Most Popular
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1 in 3 Koreans live alone, family types becoming diverse
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Korea, Japan finance chiefs vow to tame rampant FX market volatility
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US 'incredibly concerned' about suspected NK-Iran military ties
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K-pop group's manager dismissed for setting up spycam in theater dressing room
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K-pop singer lost consciousness after being hit by foul ball, cancels show
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Korean Muslim YouTuber's plan to build mosque in Incheon goes viral
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Why is Apple Pay struggling to get purchase in Korea?
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Yoon's office denies considering liberal figures for key posts
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Seoul says Fu Bao loan 'not going to happen'
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[Today’s K-pop] BTS pop-up event to come to Seoul
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S. Korea's ready-to-drink coffee market grows 5.9% in H1
South Korea's market for convenient coffee beverages expanded nearly 6 percent in the first half of the year amid the coronavirus pandemic, a market tracker said Tuesday. The size of the local ready-to-drink coffee market stood at 672.9 billion won ($574 million) in the January-June period, up 5.9 percent from a year earlier, according to Nielsen Koreanclick. Canned coffee accounted for the largest portion at 258.6 billion won, followed by cup coffee with 217.5 billion won and bottled coffee w
Aug. 24, 2021
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Samsung expands lead in DRAM market in Q2: report
Samsung Electronics Co. expanded its dominance in the global DRAM market in the second quarter of the year, a report showed Tuesday, thanks to bullish demand and chip price hikes. The South Korean tech giant registered a 43.6 percent share of the global DRAM flash market in terms of revenue in the April-June period, up 1.6 percentage points from a quarter earlier, according to market tracker TrendForce. Samsung's revenue came to $10.51 billion in the second quarter, up 30.2 percent from a qua
Aug. 24, 2021
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Citibank Korea again delays decision on exit plan
Citibank Korea Inc. has again postponed a decision on the exit plan for its retail banking unit amid differences over sale terms, industry sources said Tuesday. Citibank Korea, the South Korean unit of Citigroup Inc., had originally planned to hold a board meeting on Aug. 26 to determine how to sell the retail banking division. But the lender has decided not to put its exit plan on the meeting's agenda, putting off its decision until September, according to the sources. It marks the second p
Aug. 24, 2021
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Consumer sentiment dips in August over surge in COVID-19 infections
South Korea's consumer sentiment dipped in August over a spike in COVID-19 infections, marking the second consecutive monthly decline, central bank data showed Tuesday. The composite consumer sentiment index (CCSI) came in at 102.5 for August, down 0.7 point from the previous month, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). A reading above 100 means optimists outnumber pessimists. The latest reading marks the second monthly decline since June, when the index stood at 110.3. The
Aug. 24, 2021
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[Herald Interview] Korea Forest Service on keeping the country green
Forestry body chief talks multiple green projects and goals during his tenure Amid the prolonged coronavirus pandemic, more South Koreans are rediscovering the joy of immersing themselves in nature, heading out to rugged mountains away from crowded cities. With some 63 percent of its land covered in forest, as opposed to the global average of 30 percent, Korea is indeed a country for hikers, with mountaineering being one of the favorite hobbies of many. While more people are reconnecting
Aug. 24, 2021
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Corporate direct financing falls 3% in July
South Korea's corporate direct financing fell 3 percent on month in July due to a decline in sales of bonds, data showed Tuesday. Local companies raised a combined 21 trillion won ($17.9 billion) by selling stocks and bonds in July, down 657.6 billion won from a month ago, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). Corporate stock sales soared 73.3 percent to 4.05 trillion won, with the value of initial public offerings jumping to 3.08 trillion won. Local businesses
Aug. 24, 2021
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[Newsmaker] HMM workers vote for strike; governments drawing up measures
The South Korean government said Monday that it was taking measures to cope with any potential disruptions in maritime shipping as a labor strike loomed at the country’s largest shipper, HMM. Earlier in the day, nearly 88 percent of the 453 unionized longshore workers at HMM voted in favor of the collective action, as their wage negotiations with the company management remained deadlocked. If realized, it would be the first labor strike at the company. It is unclear when the union pl
Aug. 23, 2021
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China surpasses Korea in major economic figures: FKI
China has been outperforming South Korea in several competitiveness rankings, a report published by the Federation of Korea Industries showed Monday, having already overtaken its neighbor in several other measures. In the 2021 IMD Competitiveness Ranking. South Korea rose nine ranks from 32nd place in 1994 to 23rd in 2021, while China shot up from 34th in 1994 to 16th this year. In the Competitive Industrial Performance list, created by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization
Aug. 23, 2021
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Forestry agency earns carbon credits from overseas efforts
As climate change requires attention both locally and globally, green and healthy forests have proven to be beneficial not just in the immediate areas where they are located, but also entire regions and across the whole planet. The Korea Forest Service’s work, therefore, goes beyond the country’s borders. It has for years been making efforts to enhance sustainable management of forests in developing countries, the state-run agency said Monday. Such efforts are in line with the
Aug. 23, 2021
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'Korean economy may lose steam due to household debts'
South Korea’s economy will grow 3.9 percent this year, an Asian regional macroeconomic surveillance organization said Monday, presenting a more pessimistic outlook than what the government forecast citing growing household debts. The ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office said Asia’s fourth-largest economy continues its strong rebound in 2021 buoyed by a sustained global recovery and robust demand for electronics and autos. But it warned that the country’s growing household d
Aug. 23, 2021
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Samsung, SK hynix face mixed outlooks for DRAM chips
Last week, foreign investors sold a net 6.3 trillion won ($5.36 billion) worth of Samsung Electronics shares and 2.4 trillion won of SK hynix shares on the local stock market, amid concerns about a drop in DRAM, or dynamic random access memory, chips in the coming months. The continued sell-offs of Samsung and SK hynix by foreign investors weakened their share prices. Samsung’s share price ended at 72,500 won Friday, down 12.9 percent from a recent high of 83,300 won recorded on Aug. 5.
Aug. 23, 2021
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Celltrion’s anti-COVID drug set for US, EU rollout: report
Celltrion’s COVID-19 antibody treatment, the world’s third therapy to be developed for the coronavirus, is likely to enter the US and European markets later this year, a local brokerage said in a report Monday. According to Lee Dong-geon of Shinhan Investment, the South Korean pharmaceutical firm is likely to soon apply for the US Food and Drug Administration’s emergency use authorization for Regkirona, or CT-P59, based on the advisory meetings that the firm previously had w
Aug. 23, 2021
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HMM's sailors vote in favor of first-ever strike
Unionized sailors and other sea-based workers of South Korea's largest shipper HMM Co. have voted in favor of staging their first-ever strike after wage negotiations with the company reached a deadlock, industry sources said Monday. Around 92 percent of the seafarers who have participated in the vote supported the proposed walkout, and they plan to hand in letters of resignation to the management Wednesday, according to the sources. The union added it is still open to reach a last-minute agree
Aug. 23, 2021
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Seoul stocks rise nearly 1% on strong exports, eased tapering woes
South Korean stocks steeply rebounded Monday, rising nearly 1 percent, helped by robust economic data and easing concerns about the US Fed's tapering timeline. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) advanced 29.7 points, or 0.97 percent, to close at 3,090.21 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 564 million shares worth some 13.2 trillion won ($11.2 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 788 to 94. Foreigners sold a net 31 bi
Aug. 23, 2021
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Workforce aging could hurt Korea’s manufacturing: report
A rapidly aging population is a cause of great concern for South Korea already, but a report released Monday gave another reason to worry about: It would hurt the locomotive of the local economy -- manufacturing. According to the Seoul-based Korea Economic Research Institute, the sector will suffer a severe blow from the graying of the workforce. Its analysis of the demographic trends of the manufacturing workforce over the last 10 years shows that the proportion of workers in their 50s and a
Aug. 23, 2021
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Samsung Bioepis gets nod for sale of ophthalmology biosimilar drug in Europe
South Korean biopharmaceutical firm Samsung Bioepis Co. said Monday it has won approval from European authorities for the sale of its ophthalmology biosimilar, Byooviz. The European Commission granted the marketing authorization on ranibizumab biosimilar, previously known as SB11, which references Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis' blockbuster medication Lucentis. It is the first biosimilar referencing Lucentis to be commercialized in the European Union. The Novartis product registered $1.93
Aug. 23, 2021
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LG Chem's shares tumble on GM EV recall
Shares of South Korean chemical firm LG Chem Ltd. plunged in the Seoul bourse Monday, following American automaker General Motors' decision to additionally recall Bolt electric vehicles equipped with its subsidiary's batteries over fire risks. LG Chem, which wholly owns battery maker LG Energy Solution Ltd., saw its shares tumble about 10 percent as of 2 p.m., after GM said Friday it will recall about 73,000 Bolt EVs from model years 2019 through 2022, which is expected to cost about US$1 billi
Aug. 23, 2021
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Bottom 20% hit hardest by food price hikes
Soaring food prices have pushed South Korea’s low-income families to spend more on food, fueling an increase in the number of households running a deficit, data showed Monday. According to data from the Korean Statistical Information Service, monthly expenditures on food and nonalcoholic beverages by households in the lowest income quintile, or the bottom 20 percent, stood at 244,000 won ($208) on average, during the second fiscal quarter, up 12 percent from a year earlier.
Aug. 23, 2021
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Yanolja wins suit against rival over data theft
Accommodation booking app Yanolja won a compensation suit it filed against a local rival for stealing confidential company information, according to a regional court Monday. The Seoul Central District Court ordered Good Choice Company, the firm behind the accommodation booking platform of the same name, to pay 1 billion won ($852,300) to Yanolja as compensation for its theft of Yanolja’s business data. The court said Good Choice gained profit from using information gathered from Yanol
Aug. 23, 2021
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Google or Apple? ONE Store emerges as cheaper 3rd option
South Korea’s own app market operator ONE Store said Monday it will go global in 2022 and challenge the dual hegemony of Google and Apple by charging commissions up to one-third cheaper. During an online press conference, CEO Lee Jae-hwan announced that the firm has teamed up with Blizzard, Microsoft and Tencent to expand beyond the Korean market and launch a global version of the ONE Store in 2022. “Due to the recent monopoly issue in the app market, ONE Store is getting incre
Aug. 23, 2021