Hyundai Heavy says it will not bid for Hynix

Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., the world's leading shipbuilder, said Wednesday it will not bid for a stake in Hynix Semiconductor Inc., raising speculation that creditors may fail again to sell the world's second-largest computer memory chipmaker.Hyundai Heavy had been regarded as the sole potential investor for the 15 percent stake up for sale.Shares of Hyundai Heavy were trading at 478,500 won on

IndustryJuly 6, 2011

Public forum on FTA on Thursday

A conference on economic opportunities and challenges arising from the Korea-EU FTA which came into effect on July 1 will take place in Seoul on Thursday.The conference, taking place at the Koreana Hotel from 2 p.m., will also examine the current economic crisis in Europe and economic development in Korea. The event is being jointly hosted by the Center for Free Enterprise, a Seoul-based free mark

July 5, 2011

Incheon Airport Corp. buys 10% stake in Russian airport

Incheon International Airport Corp. announced Tuesday it has acquired a 10-percent stake in Khabarovsk Airport in Russia’s Far East, stepping up its charges into the development of the Russian partner.This makes the IIAC the first foreign airport operator to step into management of a Russian airport, which has been safeguarded by the government there as a national strategic industry.As the third-l

IndustryJuly 5, 2011

Watchdog OKs Gmarket-Auction merger

The Fair Trade Commission on Tuesday gave the green light to the merger of the nation’s two biggest online retailers operating under EBay Inc., ruling that the combination would not hinder the industry’s level of competition.The watchdog’s approval of the Gmarket-Auction merger came after their parent EBay had applied for the deal in March. After studying the deal for three months, the FTC said th

July 5, 2011

Korea to foster indium, lithium exploration

Korea will crank up its push for exploit indium and lithium around the world by facilitating local companies’ direct investment into the two scarce metals by law, the government said Tuesday.The Ministry of Knowledge Economy said it plans to place indium, a key element of liquid crystal displays and touch-screens, on a list of 49 foreign rare metals. Lithium, used in aircraft and electric car batt

July 5, 2011

Sales forecast for KOSPI-listed firms drops

Revised estimate comes after reduction in government’s growth projectionThe average level of revenue KOSPI-listed firms are expected to generate in the second half of the year dropped, stock analysis said Tuesday, raising concerns over a slower economic growth on weaker consumption and waning exports.The estimation of operating profits for 115 listed companies on KOSPI for the July-December period

July 5, 2011

Foreigners sell local stocks for 2nd month

Foreign investors continued to offload South Korean shares for a second consecutive month in June amid jitters over the eurozone debt crisis and other economic uncertainties, the financial regulator said Tuesday.Overseas investors sold a net 918.6 billion won ($863.8 million) of local equities in June, after selling a net 2.8 trillion won in the previous month, according to the Financial Superviso

July 5, 2011

Watchdog approves merger between 2 liquor giants

South Korea's antitrust watchdog on Tuesday approved the merger between Hite Brewery Co. and Jinro Co., saying the liquor giants' business consolidation will not hamper market competition.    Hite Brewery is the country's dominant beer maker, and Jinro is the leader in the market of soju, a Korean distilled beverage made from rice and other starches. Jinro was taken over by Hite Brewery in 2005.  

July 5, 2011

GM Korea unionists go on partial strike

Union workers at GM Korea Co., the South Korean unit of U.S. automaker General Motors Co., staged a partial strike on Tuesday after wage negotiations with management broke down, the carmaker said.   Unionized employees at the company's Incheon, Gunsan and Changwon factories stopped work for about three hours from 1:50 p.m., after holding a similar work stoppage the previous day, GM Korea said.   G

July 5, 2011

Imported auto sales jump 17.5% in June

Sales of imported vehicles in Korea surged 17.5 percent last month from a year earlier, helped by aggressive marketing strategies by local car dealers, a trade association said Tuesday.A total of 8,964 imported vehicles were sold here in June, compared with 7,629 units sold a year earlier, according to the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association.Sales in June also represented a 2.1

July 5, 2011

Sonata hybrid No. 2 best seller in U.S.

The hybrid version of the Sonata sedan, made by Korea’s leading carmaker Hyundai Motor Co., ranked as the second best seller in the U.S. hybrid car market in June, industry sources said Tuesday.Sales data from Hyundai and U.S.-based automotive media showed the Sonata’s sales reached 1,422 last month compared to 4,340 for the Prius, which has effectively dominated the global hybrid car market since

July 5, 2011

Banks forecast to tighten mortgage lending in Q3

Korean banks are expected to tighten their grip on home-backed lending in the third quarter as the regulator’s move to curb rising household debt will lead them to be wary of extending mortgage loans, the central bank said Tuesday.An index gauging lender attitudes on mortgage loans came in at zero for the July-September period, compared with 6 tallied in the second quarter, according to a survey o

July 5, 2011

Korea’s real wages drop on inflation in Q1

Koreans’ real wages contracted for the first time in 18 months in the first quarter as income gains remained stagnant amid high inflation, data showed Tuesday.Korean workers’ real wages reached 2.36 million won ($2,222.3) in the January-March period, down 4.08 percent from the previous year, according to the data compiled by the labor ministry and the state-run statistics agency.The real wage, the

July 5, 2011

Top chaebol see affiliates mushroom

The number of affiliates of South Korea’s 15 largest chaebol has increased about 65 percent over the past four years, as the family-run conglomerates have aggressively expanded their territory in the construction and real estate industries, a report showed Tuesday. Companies affiliated with the top 15 conglomerates numbered 778 as of April, jumping from 306 four years ago, according to the report

July 5, 2011