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    Surging SK shares complicate owner's property division suit

    The high-stakes property division suit between SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and his former wife Roh Soh-yeong are heading into a critical juncture, as a dramatic surge in SK Inc.'s stock price has introduced fresh legal complications over how marital assets should be valued and divided. The Seoul High Court is scheduled to hold a second mediation session on Monday in the retrial of the property division case, which was remanded by the Supreme Court last year. Both sides are widely expected to appear in person — their first face-to-face courtroom encounter in roughly two years and two months since the final appellate hearing in April 2024. At the heart of the dispute is the stock value of SK Inc., the holding company of SK Group. When the appellate court closed arguments in April 2024, shares were traded at around 160,000 won ($105). They have since surged to approximately 600,000 won, driven by mounting expectations surrounding the expansion of the group's artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem and the strong rally of its cash-cow chipmaker, SK hynix. The timing question is now lega

    2 MIN READBy Lee Min-hyung
    Surging SK shares complicate owner's property division suit
  • Companies

    Airlines on high alert over strengthening dollar, prolonged oil price hike

    2 MIN READBy Lee Min-hyung
    Airlines on high alert over strengthening dollar, prolonged oil price hike
  • 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

POSCO Holdings completes lithium brine acquisition in Argentina

POSCO Holdings' Argentine subsidiary has completed the acquisition of full ownership of the Hombre Muerto North brine project from Canada’s Lithium South Development for $65 million, the company said Thursday. The deal was finalized five months after the Korean steelmaker’s holding company announced its investment plan last November. With the acquisition of the brine estimated to contain 1.58 million tons of lithium, POSCO Holdings now controls a total of 15 million tons of lithium brine resources in Argentina. The reserves are large enough to produce at least 3 million tons of lithium and supply batteries for about 70 million electric vehicles. The company operates a lithium plant in Argentina with an annual capacity of 25,000 tons and plans to complete construction of another facility with the same capacity during the second half of this year. “We plan to further strengthen our responsiveness to the global market and bolster our supply chain competitiveness,” POSCO Holdings President Lee Ju-tae said. Argentine Economy Minister Luis Caputo vowed to support the Korean firm’s lit

Apr 9, 2026By Park Jae-hyuk
POSCO Holdings completes lithium brine acquisition in Argentina
Companies

LG Innotek seals labor-management pact on workplace safety

LG Innotek said Thursday it held a joint labor-management ceremony in Seoul the previous day to pledge cooperation in creating a safer and healthier workplace. About 10 officials attended the event, including CEO Moon Hyuk-soo and union leader Lee Joong-il. Through a joint declaration, labor and management pledged to strengthen open communication and mutual trust to jointly develop optimal solutions for workplace safety. They also promised to establish a care system that supports work-life balance and fosters a healthy corporate culture in which employees can fully demonstrate their capabilities based on physical and psychological stability. The company plans to launch a dedicated joint task force within this month to implement the agreement. The body will identify and promote practical initiatives that employees can experience directly at work, including the launch of a new joint safety and health brand and the introduction of new in-house safety and wellness programs. LG Innotek also said it will expand social contribution activities focused on safety and health for local communities a

Apr 9, 2026By Nam Hyun-woo
LG Innotek seals labor-management pact on workplace safety
Companies

Samsung family completes inheritance tax payments with Hong Ra-hee share sale

Hong Ra-hee, the widow of late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee, has sold a stake in Samsung Electronics worth nearly 3.1 trillion won ($2.1 billion) to complete the payment of inheritance taxes on assets left by the late tycoon, industry sources said Thursday. Hong, honorary director of the Leeum Museum of Art and mother of Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, sold 15 million shares in Samsung Electronics in a block deal before the market opened earlier in the day, according to the sources. Her shares were sold at 205,237 won per share, reducing Hong's stake to 1.24 percent from 1.49 percent. The sale marks the end of the family's effort to pay inheritance taxes, totaling about 12 trillion won, in installments over a five-year period that began in April 2021. Along with Hong, Lee Jae-yong and his two sisters — Lee Boo-jin, chief executive of Hotel Shilla, and Lee Seo-hyun, president of Samsung C&T — have financed the tax burden through share sales in group affiliates and other funding measures since 2021. The late chairman left assets estimated at around 26 trillion won, incl

Apr 9, 2026By Yonhap
Samsung family completes inheritance tax payments with Hong Ra-hee share sale
Banking & Finance

Asset managers race to roll out space-themed ETFs ahead of SpaceX IPO

Korean asset managers are rushing to roll out U.S. aerospace-themed exchange-traded funds (ETFs) ahead of the widely anticipated initial public offering (IPO) of Elon Musk's SpaceX in June, industry officials said Wednesday. Shinhan Asset Management said it plans to launch SOL U.S. Space and Aerospace TOP 10 ETF later this month, which will invest exclusively in American companies closely tied to the space industry. An ETF is a basket of securities, such as stocks or bonds, that tracks a specific index. "Investor interest in the U.S. space and aerospace sector has grown on the back of developments such as SpaceX’s listing plans and recent progress in NASA’s Artemis program mission. The ETF will focus on commercial space companies, excluding defense firms," a Shinhan official said. Mirae Asset Global Investments is also preparing to launch a U.S. space technology-themed ETF this month, focusing on listed companies in the sector, while Korea Investment Management is planning a similar product. Unlike most ETFs that passively track an index, Korea Investment Management's fund is expected

Apr 9, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
Asset managers race to roll out space-themed ETFs ahead of SpaceX IPO
Business

Airbnb pairs with Samsung to put booking tools on Galaxy devices

Airbnb is bringing its platform closer to travelers, from the moment they pick up their phones, partnering with Samsung Electronics to embed direct access on Galaxy devices, the company said Wednesday. Airbnb said its service has been added to the quick access feature of Samsung Internet, the default browser on Galaxy smartphones, allowing users to reach the platform with a single tap. The quick access menu is designed to display frequently visited or useful websites on the browser’s main screen, enabling faster navigation. Airbnb said the integration is expected to significantly improve accessibility for users planning trips, allowing them to browse and book from millions of listings and experiences worldwide directly from the browser homepage. The feature is available on Galaxy devices in 49 markets, including Korea. In its first month, the shortcut generated an average of tens of thousands of clicks per day, reflecting strong global user engagement. Airbnb Korea said the collaboration focuses on improving accessibility from the earliest stages of travel planning. “In Korea, where th

Apr 8, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Airbnb pairs with Samsung to put booking tools on Galaxy devices
Companies

PHOTO Bhc's new fried chicken

Soy Garlic King Honey, left, and Soy Garlic King Original are displayed at a Bhc location in Seoul, Tuesday, as the fried chicken franchise under Dining Brands Group unveils its first new menu items of the year. The new items follow past hits, including Bburinkle in 2014, and Kwasak King and Matcho King in 2025. The brand now operates 2,230 stores in Korea, posting 513 billion won ($348 million) in sales in 2024, and has expanded to nine countries, including the United States and Canada. Courtesy of Dining Brands Group

Apr 8, 2026By Ko Dong-hwanphoto
[PHOTO] Bhc's new fried chicken
Business

Hankook Tire extends Doosan Bears sponsorship

Hankook Tire is deepening its investment in baseball, extending its sponsorship of the Doosan Bears for the 11th consecutive year as it seeks to strengthen its premium brand image among Korean consumers, the company said Wednesday. Hankook Tire & Technology said its automotive service brand T’Station will serve as the main sponsor of the Doosan Bears for the 2026 season, continuing a partnership that began in 2016. The company said the long-running sponsorship has helped expand engagement with professional baseball fans, supporting efforts to elevate the global Hankook Tire brand. T’Station was elevated to main sponsor status last year and will continue in that role this season, with its logo appearing on players’ uniforms and official team apparel. The brand will also be prominently displayed throughout Jamsil Baseball Stadium, including on the scoreboard, outfield gates, upper walls, dugouts and tickets, offering repeated exposure to spectators. Hankook Tire said it plans to expand fan engagement programs during home games, including “T’Station Brand Day” events. This year,

Apr 8, 2026By Lee Kyung-min
Hankook Tire extends Doosan Bears sponsorship
Companies

Petrochemical, shipping firms relieved at prospect of Strait of Hormuz reopening

The agreement among the United States, Israel and Iran for a two-week ceasefire, conditional on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, prompted cautious optimism Wednesday in Korea's petrochemical and shipping industries, which have suffered fallout from the war in the Middle East. Despite lingering uncertainty over the peace talks, expectations are growing that vessels stranded near the Persian Gulf may resume shipments of crude and naphtha, a liquid extracted from crude and used to produce raw materials for petrochemical products such as plastic bags, food packaging and cosmetic containers. "We see the ceasefire agreement itself as a positive signal," an official at one of Korea's major petrochemical firms said on condition of anonymity. With Korea relying on the Middle East for 45 percent of its naphtha supply, domestic petrochemical firms have reduced or suspended production since the war broke out, suffering a decline in revenue. The cutbacks have fueled concerns over shortages of petrochemical products across industries. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, a combin

Apr 8, 2026By Park Jae-hyuk
Petrochemical, shipping firms relieved at prospect of Strait of Hormuz reopening
Companies

S-Oil donates $323,000 to support Korean firefighters

S-Oil donated 475 million won ($323,000) to support firefighters and their families at a ceremony held Wednesday at the refiner’s headquarters in Seoul. The company made the donation jointly with the National Fire Agency and the Korea National Council on Social Welfare as part of its “Firefighting Heroes Guardian” program. The donation will be used this year to fund the medical expenses for firefighters injured on duty, scholarships for children of fallen firefighters and prize money for the program’s awards. At the same event, S-Oil presented its “119 Master Savers of the Year” awards to 40 paramedics recognized for helping prevent lasting injury through emergency first aid. The company launched “Firefighting Heroes Guardian” program in 2006. Since then, the refiner said it has provided roughly 11.2 billion won to support about 3,904 firefighters and their families through initiatives including annual awards, condolence payments to bereaved families of fallen firefighters, scholarships for their children, medical cost coverage for injured firefighters and recreational re

Apr 8, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
S-Oil donates $323,000 to support Korean firefighters
Companies

Korea’s in-flight battery rules set global standard

Korea’s new regulations for in-flight smartphone battery chargers have become the international standard, after the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) adopted the Korean government’s latest guidelines. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Wednesday that the new regulation imposes two limits on passengers. First, no one is allowed to carry three or more portable chargers, also known as power banks, in the plane cabin. Second, each charger’s capacity must not exceed 160 watt-hours or 43,000 milliampere-hours. Previously, there was no limitation by global authorities on the number of power banks an individual passenger could carry on a flight. The Korean government previously introduced a ban limiting the number to five or fewer. Charging power banks inside while on a flight is also prohibited under the new regulations. Using a power bank to charge smartphones once aboard is also prohibited. The regulations adopted by the ICAO take effect on April 20. The ministry proposed the strengthened regulation to ICAO, which approved it as an official guideline f

Apr 8, 2026By Ko Dong-hwan
Korea’s in-flight battery rules set global standard
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