Czech PM's envoy to visit Korea to discuss cooperation over nuclear reactor deal

SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) - A special envoy from the Czech Republic is scheduled to visit Korea next week to discuss economic cooperation, signaling potential progress in negotiations for a nuclear power plant contract worth about 24 trillion won ($18 billion), industry sources said Wednesday. The envoy, representing Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, will be in Korea from Sept. 3 to 6. The Czech government is reportedly keen to discuss comprehensive industrial cooperation that Korea has

August 28, 2024

Samsung SDI, GM sign deal for U.S. battery joint venture

SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) - Samsung SDI, a Korean battery maker, and General Motors have signed a formal agreement to establish a joint venture for electric vehicle battery production in the U.S., the companies announced Wednesday. The venture will invest about $3.5 billion to build a battery cell manufacturing plant in New Carlisle, Indiana, with an initial annual production capacity of 27 gigawatt-hours. The plant is targeting mass production in 2027 and is expected to create ove

August 28, 2024

Shareholders approve merger between SK Innovation, SK E&S

SEOUL, August 27 (AJP) - Shareholders of SK Innovation and SK E&S on Tuesday approved a plan to merge the two SK Group units, creating Asia's largest energy company by November. SK Innovation, the group’s energy holding company, announced that 85.76 percent of attending shareholders voted in favor of the merger at an extraordinary general meeting. SK E&S, a highly profitable and unlisted affiliate, also held a shareholders' meeting and approved the proposal.

August 27, 2024

Westinghouse appeals against Czechia's selection of Korea Hydro & Nuclear for reactor construction

SEOUL, August 27 (AJU PRESS) - U.S. firm Westinghouse Electric Co. has filed an appeal with the Czech government against its selection of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) as the preferred bidder to build new nuclear reactors, accusing the Korean firm of using its proprietary technology without permission. In July, the Czech government announced that KHNP had been chosen over French electric utility firm Électricité de France (EDF) for the project to construct at

August 27, 2024

U.S. to reassess environmental permit for Hyundai's Georgia EV plant: report

SEOUL, August 27 (AJU PRESS) - The U.S. federal agency Army Corps of Engineers has agreed to reevaluate the environmental permit for Hyundai Motor's 10 trillion won ($7.6 billion) electric vehicle (EV) plant in Georgia, following concerns raised by environmental activists, AP News reported on Monday. The decision comes after the Army Corps initially deemed the plant's water usage impact as "negligible." The reassessment was prompted by a proposal from Georgia envi

August 27, 2024

Probe finds two Samsung workers exposed to high levels of radiation

SEOUL, August 26 (AJU PRESS) – Two Samsung Electronics employees were exposed to radiation levels up to 188 times the annual safety limit during an incident at the company's plant in May, the nuclear safety authorities said Monday. The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) unveiled the interim results of its investigation into the incident during a session of the parliamentary science and technology committee. The incident occurred on May 27 at Samsung's Gih

August 26, 2024

HD Hydrogen acquires Finnish fuel cell tech firm Convion

SEOUL, August 26 (AJU PRESS) - HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co. (HD KSOE) said Monday its subsidiary, HD Hydrogen, has acquired Finnish fuel cell specialist Convion Oy for about 72 million euros ($80 million). Helsinki-based Convion, established in 2012, is a leading provider of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC) technologies, which are considered crucial for hydrogen energy production and utilization. HD KSOE said the acqu

August 26, 2024

Korea to require EV makers to disclose battery suppliers

SEOUL, August 26 (AJU PRESS) – The Korean government will require all electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers and importers to disclose their battery suppliers, and introduce an EV battery certification system in October, earlier than scheduled. The measures were announced following Sunday's meeting among high-level officials from the presidential office, relevant government branches and the ruling People Power Party (PPP) to address growing safety concerns after a fire involv

August 26, 2024

Samsung enhances AI appliances with advanced voice control

SEOUL, August 26 (AJU PRESS) - Samsung Electronics has upgraded its artificial intelligence voice assistant Bixby for its Bespoke AI appliances, enabling more intuitive voice commands. The new system can understand multi-intent instructions, maintain context across conversations and provide detailed product information through voice queries, the company said Monday. With the appliances comprehending and executing multiple tasks simultaneously, users can now issue complex commands li

August 26, 2024

GI Innovation partners with MSD for clinical trials combining immunotherapy agents

SEOUL, August 26 (AJU PRESS) - Korea's pharmaceutical company GI Innovation announced Monday it has entered into a Clinical Trial Collaboration and Supply Agreement (CTCSA) with American multinational pharmaceutical firm Merck & Co. Under the agreement, the two companies will evaluate the efficacy of combining GI Innovation's immunotherapy agent GI-102 with MSD's immunotherapy drug Keytruda in clinical trials involving patients with resistant liver cancer, melanoma,

August 26, 2024