Most Popular
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Medical profs at top hospitals suspend surgeries, clinics
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Samsung chip business back on track, logs W1.9tr operating profit in Q1
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Exports to US reach all-time high, widen gap with China
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Shinsegae faces showdown with investors over SSG.com's delayed IPO
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Hopes rise for possible Gaza truce deal
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Trump rekindles criticism: US forces defending 'wealthy' S. Korea 'free of charge'
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Ex-pro baseball player who killed debtor appeals sentence
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S. Korea discussed possible participation in AUKUS Pillar 2 with Australia: defense minister
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S. Korea to issue travel ban on Haiti amid intensifying gang violence
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Leaders of S. Korea, Angola agree to boost economic, trade cooperation
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Merged GS Retail aims to challenge online, offline rivals
The new GS Retail is kicking off in July as GS Group’s retail business unit, the company said Wednesday. The new entity was created by the marriage of two GS retail arms -- the old GS Retail and GS Home Shopping. The purpose of the merger, decided at the end of 2020, is to integrate the group’s presence in online and offline commerce platforms and boost its competitiveness in the overall retail sector. The new GS Retail, which officially launches Thursday, will be in charge of op
June 30, 2021
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Manufacturer’s Q3 sentiment hits 7-year high on vaccine rollout
South Korean manufacturers’ business sentiment reached a seven-year high for the third quarter this year, as the global economy shows signs of recovery amid vaccine rollouts against the coronavirus pandemic, a poll revealed Wednesday. According to the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Business Sentiment Index, which it compiles quarterly, stood at 103 for the July-September period, up four points from the previous quarter. It was the first time in seven years that it surpassed
June 30, 2021
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Overseas vacations in sight with signing of first travel bubble
South Korea will sign its first travel bubble agreement with Saipan on Wednesday, paving the way for quarantine-free international travel amid the pandemic. The deal will allow people from both places and their family members who have received vaccinations approved by the local health authorities -- Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson and Johnson and AstraZeneca -- to go on a package tour without quarantine, starting sometime between late July and early August. Travelers are required to wait for two week
June 30, 2021
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After 25-year ride, Kosdaq’s market cap jumps over 50-fold
The value of stocks traded on South Korea‘s tech-laden Kosdaq market had reached 427.7 trillion won ($379 billion) as of Tuesday, soaring more than 50 times since its launch on July 1, 1996, data showed Wednesday. According to a report released from the Korea Exchange, the market began with a combined market capitalization of 7.6 trillion won 25 years ago, but as the number of listed firms increased from 341 to 1,506 over the cited period, the secondary bourse has rapidly increased its si
June 30, 2021
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STX Offshore wins orders for 12 ships
Midsized shipyard STX Offshore & Shipbuilding Co. said Wednesday that it has signed deals to build 12 ships with Oceanian companies. The vessels include two 10,000-ton petrochemical carriers (PCs), six 50,000-ton PCs and four 115,000-ton oil tankers, STX Offshore & Shipbuilding said. The deal for four oil tankers has an option to build two additional oil tankers, the company said. But the shipbuilder did not reveal the value of the deals, citing confidentiality clauses. The ships wil
June 30, 2021
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Sustinvest hands Shinhan with highest ESG rating
South Korean proxy advisory firm Sustinvest on Wednesday said it has given Shinhan Financial Group the highest rating for environmental, social and governance values for the first-half of this year. Sustinvest, which also provides ESG analytics and advisory services here, assesses and rates some 1,000 listed businesses annually on their ESG initiatives. The ESG advisor said its criteria includes whether the firms’ management are eco- and society- friendly and have sustainable corporate g
June 30, 2021
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Samsung's kiosk machine available in more countries
Samsung Electronics Co. on Wednesday announced that its kiosk machine is now available in more countries as the tech giant eyes to bolster its self-service machine business amid the pandemic-induced contactless trend. Samsung Kiosk is now launched in 12 countries worldwide, including the United States, Britain, Spain, Australia and Singapore. Its kiosk machine was first unveiled in February in South Korea. The kiosk with a 24-inch touch-screen display is powered by Samsung's system on chip (So
June 30, 2021
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Manufacturing sentiment improves for Q3 on economic recovery
A majority of South Korean manufacturers expect their business conditions to improve in the third quarter from three months earlier on a global economic recovery, a poll showed Wednesday. A survey of about 2,400 manufacturing firms put the business sentiment index (BSI) at 103 for the July-September period, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) said. The figure is up 4 points from the current quarter and marks the first time in about seven years that the reading has stayed above th
June 30, 2021
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QLED, OLED TV shipments to reach record highs in 2021: report
QLED and OLED TV shipments are projected to reach record highs this year, a report showed Wednesday, boding well for the South Korean TV makers that lead the premium TV market. The annual shipment of QLED TVs for 2021 is expected to reach 11.02 million units, up 22.4 percent from a year earlier, while that of OLED TVs is estimated to be 7.1 million units, up 80 percent from a year ago, according to market researcher TrendForce. "Continued price hikes of TV panels, as well as a simultaneou
June 30, 2021
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SK REITs gears up for IPO
SK Inc. said Wednesday that its board had approved an initial public offering of its wholly-owned subsidiary SK REITs in the second half. This opens doors to SK REITs' plan to raise 231.2 billion won ($204.3 million) from the IPO, or 5,000 won apiece, as suggested in the prospectus earlier this month. Korea Investment & Securities, Samsung Securities and SK Securities will be underwriters of the IPO. SK REITs will start trading on the Korea Exchange‘s main board Kospi, followin
June 30, 2021
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S. Korea accounts for one-third of global EV battery market in Jan.-May
Three South Korean electric vehicle (EV) battery makers accounted for a third of the global market in the first five months of the year, but their share has slightly slipped since last year in the face of toughening competition with Chinese rivals, a market research firm said Wednesday. The trio -- LG Energy Solution Ltd., Samsung SDI Co. and SK Innovation Co. -- supplied a combined 88.4 gigawatt-hour (GWh) equivalents of EV batteries in the January-May period, up from 33.6 GWh a year earlier,
June 30, 2021
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Cars, chemicals among major winners of S. Korea-EU FTA: KITA
South Korea has been enjoying robust exports of automobiles and chemical products to the European Union over the past 10 years on the back of its free trade agreement (FTA) with the world's single largest economic bloc, data showed Wednesday. Outbound shipments of automobiles came to $8.4 billion in 2019, which doubled from $3.3 billion tallied in 2010, according to the data compiled by the Korea International Trade Association. South Korea became the first Asian country to implement an FTA wi
June 30, 2021
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Samsung, Deutsche Telekom to develop eco-friendly 5G smartphone
Samsung Electronics Co. has signed a partnership with Germany's telecom giant Deutsche Telekom AG to develop an environment-friendly 5G smartphone, company officials said Wednesday. Their strategic partnership for sustainability was signed during the Mobile World Congress 2021, according to officials. The deal includes collaboration in developing a "green smartphone" that is easy to repair and equipped with a removable battery. It is expected to be released by end-2022. The two sides
June 30, 2021
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BOK, KDB to extend purchase of subprime corporate bonds until year-end
The Bank of Korea (BOK) and state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB) will extend their purchasing of corporate bonds, including low-rated debts, and commercial papers to further stabilize bond markets until the end of this year, the central bank said Wednesday. In May last year, the BOK approved an 8 trillion-won ($6.64 billion) loan to a special purpose vehicle, which was set up by the KDB, to buy subprime corporate bonds and commercial papers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The vehicle had been sc
June 30, 2021
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LG Electronics to launch Mini LED TVs this week
LG Electronics Inc. said Tuesday its Mini LED TVs will hit the shelves this week as the South Korean tech giant eyes to expand its presence in the premium TV market. Starting with North America, LG's QNED Mini LED TVs will be available in major markets, including Europe, South Korea and Japan. Its first Mini LED TV comes in 65-, 75- and 86-inch sizes in 4K and 8K resolutions. In South Korea, four QNED Mini LED TV models will be sold with prices ranging from 5.09 million won ($4,500) to 16.8 mi
June 30, 2021
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S. Korea to launch annual meetings with Fitch this week
South Korea will begin its annual consultation meetings with global rating agency Fitch Ratings this week over the country's economic conditions, Seoul's finance ministry said Wednesday. The government will hold online meetings with the agency from Wednesday to July 8 to discuss the country's economic situations and its growth outlook. Fitch will hold a series of meetings with officials from the finance ministry, the Bank of Korea, the Ministry of Unification and other institutions. Finance M
June 30, 2021
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New home permits climb 20% in Jan.-May
New home permits in South Korea swelled nearly 20 percent in the first five months of the year amid rising housing prices, the government said Wednesday. Construction permits issued for new homes stood at 186,743 units in the January-May period, up 19.9 percent from a year ago, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. New construction permits in the South Korean capital of Seoul spiked 39.6 percent to 30,915 over the cited period. New home permits issued in the capital
June 30, 2021
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Seoul stocks open higher on US gains
South Korean stocks opened higher Wednesday on US stock gains, following a US drugmaker's announcement that its vaccine turned out effective against the spreading virus variant. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) rose 11.25 points, or 0.34 percent, to trade at 3,297.93 points as of 9:15 a.m. The Kospi got off to a bullish start, taking a cue from Moderna's announcement that its COVID-19 vaccine produced protective antibodies against the highly contagious delta variant. Ov
June 30, 2021
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Finance minister warns of possible fall in housing prices amid looming rate hike
South Korea's top economic policymaker said Wednesday excessive demand for home buying could ease amid the central bank's move toward monetary tightening and stricter regulations on household lending. Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki warned that housing prices could fall if a severe external economic shock occurs at a time when households have maintained high levels of leverage. "An inflow of liquidity into the housing market could slow down as the country is set to implement measures to slow
June 30, 2021
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Samsung Electronics top patent holder in S. Korea for 5 years: data
Global tech titan Samsung Electronics Co. has ranked first in the number of patents filed in South Korea over the past five years, data showed Wednesday. Samsung registered 19,588 patents with local authorities between 2016 and June 10 this year, the most among local companies, according to the data from corporate tracker CEO Score. The number accounts for 13.8 percent of a combined 141,752 patents filed by 345 companies out of the country's top 500 firms by sales over the cited period. Samsu
June 30, 2021