SEOUL, April 1 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s publicly listed startup firms are increasingly embracing dividend payouts, signaling a strategic shift from a growth-at-all-costs mindset to one more attuned to shareholder value and corporate transparency. Traditionally, young companies have reinvested profits to fund expansion, often overlooking dividends. But amid a rising chorus of retail investor demands [...]
SEOUL, March 31 (Korea Bizwire) — The government of South Korea faces mounting pressure from the United States to commit to purchasing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Alaska, a move that could carry significant economic and geopolitical consequences for Seoul. But despite a visit by Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy last week and growing American expectations, South [...]
SEOUL, March 31 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s quick commerce (or “Q-commerce”) market—defined by delivery times under an hour—is rapidly expanding as major players including Emart, Naver, and Daiso aggressively enter the fray, intensifying competition in the nation’s retail and e-commerce sectors. Emart, the country’s largest hypermarket chain, has quietly rejoined the Q-commerce arena after [...]
SEOUL, March 31 (Korea Bizwire) — A wave of closures and voluntary retirements has swept across South Korea’s movie theater industry over the past year, as the sector continues to grapple with a prolonged slump in attendance since the COVID-19 pandemic. Once-thriving multiplexes now face a stark new reality—one marked by falling ticket prices, rising [...]
SEOUL, March 31 (Korea Bizwire) — LG Electronics has officially entered the AI-powered smart home era with the release of its new AI home hub device, ThinQ On, designed to seamlessly connect and control home appliances and IoT devices through natural, conversational interaction. According to industry sources, LG began supplying ThinQ On this month to business-to-business [...]
SEOUL, March 31 (Korea Bizwire) — As smartphone makers from Samsung and Apple to Xiaomi roll out their latest flagship models, one feature takes center stage: increasingly sophisticated cameras that edge closer to rivaling professional-grade DSLRs. Xiaomi’s recently released Xiaomi 15 Ultra has sparked particular buzz in tech circles this month, following its debut at [...]
SEOUL, March 31 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean pharmaceutical and biotech companies that surpassed 1 trillion won in annual revenue showed stark differences in operating efficiency, with employee productivity varying by as much as 19 times among industry leaders. According to industry data released March 30, nine companies joined the “trillion-won club” in 2024: Samsung Biologics, [...]
SEOUL, March 31 (Korea Bizwire) — Major South Korean airlines are significantly expanding their routes to China and Japan during the summer schedule period from March 30 to October 25, capitalizing on expected high demand for travel to destinations less impacted by inflation and currency fluctuations. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Korean carriers [...]
SEOUL, March 31 (Korea Bizwire) — The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has enacted a new ordinance prohibiting animal dissections at elementary, middle, and high schools across the city, marking a significant shift in science education practices. The amendment to the “Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education’s Ordinance on Animal Abuse Prevention Education and Support,” announced on March [...]
SEOUL, March 31 (Korea Bizwire) — Carbon dioxide emissions from forest fires in South Korea have nearly doubled compared to last year’s total, raising concerns about a potential feedback loop where climate change and wildfires accelerate each other’s impacts. According to Our World in Data, South Korean forest fires released 2,345,182 tons of carbon dioxide through March [...]