[ THE INVESTOR ] Hyundai Merchant Marine is considering bidding for Hanjin Shipping’s Asia-US route, industry sources said on Oct. 18. HMM, currently under a creditor-led debt restructuring scheme, is planning to submit a preliminary bid for Hanjin Shipping ’s route, seen as the most lucrative, and ships that are up for sales, the sources said. Last week, part of cash-strapped Hanjin Ship...

[ THE INVESTOR ] South Korea marked a trade surplus over 56 consecutive months in September, according to customs data on Oct. 17. The country‘s trade surplus came to US$6.9 billion last month, down 22.4 percent from $8.89 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. But it marked a 35-percent on-month jump from a seven-month low of $5.1 billion in Aug...

[ THE INVESTOR ] South Korean pension funds have snapped up shares of Samsung Electronics after the tech giant’s stocks plunged following its smartphone fiasco, industry sources said on Oct. 17. Samsung, the top cap and darling of the South Korean stock market, decided last week to suspend production of the Galaxy Note 7 and pull the flagship smartphone out of the market after failing to res...

[ THE INVESTOR ] The global shipbuilding industry’s slump is expected to continue into next year before a recovery in 2018, a report showed on Oct. 17. According to the report by global research firm Clarkson Research Services, this year’s new ship orders around the globe are estimated at 586 vessels, but the comparable figure for next year will be 790. Over the past 20 years, global shipbuil...

[ THE INVESTOR ] A growing number of young Chinese tourists are becoming key customers for duty-free stores here, industry officials said on Oct. 17. Local duty-free shops in the past mostly generated revenue from middle-aged Chinese travelers who bought foreign luxury bags and watches, but now they are embracing younger Chinese who prefer Korean cosmetics and fashion brands on the back of a r...

[ THE INVESTOR ] Doosan Infracore appears to have been a major target of short selling last week ahead of its price range announcement for the initial public offering of its affiliate Doosan Bobcat, market watchers said on Oct. 14. After completing a demand forecast early Oct. 10, Doosan Infracore offered a price band of between 40,100 won (US$35.50) and 50,000 won for the IPO aimed at impro...

[ THE INVESTOR ] Hanjin Shipping ’s assets partly went up for sale on Oct. 14 amid its struggle to repay debts and unpaid bills, industry sources said on Oct. 14. The country’s No. 1 shipper currently under receivership got a nod from a local court on Oct. 13 to sell its Asia-U.S. route, including manpower, and vessels, 10 overseas operations, according to the sources. The Seoul Central Dis...

[ THE INVESTOR ] South Korean shares opened higher on Oct. 14 on advances by large market caps. The benchmark KOSPI added 10.03 points, or 0.50 percent, to 2,025.47 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Most large caps were in positive terrain, with market bellwether Samsung Electronics advancing 0.45 percent. Global chipmaker SK hynix spiked 1.47 percent, with local auto industry leader H...