Paris Croissant taps former Samsung VP to drive global expansion

The Korea Times - Oct 1, 2026

Paris Croissant, the parent company of global bakery giant Paris Baguette, has nominated Kang Shin-bong, a former Samsung Electronics vice president, as its next chief executive, turning to leadership with experience spanning consumer businesses, digital platforms and global operations as it seeks to reshape its business and find new sources of growth. Kang, who most recently led Samsung Electronics’ Direct-to-Consumer Center, is expected to be formally appointed after approval by the company’s board. His career includes stints at Boston Consulting Group, eBay, Delivery Hero Korea and Samsung Electronics, giving him experience in strategy, e-commerce, platform businesses and international operations. At eBay, Kang oversaw cross-border trading in the Asia-Pacific region and helped expand its international e-commerce business. He later served as chief executive of Delivery Hero Korea, which operated food-delivery platform Yogiyo, where he focused on organizational and operational changes while pursuing business growth and management innovation. At Samsung Electronics, Kang led the globa

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LG CNS partners with General Atlantic to invest in enterprise tech firms

Oct 1, 2026

LG CNS partners with General Atlantic to invest in enterprise tech firms

LG CNS has partnered with U.S. investment firm General Atlantic to co-invest in global enterprise technology firms, the IT services unit of Korea's LG Group said Thursday. Enterprise technology refers to business software and artificial intelligence (AI) that support core operations in industries such as manufacturing, finance, logistics and energy. The two sides signed the agreement Sept. 24 at General Atlantic's headquarters in New York. LG CNS President and CEO Hyun Shin-Gyoon and Martin Escobari, General Atlantic's co-president and head of global growth equity, attended the signing ceremony. Under the deal, the two companies will look for and consider investing in enterprise software and AI companies. LG CNS said the size and terms of each investment will be disclosed once a target company is confirmed. General Atlantic manages $130 billion in assets as of June 30. It has more than 900 employees in 20 countries and over 45 years of experience investing in technology companies. LG CNS plans to use the partnership to diversify beyond its information technology services and AI transforma

Finda names fintech veteran Ahn Joong-hyun as its 1st CPO

Oct 1, 2026

Finda names fintech veteran Ahn Joong-hyun as its 1st CPO

Finda is stepping up its efforts to innovate its artificial intelligence (AI) and data-driven financial products with the appointment of its first-ever chief product officer (CPO). The fintech company said Thursday that it has appointed Ahn Joong-hyun, former vice president of NEXUS, to the newly created position. Ahn is a fintech veteran with 20 years of experience across the financial and IT sectors, including e-commerce, internet-only banking, financial platforms and blockchain. His experience spans financial service planning, platform development, business model creation and service operations. In particular, he was involved in the launch of several of Korea's major fintech services, including Naver Pay, Toss Bank and Karrot Pay, helping bring new financial products to market. The new CPO was part of the launch team for Naver Pay, where he helped develop its payment services and fraud detection system. At Toss Bank, he designed core financial products and systems, including account opening, fraud detection, anti-money laundering and authentication. He later led Karrot Pay, helping dri

LG Electronics to invest $110 mil. for chiller facilities in US, Korea

Oct 1, 2026

LG Electronics to invest $110 mil. for chiller facilities in US, Korea

LG Electronics will invest 150 billion won ($110 million) to set up a new U.S. chiller factory and expand production lines in Korea to meet rising demand for artificial intelligence (AI) data center cooling systems, the company said Thursday. The plant will be established in Windsor, Virginia, and is scheduled to begin production in the first half of 2027. It will have 32,000 square meters of floor space on a 170,000-square-meter site and manufacture air-cooled chillers primarily for AI data centers. LG Electronics will also add air-cooled chiller production lines and upgrade equipment at its factories in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, and Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, by the end of this year. A single-conveyor system spanning all manufacturing stages will improve productivity and enable multiple lines to operate simultaneously. North America hosts more than half of the world's AI data centers. According to market tracker Omdia, global data center power requirements are forecast to rise from 226 gigawatts this year to 420 gigawatts in 2030, with 60 percent concentrated in North A

Yongin national chip cluster construction begins this month amid compensation, fast-track risks

Oct 1, 2026

Yongin national chip cluster construction begins this month amid compensation, fast-track risks

YONGIN, Gyeonggi Province — Korea’s ambitious plan to expand domestic semiconductor production capacity and strengthen its position in the global chip supply chain will take another step forward this month, as construction is set to begin on the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster National Industrial Complex in Gyeonggi Province this month. The initiative, however, is not free from possible delays, including compensation for residents and businesses already at the site and pressure to meet fast-track construction deadlines ordered by President Lee Jae Myung, who is determined to capitalize on soaring artificial intelligence (AI)-driven memory demand before it cools. Two semiconductor clusters are currently planned in Yongin’s Cheoin District. One is the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster General Industrial Complex, where SK hynix is already building its memory chip fabs, and the other is the Yongin System Semiconductor Cluster National Industrial Complex, which is set to break ground this month and will house Samsung Electronics’ foundry and memory fabs. The Korea Land & Housing Corp. (LH),

Doosan Enerbility-led consortium wins $618 mil. plant deal in Vietnam

Oct 1, 2026

Doosan Enerbility-led consortium wins $618 mil. plant deal in Vietnam

A consortium led by Korean plant builder Doosan Enerbility has secured an 840 billion-won ($618 million) deal to build a gas-fired power plant in Vietnam by 2030, the company said Thursday. The consortium, formed by Doosan Enerbility and Vietnam's energy service company PetroVietnam Technical Service Corp. (PTSC), will build the O Mon 3 gas-fired combined-cycle power plant for PTSC's parent company, Petrovietnam (PVN), at a site about 180 kilometers southwest of Ho Chi Minh City, the company said in a press release. The latest engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract comes after Doosan Enerbility won a 900 billion-won deal in June last year, in a consortium with a local company, to build another gas-fired combined-cycle power plant at the same site for PVN by 2028. "We will focus on winning further deals from PVN, as the Vietnamese company plans to build gas-fired power plants in the central and northern parts of the country, in addition to the O Mon 3 and 4 projects," a company representative said. Doosan Enerbility has secured five gas-fired power plant deals, including

Huawei steps up Tau chip roll-out, with Mate XT 2 on track for 1 million sales

Oct 1, 2026

Huawei steps up Tau chip roll-out, with Mate XT 2 on track for 1 million sales

Huawei Technologies is making rapid progress in rolling out a new breed of advanced chip based on its self-developed Tau Scaling Law, with the Chinese company set to adopt the processors across the newly released Mate 90 smartphone series. The roll-out marks another step forward in the Chinese tech giant’s push to overcome stringent US export curbs, which has seen Huawei rewire its smartphone business to run on home-grown technology. Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, Huawei consumer...

Audi’s fire-breathing 630hp RS5 is now available in Singapore

Oct 1, 2026

Audi’s fire-breathing 630hp RS5 is now available in Singapore

The new RS5 is the first Audi RS car to feature a hybrid powertrain.

Could Apple be unveiling its rumoured smart home hub in October?

Oct 1, 2026

Could Apple be unveiling its rumoured smart home hub in October?

Word on the street is that Apple could announce its new smart home hub on 13 October.

I owe an AI panic sceptic a beer. But she was only half right

Sep 30, 2026

I owe an AI panic sceptic a beer. But she was only half right

Three weeks ago, I said we should heed AI’s doom warnings. With a valuation for OpenAI of $US1.4 trillion, investors aren’t concerned one bit.

Planned cut to bank hours sparks debate among customers

Sep 30, 2026

Planned cut to bank hours sparks debate among customers

A planned 30-minute reduction in bank branch hours is drawing mixed reactions from customers, with many worrying that shorter service hours could make it harder to get in-person banking services. Under a tentative labor-management agreement reached Monday, bank branches will open at 9:30 a.m. starting April next year, instead of the current 9 a.m., while closing hours will remain unchanged at 4 p.m. Some customers said the shorter hours could worsen already long waits as banks continue to reduce the number of branches and staff. "Even when I go in the morning, there are already long lines, and there are fewer employees available during lunch breaks. I don't understand why they are shortening the hours. If anything, they should keep the branches open until later," said Park, an office worker in Seoul. Some online users suggested that if banks are going to shorten their operating hours, they should instead open later and close later, saying longer evening hours would make it easier for office workers to visit branches after work. The issue is particularly relevant for customers looking for

Starlink Wi-Fi raises cost dilemma for LCCs

Sep 30, 2026

Starlink Wi-Fi raises cost dilemma for LCCs

Korea’s low-cost carriers (LCCs) are caught in a dilemma over rising demand for Starlink in-flight Wi-Fi, as the service carries hefty installation and operating costs for most budget airlines. Korean Air started introducing the service for the first time among local carriers in mid-September, initially focusing on long-haul routes. The flag carrier is expected to face few difficulties in expanding the service across its fleet stably due to the airline’s stronger financial resources than LCCs. Korean Air plans to expand its free Wi-Fi service to most of its fleet by the end of 2027 following its integration with Asiana Airlines. The service will also be introduced to its LCC affiliates. Jin Air plans to begin installing Starlink on its Boeing 737-8 aircraft, while Air Busan and Air Seoul are reviewing suitable aircraft for the system. The three LCCs will be merged into converged Jin Air following the integration of Korean Air and Asiana Airlines. However, other LCCs controlled by smaller parent firms than Korean Air are widely expected to face a tougher cost challenge when introducin

AMD chief to visit Korea next month: sources

Sep 30, 2026

AMD chief to visit Korea next month: sources

Lisa Su, chief executive officer of Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD), is expected to visit Korea next month to meet with Korean semiconductor companies and government officials, industry sources said Wednesday. The visit would come about seven months after her previous trip to Korea in March. According to government and semiconductor industry sources, a meeting attended by Su is being considered for Oct. 8 in Seoul. The meeting is expected to include the CEOs of major Korean artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor companies, including Rebellions Inc., FuriosaAI and Mobilint. Su is also expected to meet with Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon around the time of the meeting, the sources said. During her visit, Su is also coordinating meetings with heads of major Korean companies, including Samsung Electronics Co. When she visited in March, the AMD chief met with Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong. Samsung Electronics has supplied HBM3E chips to AMD for its latest AI solutions since 2025, with the two companies maintaining a close business relationship.

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