Korean drug firms step up race to take on Wegovy, Mounjaro

Korean pharmaceutical companies are rushing to develop their own alternatives to blockbuster weight-loss drugs like Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro, accelerating efforts to enter the booming obesity treatment market with competitively priced medications, improved tolerability and innovative delivery methods. Hanmi Pharmaceutical appears to be leading the race so far, as it has been carrying out Phase 3 clinical trials of Efpeglenatide, a glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1, drug tha

Aug. 4, 2025

Korea’s anti-obesity drug race in 2 minutes

A lot of people are trying to lose weight for a healthier life, a better appearance or self-satisfaction — but losing weight is not all that easy. For those struggling to cut fat, anti-obesity medications are practically magical. With the global weight-loss drug market expected to reach $150 billion in 2035, Korean pharmaceutical companies are rushing to come up with their own anti-obesity medications. Here’s how far they have come so far.

Aug. 4, 2025

Korea sails into US shipbuilding with $150b MASGA push

Korean shipbuilders are looking to make the most of cooperation with the US, as the Korean government on Thursday pledged a $150 billion fund to support shipbuilding investments in the US. Korea’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yoon-cheol touted the Make American Shipbuilding Great Again, or MASGA, project as making the biggest difference in the tariff deal struck this week with the Trump administration. “We expect our shipbuilders, which have world-class ship desi

July 31, 2025

Behind Korea’s tariff deal: Chaebol diplomacy at work

As South Korea and the United States reached an agreement on tariffs on Wednesday, attention is turning to the behind-the-scenes role of Korea’s top business tycoons, who acted as de facto special envoys in the critical final days of negotiations. Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun, and Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan all made high-profile visits to the US this week, lending their corporate firepower to support Seoul’s diplomatic

July 31, 2025

[팟캐스트] (710) 한국 체류 외국인, 역대 최고치 273만 명 기록

진행자: 간형우, Devin Whiting S. Korea's foreign population reaches all-time high of 2.73 million 기사 요약: 국내 체류 외국인 수가 역대 최대치를 기록한 가운데, 그중 3명 중 1명은 중국인인 것으로 나타났다. [1] South Korea’s foreign population has reached an all-time high of more than 2.73 million, data showed Sunday. reach: 도달하다 all-time high: 역대 최고 [2] Of the total, some 1.55 million were long-term foreign residents staying 90 days or more, who registered personal information such as name, date of birth and purpose of stay with local immigrati

July 31, 2025

SK Innovation reshuffles core units to rescue ailing battery business

SK Innovation announced on Wednesday that it has decided to merge two of its subsidiaries -- SK On and SK Enmove -- as the Korean energy firm looks to keep its ailing electrification business afloat amid mounting losses. According to the announcement, battery producer SK On will acquire SK Enmove, a lubricant maker, with the aim of launching a new entity on Nov. 1. SK Innovation pointed out that SK On’s battery business for electric vehicles and energy storage systems, together with SK Enmove’s

July 30, 2025

Hyundai Motor chief heads to US to back up Korea’s tariff negotiations

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun is flying to the United States to support the Korean government’s tariff negotiations with Washington, according to government sources Wednesday. Chung met with US President Donald Trump as the Korean auto giant announced a $21 billion investment in the US at the White House in March, including a new steel mill in Louisiana and the expansion of local production at its new Georgia manufacturing factory, Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America. Chung

July 30, 2025

GSK appoints industry veteran as head of Korean office

GSK Korea said Wednesday that Gunnar Riediger will begin his term as its new general manager starting Friday, bringing with him over 20 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. According to GSK Korea, the incoming leader joined GSK in 2004 through its global talent project, Future Leaders Program. Since then, Riediger has led health care businesses across Latin America, serving in key roles at GSK Brazil, including vaccines business unit head and the biotech business unit head, as

July 30, 2025

Korean game firms bet on MMORPGs to turn earnings tide

Major Korean game developers such as NCSoft, Netmarble and Kakao Games are doubling down on upcoming MMORPG releases for the second half of this year, seeking improved earnings in the success of the new games. NCSoft plans to launch Aion 2, a follow-up version of Aion released in 2008, in the fourth quarter of this year. The company said Tuesday that the new massively multiplayer online role-playing game will expand the original Aion universe with a renewed focus on its combat system and content

July 29, 2025

Korea pitches multibillion-dollar shipbuilding plan to US: reports

Korea has proposed a multibillion-dollar project reportedly named Make American Shipbuilding Great Again, or MASGA, to the United States as Seoul makes an all-out effort to cut a better tariff deal with Washington ahead of the US-set deadline for tariff talks on Thursday, according to media reports on Monday. Citing multiple unnamed sources, the reports said Kim Jung-kwan, Korea’s minister of trade, industry and energy, presented the MASGA project and Korea’s vision for shipbuilding cooperation

July 28, 2025