AMCHAM Korea

[News Article] Hyundai Motor Group ranks No. 2 in US EV sales

Hyundai Motor Group ranks No. 2 in US EV salesBy Byun Hye-jin, The Korea Herald - Hyundai Motor Group became the second-largest car brand in terms of sales in the US electric vehicles market in the first quarter of this year, data showed Monday. Following Tesla’s 336,892 units, Hyundai and its smaller affiliate, Kia, sold 38,457 units in the first half of this year, up by 11 percent compared to 2022, according to auto market tracker Motor Intelligence, cited by CNBC. Hyundai-Kia outpaced General Motors, which was second in EV sales during the January - June period last year. The number of electric cars and trucks sold by the US automaker more than tripled to 36,322 units. Volkswagen and Ford Motor Company came in at fourth and fifth place after selling 26,538 units and 25,709 units, respectively. Industry insiders say Hyundai has taken advantage of the loophole in the US’ Inflation Reduction Act by collecting EV consumer tax credits of up to $7,500 on their leased cars. The law is meant to offer a tax credit for purchases of EVs assembled in North America and that consist of critical materials extracted or processed from the US or in a country that has a free trade agreement with the US, or are recycled in North America. But following several automakers’ requests -- including Hyundai’s -- the US Treasury issued its approval for the tax credit to extend to leased cars in the IRA guidance in December 2022. Hyundai has ramped up its EV leasing from around 2 percent early this year to more than 30 percent, according to Hyundai Motor America CEO Randy Parker. The data, however, showed the sales gap between the No. 1 EV maker, Tesla, and Hyundai recorded 298,435 units, which has widened to more than double the gap between last year's No. 1, Tesla, and No 2., GM. “Hyundai’s EV plant in Georgia, the US, will start operations as early as next year. We believe more Hyundai cars will be eligible for IRA incentives, closing the sales gap with Tesla,” said an official from Hyundai Motor Group. In a move to accelerate EV production in the US, the carmaker is setting up two joint battery manufacturing plants each with LG Energy Solution and SK On. The combined annual production capacity is projected at 65-gigawatt-hours, enough to supply approximately 600,000 units of electric cars. Source: http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20230710000622&np=1&mp=1

2023.07.12

[News Article] POSCO Holdings completes construction of secondary battery recycling plant

POSCO Holdings completes construction of secondary battery recycling plant By Kim Hyun-bin, The Korea Times - POSCO Holdings completed the construction of its secondary battery recycling plant POSCO HY Clean Metal. The plant was made in collaboration with China Huayu Cobalt and GS Energy, according to the company, Sunday. POSCO HY Clean Metal, which saw its construction completed on Friday, is capable of processing 12,000 tons of so-called black powder annually and recovering 2,500 tons of nickel, 800 tons of cobalt and 2,500 tons of lithium carbonate. Black powder refers to powder containing valuable metals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese, which are raw materials for secondary battery materials, obtained by crushing and selectively collecting waste batteries. POSCO Holdings established the Poland Legnica Sourcing Center (PLSC) in Poland in August last year to crush secondary battery scrap and waste batteries to produce black powder. This black powder is supplied to the POSCO HY Clean Metal recycling plant in Yulchon Industrial Complex, South Jeolla Province, where the extraction of raw materials for secondary battery materials takes place. HY Clean Metal possesses process technologies that maximize the recovery rate of raw materials for secondary battery materials. The company also plans to convert by-products such as copper and sodium sulfate, which is generated during the process into products, thereby minimizing waste generation. The products produced by HY Clean Metal will be supplied to the POSCO Future M cathode material plant, located within the Yulchon Industrial Complex, enhancing the raw material sourcing competitiveness of POSCO Group's secondary battery materials business. Through the completion of this secondary battery recycling plant, POSCO Holdings expects to establish an environmentally friendly resource circulation system that recovers raw metals from process scrap and waste batteries in the battery industry and utilizes them for the production of secondary battery materials, thereby minimizing carbon dioxide emissions and reducing costs. "Through continuous investments in cathode materials, anode materials, lithium and recycling, we will develop POSCO Group into a global leader in the secondary battery materials industry," POSCO Group Chairman Choi Jeong-woo said. Source: https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/tech/2023/07/129_354585.html

2023.07.12

[News Article] LG Energy Solution continues strong performance into Q2

LG Energy Solution continues strong performance into Q2 By Baek Byung-yeul, The Korea Times - LG Energy Solution continued its strong performance in the second quarter of this year with its operating profit doubled from the same period last year, according to the battery maker, Friday. The company has been enjoying the growth of the global electric vehicle (EV) market and tax credits provided by the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that subsidizes eco-friendly vehicles. LG Energy Solution employees pose with the company's electric vehicle battery products at the InterBattery 2023 exhibition in southern 'sSeoul COEX convention center, March 15. The company announced its second-quarter earnings guidance saying its operating profit is likely to be at 611.6 billion won, up 212.7 percent year-on-year. Courtesy of LG Energy Solution In its earnings guidance, the company announced it is likely to post sales of 8.735 trillion won ($6.68 billion) and operating profit of 616.6 billion won in the second quarter, up 73 percent and 212.7 percent, respectively, from the same period in 2022. The sale was the company's largest one in its quarterly performance, slightly surpassing the previous record of the first quarter of this year, which was at 8.7471 trillion won. "The second-quarter operating profit includes an estimated 110.9 billion won in tax credits from the U.S. IRA," a company spokesman said. "Excluding this, the second-quarter operating profit was 507 billion won and operating margin was 5.7 percent." In the first quarter, the company received 100.3 billion won in tax credits thanks to the IRA. Given that LG Energy Solution is currently building and operating a total of eight battery plants in North America, the company is expected to grow stably. Once it secures stable production operations in its plants, the amount of tax credits it receives will continue to increase. Source: https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/tech/2023/07/133_354504.html

2023.07.12

[News Article] LG전자·메가존클라우드, 5G 특화망 사업자 됐다

LG전자·메가존클라우드, 5G 특화망 사업자 됐다 지디넷코리아 박수형 기자 - 과학기술정보통신부는 LG전자와 메가존클라우드에 이음5G 주파수할당과 기간통신사업자 등록을 완료했다고 밝혔다. 이번 주파수 공급으로 이음5G 주파수 할당이 13개 기관으로 늘어나며 총 23개 기관 39개소가 이음5G 주파수 할당과 지정을 받게 됐다. LG전자는 경기도 평택에 소재한 LG 디지털파크에 이음5G 통신망을 기반으로 인공지능(AI), 자율이동로봇(AMR), 지능형 관찰카메라(CCTV), 클라우드 등의 성능시험장을 구축해 자사 제품을 검증할 예정이다. 메가존클라우드는 CCTV, 감지기(센서) 등에서 수집한 정보를 이음5G를 통해 클라우드로 전송한 후 분석해 관리하는 지능형물류 시스템을 고객사에 제공할 예정이다. 향후 클라우드와 이음5G의 융합을 통해 로봇과 인간의 협업, 인명 안전사고 예방 등 다양한 서비스를 선보일 계획이다. 앞서 과기정통부는 보안 솔루션 기업 쿤텍과 합동참모본부에 각각 통신 솔루션 검증을 위한 이음5G 주파수공급을 완료했다. 최우혁 과기정통부 전파정책국장은 “이번 이음5G 주파수공급으로 기술력과 다수의 협력사를 보유한 주요 디지털 기업이 이음5G 시장에 적극 진출한 것에 의의가 있다”면서 “향후 다수 기업들이 이음5G 생태계에 참여하여 다양한 산업분야로 확산할 수 있도록 적극 지원할 것”이라고 말했다. 출처: https://zdnet.co.kr/view/?no=20230708221336

2023.07.12

[News Article] Google Korea receives appreciation plaque from veterans ministry

Google Korea receives appreciation plaque from veterans ministry The Korea Times - Google Korea said Friday it has received a plaque of appreciation from the veterans ministry for its project to digitalize archives of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on the Korean Peninsula in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the armistice of the 1950-53 Korean War. Google Arts and Culture (GAC) launched the "Korea's Demilitarized Zone" project in February worldwide, featuring historical photos of the Korean War, such as those of soldiers from countries that fought in the war, video records of the cease-fire agreement, and pictures of rare plants and animals that inhabit the isolated border area. The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs said Google's DMZ project has played a role in publicizing the sacrifice of war heroes across the world, and many of them and their families at home and abroad have expressed gratitude for the program. (Yonhap) Sourcce: https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/tech/2023/07/419_354472.html

2023.07.12

[News Article] LGES, Stellantis resume Ontario plant construction as subsidy deal reached

LGES, Stellantis resume Ontario plant construction as subsidy deal reached The Korea Times - LG Energy Solution (LGES) said Thursday its joint venture with Stellantis N.V. has reached an agreement with the Canadian governments on the terms of subsidies for the construction of its electric vehicle (EV) battery plant in Ontario. The binding agreement puts the construction of the battery module manufacturing facility in Windsor immediately back on track, the companies said. The deal came about two months after they suspended part of the project over a delay by the Canadian federal and local governments in setting the conditions for incentives as promised to be on par with the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which provides tax credits of up to $7,500 to buyers of EVs assembled only in North America. "We are pleased that the federal government, with the support of the provincial government, came back and met their commitment of leveling the playing field with the IRA. This collective effort enabled the deal to close, and we are now resuming construction on the site in Windsor," Mark Stewart, Stellantis' chief operating officer for North America, said in a release. "We are happy to finally move forward with building the country's first major battery plant and be a central part of the local battery ecosystem," said Kim Dong-myung, president and head of LGES' advanced automotive battery division. In May, LGES and Stellantis said they had halted the construction of the battery module factory amid apparent haggling between the Canadian federal and provincial governments over who should pay more incentives. While the battery cell plant was still under construction, the decision put the brakes on what will be a more than 4.7 trillion-won ($3.6 billion) joint venture between the world's second-largest battery producer and No. 4 automaker. LGES and Stellantis launched their joint venture, NextStar Energy, in March last year to build an EV battery manufacturing plant with an annual production capacity of 45 gigawatt hours. The Ontario plant aims to be completed in the first half of 2024. If the Ontario plant reaches its maximum production targets, NextStar Energy could receive as much as C$19 billion ($14.3 billion) in financial support from the Canadian governments over the next decade, the local outlet Windsor Star has reported, citing an estimate from an unidentified source. The output from the Ontario plant will be supplied to Stellantis assembly plants in the area, which manufacture its famous brands, such as Chrysler and Jeep SUVs. Source: https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/tech/2023/07/419_354359.html

2023.07.07

[News Article] 한국다우, ‘2023 무역안보의 날’ 산업부 장관 표창 수상

한국다우, ‘2023 무역안보의 날’ 산업부 장관 표창 수상 헤럴드경제 김은희 기자 - 한국다우는 지난 5일 산업통상자원부가 주최하고 전략물자관리원이 주관한 ‘2023 무역안보의 날’ 행사에서 산업통상자원부 장관 표창을 받았다고 6일 밝혔다. 한국다우는 전략물자 취급단체로서 전략물자 수출관리제도를 차질 없이 이행해 국가사회 발전에 기여한 공로를 인정받았다. 전략물자는 정부가 국제평화와 안전유지, 국가안보 등을 위해 수출입을 통제하는 물품이나 소프트웨어, 기술 등을 뜻한다. 한국다우는 정부의 전략물자 관리 시책에 따라 2012년 사내에 자율수출관리 규정을 제정하고 같은 해 전략물자 자율준수무역거래자 AA 등급을 취득한 이후 매년 최신 요건사항을 반영해오고 있다. 자율준수무역거래자는 수출관리법규 준수를 위해 전략물자의 수출관리에 필요한 조직·규정 등 체제를 갖추고 거래내용을 자율적으로 심사해 수출허가를 내리는 자율준수 프로그램(CP)을 갖춘 무역거래자를 말한다. 산업부는 매년 국내 자율준수무역거래자를 심사해 A, AA, AAA 등 3단계의 등급을 부여하고 있다. 한국다우는 최고 등급인 AAA를 2014년 취득했으며 현재까지 유지하고 있다. 이창현 한국다우 대표이사는 “앞으로도 끊임없는 혁신을 통해 지속적인 성장을 이어가는 한편 안보, 안전, 환경 등 기업이 준수해야 할 각종 규범을 성실하게 이행할 것”이라고 말했다. 출처: http://news.heraldcorp.com/view.php?ud=20230706000598

2023.07.07

[News Article] Marking 35th birthday, McDonald's Korea unveils new menu, outlet expansion

Marking 35th birthday, McDonald's Korea unveils new menu, outlet expansionBy Lee Yoon-seo, The Korea Herald - McDonald's Korea on Wednesday unveiled its vision to operate a total of 500 McDonald's outlets in the country by 2030 and release an exclusive menu in the Korean market, in celebration of its 35th anniversary. "During the first half of this year, the (firm's) sales rose about 10 percent on-year to some 623 billion won ($479 million), logging its largest (semi-annual) sales since the brand's entry into Korea," McDonald's Korea CEO Kim Ki-won said during a press conference held in Seoul. Back in 1988, McDonald's Korea had 3,000 daily visitors for all domestic outlets and posted 1.7 billion won in annual sales. Now it has grown into a fast-food chain with 400,000 daily visitors and annual sales of 1 trillion won, Kim said. "We attribute our stellar growth (in the Korean market) to long-term investments such as actively opening new outlets, strengthening menus, such as by introducing the McCrispy burger, and launching various platforms that benefit customers," she added. After 35 years of its operations, Kim said the company will be aiming to expand the number of its Korean branches to 500 by 2030, up 25 percent from from current some 400. It will open eight large-scale new drive-thru restaurants across the country by the end of this year. The new drive-thru stores, dubbed McDrive, are planned to be equipped with an expanded version of McDonald's Hi-Pass payment system, which allows a consumer to pay for ordered goods using a transceiver placed in the car without having to exit the vehicle. Marking its 35th birthday, Lee Hae-yeon, the chief marketing officer of McDonald's Korea, added that McDonald's Korea will be releasing a Korea-exclusive menu as a part of its Taste of Korea campaign. The campaign aims to contribute to the local economy by developing burger recipes that use locally sourced ingredients. For the production of the new menu item, the Jindo Green Onion Cream Croquette Burger, McDonald's Korea said it will be purchasing 50 tons of green onions from Jindo, South Jeolla Province, to support economically local farmers. "We will continue to conduct businesses with environmental, social and governance initiatives to aim for sustainable growth from a long-term perspective, in order to become a trustworthy, friend-like brand," Kim said. To further promote its ESG efforts, Kim said McDonald's Korea is set on converting all its packaging materials into recyclable and reusable materials by 2025. She added the company will be upping efforts to convert use of all eggs to pasture-raised eggs, in a bid to promote animal welfare. Regarding the heated competition for global brands' foray into the Korean market amid its burgeoning demand for burgers, Kim said McDonald's Korea "welcomes the global burger brands' inroads into the domestic market," remarking that the recent boom in global burger brands advancing into the Korean market reflects the increased demand for burgers. On June 26, popular US burger brand Five Guys started its first Korean operations in Gangnam, southern Seoul. British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay recently opened his second burger restaurant in South Korea in the southern city of Busan. "We will aim to launch products that best convey consumers' needs (amid the competition)," Kim said. According to Euromonitor, the size of the domestic hamburger market, which was valued at 1.9 trillion won in 2013, grew rapidly to about 4 trillion won last year. According to the research firm, Korea's burger market is expected to grow to some 5 trillion won this year. Source: https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20230705000606

2023.07.07

[News Article] 패트릭 윤 크립토닷컴 코리아 사장 "올해 안에 크립토닷컴 거래소 오픈할 것"

패트릭 윤 크립토닷컴 코리아 사장 "올해 안에 크립토닷컴 거래소 오픈할 것" 글로벌이코노믹 이상훈 기자 - 올해로 설립 7년을 맞은 크립토닷컴(Crypto.com)은 글로벌 톱 그레이드 블록체인 기업이다. 7년간 해외 시장을 부지런히 개척해 현재 20여 개국에 진출했으며 회원 수도 8000만명에 달한다. 지난해 가상자산 거래소 오케이비트를 인수함으로써 국내서 가상자산사업자 라이선스를 획득한 크립토닷컴은 올해 안에 가상자산 거래소를 오픈하고 한국시장에서의 합법적인 비즈니스를 본격 개시할 준비를 하고 있다. 이를 총괄하고 있는 패트릭 윤(Patrick Yoon) 크립토닷컴 코리아 사장으로부터 그에 대한 얘기를 들을 수 있었다. 패트릭 윤 사장은 2021년 9월부터 크립토닷컴 코리아 사장으로 부임해 근무하고 있다. 패트릭 윤 사장은 크립토닷컴에 합류하기 전 약 4년간 비자(Visa)의 한국 및 몽골 시장 총괄사장을 역임했다. 특히 금융사부터 크고 작은 핀테크 기업에 이르기까지 비자의 다양한 고객들이 글로벌 영향력을 확대하는데 기여했으며 비자 이전에는 스탠다드차타드은행 런던 본사와 한국, 싱가포르, 대만, 영국 등 여러 해외 지사에서 근무한 경험이 있다. 이러한 다양한 경험을 한 그는 크립토닷컴이 국내에 성공적으로 서비스를 개시할 수 있도록 다방면으로 준비하고 있다. 가장 기대되는 소식은 연내 거래소를 오픈할 계획이라는 점이다. 거래소 명칭도 크립토닷컴이 될 전망이다. 패트릭 사장은 "원화거래를 지원하기 위해 은행과의 논의에 필요한 기능을 모두 갖추는 등 준비를 진행하고 있다"고 밝혔다. 패트릭 윤 사장이 꼽는 크립토닷컴의 경쟁력은 합법적인 비즈니스에 중점을 두고 있다는 점이다. 이미 크립토닷컴은 국내를 포함해 미국, 캐나다, 호주, 프랑스, 싱가포르, 두바이 등 주요 시장에서 라이선스를 확보하는 등 전 세계 규제 당국과 긴밀히 협력하고 있다. 가상자산 관련 규제가 존재하는 국가에서는 그 규제를 준수하기 위해서 노력하고 있고, 규제가 없는 국가에서는 규제 당국과 협업하며 업계와 투자자 보호를 위한 규제를 개발하는 데 도움을 주고 있다. 비록 1년 이상 국내 뿐 아니라 해외까지도 가상자산 시장이 침체 분위기였지만 최근 시장 상황이 좋아지고 있는 점도 하반기 크립토닷컴의 성장을 기대하게 만든다. 주목할 점은 크립토닷컴이 한국 블록체인 시장에 대해서 긍정적으로 전망하고 있다는 점이다. 패트릭 윤 사장은 "K-콘텐츠가 세계적으로 많이 알려져 드라마, 음악 등 세계적으로 콘텐츠를 수출하고 있다. 한국 문화 콘텐츠 수출은 정부의 주요 아젠다 중 하나이기도 하다. 크립토닷컴은 IP 및 대형 기획·제작사와의 다양한 협업을 통해 전 세계 팬들이 국내 문화와 예술을 경험할 수 있는 새로운 방식들을 발굴해 나가고 있다"고 강조했다. 실제 국내에서는 블록체인 유저들을 위한 다양한 프로젝트, 활발한 거래 그리고 검증된 NFT 마켓플레이스가 부족한 실정이다. 때문에 많은 한국 유저들이 크립토닷컴에서 선보이는 프로젝트에 참여하고 있다. 현재 크립토닷컴은 미술 분야 뿐만 아니라, K-팝(판타지오, 마마무), K-드라마(에이스토리, 스튜디오 드래곤), K-게임 그리고 다양한 브랜드들과의 협업을 진행하고 있다. 패트릭 윤 사장은 투자자 입장에서 가상자산 거래소를 선택하는 데 있어 좋은 기준 중 하나로 '브랜드 신뢰성'을 꼽았다. 그는 "크립토닷컴은 비자라는 신뢰받고 잘 알려진 브랜드와 협업해 회사의 첫 번째 제품인 크립토닷컴 비자 카드를 출시했다. 또한 포뮬러1, UFC 등 전 세계적으로 인정받는 톱 스포츠 브랜드와 파트너십을 맺었다. 이러한 유명 브랜드들은 파트너십을 맺기 이전에 높은 기준을 가지고 자체적으로 실사를 진행, 신뢰할 수 있는 브랜드인지 평가하고 있다. 따라서 이는 크립토닷컴이 제대로 운영되는 비즈니스라는 것을 보여주는 근거가 될 수 있다고 생각한다"고 밝혔다. 앞서 크립토닷컴은 맷 데이먼이나 르브론 제임스 같은 글로벌 스타를 광고모델로 기용했다. 세계적인 기업들로부터 신뢰할 만한 기업, 파트너십을 맺을 수 있는 기업으로 평가받는 동시에 유저들에게도 신뢰감을 줄 수 있도록 전세계적으로 사랑받는 스타를 모델로 기용한 것이다. 이것이 주효해 크립토닷컴은 어느새 8000만명 이상이 사용하는 블록체인 기업으로 자리매김했다. 이제 국내 유저들은 크립토닷컴의 시작을 알린 '크립토닷컴 리워드 카드'의 출시 여부에 대해 관심을 기울이고 있다. 수많은 블록체인 스타트업들이 가상자산을 손쉽게 충전하고 실생활에서 결제가 가능하도록 하겠다고 선언했지만 현재 크립토닷컴을 제외하면 이것에 성공한 곳을 찾기 힘들다. 지난해에는 크립토닷컴이 비자, BC카드와 손잡고 상업자표시신용카드(PLCC) 출시를 위한 업무협약을 체결했기에 크립토닷컴 리워드 카드의 출시 가능성이 한층 높아졌다. 이에 대해 패트릭 윤 사장은 "크립토닷컴은 지속적으로 규제 기관들과 협력 및 논의하고 있다. 완전한 규제 승인을 받게 되면, 카드 사용자에게 고유한 NFT 및 크립토 리워드를 제공하는 카드 프로그램을 출시할 예정"이라고 조심스레 말했다. 당장 패트릭 윤 사장 스스로도 국내 리워드 카드 발급이 허가되지 않았기에 크립토닷컴 카드를 소유하지 않고 있다고 한다. 어쩌면 카드 발급을 가장 바라는 이가 패트릭 윤 사장일 것이다. 그는 "하루속히 해당 카드를 발급받고 여러 혜택에 대해 국내 사용자들과 에피소드를 나눌 수 있도록 노력하겠다"고 덧붙였다. 출처: https://news.g-enews.com/view.php?ud=2023070407515117733b60030fa2_1&md=20230704104748_U

2023.07.07

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[News Article] 패트릭 윤 크립토닷컴 코리아 사장 "올해 안에 크립토닷컴 거래소 오픈할 것"