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    CJ CheilJedang to roll out land-grown Korean seaweed

    CJ CheilJedang will roll out land-grown Korean seaweed through a new commercialization facility, as the company looks to capitalize on growing global demand for Korean seaweed while responding to rising seawater temperatures and other climate change-driven disruptions. The company said Monday it will establish the land-based farming facility in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, in August. The move marks a commercialization stage following the company's development of Korea’s first seaweed land farming technology in 2018, successfully cultivating seaweed in a 3-ton tank in 2021 and securing a dedicated seaweed variety in 2022. The facility is scheduled for completion in the first half of next year, and seaweed products produced there will be marketed under the Bibigo Seaweed brand. To support the project, CJ CheilJedang will establish cooperation programs with local governments and fishing communities. The facility will be equipped with multiple tanks and cultivation systems. Based on its proprietary seaweed variety, seaweed life cycle control technology and integrated quality manage

    2 MIN READBy Nam Hyun-woo
    CJ CheilJedang to roll out land-grown Korean seaweed
  • Companies

    SK Telink, KEPCO, Starlink Korea launch satellite network initiative for power grid emergencies

    2 MIN READBy Jhoo Dong-chan
    SK Telink, KEPCO, Starlink Korea launch satellite network initiative for power grid emergencies
  • Companies

    British Business Awards recognize innovation, excellence, community leadership

    3 MIN READBy Lee Gyu-lee
    British Business Awards recognize innovation, excellence, community leadership
  • Companies

    Shinsegae chairman to receive history lesson over 'Tank Day' fiasco

    3 MIN READBy Ko Dong-hwan
    Shinsegae chairman to receive history lesson over 'Tank Day' fiasco
  • Companies

    KT rolls out AI store assistant to break language barriers for int'l customers

    2 MIN READBy Lee Kyung-min
    KT rolls out AI store assistant to break language barriers for int'l customers
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Companies

Top court rules POSCO should directly hire group of subcontract workers

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a ruling that ordered steelmaker POSCO to directly hire over 200 subcontract workers who worked for the company for more than two years. In 2017, a total of 223 subcontractors at POSCO's steel mills in the southeastern city of Pohang and the southern city of Gwangyang filed suits, demanding they be directly hired by the company, citing their work period. The top court upheld the appeals court ruling that recognized cases made by 215 of the plaintiffs but rejected the suits by seven steel coil packaging workers and another worker who passed the retirement age. By law, a company should directly hire dispatched workers who have worked for more than two years for the company. The court determined the seven workers were not substantively incorporated into the company's operations. POSCO has faced a series of lawsuits from subcontract workers who have demanded they be directly hired. In 2022, the top court upheld a ruling that recognized 55 subcontract workers should be directly hired by the company.

Apr 16, 2026By Yonhap
Top court rules POSCO should directly hire group of subcontract workers
Business

China’s solid-state battery drive nears commercialization as Korean bets on advanced tech

China’s solid-state battery development is entering a "crucial phase" ahead of commercialization, signalling progress towards mass production, according to an industry expert, as companies in China and Korea race to gain an edge in next-generation technologies. The remarks were made by Lian Yubo, chief scientist of Chinese electric vehicle (EV) giant BYD, at an auto industry seminar that brought together industry insiders, analysts and government officials, China’s state media Beijing News reported last week. Solid-state batteries are widely seen as a next-generation technology, offering a safer and more energy-dense alternative to conventional lithium-ion batteries, but remain difficult to commercialize due to challenges in price, manufacturing and stability. “It is important to clearly recognize that from pilot-scale rollout to large-scale vehicle integration and eventually stable application, there remain numerous challenges in engineering, cost and yield,” Lian said. He talked about key hurdles, including stabilising solid-solid interfaces and suppressing lithium dendrite gro

Apr 16, 2026By Alice Li
China’s solid-state battery drive nears commercialization as Korean bets on advanced tech
Business

Kosdaq-listed bio firm to go under review for unfaithful disclosure

Korea's main bourse operator said Thursday it is set to review a bio firm, whose stocks rallied recently amid hype over its weight-loss drugs and oral insulin, to determine whether the firm violated disclosure regulations. The Korea Exchange (KRX) said it has referred Sam Chun Dang Pharm Co., a local drugmaker, to its listing and disclosure committee for alleged failure to meet disclosure obligations. A final decision on whether the company violated disclosure regulations will be made next Thursday, according to the KRX. Stock prices of the pharmaceutical company rallied recently, as investor enthusiasm built around its next-generation drug pipeline, including oral insulin and a weight-loss drug. The company's share price had once surpassed the 1 million-won ($678.3) mark, becoming the first company since 2023 to reach the milestone on the secondary, venture-heavy Kosdaq market, according to the bourse operator. KRX, however, issued a prior notice late last month that the company may be designated as a violator of the disclosure regulation due to its failure to make fair disclosures regar

Apr 16, 2026By Yonhap
Kosdaq-listed bio firm to go under review for unfaithful disclosure
Business

BYD expands EV lineup in Korea with new SUV, premium trim

BYD Korea is expanding its electric vehicle lineup with the 2027 SEALION 7 and a new premium Plus trim, in a move to broaden its offerings in the urban SUV segment, the company said Thursday. The newly introduced SEALION 7 Plus builds on the model’s balance of performance and space, adding a suite of premium features designed to enhance in-cabin comfort and driving satisfaction. The company said the Plus trim replaces synthetic leather seats with natural Nappa leather and adds a driver’s seat memory function, a four-way power lumbar support system and a powered leg support to improve comfort on long drives. A driver's easy access function, which automatically adjusts the seat and steering wheel during entry and exit, is also included. BYD Korea said the audio system has been upgraded with 12 speakers from Dynaudio, delivering a more immersive listening experience. The model also includes a head-up display that projects driving information onto the windshield and an automatically tilting side mirror that improves visibility when reversing. First introduced to the Korean market in Sept

Apr 16, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
BYD expands EV lineup in Korea with new SUV, premium trim
Tech & Science

ContributionWar exposes naphtha risk, accelerates shift to circular feedstock

Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are revealing more than a simple energy crisis — they are exposing a deeper vulnerability in the global petrochemical industry. The sparks from crude oil have now spread to naphtha. Korea and other Asian nations have long depended on the Middle East for a significant share of their naphtha imports, operating under the assumption that supply would remain stable. Yet instability around the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf region is no longer just driving up oil prices; it has evolved into a structural risk threatening the very foundations of petrochemical feedstock supply. The consequences are already rippling across the industry. Soaring product prices, supply disruptions, growing risks of contract defaults and declining utilization rates at naphtha cracking centers (NCCs) are converging to deepen uncertainty. This is no longer a temporary shock. It is a structural problem — one that will almost certainly repeat itself. Against this backdrop, a fundamental question arises: Is continued dependence on fossil-based naphtha still a viable strategy? Th

Apr 16, 2026By Jeong Young-hoon
War exposes naphtha risk, accelerates shift to circular feedstock
Companies

PHOTO HiteJinro mixes soju for Starbucks

Gwanghwamun Mixato, right, a cocktail collaboration between HiteJinro and Starbucks Korea, is displayed next to a bottle of Jinro Ilpoom, a distilled premium soju brand by HiteJinro. Gwanghwamun Mixato, which uses Jinro Ilpoom, is available exclusively at Starbucks Reserve Gwanghwamun in central Seoul. HiteJinro said Thursday it hopes to expand its premium soju market in Korea and help boost the tourism industry through its partnership with the major cafe chain. It is the first time Starbucks Korea has collaborated with a liquor company in Korea. Available at Bar Mixato inside the store, Gwanghwamun Mixato contains 8.2 percent alcohol. Its red hibiscus tea and blue lime create a color palette reminiscent of the Taegeukgi, the country’s national flag. Courtesy of HiteJinro

Apr 16, 2026By Ko Dong-hwanphoto
[PHOTO] HiteJinro mixes soju for Starbucks
Companies

HD Hyundai Electric builds Korea’s largest eco-friendly transformer

Major electric machinery and equipment developer HD Hyundai Electric has successfully developed a transformer running on an environmentally cleaner oil than a conventional one in the largest capacity ever in the industry here. The HD Hyundai subsidiary said Thursday the accomplished product will head to a substation in the United Kingdom operated by National Grid, a local utility company. The transformer, 400 kilovolt and 460 megavolt-amperes, uses synthetic ester oil as an insulator oil against heat and electricity. The company said the new oil is highly biodegradable, making itself more environmentally sustainable than conventionally used mineral oil. Synthetic ester oil, compared to mineral oil, has a higher flash point and helps reduce risks of fire, according to the company. It added that at times of oil leak, synthetic ester oil’s environmental impact is relatively low, making it suitable for sites where both fire safety and environmental protection are required. Transformers that use eco-friendly insulating oils need different design requirements from conventional products, maki

Apr 16, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan
HD Hyundai Electric builds Korea’s largest eco-friendly transformer
Tech & Science

Naver remains dominant player in Korea's search market

Korea’s web portal Naver is maintaining its dominance in the country’s search market despite the growing public use of artificial intelligence (AI) services. According to market tracker InternetTrend, Naver’s average monthly share in the domestic web search market stood at 63.8 percent in March, followed by Google with 28.7 percent. On Feb. 28 and March 1, Naver’s share briefly exceeded 70 percent, reaching 70.6 percent and 70.4 percent, respectively. Naver’s market share is rising on a yearly basis, reaching 62.9 percent in 2025 from 58.1 percent in 2024. Naver’s high market share came despite doubts over its market dominance amid the growing use of generative AI services, as users increasingly turn to ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI tools for information searches. Industry officials said Naver's market share is attributable to the introduction of AI Briefing, an AI-powered service that generates summarized search answers, as well as the growing demand for cross-checking information on Naver after getting answers from generative AI tools. Naver’s vast pool of locally tailored c

Apr 16, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
Naver remains dominant player in Korea's search market
Business

Regulator seeks to ban 'split listing' from July

The country's financial regulator said Thursday that it will take necessary steps to ban "split listing" by conglomerates here from July at the earliest. Split listing, also referred to as duplicate listing, occurs when a core business division is spun off and listed separately and has long been cited as one of the major reasons behind the so-called Korea Discount, according to the Financial Services Commission (FSC). The regulator noted that the listing practice has long undermined shareholder value, saying it will "in principle" ban the practice. A ban may help improve the market value of certain companies that have already been listed, it argued. FSC Chairman Lee Eog-weon insisted that such a practice should be banned unless it creates "new value" and "equal benefits" for all shareholders. "We will assess how duplicate listing affects shareholders and draw up measures to protect them," he said in a Seoul seminar on duplicate listing. Major battery maker LG Energy Solution's market debut in 2022 had stirred a controversy over the split listing practice. LG Energy Solution was spun off fro

Apr 16, 2026By Yonhap
Regulator seeks to ban 'split listing' from July
Tech & Science

Seoul approves first self-driving freight transport service

Korea has granted its first approval for paid autonomous freight transport, allowing a local self-driving startup, RideFlux, to begin operations, the transport ministry said Thursday. RideFlux will launch parcel delivery services in June using an autonomous truck operating at speeds of up to 90 kph along a 112-kilometer stretch on the Jungbu Expressway, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a press release. The company plans to start operations after signing a commercial freight agreement with its partner, Lotte Global Logistics. A 25-ton Maxen truck manufactured by Tata Daewoo Mobility will be deployed on the route, with services running three times a week on weekdays during off-peak hours. The rollout will follow a phased safety framework. In the initial stage, a test driver will remain in the driver's seat. In the next phase, expected to begin next year, the driver will move to the passenger seat, with fully unmanned operations planned in the final stage. "The approval marks a significant step toward the commercialization of autonomous driving technology in the log

Apr 16, 2026By Yonhap
Seoul approves first self-driving freight transport service
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