakes hands with Saudi Arabia's Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih at a hotel in Seoul, Thursday, to discuss ways to facilitate the operation of a shipyard currently under construction in the Middle Eastern country, backed by joint investments from the company and the kingdom. HD Hyundai said the two also discussed their joint investment in an engine plant in Saudi Arabia and their development of the country's shipbuilding supply chain. Courtesy of HD Hyundai

Sep 25, 2025By Park Jae-hyukphoto
[PHOTO] Backing Saudi Arabia's shipbuilding industry
Companies

Xiaomi launches new gadgets, home appliances targeting Korean market

The Korean arm of Chinese tech giant Xiaomi on Thursday launched new gadgets and home appliances as the company aims to expand its presence in the market. Xiaomi Korea said the set of eight new products includes the flagship Xiaomi 15T Pro smartphone and the Xiaomi Pad Mini tablet. Jony Wu, general manager at Xiaomi Korea, said the release came as 40 percent of Xiaomi smartphones sold since launching its first store in Korea three months ago were high-end models, reflecting strong demand for premium devices. Wu added the company will continue efforts to expand local partnerships, including opening two more stores in cooperation with retail giant E-Land Group this week. "Soon, we'll be working with Hyundai Department Store to take our offline presence even further," Wu said in a release. "In mobility and payments, we're currently exploring a potential partnership with T-money, a service that touches the daily lives of millions of Koreans," the Korean branch chief added. Xiaomi is also collaborating with SSG.com and Naver to sell its products on a wider range of platforms. In line with effort

Sep 25, 2025By Yonhap
Xiaomi launches new gadgets, home appliances targeting Korean market
Companies

HD Hyundai Infracore wins top recycling certification

HD Hyundai Infracore said Thursday it won the top-tier certification of Zero Waste to Landfill for the first time in the global construction equipment industry. The company said its plant in Incheon won the platinum grade certification from UL Solutions. The certification is a global program run by UL Solutions, a U.S.-based safety science company, which verifies how waste generated at business sites is recycled or reused. The platinum grade is the highest of the certification’s three levels, meaning the site’s recycling rate has reached 100 percent. Gold is awarded to those that recycle between 95 and 99 percent, and silver is granted for recycling rates of 90 to 94 percent. The certification serves as an indicator of a company’s resource circulation capabilities. HD Hyundai Infracore’s Incheon plant first achieved a 95 percent recycling rate in 2021, and maintained a 96 percent rate from 2022 to 2024, earning the gold grade certification for four straight years. The country’s average recycling rate for waste generated at plants stood at 84.4 percent in 2023, according to envi

Sep 25, 2025By Nam Hyun-woo
HD Hyundai Infracore wins top recycling certification
Companies

BTS Jin's liquor brand accused of product misinformation

A liquor brand co-founded by Jin of BTS and celebrity restaurateur and businessman Paik Jong-won is under government investigation for product misinformation after a consumer filed a complaint. According to industry officials Thursday, the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service recently received a consumer complaint about the liquor brand and transferred the case to its regional office in Yesan, South Chungcheong Province. The agency is an arm of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The report came to light after an unnamed user posted on a popular online forum that they had filed a complaint because IGIN highball drinks, manufactured by Jini’s Lamp, has “risks of misleading consumers regarding its origin labeling.” Jini’s Lamp is the company that the two celebrities founded in 2022 in Yesan and distributes through Paiksooldoga, another traditional liquor company launched by Paik. The consumer said that online product information for IGIN gins with plum and watermelon flavors was not the same as what Jini’s Lamp claimed. Whereas the company i

Sep 25, 2025By Ko Dong-hwan
BTS Jin's liquor brand accused of product misinformation
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