ByteDance Plans Massive AI Investment in 2026 to Close Gap With U.S. Tech Giants 
Fungi are among the planet’s most important organisms — yet they continue to be overlooked in conservation strategies 
Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk Battle for India’s Fast-Growing Obesity Drug Market 
How to create a thriving forest, not box-checking ‘tree cover’ 
California Regulator Probes Waymo Robotaxi Stalls During San Francisco Power Outage 
Wall Street Ends Post-Christmas Session Flat as Investors Eye Santa Claus Rally 
TSMC Honors Japanese Chip Equipment Makers With 2025 Supplier Awards 
How ongoing deforestation is rooted in colonialism and its management practices 
John Carreyrou Sues Major AI Firms Over Alleged Copyrighted Book Use in AI Training 
Wildfires ignite infection risks, by weakening the body’s immune defences and spreading bugs in smoke 
Asian Stock Markets Trade Flat as Holiday Liquidity Thins and BOJ Minutes Watched 
Thousands of satellites are due to burn up in the atmosphere every year – damaging the ozone layer and changing the climate 
GesiaPlatform Launches Carbon-Neutral Lifestyle App ‘Net Zero Heroes’ 
Russian Stocks End Lower as Energy and Mining Shares Weigh on MOEX Index 
Nike Stock Jumps After Apple CEO Tim Cook Buys $2.9M Worth of Shares 
An unexpected anomaly was found in the Pacific Ocean – and it could be a global time marker 
South Korea's third-largest mobile carrier, LG Uplus Corp, has partnered with Kakao Mobility Corp to establish a joint venture into the electric vehicle (EV) charging station business. Each company has committed approximately US$19 million to the venture, expected to emerge as a dominant player in the local EV charging market.
As per the agreement signed last Friday, both companies have invested 25 billion won (approximately US$19 million) each into the joint venture. LG Uplus will assume managerial rights, with an equal share ratio of 50% for both parties. It is worth mentioning that Kakao Mobility took one more week than LG Uplus to acquire 10 million shares. Consequently, the joint venture will be included as a consolidated subsidiary of LG U+.
Later this year, the joint venture will seek approval from South Korea's antitrust regulator. With LG Uplus having launched the EV charging service named VoltUp earlier this year and with Kakao Mobility offering mobile services for EV charging through its KakaoMap navigation platform, both companies are expecting the joint venture to occupy a leading position in the local EV charging market.
The official name and representative of the company will be confirmed upon the establishment of the joint venture. In January, LG Uplus acquired the electric vehicle charging division of its LG HelloVision subsidiary, which marked the beginning of the electric vehicle charging platform business.
The company plans to release the electric vehicle charging platform called 'Volt Up' in the second half of this year. The app, currently undergoing testing, will provide users with information about the location of electric car charging stations, enable reservation of charging time, offer payment and point accumulation features after charging, and provide round-the-clock counseling services.
Although Kakao Mobility does not directly operate a charging platform, it does provide search and payment services for electric vehicle charging stations. The industry predicts that both companies' integrating electric vehicle charging platforms is highly likely.
According to data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, South Korea had nearly 400,000 electric vehicles on the road by the end of 2022. Electric vehicles are expected to grow to 4.2 million by 2030.
Photo: CHUTTERSNAP/Unsplash
