Journalist

Lee Hyo jung
  • Hanmi Pharmaceutical Faces Renewed Governance Fight Ahead of Shareholder Meeting
    Hanmi Pharmaceutical Faces Renewed Governance Fight Ahead of Shareholder Meeting A governance dispute at Hanmi Pharmaceutical has reignited after cracks emerged in a “four-party alliance” formed in the name of stabilizing control of the group. The market is watching the company’s regular shareholders meeting expected later this month as a potential turning point for Hanmi’s governance, with a likely vote battle over whether CEO Park Jae-hyun will be reappointed and how the board will be reshaped. According to the industry on the 7th, the Hanmi Pharmaceutical Group ended a family management-control dispute that had continued from 2024 after Chairwoman Song Young-sook, Hanmi Pharmaceutical Group Vice Chairwoman Lim Ju-hyun, Hanyang Precision Chairman Shin Dong-kuk and private equity firm La Defense Partners joined forces to form the four-party alliance. Centered on Hanmi Science (41.42% stake), the alliance secured a majority of voting rights at Hanmi Pharmaceutical and launched a professional management system. Hanmi Pharmaceutical posted strong results last year, with revenue of 1.5475 trillion won and operating profit of 257.7 billion won, appearing to move into a more stable phase. Tensions surfaced late last year as Shin pressed what the article described as management interference. Shin increased his stake in Hanmi Science to as much as 30% and opposed Park’s reappointment, calling Hanmi Pharmaceutical “a corrupt organization.” Song, however, publicly backed Park, saying, “Major shareholders should not directly intervene in management and should only present a sound direction.” With the alliance’s shareholder agreement on joint voting effectively neutralized, the lines of confrontation have sharpened ahead of the meeting. Attention is focused on the Hanmi Pharmaceutical shareholders meeting expected this month, where Park’s reappointment and a board overhaul are key agenda items. Shin has continued buying shares, raising his overall stake to 29.83%. Song’s side has secured 25.58% of voting rights, including shares held by the Im Seong-gi Foundation. The National Pension Service (6.64% stake) and retail shareholders, who account for about 30%, are also expected to be pivotal. At the center of the dispute is whether to keep the professional management system. Song has stressed governance stability, saying, “Founder Chairman Im Seong-gi also trusted professional managers,” while Shin has countered by pointing to “insufficient internal controls.” If Park wins reappointment, the current board is expected to remain and the professional management system would likely be reinforced. If the proposal fails, directors aligned with Shin could enter the boardroom, and the dispute could drag on. An industry official warned that despite pipeline progress in areas such as obesity and diabetes, management uncertainty could weigh on the stock price and hinder technology transfers, adding that governance risk could hurt global partnerships. The official said the meeting will be watched as either a turning point for Hanmi’s future or the start of a “third round” of the dispute.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-07 06:04:21
  • Celltrion Vice Chairman Kim Hyeong-gi to Step Down; Inside Director Nominee Changed
    Celltrion Vice Chairman Kim Hyeong-gi to Step Down; Inside Director Nominee Changed Kim Hyeong-gi, vice chairman and head of Celltrion’s global sales business who is known as a close aide to Chairman Seo Jung-jin, is stepping away from day-to-day management. Celltrion said on March 6, in a revised regulatory filing on its notice convening a shareholders meeting, that it changed its nominee for inside director ahead of its regular shareholders meeting scheduled for March 24. The company replaced Kim with Shin Min-cheol, head of the management division and a company president. A key agenda item for the meeting had been proposals to reappoint co-CEOs Ki Woo-sung and Kim as inside directors, with their terms set to expire at the end of March. After Kim indicated his intention to retire, the company plans to seek shareholder approval to appoint Shin as an inside director in his place. Kim is known as a core associate of Seo, with ties dating back to their time at Daewoo Motor. Shin, who is set to fill Kim’s role, oversees the management division after serving as head of the financial management headquarters and the management headquarters, and is expected to be appointed an inside director pending shareholder approval. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-06 20:57:00
  • Celltrion, Yuhan, Dongkook Pharma and Kolon TissueGene Report New Study, Awards and Deals
    Celltrion, Yuhan, Dongkook Pharma and Kolon TissueGene Report New Study, Awards and Deals Celltrion: 52-week Stekima results show long-term treatment competitiveness Celltrion said Thursday that 52-week results from a global Phase 3 trial of its autoimmune disease treatment Stekima (ustekinumab) were published in the international dermatology journal Dermatologic Therapy. The study analyzed 52-week long-term data from a global Phase 3 trial involving 509 patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. It assessed Stekima versus the originator drug across efficacy, safety, immunogenicity and pharmacokinetics. Patients were initially assigned to Stekima or the originator. From week 16, those on the originator were randomized either to continue the originator or to switch to Stekima and were followed through week 52. Results showed similar efficacy between the Stekima and originator groups. Among patients who switched from the originator to Stekima, efficacy remained stable compared with those who stayed on the originator. Safety findings were also comparable, with no meaningful differences in adverse events across groups. Yuhan named a 2025 top disclosure company Yuhan Corp. said Thursday it was selected as an “excellent disclosure company” on the Korea Exchange’s main board at the 2025 securities market disclosure awards ceremony held Wednesday at the exchange’s Seoul office in Yeouido. The designation is awarded to listed companies based on the accuracy, timeliness and completeness of disclosures, as well as efforts to communicate with investors. Yuhan said it was recognized for strengthening trust in capital markets through faithful and transparent disclosures and for providing useful information to investors in a timely manner. The company said it has continued to manage disclosure quality and strengthen internal processes to improve reliability while maintaining communication with investors, efforts it said contributed to greater market transparency. Dongkook Pharmaceutical signs Korea distribution rights deal for Inhilo Plus skin booster Dongkook Pharmaceutical said Thursday it signed a distribution rights agreement to expand domestic distribution of Inhilo Plus, a dual hyaluronic acid (HA)-based skin booster. Inhilo is an injectable HA-based product approved as a Class 4 medical device categorized as a biomaterial for tissue repair. It is designed to provide immediate hydration through HA while stimulating fibroblasts to improve the skin’s structural environment via the extracellular matrix, the company said. Dongkook said Inhilo’s dual-HA design combines low- and high-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid in one syringe (2 mL), which it said can support skin improvement effects. Through the Korea rights agreement with BS Pharm Korea, Dongkook said it plans to secure a stable distribution network for Inhilo and strengthen its position in the domestic aesthetic medical market. Kolon TissueGene presents knee osteoarthritis therapy at U.S. orthopedics meeting Kolon TissueGene said Thursday that co-CEOs Jeon Seung-ho and Noh Moon-jong attended the 2026 American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons meeting, held March 2-6 local time in New Orleans, Louisiana. The company described AAOS as the world’s largest orthopedics conference, drawing about 16,000 specialists and global biotech industry participants to share the latest research. Kolon TissueGene said it presented existing clinical data and research progress for TG-C, which it is developing to treat knee osteoarthritis. The company said TG-C could offer an alternative for patients whose current options focus on pain relief or for whom total knee arthroplasty is the only fundamental treatment. It also said it held discussions with potential partners on TG-C commercialization, including talks with medical affairs staff and advisory groups at global pharmaceutical companies on the therapy’s medical value and commercialization strategy. 2026-03-06 16:21:00
  • Celltrion Expands Treasury Share Cancellation to 9.11 Million Shares Worth 1.93 Trillion Won
    Celltrion Expands Treasury Share Cancellation to 9.11 Million Shares Worth 1.93 Trillion Won Celltrion said it will expand its planned cancellation of treasury shares to about 9.11 million shares and filed a disclosure on the 6th revising the agenda for its regular shareholders meeting. Based on the previous day’s closing price, the amount totals about 1.9268 trillion won. In the agenda previously disclosed for its 35th regular shareholders meeting, Celltrion had proposed canceling about 6.11 million shares under an item titled approval of a plan to hold and dispose of treasury shares and to cancel them, excluding shares held to compensate stock options. The excluded treasury shares totaled about 3 million shares and were to be kept to deliver stock options already granted to some employees. In the latest filing, Celltrion said it will also cancel those stock option-related shares, bringing the total to about 9.11 million shares, and will submit the revised item for approval. The company said, “Employee stock option compensation will be managed through future issuance of new shares, but because the cancellation will occur first and the new issuance afterward, there is no impact on the total number of issued shares.” The planned cancellation equals about 74% of all treasury shares held by Celltrion. The remaining 26%, or about 3.23 million shares, will be used to secure future growth drivers, the company said.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-06 08:57:00
  • Hanmi Pharmaceutical Group Chair Song Young-sook Apologizes Over Sexual Misconduct Controversy
    Hanmi Pharmaceutical Group Chair Song Young-sook Apologizes Over Sexual Misconduct Controversy Song Young-sook, chair of Hanmi Pharmaceutical Group, issued a formal apology over a recently raised sexual misconduct controversy and reiterated the company’s commitment to an independent, board-led governance structure under a professional management system. In a statement released on the 5th, Song said that as a family member of the company’s founder and one of its major shareholders, she feels a heavy responsibility for failing to prevent the situation. She apologized “sincerely” to the person harmed by the sexual misconduct case and to employees who she said would have felt deep disappointment. “Anyone, regardless of position, who engaged in inappropriate conduct must offer an apology and show a responsible attitude,” she said, adding that only “genuine remorse and reflection” can open a path back to unity. Song also referred to the ongoing in-house placard protests by some employees. She said watching staff continue the daily demonstrations made her feel devastated, as it suggested her pledge to be a reliable support for their lives had not been fully kept. She used the episode to restate Hanmi’s governance principles. “Hanmi is not a company that any one individual can run with full authority,” she said. She described the “advanced professional management system” promised to customers and shareholders as a principle designed to respect professional managers’ roles and authority and to ensure independent management centered on the board. Song added that major shareholders should support sound direction rather than intervene directly in management, calling it a management philosophy emphasized by the late Chairman Lim Seong-gi and the path Hanmi should pursue. On preventing a recurrence, she urged professional managers across group affiliates to overhaul systems and internal controls to make them fairer and more transparent. Song said the group’s driving force is the unity of its employees, rooted in Lim’s spirit of “respect for humanity.” As group chair, she said, she will hold the line so the company can regain trust.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-05 16:30:00
  • Cha Biotech Names Vice Chairman Cha Won-tae as CEO
    Cha Biotech Names Vice Chairman Cha Won-tae as CEO Cha Biotech said its board met on Tuesday and appointed Cha Won-tae, vice chairman of the CHA Hospital and Cha Bio Group and chief sustainability officer at Cha Biotech, as CEO. Cha is the eldest son of Cha Kwang-ryul, global research institute director at CHA Hospital and Cha Bio Group and the group’s founder, and the grandson of the late Cha Kyung-seop, honorary chairman of CHA University and CHA Hospital, the company said. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biological anatomy from Duke University, a master of public health from Yale University, an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a doctorate in health science from Yonsei University. He previously served as chief operating officer of CHA Health Systems, which runs Hollywood CHA Hospital in Los Angeles, and as chief strategy officer at Hollywood CHA Hospital, and later was president of CHA University. In September last year, he was named vice chairman of the CHA Hospital and Cha Bio Group and CSO at Cha Biotech. In January, he was appointed an inside director as part of efforts to strengthen accountable management and raise corporate value.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-04 17:10:19
  • Samsungs Lee Jae-yong heads to Winter Olympics for global business meetings
    Samsung's Lee Jae-yong heads to Winter Olympics for global business meetings SEOUL, February 05 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong has traveled to Italy to attend the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, where he is expected to combine Olympic engagements with meetings aimed at strengthening global business ties. Lee departed for Milan on Thursday, marking his first visit to an Olympic Games since attending the Paris Summer Olympics in 2024. Lee is expected to attend the opening ceremony and hold meetings with political and business leaders on the sidelines of the Games. He is also likely to explore cooperation opportunities with partners connected to Samsung’s European operations, including mobile devices, automotive electronics and semiconductors. Samsung Electronics has been an Olympic sponsor since serving as a local partner for the 1988 Seoul Summer Games. The company signed a global TOP (The Olympic Partner) sponsorship agreement with the International Olympic Committee in 1997 and has extended the partnership through 2028. Lee’s trip continues a recent pattern of using major international events for business diplomacy. In 2024, he visited the Paris Olympics — his first Olympic appearance in 12 years — where he held meetings with global industry leaders, including former ASML chief executive Peter Wennink, and attended a business leaders’ luncheon hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace. Samsung said it will work with the IOC and Olympic Broadcasting Services to film parts of the opening ceremony using its Galaxy S25 Ultra smartphone and broadcast the footage live to global audiences. * This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP. 2026-02-05 13:47:58
  • SK hynix posts record 2025 profit, topping Samsung Electronics for first time
    SK hynix posts record 2025 profit, topping Samsung Electronics for first time Riding a boom in AI semiconductors, SK hynix posted record annual revenue and operating profit last year, and its operating profit topped Samsung Electronics’ annual operating profit for the first time. SK hynix said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday that it posted 97.1467 trillion won ($97,146.7 billion) in revenue and 47.2063 trillion won ($47,206.3 billion) in operating profit. Net profit was 42.9479 trillion won ($42,947.9 billion). Revenue rose 46.7% from a year earlier and operating profit jumped 101.1%. The results surpassed the company’s previous record set in 2024. Revenue increased by more than 30 trillion won, and operating profit roughly doubled, setting a new annual high. SK hynix’s operating profit also exceeded Samsung Electronics’ companywide operating profit of 43.53 trillion won ($43,530.0 billion) over the same period. SK hynix’s operating margin was 49%. Momentum was especially strong in the fourth quarter, as demand rose not only for high-bandwidth memory, or HBM, but also for general-purpose server memory. SK hynix said it posted record quarterly figures, with revenue up 34% from the previous quarter to 32.8267 trillion won ($32,826.7 billion) and operating profit up 68% to 19.1696 trillion won ($19,169.6 billion). The operating margin was 58%. The company said the AI market is shifting from training to inference, expanding demand for distributed architectures and increasing the importance of memory. It expects demand to keep growing across memory products, including high-performance memory such as HBM, as well as server DRAM and NAND. SK hynix said it is the only company in the industry able to supply both HBM3E and HBM4 stably, and it will strengthen its technology lead along with verified quality and mass-production capabilities. It said HBM4, for which it built a mass-production system in September, is now being produced to meet customer-requested volumes. The company also said it is preparing to supply optimized products in custom HBM, which it described as an emerging next-generation competitive factor. Backed by its record results, SK hynix said it will carry out shareholder returns totaling 2.1 trillion won ($2,100.0 billion). It decided on an additional dividend of 1,500 won ($1.50) per share, totaling 1 trillion won ($1,000.0 billion). Including existing quarterly dividends, it set the year-end dividend at 1,875 won ($1.88) per share. Total dividends for 2025 will be 3,000 won ($3.00) per share, for an overall payout of about 2.1 trillion won ($2,100.0 billion). The company also said it will cancel all of its treasury shares totaling about 15.3 million shares, equivalent to a 2.1% stake, to boost shareholder value. Based on the previous day’s closing price, the shares are worth about 12.2 trillion won ($12,200.0 billion). Song Hyun-jong, president of SK hynix, said the company will pursue sustainable earnings growth based on differentiated technology while maintaining an optimal balance among future investment, financial stability and shareholder returns. He said SK hynix will strengthen its role as a core infrastructure partner in the AI era by helping customers meet AI performance requirements, beyond simply supplying products. 2026-01-28 17:12:00
  • SK hynix to Return 2.1 Trillion Won to Shareholders Through Dividends
    SK hynix to Return 2.1 Trillion Won to Shareholders Through Dividends SK hynix said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday that it will carry out a large-scale shareholder return program totaling 2.1 trillion won, citing financial capacity secured through record results. The company decided on an additional dividend of 1 trillion won, or 1,500 won per share. Including its existing quarterly dividend, it set the year-end dividend at 1,875 won per share. Total dividends for 2025 will be 3,000 won per share, bringing the overall payout to about 2.1 trillion won. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-01-28 16:51:00
  • SK hynix to cancel 12.24 trillion won in treasury shares to boost shareholder value
    SK hynix to cancel 12.24 trillion won in treasury shares to boost shareholder value SK hynix said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday that it has decided to cancel 12.24 trillion won ($12.24 trillion) worth of its own shares. The company will cancel 15.3 million common shares on Feb. 9. The par value is 5,000 won per share. SK hynix said the cancellation will be carried out under the proviso to Article 343(1) of the Commercial Act, using treasury shares previously acquired within the limit of distributable profits and canceled by a board resolution. It said the total number of shares outstanding will fall, but paid-in capital will not. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-01-28 16:42:26