WhatsApp brings parental controls for teens and pre-teens to Singapore

Hardwarezone SG - Oct 2, 2026

WhatsApp’s new parental controls are designed to give parents more oversight while keeping teens’ personal messages private.

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Shinhan Bank hit by data breach affecting 25,000 customers

Oct 1, 2026

Shinhan Bank hit by data breach affecting 25,000 customers

Shinhan Bank apologized Thursday after personal information belonging to about 25,000 customers was leaked in a data breach, as financial regulators launched an urgent inspection into the incident. According to the bank, the leaked information includes customers' names, phone numbers, annual income and loan eligibility limits, as well as other personal and credit information submitted for loan applications. The data also included 66 cases involving resident registration numbers and 97 cases involving connected information. The breach occurred as an unauthorized external party gained access to some of its services through an abnormal method that bypassed authentication. Shinhan Bank CEO Jung Sang-hyuk apologized and said the bank will take full responsibility for any losses. "We take full responsibility for the fact that an information breach occurred at a financial institution entrusted with protecting our customers' valuable assets and information," Jung said in a statement. "I sincerely apologize for causing concern and inconvenience to our customers. We will devote all resources to addr

Paris Croissant taps former Samsung VP to drive global expansion

Oct 1, 2026

Paris Croissant taps former Samsung VP to drive global expansion

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

Bibigo expands gimbap distribution across major US supermarkets

Oct 1, 2026

Bibigo expands gimbap distribution across major US supermarkets

Bibigo, the flagship consumer food brand of CJ CheilJedang, is expanding distribution of its frozen gimbap (seaweed rice roll) across major U.S. supermarkets, capitalizing on surging demand for convenient Korean meals. CJ CheilJedang said Thursday that sales of Bibigo gimbap in the United States rose 59 percent during the January-July period from a year earlier, as its retail footprint more than doubled. The frozen gimbap became available at Kroger in December 2024 and has since expanded to 10 mainstream retail chains, including Albertsons, Food Lion, Cub and Meijer. The number of stores selling Bibigo gimbap has reached 4,734, up 145 percent from 1,924 stores last year, according to CJ CheilJedang. The company said it sees room for gimbap to follow the path of dumplings, which moved from an unfamiliar food into everyday American dining. Gimbap’s portability could also work in its favor, as U.S. consumers are accustomed to foods such as sandwiches and burritos that can be eaten without utensils. CJ CheilJedang said Bibigo gimbap contains 12 grams of plant-based protein, positioning it as

North American tourists drive spending surge at GS25 convenience stores

Oct 1, 2026

North American tourists drive spending surge at GS25 convenience stores

North American shoppers are becoming a major revenue driver for GS25, a leading Korean convenience store chain, with foreign spending at its outlets more than doubling this year and expanding beyond traditional tourist districts in Seoul. GS Retail, which operates GS25, said Thursday that sales to North American customers rose 130.9 percent from a year earlier during the January-August period, the fastest growth among international customer groups. North American customers accounted for about 30 percent of GS25’s foreign customer sales, their largest share on record, while customers from Greater China accounted for about 40 percent. The gap between the two groups narrowed to roughly 10 percentage points, according to GS Retail’s analysis of its customer data. North American shoppers showed a preference for canned beer, wine and spirits, as well as sports drinks, energy drinks and other beverages, with canned beer sales particularly strong. Customers from Greater China showed stronger demand for dairy products and convenience foods, including milk, fermented milk products, noodles and

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

Renault Korea's sales drop 24.7% in September on weak demand

Oct 1, 2026

Renault Korea's sales drop 24.7% in September on weak demand

Renault Korea Motors, the Korean unit of France's Renault S.A., said Thursday its sales fell 24.7 percent in September from a year earlier amid weak demand at home. The automaker sold 6,556 vehicles last month, down from 8,710 units a year earlier, the company said in a release. Domestic sales dropped 45.2 percent on-year to 2,289 units last month, while exports backtracked 5.8 percent to 4,267 units.

Korean designer helps build LEGO's first Dragon Ball set

Oct 1, 2026

Korean designer helps build LEGO's first Dragon Ball set

LEGO Group has unveiled its first Dragon Ball set, created with the participation of a Korean designer at the Danish toymaker. The 1,764-piece LEGO Icons Dragon Ball Shenron & Goku set, developed in partnership with Japanese animation studio Toei Animation, will go on sale Nov. 4, the company said. Icons is LEGO's product line aimed at adult builders. Dragon Ball, created by the late Japanese manga artist Akira Toriyama, follows a boy named Goku on adventures to collect seven magical orbs known as Dragon Balls. Gathering all seven summons Shenron, a dragon that grants a wish. First published in 1984, the manga was adapted into an anime series by Toei that drew a worldwide following. The set recreates the scene in which Shenron rises from the seven Dragon Balls, with a young Goku riding his magic cloud, the Flying Nimbus. Seven bricks at the base represent the Dragon Balls, and the Goku minifigure can be detached and repositioned. A display stand and a plaque bearing the Dragon Ball logo are included. Lee Jae-won, a Korean designer who works at LEGO's headquarters in Billund, Denmark, too

Hyundai Motor's Sept. sales drop 16% on fewer working days

Oct 1, 2026

Hyundai Motor's Sept. sales drop 16% on fewer working days

Hyundai Motor, Korea's biggest carmaker, said Thursday its sales fell 16 percent in September from a year earlier, as there were fewer working days due to the Chuseok holiday. Hyundai sold 307,998 vehicles last month, down from 366,731 units in 2025, the company said in a press release. Domestic sales plunged 25.7 percent to 49,022 units from 66,001 a year earlier, while overseas sales declined 13.9 percent to 258,976 units from 300,730. "Fewer working days due to Chuseok and delayed demand for new models affected the monthly numbers," the carmaker said. Hyundai plans to launch the all-new Tucson sport utility vehicle (SUV) in the domestic market as it expands its SUV lineup. From January to September, cumulative sales backtracked 7 percent to 2,886,763 vehicles from 3,105,346 a year earlier. Domestic sales dropped 16.3 percent to 448,181 units in the first nine months from 535,458 a year earlier, while overseas sales declined 5.1 percent to 2,438,582 units from 2,569,888.

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