As e-commerce rapidly transforms retail across Southeast Asia, Korean brands are using hands-on offline experiences in Vietnam to drive digital sales. Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) hosted its 2026 Korea Festival at Parc Mall in Ho Chi Minh City from Sept. 16-22, bringing 80 Korean companies together for product sales, market testing and cultural experiences. The event featured Korean beauty products, food and household goods, along with tastings linked to KOTRA’s Seoul Food exhibition, live commerce, Chuseok cultural activities and K-pop performances. Among participating companies were 48 domestic firms with limited overseas experience and 10 companies new to exporting, KOTRA said, with local vendors helping them test products and gauge Vietnamese consumers’ responses. KOTRA said it will follow the in-person event with an online promotion on Shopee Vietnam from Oct. 3-5, extending the campaign from mall counters to one of Southeast Asia’s major e-commerce platforms. The online campaign will feature 87 companies, including domestic firms, first-time exporters and co

Unionized workers at Naver Z Corp., the metaverse affiliate of Korea's Naver Corp., staged a walkout on Wednesday, its second collective action this year against the company's decision to freeze wages. Some 70 percent of the union's members, or around 120 people, picketed in front of its parent company's headquarters in Seongnam, south of Seoul, the portal operator's affiliate-wide labor union said. "Across Naver and its affiliates, a rate freeze happened only once in 2009, following the global financial crisis. Even during that time, the company shifted the financial burden onto its employees by increasing the wages of its executives by 71 percent," the union argued during a live broadcast of the walkout. The latest collective action is the second of its kind from Naver Z, after it staged a partial, 4-hour strike early this month. It also marks the second industrial action from Korea's portal service industry after unionized members of Kakao Corp., a messenger app operator, staged multiple walkouts in June.

The Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI) and the French-Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) on Tuesday jointly hosted a forum with Korean Prime Minister Han Seong-sook in Seoul to discuss foreign investment conditions and regulatory challenges in Korea facing European companies. About 200 executives from German, French and other European companies, along with government, diplomatic and economic officials, took part in the event at Banyan Tree Club & Spa Seoul, the KGCCI said Wednesday. It was organized to strengthen direct communication between the Korean government and European businesses. In her keynote speech, Han described Korea, Germany, France and other European Union members as trusted partners built on long-standing ties and shared support for free trade, openness, innovation and a rules-based international order. “The government will do its utmost to cooperate so that investments and business ventures by German and French companies can generate greater results in Korea,” Han said. Han highlighted the 19th Asia-Pacific Conference of German Busine

HS Hyosung Advanced Materials is showcasing carbon fiber products for aerospace, defense and drone applications at CAMX 2026 in the United States, as the company seeks to expand into advanced industries. The three-day Composites and Advanced Materials Expo runs from Tuesday to Thursday (local time) in Atlanta. More than 500 companies are participating, with about 7,000 visitors expected to attend. HS Hyosung Advanced Materials has participated in the annual exhibition since it was launched in 2014. The company is displaying 3K carbon fiber, 3K woven fabrics and composites for drones, as well as high-pressure vessels used in satellites. “CAMX 2026 is an important opportunity to share the latest technologies and market trends with major companies and customers in the global composites industry and explore new business opportunities,” HS Hyosung Advanced Materials CEO Lim Jin-dal said. “Based on our high-performance carbon fiber technologies and stable supply capabilities, we will provide differentiated carbon fiber solutions for advanced industries, including aerospace.” Carbon fibe

"Mala" is enchanting Korean palates across the domestic food industry. The tongue-numbingly spicy seasoning that is a traditional favorite in China's Sichuan province has become a popular ingredient for dishes beyond just Chinese cuisine, spreading to Korean and Western dishes in both the dine-in and takeout scenes. Since its introduction to Korea in the early 2010s, the popularity of mala among Korean consumers began to grow more widespread in 2018, and has been on a consistent rise since. At Google Trends, online searches for “malatang" (mala-based hot pot) this month jumped 350 percent from 2022, while "mala rosé" (mala and creamy tomato sauce) jumped 250 percent during the same period. Korean's frenzy over mala has been evident in the country's dine-in landscape as well. Tanghuo Kungfu, the largest Korean malatang franchise, posted sales of 25.5 billion won ($19 million) last year, nearly tripling from 2022. Chunli Malatang enjoyed a sales increase of 134 percent from 2023, while Lahongbang saw a 32 percent rise from the previous year. This year, McDonald’s Korea, Binggrae, Otok

Citibank Korea has tapped Kim Kyoung-ho, its head of corporate banking, as its next CEO, marking the lender’s first leadership change in six years, the bank said Wednesday. The bank’s executive recommendation committee named Kim as the sole finalist at a meeting, Tuesday. If approved by the board and shareholders, he will succeed Yoo Myung-soon, who has led Citi since 2020 as its first female CEO. Her term expires Oct. 27. The committee described Kim as “a corporate banking expert with extensive experience serving large corporations and financial institutions,” citing his track record, deep knowledge of client relationships and the Korean market, as well as his understanding of risk management and internal controls. Kim joined Citibank Korea in 2001 and has held a series of senior roles in corporate banking, including large corporate banking and financial institutions coverage, before being promoted to an executive vice president in 2021. His appointment comes as Citi continues to reshape its Korean business following its exit from consumer banking. With corporate clients now at

With the terms of 54 top executives at major financial holding companies’ affiliates set to expire at the end of the year, including the CEOs of all five major commercial banks, the government is stepping up pressure on financial groups to make their leadership succession more transparent and address any procedural shortcomings, according to industry officials Wednesday. Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) Gov. Lee Chan-jin made the call at a meeting with the chairmen of eight financial groups — KB, Shinhan, Hana, Woori, NH NongHyup, iM, BNK and JB — at his agency's headquarters in Seoul, Wednesday. CEO appointments at their subsidiaries, Lee said, should be “a transparent and fair process for identifying the right candidates based on their capabilities, without being swayed by particular factions or personal relationships.” Holding companies that still lack what the FSS considers basic safeguards, including clearly defined qualifications for the top job and a minimum period for assessing candidates at each stage, should address those gaps before launching their appointment pr

As Korea confirmed a natural gas-fired combined-cycle power plant in Encinal, Texas, will be the first project under its $200 billion strategic investment commitment to the United States, power purchase agreements (PPAs) with potential power buyers are emerging as a key factor in determining the project’s commercial viability. In a National Assembly briefing on Tuesday, Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said the project will be worth $22.3 billion, with planned generating capacity reaching 6.3 gigawatts. The project will initially build a 1.4-gigawatt gas turbine power plant to assess actual demand and economic viability, before gradually expanding it with 4.9 gigawatts of more efficient combined-cycle generation capacity. The project will be funded entirely by Korea, while ownership will be split equally between Seoul and Washington. Electricity generated from the plant is expected to power artificial intelligence (AI) data centers in the region. In selecting the gas plant as the first project, the government considered “commercial reasonableness,” stipulated as a key condition in

As Korea confirmed a natural gas-fired combined-cycle power plant in Encinal, Texas, will be the first project under its $200 billion strategic investment commitment to the United States, power purchase agreements (PPAs) with potential power buyers are emerging as a key factor in determining the project’s commercial viability. In a National Assembly briefing on Tuesday, Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said the project will be worth $22.3 billion, with planned generating capacity reaching 6.3 gigawatts. The project will initially build a 1.4-gigawatt gas turbine power plant to assess actual demand and economic viability, before gradually expanding it with 4.9 gigawatts of more efficient combined-cycle generation capacity. The project will be funded entirely by Korea, while ownership will be split equally between Seoul and Washington. Electricity generated from the plant is expected to power artificial intelligence (AI) data centers in the region. In selecting the gas plant as the first project, the government considered “commercial reasonableness,” stipulated as a key condition in

Alibaba Cloud, Alibaba Group Holding’s cloud business unit, is set to launch data centres in Turkey, Finland and the Netherlands over the next 12 months, speeding up an overseas push as it seeks to win enterprise customers through its “full stack AI capabilities” spanning chips, cloud infrastructure and multimodal models. The first of these new data centres will open in the Netherlands in October. The cloud unit will also add to existing data centre capacity in Malaysia, Germany, the United Arab...

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Korea’s low-cost carrier (LCC) industry is heading for a major shakeup, as VIG Partners moves to acquire Air Premia, seeking synergies by combining the long-haul-focused carrier with its existing Eastar Jet, which has a stronger presence on short-haul routes. VIG is reportedly in negotiations with AP Holdings and Tire Bank to acquire about 70 percent of Air Premia, with the transaction valued at around 300 billion won ($217 million). The potential deal would mark VIG’s second major move in Korea’s LCC industry since it acquired Eastar Jet in 2023. The latest move would give the private equity firm access to two airlines with distinctly different route strategies: Eastar has focused largely on short- and medium-haul routes, while Air Premia has built its business around long-haul services, including flights particularly to the United States. The combination could therefore offer a way to build scale across a broader network, rather than simply adding another airline to VIG’s portfolio. Eastar Jet and Air Premia generated combined sales of about 1.21 trillion won last year, accordi

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes a standard tool across the legal profession and beyond, clients will ultimately judge law firms not by whether or how much they use the technology, but by the quality of the results they deliver with it, said Yi Joon-ki, managing partner of Bae, Kim & Lee (BKL). “Clients do not really care what tools we use,” Yi said in a recent interview with The Korea Times at his office. “What they want is a compelling and useful analysis — one that addresses their needs. In the end, it is BKL’s judgment, and BKL will be responsible for it. As long as we deliver a reliable answer, that is what matters to them.” The Seoul-based law firm has emerged as one of the most active adopters of generative AI among Korean law firms, rolling out the technology across the organization this year after conducting pilot projects in litigation, legal research, due diligence, document drafting and other legal tasks. Yi said BKL’s broader ambition is not merely to automate routine work, but to redesign legal workflows so that lawyers can deliver deeper analysis, sha

LG Group is expanding its partnerships with Big Tech companies in artificial intelligence (AI) data center infrastructure, with Chairman Koo Kwang-mo’s engagement with leaders of Microsoft and Nvidia leading to collaboration opportunities in areas including cooling systems, batteries and robotics components. LG Electronics said in a LinkedIn post on Tuesday that Koo met Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella at the latter's headquarters in Redmond, Washington, on Monday (local time), and discussed strategic collaboration in AI data center infrastructure, AI transformation and physical AI. In AI data center infrastructure, the two sides will explore business opportunities for LG to supply cooling, power and infrastructure solutions in support of Microsoft’s global data center expansion. In the short term, the two sides will concentrate on supplying LG Electronics’ high-capacity cooling solutions for Microsoft’s AI data center projects at key strategic locations, while expanding their collaboration over the medium to long term to prefabricated data centers. Prefabricated data cen

Korean defense and railway systems manufacturer Hyundai Rotem said Tuesday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Hyundai Motor to bring the automaker's smart factory technology into its aerospace production facility, aiming to improve workplace safety and product quality. Under the agreement, the two Hyundai Motor Group affiliates will work together to introduce automated systems at Hyundai Rotem's aerospace plant. Hyundai Rotem has been developing technology for ducted ramjet and hypersonic engines, as well as methane engines for reusable launch vehicles, through projects with the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and the Korea Research Institute for Defense Technology Planning and Advancement — Korea's state-run defense research bodies. The company plans to apply Hyundai Motor's AI-based smart factory technology to high-risk stages of its aerospace manufacturing process, aiming to create safer working conditions while strengthening quality competitiveness. Hyundai Rotem said a safety incident could disrupt development and production schedules for its advanced aerospac

Korean power equipment and industrial automation solution provider LS Electric said Tuesday it has put two of Boston Dynamics' four-legged Spot robots into regular operation at its Busan plant, using them to monitor production equipment and support quality and safety management as part of a broader smart factory push. The company worked with Hyundai Autoever, a systems integration affiliate of Hyundai Motor Group, for a roughly two-month trial run starting in July before formally deploying the two robots. The Busan plant is LS Electric's main production site for ultrahigh-voltage transformers, a market seeing rising global demand as investment in AI data centers and power grids accelerates. The company said Spot will help build a predictive maintenance system that flags equipment problems before they cause production delays. The robots are being used to monitor vapor phase drying, a core part of transformer manufacturing in which components are dried in a vacuum chamber. Spot's onboard thermal camera checks chamber door seals and detects heat leaks without physical contact, while sensor

TikTok held its first standalone K-beauty pop-up event on TikTok Shop in the United Kingdom, bringing together 19 Korean beauty brands at Protein Studios in London's Shoreditch neighborhood from Sept. 12-13, the company said Tuesday. The two-day event, called "Where Glow Begins," ran alongside an in-app campaign, "K-Beauty Super Brand Week," from Sept. 13-18. TikTok Shop is the platform's built-in e-commerce feature, allowing users to buy products directly through videos and livestreams without leaving the app. The venue featured brand booths, a livestream commerce zone, beauty masterclasses and photo areas, with about 400 creators taking part in product trials, content creation and livestreamed broadcasts over the campaign period. K-beauty has been one of the fastest-growing categories on TikTok Shop UK. The number of active K-beauty sellers on the platform rose 875 percent as of August compared with a year earlier, while K-beauty livestream sessions increased more than 305 percent over the same period. K-beauty product sales grew about 60 percent in the second quarter of this year com

Korean biopharmaceutical company Celltrion said Tuesday it has renewed European Good Manufacturing Practice (EU-GMP) certification for its Songdo campus production facilities, covering a combined 250,000 liters of capacity across drug substance and drug product manufacturing. The certification, issued by the European Medicines Agency, confirms that a facility meets European Union quality standards required to supply pharmaceutical products to the European market. The renewal applies to Celltrion's Plants 1, 2 and 3 at its Songdo campus in Incheon, west of Seoul. The company said it plans to expand total production volume at the campus by about 15 percent this year compared with last year, driven largely by output from Plant 3, which began commercial production in late 2024. Celltrion projects Plant 3 will produce 128 batches this year, up about 142 percent from a year earlier, as the newer facility stabilizes operations. The company is also preparing to bring a new drug product plant online, having received building-use approval from the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority in June. The f

CJ OliveNetworks said Tuesday that its gift card transaction value rose more than 33 percent in the first half of 2026 from a year earlier, setting a record for a six-month period as corporate demand for rewards helped expand its business-to-business sales. The company said annual transaction value rose about 27 percent last year, as gift cards increasingly moved beyond personal gifting into customer rewards, marketing programs and employee benefits. In July, CJ OliveNetworks began supplying CJ Gift Cards and Olive Young gift cards as rewards for LG Uplus home services, covering internet, IPTV and telephone subscriptions and renewals. Customers signing up for or renewing eligible services can receive gift cards worth up to 400,000 won ($291), depending on their service and contract terms. CJ OliveNetworks said the partnership broadens its reach among households and gives LG Uplus customers a wider range of reward options. The company has also expanded where its integrated CJ Gift Card can be used, adding more than 5,700 Emart24 stores nationwide at the start of the year. The card can now b

CJ CheilJedang is taking Korean distilled spirits to New York, unveiling its premium jari brand as it seeks to introduce Korean drinking culture to consumers in one of the world’s most influential food cities. The company is holding a launch event Tuesday (local time) at Moono, a modern Korean restaurant in Manhattan, where it is presenting three jari products alongside a Korean food pairing dinner. The lineup includes jari Munbae Sul 24 and jari Gamuchee 24, which were released in Korea in July, and jari Munbae Sul 41, which is making its U.S. debut. The higher-proof Munbae Sul 41 is designed to offer a deeper expression of the distinctive aroma of munbae, a pear-like fragrance associated with traditional Korean distilled spirits, according to CJ CheilJedang. CJ CheilJedang’s Lifestyle Food Business division executives are among many expected to attend the event with figures from New York’s food, beverage and cultural industries. Bartender Hong Doo-ui, a mixologist with brand ambassador Pine&Co, and chef Kim Ho-young of Moono and Michelin-starred Jua are also taking part, pairing j

HD Construction Equipment is teaming up with France’s Manitou Group to expand its reach in compact construction equipment, signing a mutual sales partnership Monday (local time) at Manitou Group’s headquarters in Ancenis, France, with HD Construction Equipment President Moon Jae-young and Manitou Group President and CEO Sylvain Blaise attending. Under the agreement, HD Construction Equipment will source compact equipment from Manitou Group and sell it globally under its Hyundai and Develon brands. Manitou Group will add HD Construction Equipment’s compact equipment to its portfolio and market the products under its Manitou and Gehl brands. Manitou Group supplies construction, agricultural and industrial equipment, including telehandlers, forklifts, skid steer loaders and aerial work platforms, through operations spanning 140 countries. For HD Construction Equipment, the agreement is intended to broaden its compact equipment lineup while increasing production scale and improving product quality and price competitiveness. The company has set a goal of generating 1.3 trillion won ($884

Samsung Electronics is turning a German kitchen industry hub into a year-round showcase for its built-in appliances as it seeks to deepen partnerships and expand its presence in Europe. The company opened a roughly 480-square-meter permanent showroom on the first floor of Kitchen Center Löhne in Löhne, Germany, during Küchenmeile, a major business-to-business event for the European kitchen industry. Küchenmeile runs through Friday, drawing more than 300 brands and 25,000 industry visitors, Samsung said. The company has participated in the event since 2013, using it to introduce built-in appliances and connect with kitchen furniture companies and other industry partners. The new showroom is designed as a venue for product demonstrations, business consultations and training, giving industry visitors year-round access to Samsung’s built-in appliances and connected kitchen technologies. Its displays include Bespoke artificial intelligence(AI)-powered refrigerators, a Bespoke AI dishwasher, an induction cooktop with an integrated extractor and a Bespoke AI oven equipped with AI Pro Cooki

Korea’s internet-only banks and regional lenders are expanding their co-lending partnerships beyond consumer credit into corporate lending, as they each look for new ways to grow their businesses, industry officials said Monday. KakaoBank and Busan Bank are preparing to launch a joint lending program for small and medium-sized businesses and sole proprietors, following a memorandum of understanding signed in April. The arrangement will combine KakaoBank’s nationwide digital platform with Busan Bank’s experience in assessing and managing business loans in its regional market. Until now, most co-lending partnerships between the two parties have focused on consumer credit. Toss Bank and Kwangju Bank introduced the industry’s first joint loan in 2024, followed by similar offerings from Kbank and Busan Bank, and from KakaoBank and Jeonbuk Bank in 2025. All three programs targeted salaried workers. Their expansion into business lending marks the next step. The incentives for both sides are clear. For internet-only banks, which have relied heavily on household lending, working with regio

Able C&C’s beauty brand MISSHA promoted its products and expanded consumer outreach in Europe during Milano Beauty Week, underscoring the region’s growing importance to the Korean cosmetics company’s overseas business. MISSHA participated in the event, held in Milan from Wednesday to Sunday (local time), through a partnership with Italian fashion and beauty retailer OVS. The company showcased its BB creams, glow primer line and PDRN-NAD+ skincare products, positioning the range around convergence of skincare and makeup. According to Able C&C, samples prepared for visitors were exhausted early in the event and consumers showed a strong interest in product formulations and performance. Milano Beauty Week, hosted by Cosmetica Italia, an Italian association of personal care solution companies and organized by OVS, brought together beauty brands, industry professionals and consumers at venues across the city. Last year’s event drew about 275,000 participants. For Milan Fashion Week, the brand is also operating a dedicated booth and hosting beauty classes at OVS’s Shakaland Beauty H

Kwon Young-min, the newly appointed CEO of Doosan Robotics, faces the crucial task of turning the company’s artificial intelligence (AI)-driven robotics strategy into a profitable and sustainable growth engine. The robotics arm of Doosan Group recently appointed Kwon, who has extensive experience in strategy and global operations, as its new top executive. Kwon joined the group’s strategy and planning division in 2000, and served as chief strategy officer of Doosan Bobcat from 2018 to 2020 and has led Doosan Mottrol, a Doosan Bobcat subsidiary, since 2021, before taking on the new role. His appointment comes as Doosan Robotics attempts to reposition itself from a manufacturer of collaborative robots into a provider of intelligent robot solutions combining hardware, software and AI. The company has already laid out a strategy to integrate AI into its robotic arms and software, allowing customers to automate tasks with less programming while optimizing work routes and sequences. The robotics firm has also been developing applications for manufacturing and logistics. Doosan Robotics has

Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn has urged Hanwha Systems, the group’s IT solutions arm, to strengthen its defense artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities as the conglomerate seeks to use AI-based command-and-control systems to connect its land, sea, air and space defense systems. Kim visited Hanwha Systems’ Gumi plant in North Gyeongsang Province on Tuesday to review its production and testing capabilities for advanced defense equipment and emphasize the need to secure “unparalleled defense AI capabilities” and uphold a “safety-first” culture. At the site, he inspected the assembly and testing of the multifunction radar for the Cheongung-II medium-range surface-to-air missile (M-SAM) system. The radar detects and tracks aircraft and missiles, identifies targets and guides interceptor missiles. It has been exported to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. “The Gumi facility has grown into a key export hub for Hanwha’s defense business as it expands into global markets, as well as a center for technological innovation,” the chairman said. “What you mak

Game developer NC’s overseas revenue is expected to account for a larger share of its total sales in the coming months, as the company expands its intellectual properties (IPs) to target global audiences across North America, Europe and Asia. According to NC’s earnings report, overseas revenue accounted for 52 percent of its total sales in the second quarter of 2026, surpassing the halfway mark and increasing for the fourth consecutive quarter. The increased global share came as NC expanded overseas services for its core IPs and continued to generate results from its global-oriented titles. As its revenue structure shifts from a domestic focus toward greater overseas presence, the company is also increasingly orienting its development strategy toward global markets. In Japan, NC is seeking to diversify its genre portfolio with Astraea Oratio, a subculture-themed role-playing game (RPG) title. Japan has a strong consumer base for subculture content spanning animation and fan-created works. According to research firm Oshikatsu Soken, Japan’s subculture game market was valued at 3.5 t

The antitrust watchdog said Tuesday it has received an application from Uber Technologies Inc. regarding its plan to acquire a stake in Germany-based Delivery Hero SE, the parent company of Woowa Brothers Corp., which operates Korea's leading food delivery app. The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said the U.S.-based Uber Technologies has submitted the application for a review regarding its plan to acquire a full stake in Delivery Heros. Woowa Brothers operates the delivery platform, Baedal Minjok, or Baemin.

Hyundai Motor Group has opened its robot training and testing facility for Boston Dynamics’ Atlas humanoid robot as part of efforts to bring the group’s physical artificial intelligence (AI) vision into its global production operations. The carmaker said Tuesday the Robotics Metaplant Application Center (RMAC) has started operations at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) in the state of Georgia in the United States. The facility will serve as a major testbed where Atlas is trained in an environment designed to replicate actual automotive production sites before the robots are deployed on factory floors. Atlas is being trained to perform a range of manufacturing-related tasks, including preparing materials for logistics operations and sorting automotive parts according to their assembly sequence. The training is intended to help the humanoid robot handle increasingly sophisticated work in real-world production environments. The facility is expected to play a key role in Hyundai Motor Group’s plan to deploy about 25,000 Atlas robots across its Hyundai Motor and Kia producti