Most Popular
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10-man S. Korea lose to Indonesia to miss out on Paris Olympic football qualification
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Hybe-Ador feud should have limited effect on Hybe's overall performance: analysts
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Second Gimpo civil servant found dead, after apologizing for not finishing work
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DP leader says he will meet Yoon without conditions
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First-ever meeting of president, opposition chief set to finally happen
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NewJeans' singles, Japanese debut to proceed as planned, despite Hybe-Ador feud
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Experts raise concerns about Japan putting pressure on Naver over Line
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Samsung mobile chief, Google device head meet in Seoul
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Ship linked to NK arms shipments to Russia is moored in China: State Dept.
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[Kim So-hyun] The quiet taxi driver from Paris
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Seoul seeks trade deal with Uzbekistan, strives to diversify export channels
South Korea will enter into talks with Uzbekistan by the end of the year, seeking to sign a bilateral trade deal, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said Monday. It will also establish a platform to help local SMEs promote and sell their products through contactless global selling channels such as Amazon. “Our economy continues to face difficulties, with exports logging negative growth for six months straight,” Hong said in a meeting of economy-related minist
Sept. 14, 2020
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Credit card firms' H1 net up 19% on increased profit from loans
South Korea's credit card companies saw their combined earnings rise in the first half of the year from a year earlier due to increased profits from card loans, data showed Monday. The combined net profit of eight card issuers, including Shinhan Card Co., Samsung Card Co. and KB Kookmin Card Co., came to 1.11 trillion won ($937 million) in the January-June period, up 18.9 percent from a year earlier, according to the data released by the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). The hike in profit
Sept. 14, 2020
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Daily money transfers via mobile payment apps up 20% in H1 amid pandemic
The value of daily money transfers via mobile payment apps in South Korea rose 20.3 percent in the first half from six months earlier as online financial transactions increased amid the new coronavirus outbreak, central bank data showed Monday. The value of daily money transfers via smartphone apps, such as Toss, Naver Pay and KakaoPay, stood at 322.6 billion won ($272.3 million) in the January-June period, compared with 268.2 billion won in the second half of 2019, according to the data by th
Sept. 14, 2020
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S. Korean trade minister to head to Washington to drum up support for her bid to become WTO chief
South Korea's trade minister plans to visit the United States this week to win support for her bid to become the new head of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee will depart for her four-day trip to Washington on Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, where she plans to meet US government and business officials. During the trip, Yoo is also expected to discuss a wide array of issues related to the economic ties between South Korea and the
Sept. 14, 2020
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HDC, Asiana shares fall after deal collapses
Shares in HDC Hyundai Development Co. and Asiana Airlines Inc. fell Monday after the property developer's planned acquisition of the debt-ridden carrier collapsed last week amid the COVID-19 pandemic. HDC fell 0.2 percent to 24,700 won ($21) and Asiana plunged 2.5 percent to 3,965 won, far underperforming the broader KOSPI's 1.3 percent gain. But Asiana's parent Kumho Industrial Co. rose 1.2 percent to end at 6,820 won as the deal's rupture was already factored in the stock price. "HD
Sept. 14, 2020
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IPOs in S. Korea scoop up investor money this year
South Korean investors have poured a huge amount of money into initial public offerings (IPO) this year amid ample liquidity, industry sources said Monday. Investor deposits for IPO subscription in Asia's fourth-largest economy came to 150.9 trillion won ($134 billion) between January and last week, about 1.5 times the full-year figure for 2019. A total of 45 companies have gone public this year, compared with 99 issues last year. This year's amount is also well over the 85 trillion won in
Sept. 14, 2020
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S. Korea seeks to begin free trade talks with Uzbekistan by year-end
SEJONG -- South Korea seeks to launch formal negotiations with Uzbekistan by the end of this year to sign a bilateral free trade deal, Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said Monday. South Korea will complete domestic procedures this month to begin free trade talks with Uzbekistan, Hong told a meeting with economy-related ministers. Hong said Uzbekistan is one of the important partners for South Korea's New Northern Policy aimed at improving the nation's partnerships with countries located north of
Sept. 14, 2020
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Watchdog mulls tightening unsecured loans amid sharp demand for property-related funds
South Korea's financial watchdog is considering tightening rules on unsecured loans as more people took out such lending excessively to buy homes or invest in stocks, financial sources said Sunday. The financial regulator has stiffened rules on mortgage lending in a bid to curb rising housing prices, but people rushed to take out credit loans to buy houses amid cheap borrowing costs. A rally in the stock market also prompted people to borrow unsecured loans for stock investments, including pub
Sept. 13, 2020
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South Korean shares log 2nd highest gains among G-20 peers
South Korea's key stock index has posted the second-highest profit rate among its Group of 20 peers since this year's bottom, helped by robust buying by individuals, the bourse operator said Sunday. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed at 2,396.69 points Friday, soaring 64.42 percent from 1,439.43 on March 19. All G-20 countries saw their main stock indices plunge to the year's lowest in mid-March, when investors' fear peaked over the new coronavirus pandemic. The
Sept. 13, 2020
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S. Korea to focus on digital infrastructure investment, ‘Data Dam’ project: minister
South Korea will focus on investing in digital infrastructure, including its Data Dam project, to combat future risks stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, the nation’s finance minister said Friday. “Due to the novel coronavirus, our economy and society has been seeing an acceleration of digitalization,” Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said, in an opening speech delivered at the Digital Economy Forum hosted by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. &l
Sept. 11, 2020
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Industrial power consumption in July hits 4-year low on virus
South Korea's industrial electricity consumption fell to a four-year low in July amid an economic slump caused by the coronavirus outbreak, data showed Friday. The volume of power consumed by the nation's industrial sector reached 23,468 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in July, down 4.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), South Korea's state-run utility. The figure is the lowest industrial power consumption for July since the 23,238 GWh recorded in
Sept. 11, 2020
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S. Korean government vows quick process for COVID-19 allowance payment
South Korea‘s government vowed Friday to apply a speedy process to the payment of special disaster relief subsidies so that those heavily hit by the COVID-19 fallout may receive the money before the Chuseok holiday at the end of this month. “We shall simplify the qualification examination standards, and hand out the subsidies first, and carry out the (detailed) verification afterwards,” said Kim Yong-beom, first vice minister of finance, in an economic policy meeting at Go
Sept. 11, 2020
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S. Korea's money supply grows at fastest clip in nearly 11 years in July
South Korea's money supply grew at the fastest pace in nearly 11 years in July as household and corporate lending grew amid a long streak of low rates and the new coronavirus outbreak, central bank data showed Friday. The country's M2 stood at 3,092.8 trillion won ($2.6 trillion) as of end-July, up 10.1 percent from a year earlier, according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). It accelerated from a 9.9 percent on-year gain in June and marked the fastest on-year rise since 10.5 p
Sept. 11, 2020
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Daewoo Shipbuilding to foster ship-related digital technology experts
Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. said Friday that it will nurture digital technology workforces to improve the management and production procedure of its shipyards. A program to be run by the software education center of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) will train experts of ship-related digital technologies, the shipbuilder said in an emailed statement. This program will help innovate management and improve productivity in the shipbuilding industry
Sept. 11, 2020
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Consumption shows signs of slowing down over virus resurgence: finance ministry
South Korea's consumption has shown signs of slowing down due to a recent resurgence of new coronavirus infections, but the pace of decline in exports eased, the finance ministry said Friday. In a monthly economic report, called the "Green Book," the Ministry of Economy and Finance also flagged the economy's continuing uncertainty stemming from the virus resurgence. "South Korea's indicators of domestic consumption took a turn for the worse because of a resurgence of COVID-19
Sept. 11, 2020
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Exports fall 0.2% in first 10 days of September
South Korea's exports fell 0.2 percent on-year in the first 10 days of September amid the economic fallout from the new coronavirus, customs data showed Friday. The nation's outbound shipments stood at $14.9 billion in the Sept. 1-10 period, compared with $15 billion a year ago, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. The daily average exports during the 10-day period dropped 11.9 percent. The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted trade and halted production around the globe, wi
Sept. 11, 2020
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KDB chief wins 2nd term amid looming collapse of Asiana deal
The state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB) said Thursday its chairman Lee Dong-gull has been named to lead the South Korean policy lender for another three years. Lee's second term, which is set to begin on Friday, comes amid a series of stalled corporate sell-off deals, including how to normalize Asiana Airlines Inc. Major property developer HDC Hyundai Development Co. had sought to acquire the country's second-biggest airline, but the 2.5 trillion-won ($2.1 billion) deal appears likely to c
Sept. 10, 2020
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S. Korea issues $1.45b in forex stabilization fund bonds
The South Korean government’s recent issuance of low-yielding foreign exchange equalization fund bonds indicates the credibility for the fundamentals of Asia’s fourth-largest economy, the country’s top fiscal policymaker said Thursday. “We have been able to reconfirm the overseas investors’ positive assessment of Korea’s economic fundamentals,” the fiscal chief said via Facebook. His remark addressed the government’s earlier announcement that
Sept. 10, 2020
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Doosan Heavy to join hands with KNOC for offshore wind farms
Power plant builder Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Co. said Thursday it has signed a preliminary deal with the Korea National Oil Corp. (KNOC) to develop a floating offshore wind farm. Under the deal, Doosan Heavy will provide floating wind turbines, while the state-run oil company will work on the overall procedures to build the floating offshore wind farm in the East Sea, the power plant builder said. In July, the government said it plans to start building the floating offshor
Sept. 10, 2020
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4th extra budget aims to help small merchants gripped by virus resurgence
SEJONG -- A fourth supplementary budget worth 7.8 trillion won ($6.6 billion) is mainly aimed at helping small merchants and self-employed people cushion the economic impact of a recent resurgence of the new coronavirus. The additional fiscal boost came less than a month after health authorities tightened social distancing rules to contain a new wave of contagion, amid growing concerns that the nation's economic slump may be deeper than expected. Presiding over an emergency economic council m
Sept. 10, 2020