Hynix Semiconductor, the world’s second-largest computer memory chip maker, announced Thursday it posted 2.76 trillion won in sales and 447 billion won in operating profit for the second quarter.The figures are down from the same period last year, 16 percent in sales and 56 percent in operating profit. Net income reached 473 billion won ($449 million).“The second quarter started off with demand gr

IndustryJuly 21, 2011

South Korea ranked 56th in terms of gold holdings, one notch higher from a year earlier, but its reserves remained relatively small compared with other nations, data showed Thursday.Korea’s gold holdings came to 14.4 tons as of July this year, the 56th largest among 113 countries and organizations surveyed by the World Gold Council, an international body that offers key information about gold.Kore

BusinessJuly 21, 2011

SC First Bank and its labor union, staging the longest walkout in the industry, are increasingly under pressure to strike a deal to end the dispute after the fight resulted in its lowered credit rating and intense scrutiny from the regulator.About half of its 6,500 workforce has been on strike since June 27 to protest against the proposed introduction of a performance-based pay system. The bank wa

IndustryJuly 21, 2011

Hyundai Steel is pushing the drive to expand its presence in the Japanese market for steel plates for ships, with up to four new supply contracts looking likely to be closed during the second half of the year.The company, which began producing thick steel plates in April 2010, has been supplying thick plates to Japanese construction firms and machinery makers since September. According to the comp

IndustryJuly 21, 2011

Participants agreed that the mainstay of economic growth is leaning to emerging markets led by BRICs — Brazil, Russia, India and China — since a financial calamity in 2007.JEJU ― Leaders in the country’s business circle and academia underscored the significance of innovation and speed in surviving the rapidly changing economic environment. Around 600 business leaders, scholars and government offic

IndustryJuly 21, 2011

South Korean stocks ended 0.46 percent lower on Thursday, as foreign investors continued to sell amid persistent concerns related to the U.S. debt ceiling issue and the eurozone debt crisis, analysts said. The local currency climbed against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index retreated 9.91 points to 2,145.04. Trading volume was moderate at 358.6 million shares worth 7.

July 21, 2011

South Korean manufacturing companies chalked up a net cash outflow in 2010 as they revved up capital spending and securities investments, the central bank said Thursday.According to a survey of 6,778 manufacturers by the Bank of Korea, their average net cash outflow came to 248 million won ($235,000) last year, a turnaround from a net inflow of 1.01 billion won the previous year.“Last year, local

July 21, 2011

Two out of every 10 alcoholics here suffer diabetes, too, recent research suggests. A study by Prof. Kim Dae-jin of the Catholic University on 226 male alcoholics from April-November 2009, saw 20.4 percent diagnosed with diabetes. The portion is twice that of non-alcoholics, the team said. Another 30.2 percent were diagnosed with impaired glucose tolerance, which is perceived as a step before diab

TechnologyJuly 21, 2011

The Korean Medicine Service Team Abroad, a group of young Oriental medical doctors, will be providing free medical examinations for children of multiethnic families through Sunday at the Seoul Character/Licensing Fair in Coex, Seoul. At the festival dedicated to children’s welfare and fun, the doctors will provide free examinations on atopic dermatitis, rhinitis and various allergic reactions. The

TechnologyJuly 21, 2011

Ewha Womans University Medical Center earned accreditation from Joint Commission International on Monday. The hospital said it was tested on a total of 1,221 factors and passed. The JCI evaluation categories range from price to safety, hygiene, technology, facilities and more.The approval from the internationally acclaimed medical facility evaluation organization will allow the hospital to expand

TechnologyJuly 21, 2011

More than 55 percent of parents snoop on what their children are doing through social networking systems, the Daily Mail reported.According to the research conducted by computing company Bullguard Internet Security, about 40 percent of parents monitor their children’s status updates and posts on their wall.Social networking systems such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter have become widely popular w

TechnologyJuly 21, 2011

The Renault Group will appoint Francois Provost, the French carmaker’s deputy managing director in Russia, to head Renault Samsung Motors on Sept. 1, an official at Renault Samsung Motors said Thursday.Provost will replace Renault Samsung’s current CEO Jean-Marie Hurtiger, who took the Seoul office in May 2006.“Renault Samsung will have new leader effective Sept. 1. Francois Provost will transfer

IndustryJuly 21, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Scientists have found a new contributor to male infertility, a protein that is supposed to coat sperm to help them swim to an egg, unless that coating goes missing.About 20 percent of men may harbor gene mutations that leave their sperm coat-free and thus lower their fertility, an international research team reported Wednesday.Today's reproductive tests cannot spot the problem, s

TechnologyJuly 21, 2011

The National Tax Service said on Thursday it has requested the country’s major Internet portals such as Naver and Daum to provide personal information about some 1,300 influential bloggers.The tax agency’s move comes as a growing number of local bloggers with a large pool of readers get enmeshed in money-for-article scandals. Recently, a high-profile blogger who belongs to the country’s largest po

TechnologyJuly 21, 2011