The National Tax Service has launched an inspection into Hotel Shilla, led by Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Kun-hee’s eldest daughter Lee Boo-jin, officials said Tuesday.The first tax inquiry into the company since 2006 is expected to focus on recent business developments, including its successful negotiations with Louis Vuitton to open a store for the French designer brand in Incheon Internati

IndustryApril 5, 2011

Hanwha Group said Tuesday it has launched new company to spearhead its expanding solar power business at home and abroad.The new venture, named Hanwha Solar Energy, will be at the center of the group’s vertically integrated solar energy business, from equipment to facilities to power generation. It will also push for cooperation with partners in North America and Europe, the company said. The firm

IndustryApril 5, 2011

S-Oil Corp., Korea’s third-largest oil refiner, said Tuesday that it will cut the supply prices of its gasoline and diesel by 100 won ($0.9) per liter starting Thursday, following market leader SK Innovation’s suit.The firm’s directly managed stations nationwide will thus reduce its retail fuel prices by the amount, it said. The price reduction will last for three months.“We made the decision in o

IndustryApril 5, 2011

Leading processed food companies and franchises have upped their prices in the past week, adding to the already-high inflationary pressure.The industry-wide increase arrived following an almost 10 percent price hike by sugar manufacturers in December. The industry’s No. 4 DongA One said it will raise wholesale prices of flour by 8.6 percent starting Tuesday.Haiti Confectionary & Foods increased wh

April 5, 2011

Some lawyers claim the U.S. fund should not have been allowed to buy KEBFinancial regulators face a bumpy road in their scheduled ruling on whether Lone Star Funds was eligible to acquire Korea Exchange Bank in 2003.Over the past few weeks, the Financial Supervisory Service asked 10 major law firms to make legal reviews on the U.S. buyout fund’s eligibility as KEB’s biggest shareholder.At least on

April 5, 2011

South Korea will forge a mobile radio-frequency identification network in metropolitan regions by the end of the year to promote mobile commerce, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said Tuesday.The technology allows users to pay for items by flashing RFID-imbedded mobile phones in front of wireless readers.The RFID system has already been used in the country for transportation cards and wireless ex

IndustryApril 5, 2011

Australia’s central bank left its benchmark interest rate at the highest level in the developed world as floods disrupt coal mining in the nation’s northeast and a rising currency tempers inflation. Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Glenn Stevens held the overnight cash rate target at 4.75 percent for a fourth straight meeting, as forecast by all 25 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News. He calle

IndustryApril 5, 2011

   SAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Larry Page has the vision, passion and intelligence that Google Inc. needs in its next leader.   Yet as he becomes CEO Monday, the Google co-founder must prove that his aloofness, rebellious streak and affinity for pursuing wacky ideas won't alienate investors and lead the company astray.He's taking over amid emerging threats from rapidly growing rivals and more vigilant re

TechnologyApril 5, 2011

Unlisted subsidiaries of Korea’s leading family-controlled conglomerates depend heavily on international trading for their sales, data showed Monday, raising concerns over conglomerates’ attempts to transfer wealth and dodge taxes.Twenty unlisted firms, whose biggest shareholders are the heirs of the group owners, saw their combined sales from internal transactions reach 3.42 trillion won ($3.1 bi

IndustryApril 4, 2011

The head of KB Financial Group Inc. said Monday that its flagship banking unit plans not to unload shares in the parent group in the local market in a bid to minimize its market impact.Korea’s top lender, Kookmin Bank, bought about 21 percent stake in its parent, KB Financial Group, in September 2008 when the group was created. By banking law, the bank is required to unload around 9 percent stake

April 4, 2011

Korea plans to spend 1.03 trillion won ($947 million) this year to promote renewable energy development research and nuclear safety projects, the government said Monday.The amount represents a 3.1 percent gain from 1.01 trillion won spent on energy R&D in 2010. The sum is equal to 6.9 percent of the government’s overall R&D plan of 14.9 trillion won set aside for this year.The Ministry of Knowledg

IndustryApril 4, 2011

A majority of foreign importers of Korean goods expect the country’s exports to remain solid in the second quarter on increased competitiveness, a poll showed Monday.The index measuring the outlook of the country’s exports in the April-June period came to 57.5, compared with 52.7 tallied for the previous quarter, according to the survey by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA).The se

IndustryApril 4, 2011

GS Caltex, S-Oil and Hyundai Oilbank may follow largest refinery’s decision to lower gasoline and diesel costsLeading oil refiner SK Innovation’s decision to lower retail fuel prices has prompted its smaller rivals to consider following suit. SK Innovation announced Sunday that it will reduce the prices of gasoline and diesel sold at its stations nationwide stations by 100 won ($0.09) per liter fo

IndustryApril 4, 2011