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  • Tech & Science

    Hyosung launches hyperscale AI data center in Seoul

    Hyosung Group is expanding its push into artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure with the launch of a hyperscale data center in Seoul, marking its entry into Korea’s fast-growing data center market. The company announced Wednesday that Hyosung-STT GDC, a joint venture between Hyosung Heavy Industries and Singapore-based operator ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC), opened STT Seoul 1, a 30-megawatt data center, in Geumcheon District, Seoul, the previous day. Designed to support cloud and AI workloads, the new facility combines Hyosung’s power infrastructure expertise with STT GDC's global standards in data center design, operation and service management. The facility is capable of accommodating increasingly power-intensive and high-density computing environments driven by generative AI applications. The company explained that one of the center's biggest advantages is its location in Seoul, where securing large-scale power capacity has become increasingly difficult due to energy regulations and grid constraints, providing low-latency connectivity to major business districts

    2 MIN READBy Lee Gyu-lee
    Hyosung launches hyperscale AI data center in Seoul
  • Companies

    Samsung Display showcases next-generation XR displays at AWE USA

    2 MIN READBy Nam Hyun-woo
    Samsung Display showcases next-generation XR displays at AWE USA
  • Tech & Science

    Anthropic opens Seoul office to expand ties with Korean AI ecosystem

    3 MIN READBy Nam Hyun-woo
    Anthropic opens Seoul office to expand ties with Korean AI ecosystem
  • Companies

    'Wide Cup' fuels World Cup fever among Korean fans

    2 MIN READBy Ko Dong-hwan
    'Wide Cup' fuels World Cup fever among Korean fans
  • Companies

    Hanwha Ocean faces mounting costs from blocked icebreaker delivery to Russia

    2 MIN READBy Lee Min-hyung
    Hanwha Ocean faces mounting costs from blocked icebreaker delivery to Russia
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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.

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Business

Spanish piracy giant toppled in win for Korean webtoons

A coalition of Korean webtoon publishers has secured the shutdown of one of the world’s largest Spanish-language piracy networks, marking a rare and significant legal victory for the country’s digital comics industry in its increasingly aggressive global battle against copyright infringement. The Copyright Overseas Promotion Association said Monday that it had successfully coordinated with major platforms — including Kakao Entertainment and Naver Webtoon — to dismantle TuMangaOnline and its affiliated sites. The network had long been accused of illegally distributing Korean content across Spain and Latin America, profiting from a growing international appetite for the vertical-scrolling digital comics known as webtoons. The shutdown was executed by Spanish judicial authorities following an investigation triggered by formal complaints from Korean rights holders. It represents the first instance in which Korean companies have directly pursued legal action under Spanish statutes to successfully shutter an overseas piracy operation. The scale of the network was substantial. According

Apr 27, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Spanish piracy giant toppled in win for Korean webtoons
Business

Gangnam Unni looks abroad as foreign users top 700,000

Healing Paper, which operates a mobile marketplace for cosmetic medical consultations, said Monday that its flagship platform had surpassed 700,000 cumulative foreign users as of March. The platform, Gangnam Unni, said the figure represents overseas users who completed consultations or reservations for medical aesthetic procedures in Korea. The company’s growth offers a measure of the rapid internationalization of the country’s health care market, particularly in dermatology and plastic surgery. The milestone comes as Korea’s foreign patient count reached a record 2 million in 2025, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Of those, about 62.9 percent — roughly 1.31 million — visited dermatology clinics, while plastic surgery accounted for 11.2 percent. Combined, cosmetic medical services made up more than 74 percent of all foreign patient visits. Gangnam Unni, which offers booking services in six languages, has steadily broadened its reach since adding Japanese support in 2019, followed by English in 2023, Thai in 2024 and Chinese in 2025. The platform connects overse

Apr 27, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Gangnam Unni looks abroad as foreign users top 700,000
Business

K-beauty powerhouse CJ Olive Young eyes Japan for 1st international showcase

CJ Olive Young, the dominant health and beauty retailer in Korea, is taking its large-scale promotional festival abroad for the first time, selecting Japan as the inaugural stop for an international tour intended to cement the global influence of Korean cosmetics. The company announced Monday that Olive Young Festa Japan 2026 will run from Thursday to Saturday at the Makuhari Messe convention center. By staging the event alongside KCON Japan 2026 — a major convention dedicated to Korean pop culture — the retailer is looking to capitalize on a captive audience of international enthusiasts and the broader "hallyu," or Korean wave, that continues to shape consumption patterns across East Asia. The festival, which spans approximately 5,800 square feet, is designed as a physical extension of the retailer’s domestic presence. Fifty-five brands will be featured within a space that recreates the aesthetics of the company's flagship stores, including pathways modeled after the high-traffic shopping districts of Myeong-dong and Hongdae in Seoul. These zones are intended to offer a multisen

Apr 27, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
K-beauty powerhouse CJ Olive Young eyes Japan for 1st international showcase
Companies

FTC orders e-commerce platforms to revise unfair user terms

Korea's antitrust regulator on Monday ordered changes to unfair terms used by seven major e-commerce platforms, aiming to better protect consumer rights. The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said it reviewed user agreements and identified 11 types of unfair clauses across four main categories used by platforms operated by Coupang Inc., Naver Corp., Kurly Corp., SSG.com, Gmarket, 11Street and Nol Universe Co. The companies agreed to revise the terms following the regulator's recommendations, the FTC added. The watchdog said the changes are intended to strengthen consumer protections and ensure safer handling of personal data by platform operators. One of the clauses involved Coupang's former policy that prevented users from receiving refunds for prepaid Coupay Money balances after account termination, the FTC said. Coupang earlier said about 3,000 user accounts were affected. However, a joint public-private investigation later found the issue had impacted more than 33.6 million accounts.

Apr 27, 2026By Yonhap
FTC orders e-commerce platforms to revise unfair user terms
Companies

ChungHo Nais family feud, union protest disrupt Carlyle's takeover

The Carlyle Group is facing challenges in its bid to acquire ChungHo Nais and its affiliates from the bereaved family of the Korean water purifier maker's late founder. As family members remain divided over their inheritance, ChungHo Nais workers are urging management to halt efforts to sell control of the company to a foreign private equity firm. The family dispute became public in January, two months before reports of Carlyle’s takeover bid. After ChungHo Nais founder Joung Whi-dong died at 67 last June, his older son, born in 1986 to the founder’s ex-wife whom he divorced in 1990, filed a complaint challenging the validity of the will. The will granted the founder’s wife and their son, born in 2000, full inheritance of his stake in the company. Since founding the company in 1993, Joung had remained its largest shareholder. Before his death, he held a 75.1 percent stake in ChungHo Nais, while family-controlled Microfilter owned 12.99 percent and the founder’s younger brother held 8.18 percent. The company’s total equity value is estimated at 800 billion won ($542 million). The

Apr 27, 2026By Park Jae-hyuk
ChungHo Nais family feud, union protest disrupt Carlyle's takeover
Business

Musinsa Standard bets on Hangzhou to accelerate expansion in China

Musinsa, the Seoul-based apparel company that has become a primary trendsetter for youth fashion in Korea, is extending its physical footprint in the Chinese market. By moving beyond the traditional retail stronghold of Shanghai to test the appetite of inland consumers, the company is attempting to translate its domestic dominance into a scalable international model. The company announced Monday the opening of its fourth offline location for its private label brand, Musinsa Standard, in Hangzhou Tower. Located in the bustling Wulin district, the new store represents Musinsa’s first foray into a "new first-tier" city — a designation for rapidly developing hubs that often rival coastal metropolises like Beijing and Shanghai in economic influence and consumer culture. In selecting Hangzhou, a city often referred to as China’s Silicon Valley due to its status as a global tech hub, Musinsa is positioning itself at the center of the country’s IT-driven commerce. The city has emerged as a critical retail battleground, characterized by a younger demographic with significant purchasing

Apr 27, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Musinsa Standard bets on Hangzhou to accelerate expansion in China
Tech & Science

Korea tests drone-to-robot fried chicken delivery on Jeju

A drone carrying a box of fried chicken and household goods took off from Geumneung Port on Jeju Island, crossing approximately 3 kilometers of ocean to reach the remote Biyang Island. Upon landing safely in an empty lot near the dock, a rectangular autonomous robot approached to retrieve the package. The robot navigated the narrow alleys of the volcanic isle at a walking pace and sounded an alert upon reaching its destination. A local resident retrieved the order, providing a glimpse of a fully unmanned delivery trial. This scene from Jeju shows how far a government-backed drone delivery effort has advanced. The Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA) and the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) announced Friday they completed approximately 80 drone delivery trials over the past month. The joint initiative aims to build a drone-robot delivery system for everyday use within five years. While unmanned delivery operates in global tech hubs like Shenzhen, China, Korea's trials stand out for their payload capacity. Standard commercial drones typically carry payloads of

Apr 27, 2026By Hankookilbo
Korea tests drone-to-robot fried chicken delivery on Jeju
Companies

Carlyle acquires KFC Korea, eyes aggressive expansion

U.S. private equity firm The Carlyle Group has acquired KFC Korea, the operator of KFC restaurants in Korea, as it seeks to drive aggressive expansion in Asia's fourth-largest economy, KFC Korea said Monday. Carlyle Asia Partners recently completed the acquisition of a 100 percent stake in KFC Korea from Orchestra Private Equity, the company said in a press release. "The change in ownership underscores KFC Korea's strong growth potential, and we will work with Carlyle to accelerate our mid- to long-term growth strategy," a KFC Korea official said. KFC Korea reported sales of 378 billion won ($256 million) last year, extending its record performance for a second consecutive year. The company said it plans to significantly expand its store network, launch a new mobile application to better meet customer demand, and strengthen marketing efforts to support further growth.

Apr 27, 2026By Yonhap
Carlyle acquires KFC Korea, eyes aggressive expansion
Companies

Paradise City, Lotte Duty Free team up to revive tourism, tap Chinese demand

Korea’s top duty-free operator and largest integrated resort have teamed up to revive inbound tourism, with a focus on attracting Chinese visitors. The companies signed a memorandum of understanding Friday at Paradise City on Yeongjong Island, Incheon. The ceremony was attended by Alex Kim, chief marketing officer of Paradise City, and Namgoong Pyo, head of marketing at Lotte Duty Free, along with other officials from both sides. Under the agreement, the partners will create a one-stop travel and retail experience linking accommodation, shopping and entertainment, while integrating customer data and marketing channels to strengthen engagement with overseas travelers. The partnership comes as Lotte Duty Free recently resumed operations at Incheon International Airport for the first time in three years, part of broader efforts to expand its global customer base. The two sides plan to roll out joint marketing campaigns to drive demand and encourage spending among inbound tourists. Leveraging Lotte Duty Free’s network of 2.5 million foreign members, the companies will step up their push

Apr 27, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan
Paradise City, Lotte Duty Free team up to revive tourism, tap Chinese demand
Business

Industry minister vows active support to companies reshoring to Korea

Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan on Monday vowed the government's "active" support for companies reshoring to Korea amid global economic uncertainties. "The government will provide active support so that reshoring and investment in regions outside of the greater capital area becomes the most rational and attractive option for Korean companies," Kim said in a meeting with officials from Kolmar Korea, a cosmetics company selected as the first company that made a "U-turn" to the country this year. Korea Kolmar is set to return to Korea this year after liquidating its overseas operation, with a plan to invest 187 billion won ($126.6 million) in the central city of Sejong, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources. Reshoring of companies has been stalling as major economies have been competing to attract advanced industries and critical supply chains amid the rise of global trade protectionism and geopolitical conflicts, Kim said. To help the country gain a competitive edge in the global competition, the government will work to broaden the criteria for official recognition of

Apr 27, 2026By Yonhap
Industry minister vows active support to companies reshoring to Korea
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