The largest of three labor unions at Seoul Metro threatened Tuesday to launch a general strike on Nov. 25 unless its demands, including additional staff recruitment and wage increases, are met. Union 1 of Seoul Metro, which operates subway Lines 1-8 and parts of Line 9, issued the warning at a news conference following a meeting of senior union members. The union initially sought a 5.2 percent wage increase but lowered its demand to 3.5 percent in negotiations with management. It also calls for scrapping a plan to cut 2,212 jobs and hiring an additional 1,313 workers this year to address staff shortages. Other demands include state funding for public services and a requirement that all field work be performed by two-person teams. The union said 7,782, or 84.6 percent, of its 9,201 members recently participated in a vote, with 6,715, or 86.3 percent of those who voted, backing the strike plan. Unions 2 and 3 also approved the strike plan, with 80.8 percent and 94.9 percent of their respective members voting in favor. Union 1 said it and Union 2 plan to launch a "work-to-rule" campaign on N

F&F on Tuesday reported its third-quarter net income of 65.9 billion won ($49.3 million), down 34.6 percent from a year earlier. Operating income for the July-September period was 108.4 billion won, down 15.3 percent from a year ago, the fashion and beauty retailer said in a regulatory filing. Sales also backtracked 4.7 percent to 452.1 billion won. The earnings fell behind market expectations. The average estimate of net profit by analysts stood at 96.7 billion won, according to a survey by Yonhap Infomax, the financial data firm of Yonhap News Agency.

LG Energy Solution has won a CES 2027 Innovation Award for software that can assess the condition and remaining performance of used batteries, marking the second consecutive year the company has been recognized for a software-based solution. The company said Tuesday that its Re.Pulse solution, which assesses the health and remaining performance of used batteries, was named an honoree in the awards' Vehicle Tech and Advanced Mobility category. The system sends specific electrical pulses through a battery, measures changes in voltage and analyzes the data using its proprietary AI model to quickly assess the battery's condition. The company said the assessment will allow operators to determine whether a used battery is best suited for reuse, remanufacturing or recycling, helping get the most value out of each battery. "This CES Innovation Award recognizes the strength of our battery diagnostic technology and software capabilities," a company official said. "We will continue to advance our diagnostic and management technologies to unlock greater value from used batteries and help build a sus

Samsung SDI has won CES 2027 Innovation Award for its prismatic battery solution for uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems. The battery maker said Tuesday that its SDI U8A3-UPS was named an honoree in the awards’ Enterprise Tech category. A UPS is a battery-based backup system that supplies emergency power to critical facilities, including data centers, when the main power supply is unexpectedly interrupted. "This award recognizes the innovation of a critical power solution for the artificial intelligence era," a company official said. "We will continue to lead the market with products that combine the performance and safety our customers demand." The company explained that its solution stands out for its high-power output, high energy density and fire safety. Using lithium manganese oxide prismatic cells, the battery offers high power output and energy density while taking up 33 percent less space than existing products. This allows operators to maintain a stable power supply with fewer battery units. The system is also designed to provide additional power when electricity demand s

Kolmar Korea's artificial intelligence (AI)-powered lipstick system, ChromaFlow, won the Best of Innovation award in the beauty technology category for CES 2027, marking the first case of consecutive wins in the category, the company said Tuesday. ChromaFlow also received an Innovation Award in the AI category, while its LumiJet Pro skin care device won another award in that category, bringing Kolmar Korea’s total honors at CES 2027 to three across two products. The company said the recognition follows its award for the Scar Beauty Device, an AI-based wound care and makeup coverage device, at CES 2026. It plans to exhibit both award-winning products at the Venetian Expo in Las Vegas during CES 2027, scheduled for Jan. 6 to 9. ChromaFlow is designed to reproduce a lip color while accounting for differences in users’ lip tones, which can affect how the same lipstick shade appears on different people. When held against the lips, an optical sensor analyzes their condition. The system then calculates a customized formula and combines material from seven color cartridges to produce a lip p

The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has launched a formal review of Naver Financial’s planned acquisition of Dunamu, saying the deal could substantially restrict competition across multiple markets, including online payments and digital asset exchanges, the watchdog said Tuesday. The deal involves a comprehensive stock swap under which Naver Financial would acquire all shares of Dunamu. In return, Dunamu shareholders would receive about 2.54 shares of Naver Financial for each Dunamu share. Dunamu is the operator of the nation’s leading crypto exchange Upbit. If completed, Naver Financial would become Dunamu’s sole parent company, while Dunamu would become its wholly owned subsidiary. The proposed acquisition raises competition concerns in several relevant markets. The companies submitted proposed remedies to ease such concerns, and the FTC initiated a review of the measures proposed by the two firms. Naver Financial seeks to bring one of Korea’s largest digital asset exchanges into its financial portfolio. The watchdog is expected to hold a hearing on the case soon. Final approval, re

Dongwon Industries on Tuesday reported a third-quarter net profit of 62.7 billion won ($46.9 million), down 38.3 percent from a year earlier. Operating income for the July-September period was 149.7 billion won, up 1.1 percent from a year ago, the fisheries and food distribution company said in a regulatory filing. Revenue also rose 6.6 percent to 2.75 trillion won.

Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang has admitted to having an extramarital affair as the chipmaker investigates reported allegations that a Chinese businesswoman close to him may have been working for Beijing’s intelligence services. Beijing has rejected the espionage claims as “baseless”, while Nvidia has said it had no reason to believe company secrets or US national security were compromised. The controversy wiped about US$190 billion off the chipmaker’s market value in a single day. US...

Shubao, the youngest giant panda at Everland, has drawn about 50,000 visitors in roughly 10 days since she first went on public view, the theme park’s operator said Tuesday. Samsung C&T’s resort division, which runs Everland in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, said the cub began appearing at the park’s Panda World enclosure on Oct. 30. She was on view for about an hour a day in her first week. Everland has since raised that to three to four hours as she gets used to visitors. Shubao was born June 3 to mother Aibao and father Lebao. She is the fourth giant panda born in Korea, after Fubao in 2020 and twins Ruibao and Huibao in 2023. Fubao moved to China in April 2024. Crowds are also coming to see the twins before they leave for China in the third week of December. Under international conservation rules, giant pandas born outside China must move there before they turn 4, when they reach breeding age. About 100,000 people have visited the twins at their enclosure in the month or so since Everland announced their departure. The twins will start a month of quarantine on Friday, but will stay

The event is set to take place in June 2027, with tickets coming out at the end of November 2026.