Most Popular
-
1
Contentious grain bill put directly to plenary meeting for vote
-
2
Yoon's approval rating plunges to all-time low
-
3
Will tug-of-war between doctors, government end soon?
-
4
Climate impacts set to cut 2050 global GDP by nearly a fifth
-
5
Trilateral talks acknowledge ‘serious’ slumps of won, yen
-
6
[KH Explains] Hyundai's full hybrid edge to pay off amid slow transition to pure EVs
-
7
North Korea removes streetlights along cross-border roads with South
-
8
Russia's denial of entry of S. Korean national unrelated to bilateral ties: Seoul official
-
9
S. Korea votes in favor of Palestinian bid for UN membership
-
10
Farming households dip below 1m for first time in 2023
-
Korea, China start FTA talks
Seoul and Beijing on Wednesday announced the beginning of negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement expected to boost the Korean economy through increased trade with the world’s second-largest economy.China is Korea’s biggest trading partner and trade between the neighboring countries is forecast to reach $300 billion by 2015. A state-funded think tank in Seoul projected Korea’s economic output to gain up to 1.25 percent within five years and up to 3 percent within 10 years of the FTA ta
May 2, 2012
-
Yeosu Expo to hold final rehearsal on Saturday
The 2012 Yeosu Expo Organizing Committee will hold its final dry run on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. A total of 116,000 people recruited through an open call will participate.The committee has held two rehearsals so far ― the first on April 28 with some 30,000 family members of the committee staff, police officers, teachers and volunteers from the region and the second on Wednesday with 50,000 comprised of government officials from Yeosu City and residents from other nearby areas such as Gwan
May 2, 2012
-
Korean inspectors visit U.S. animal health office over BSE case
WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― South Korea and the United States began on-site consultations Tuesday on the latest case of mad cow disease here.A team of eight South Korean government officials and civilian experts arrived in Washington Monday for discussions with U.S. authorities and inspections of related facilities.Their visit comes amid unrelenting public concern over the safety of American beef in South Korea. The Seoul government has faced political pressure to suspend imports of U.S. beef.In
May 2, 2012
-
Korea, China start discussions on FTA
South Korea and China are starting discussions toward reaching a free-trade agreement and want to establish the accord as early as possible, Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming said.The first round of talks will take place this month, Chen said at a briefing in Beijing today with South Korean Trade Minister Bark Tae-ho. The two countries’ goal is to lift trade to $300 billion in 2016, Chen said.
May 2, 2012
-
Korea, China set to start FTA talks
Korea and China are set to announce the beginning of negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement as early as Wednesday since the two countries’ top trade officials are in final discussions in Beijing.Korea’s Trade Minister Bahk Tae-ho flew to Beijing on Tuesday for talks with Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming and Bahk is scheduled to return home on Thursday.The two sides recently reached an agreement on the draft of a joint statement on the beginning of FTA negotiations, according to g
May 1, 2012
-
April’s trade volume shrinks for second straight month
South Korea’s trade volume for April shrank from a year earlier for the second straight month, mainly due to a drop in overseas delivery of ships and semiconductors and weak local demand for commodities, a government report showed Tuesday.Despite the contraction in trade volume, the country’s trade balance remained in the black for the third straight month to the tune of $2.15 billion, according to the report by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy.The country’s exports reached $46.26 billion in Ap
May 1, 2012
-
Beef market unaffected by BSE scare
Sales at major retailers rise despite a big drop in demand for U.S. meatBeef supply and demand in Korea have seen little change since a case of mad cow disease was discovered in the U.S. last week, the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said Tuesday.Several local retailers suspended sales of American beef on April 24 on news that a dairy cow in California was infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy, but most of them resumed sales three days later.The volume of beef sal
May 1, 2012
-
SK Chemicals chief wins Forbes CEO Award
SK Chemicals vice chairman and CEO Kim Chang-geun has won the Forbes CEO Award, the company announced on Tuesday. Hosted by Forbes Korea and supported by the Ministry of Commerce, the Forbes CEO Award selects CEOs who develop creative corporal culture with strong leadership and social responsibility. Forbes acknowledged Kim’s leading role in corporate restructuring and aggressive overseas operations based on communicative skills, SK Chemicals said. Kim became the vice chair of the nation’s leadi
May 1, 2012
-
Korea's consumer inflation slows in April
South Korea's consumer prices grew at a slower pace in April than a month earlier as the government sought to tame inflationary pressure, a report showed Tuesday.According to the report by Statistics Korea, the country's consumer price index rose 2.5 percent in April from a year earlier, slowing from a 2.6 percent on-year gain in March. The index was unchanged from a month earlier.April's reading
May 1, 2012
-
Korea Exchange tops average salary among public institutions
The Korea Exchange had the top average salary among the nation’s government-owned companies last year, according to data by the government.According to the Finance Ministry’s ALIO website for public information, the Korea Exchange’s average salary per employee reached 109 million won (about $96,500) in 2011, the highest figure for the company in five years.The Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials came in second with 100 million won, trailed by the Korea Securities Depository with over 95 m
May 1, 2012
-
Forum to discuss water crisis, solutions
Around 7,000 policymakers, industry specialists and academics from some 130 countries will gather in Busan in September to seek ways to better utilize water resources and develop related technologies. The 2012 World Water Congress & Exhibition will provide a platform to foster a global network to tackle water scarcity and other challenges and devise potential solutions, organizers said Monday.“Water shortages are a big problem but also a fantastic opportunity for us to produce and export technol
April 30, 2012
-
Korea lost 660,000 jobs on weak FDI: think tank
Korea’s increasing outbound investment and sluggish inbound foreign investment has contributed to a loss of some 660,000 jobs over the last 12 years, a private think tank said.Hyundai Research Institute said in a report that Korea’s foreign direct investment grew only 3 percent, while its overseas investment rose 24 percent on average year-on-year.Overseas energy and mining has been the most sought after investment for Korean companies since 2006. Investment in the energy sector abroad was worth
April 30, 2012
-
French seminar on IP amendments
The French Chamber of Commerce will hold a seminar in Seoul on Friday that will examine IP law amendments allowing Korea’s free trade agreements with the European Union and the United States.The meeting will be held from 8:30 a.m. at the Grand Ambassador Hotel. The guest speaker will be Shin and Kim lawyer Lim Bo-kyung and will be conducted in English.The seminar is part of the chamber’s Expert Training Club which hosts seminars and lectures with experts that offer their insight and practical so
April 30, 2012
-
KITA chief at EUCCK monthly luncheon
Korea International Trade Association chairman Han Duck-soo will speak about Korea’s FTA policies and their effect on business at a luncheon Thursday organized by the European Union Chamber of Commerce.Before being appointed KITA chief, Han served as prime minister and ambassador to the United States.The luncheon will be held at the Grand Hyatt hotel. The cost is 65,000 won for members and 80,000 won for non-members. For more information, visit www.eucck.org.
April 30, 2012
-
IVI’s new chief looks to bring vaccines everywhere
Loucq hopes to establish closer ties with Korean organizationsThe International Vaccine Institute introduced the successful development of a new cholera vaccine last year. But challenges still weigh on the vaccine distribution across the world due to low demand and small capacity.“The problem we have today is that the company making the vaccine has a relatively small capacity,” IVI’s new director general, Dr. Christian Loucq, told The Korea Herald.IVI, which is devoted to research in vaccine dev
April 30, 2012
-
Vaccine institute seeks to resume operations in N.K.
The new head of the International Vaccine Institute disclosed a plan to revive a program to develop a laboratory on epidemic diseases in North Korea, which has been suspended since 2010.“IVI had a program in North Korea that started in 2006, and the program targeted surveillance studies so we could understand the epidemiology of the study, like how many cases, and the importance of a study in a country,” IVI director general Christian Loucq told The Korea Herald.The original program focused on J
April 30, 2012
-
Korea Airports Corp. looks to overseas markets
Gimpo International Airport may have lost its hub status to state-backed Incheon International Airport, but Korea Airports Corp., the operator of 14 regional airports including Gimpo, still aims to exhibit its prowess in airport management and equipment exports.KAC vice president Kim Byeong-no said the company is set to compete with global equipment players such as Thales and Selex, while tapping build-operate-transfer or operation and maintenance projects. “KAC has more than 30 years experience
April 29, 2012
-
Korea aims for debt below 30% of GDP
Korea is seeking to lower its debt by more than 4 percent to below 30 percent of its gross domestic product by 2015 to boost fiscal soundness amid spiraling household borrowing and social spending. The latest roadmap for the debt sustainability of Asia’s fourth-largest economy was unveiled Saturday at a strategic meeting for national finance at Cheong Wa Dae, presided over President Lee Myung-bak and attended by ministers, other cabinet members and private experts. To that aim, the government pl
April 29, 2012
-
Eyes on social entrepreneurism
More companies are turning their eyes on social entrepreneurism aimed at promoting a fairer society by helping the underprivileged, industry observers said.They said social entrepreneurism will be further emphasized as a major trend for corporate growth in the future.Most big companies have focused on engaging in corporate social responsibility activities by providing financial and other support to the poor and underprivileged. According to a report by the nation’s largest lobby group, the Feder
April 29, 2012
-
‘Korea will not halt quarantine checks’
Korea has no plans to suspend quarantine inspections on U.S. beef, Agriculture Minister Suh Kyu-yong said Friday, despite high public concern after a dairy cow in California was found infected with mad cow disease.A report from Washington confirmed that the infected animal was a dairy cow over 10 years old and that it had contracted a very rare “atypical” form of the brain-wasting disease, Suh told reporters during his visit to a quarantine facility in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.The minister said
April 27, 2012