Most Popular
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Blinken calls on China to press N. Korea to end its 'dangerous' behavior
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New celebrity-endorsed therapy for face contouring requires only a pair of rubber bands
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Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
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Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
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[Weekender] How DDP emerged as an icon of Seoul
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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Doctor group's incoming head renews call for govt. to scrap medical school quota hike for dialogue
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
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NewJeans pops out ‘Bubble Gum’ video amid troubles at agency
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17 fewer firms on FTC watch list
SEJONG (Yonhap News) ― South Korea’s antitrust watchdog said Monday that the number of companies subject to restrictions on mutual investments and loan guarantees declined by 17 in February from a month earlier.The Fair Trade Commission said the number of corporate affiliates on its watch list stood at 1,774 as of early February, down from 1,791 tallied in the previous month.Sixteen companies were newly added to the list, while 33 affiliates were taken off over the past month, the FTC said.The e
IndustryFeb. 4, 2013
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Banks’ bad loan ratio slips in 2012
The ratio of bad loans at South Korean banks fell in 2012 from a year earlier as they stepped up efforts to write off problem loans around the end of the year, the financial regulator said Monday. The ratio of non-performing loans held by 18 local banks came to 1.32 percent as of the end of December last year, down 0.04 percentage point from the 1.36 percent tallied at the end of 2011, according to the Financial Supervisory Service. The bad loan ratio had been on a downtrend since 2010, when the
IndustryFeb. 4, 2013
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Won rises 1.18% to dollar, shares fall
The South Korean currency rose 1.18 percent to the U.S. dollar on Monday as investors’ risk-aversion eased on the back of improved U.S. economic data, dealers said.The Korean stocks ended 0.23 percent lower as investors stepped to the sidelines due to prolonged currency volatility in the foreign exchange market, analysts said.The local currency closed at 1,084.60 won against the greenback, up 12.8 won from the previous session.“The won gained ground as U.S. data eased concerns about the fragile
Feb. 4, 2013
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Panel suggests further hike in electricity rates
A presidential panel suggested Monday that South Korea further raise electricity rates, saying they are too low for a country that relies on imports for most of its energy needs.The suggestion, along with a hike in tap water charges, was among the 10 major tasks the Presidential Committee on Green Growth put forward to make South Korea a global “green power” during a reporting session to President Lee Myung-bak.The committee said that South Korea has had a policy of setting electricity price art
Feb. 4, 2013
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Doosan injects funds to construction arm
Doosan Group, the nation’s 12th-largest conglomerate by assets, said Monday it would inject a paid-in capital increase to its construction arm Doosan Engineering & Construction, which is facing a liquidity crisis. Industry watchers said the group’s move will help Doosan E&C secure up to 1 trillion won ($918 million) by issuing new shares to major shareholders under the Doosan Group umbrella.The group’s Doosan Heavy Industries holds 72.74 percent of Doosan E&C’s shares, while Doosan E&C honorary
IndustryFeb. 4, 2013
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Forest goods exports hit $310m last year
Last year’s exports of forest products recorded $310 million, exceeding the original target by 11 percent, according to the Korea Forest Service on Monday.The growth was most conspicuous in raw chestnuts, potted plants and fiberboard, officials said.Exports of raw chestnuts totaled $28 million and saw a 47 percent rise from the previous year, though its local productivity fell due to climate change, drought and typhoons. This was the result of the KFS’ active export policies, such as offering ex
Feb. 4, 2013
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KOTRA opens global M&A center
The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency opened a global center to support the merger and acquisitions of small and medium-sized companies.KOTRA held the opening ceremony of its Global M&A Support Center at the Invest Korea Plaza on Monday, according to officials.“We shall support M&A deals of Korean firms to help them gain a foothold in the overseas market,” said Oh Young-ho, president of the state-run company.“Our prime focus will be the small and medium-sized firms which face difficulties
Feb. 4, 2013
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Carmakers see EU exports worsen amid eurozone woes
Korea’s five carmakers ― Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors, GM Korea, Renault Samsung Motors and Ssangyong Motor ― saw their exports to the European Union worsen last year, with falling car sales across Europe showing no sign of recovery.According to industry data on Monday, the nation’s car exports to EU countries decreased 6.5 percent to 388,223 vehicles last year from 426,057 units in 2011In 2011, the first year when the free trade pact between Korea and the EU went into effect, Korea’s car exports t
IndustryFeb. 4, 2013
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Mobile games exempt from ‘Cinderella Law’
People will be able to enjoy games on their handsets at any time of the day as the government decided not to include mobile games on the list of those prohibited from play from midnight to 6 a.m.The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced Monday that they would exempt mobile games from applying the online game curfew.According to the notification, online games for personal computers, Web-based games and PC package games are currently subje
IndustryFeb. 4, 2013
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Foreign-held Korean stocks edge up: KRX
Stock ownership by foreign investors on South Korea’s main bourse inched up in January from December2011 on growing optimism for an economic recovery, the stock market operator said Monday.Overseas investors held 34.58 percent of the total shares on the main bourse as of end-January, up 1.72 percentage points from 13 months earlier, the Korea Exchange said.Market watchers said the rise came as the country’s sovereign credit ratings rose last year, while major countries, including the U.S., injec
Feb. 4, 2013
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Seoul designates two new free economic zones
South Korea on Monday designated two new free economic zones as part of efforts to further attract foreign investment to the country, a government committee said.The two new areas ― one in the eastern province of Gangwon and the other in the central region of North Chungcheong Province ― were named candidate sites in September last year, according to the FEZ Planning Office governed by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy.“Since their designation as candidate sites, the office has been working clos
Feb. 4, 2013
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Hyundai Card faces sanction
Financial regulatory officials have been in internal discussions about taking punitive measures against Hyundai Card for alleged business irregularities.Though few of Hyundai Card’s irregular practices have yet been made public, there is a high possibility that a “caution” or “warning” will be issued to the credit card issuer, according to market observers.The Financial Supervisory Service conducted an investigation into Hyundai Card by dispatching inspectors to its headquarters in the fourth qu
Feb. 4, 2013
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BOK board member sees no need to alter interest rate for now
Bank of Korea board member Moon Woo-sik sees no immediate need to alter benchmark interest rates and says it’s “too early” for any central-bank response to the yen’s slide against the won. “There are good reasons why people tend to be more optimistic this year than last year,” Moon, 52, said in an interview in Seoul last week. There’s no “important reason to take monetary-policy actions quickly” unless the South Korean economy declines further, he said. Central bank policy makers meet Feb. 14 to
Feb. 4, 2013
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Check card market expanding, but firms face challenges
The nation relies more heavily on credit cards then any other payment method. According to government statistics, about 65 percent of the nation’s payments are via credit cards, in comparison to Australia at 47 percent, the United States at 37 percent and Japan at 16 percent. The same research reveals that one economically active Korean on average possesses 4.7 credit cards. Believing that the nation’s excessive reliance on credit cards has led to today’s daunting household debt, the Financial S
Feb. 4, 2013
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[Newsmaker] Cracks found in Lotte’s 123-story building
Lotte Engineering and Construction has yet to promptly address cracks in the 123-story edifice that the company is constructing in its new theme park in Seoul.Up to 11 cracks were discovered in the main pillar of the building -- known as the “mega column,” the main supporting piece of high-rises -- according to its construction supervisor, Hanmi Global.Despite Hanmi Global notifying Lotte about it in October, it has yet to address the problem. Hanmi says while the cracks are not critical as of y
IndustryFeb. 4, 2013
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Seoul shares fall 0.23 pct on currency woes
South Korean stocks ended 0.23 percent lower on Monday as investors stepped to the sidelines due to prolonged currency volatility in the foreign exchange market, analysts said Monday. The local currency surged against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) dipped 4.58 points to 1,953.21. Trading volume was moderate at 339.7 million shares worth 3.49 trillion won (US$3.22 billion), with decliners outpacing gainers 475 to 337."Despite positive economic indicators f
Feb. 4, 2013
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Preschool obesity, food insecurity link
U.S. children whose early years were spent in food insecurity and who have obese mothers are more likely to be obese in preschool, researchers say. Study leader Elizabeth Metallinos-Katsaras of the Department of Nutrition at the Simmons College School of Nursing and Health Sciences in Boston said the research is based on analysis of more than 28,300 low-income children participating in a publicly funded health and nutrition program in Massachusetts, from 2001 to 2006. Household food insecurity w
TechnologyFeb. 4, 2013
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Asiana Airlines asked to allow female crew to put on pants
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea on Monday recommended Asiana Airlines allow female flight attendants to choose between skirts and trousers.In addition, a local public transport union submitted a petition against the airline in June 2012, saying that it was gender discrimination to ban female flight attendants from wearing pants. Regarding the petition, the NHRC concluded that banning female attendants from wearing pants is an act of discrimination since it restricts the choice of u
IndustryFeb. 4, 2013
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Midwifes linked to fewer C-sections
Women who give birth at midwife-led birthing centers are less likely to have Caesarean births compared with women in hospitals, U.S. researchers say.The National Birth Center Study II said the rate of Caesarean sections for expecting U.S. mothers escalated over the past two decades."Birth centers are homelike facilities existing within the healthcare system with a program of care designed in the wellness model of pregnancy and birth," Lesley Rathbun, president-elect of the American Association o
TechnologyFeb. 4, 2013
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Seoul shares up 0.27 pct in late-morning trade
South Korean stocks traded 0.27 percent higher late Monday morning as foreign investors scooped up local shares, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) advanced 5.25 points to 1,963.04 as of 11:20 a.m.Mobile carriers led the market gain, with leading SK Telecom increasing 2.94 percent and No. 2 player KT moving up 4.17 percent.No. 3 player LG Uplus climbed 3.91 percent.Shipbuilders also traded higher, with Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering rising 0.17 percen
Feb. 4, 2013