Most Popular
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Korean industries gauge impact of Biden's steep tariffs on China
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Do Korean doctors make too much money?
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Is FTC's conglomerate listing a boon or bane for Hybe?
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NewJeans to headline palace show
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Coupang's Kim Bom escapes chaebol chief designation again
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Why Korean crime stories typically feature nameless, faceless perpetrators
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Rare mid-May heavy snow warning issued over mountainous areas of Gangwon
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CIO chief nominee to explain allegations at confirmation hearing
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Yoon vows to run country 'rightly' on Buddha's birthday
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Debate on 'no-seniors zones' heats up
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Korea to launch W100 billion fund for foreign investors
Korea plans to launch a fund to help foreign investors bring in skilled labor and technology from overseas in target sectors. The Global Win-Win Fund will be created in August or September with 100 billion won ($92.6 million) and expanded to 300 billion won ($278 million) over the next two years, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said Sunday. Of the total, the state-run Korea Finance Corporation p
June 5, 2011
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[Herald Interview] ‘Yeosu Expo will be a catalyst for south coast development’
YEOSU, South Jeolla Province ― Facilities and social overhead capital investments made for the Yeosu Expo will form the basis for south coast development, chairman of Organizing Committee for Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea Kang Dong-suk said.“The social overhead capital investments are not solely for the Expo, they were timed to coincide with the event to increase accessibility to the southern coast,” Kang
June 5, 2011
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Mobile rates cut plan called into question
Debate is raging over whether trimming telecom fees by a small margin was the best move by a government desperate to show action on previous pledges to rein in soaring communication expenses. On Thursday, the Korea Communications Commission, the state telecom regulator, announced a discount plan for telecom fees that included a 1,000 won discount in basic service fees and 50 free text messages a m
June 3, 2011
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Lax origin oversight hurts exporters to EU
Korea launches task force to enforce strict origin managementLack of strict origin management by the government is making it difficult for local exporters to take advantage of preferential tax treatment they are entitled to once the Korea-EU free trade agreement goes into effect on July 1.Only one-quarter of local companies eligible for tax benefits from the trade deal have attained certificates p
June 3, 2011
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Under pressure, SKT leads phone fee cut
The government announced its telecom fees discount plan on Thursday, which included a 1,000 won cut in SK Telecom’s basic service fees and 50 free text messages every month.The Korea Communications Commission, the state telecom regulator, said it agreed with SKT, the country’s top mobile carrier, to provide a 1,000 won discount for all customers, along with more text messages, both beginning in Se
June 2, 2011
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Korea bans some food imports from Taiwan amid safety concerns
Korea's food safety watchdog said Wednesday that it banned imports of Taiwanese products suspected of containing an environmental hormone, following reports that some Taiwanese firms are under investigation for using the potentially cancer-causing material. The temporary import ban will be applied to beverage products, jams, syrups, jellies and other food products suspected of containing DEHP, a
June 1, 2011
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Korea’s trade surplus narrows sharply in May
Korea’s trade surplus shrank sharply in May from the previous month as imports grew at a faster clip than exports due to high international energy prices, a government report showed Wednesday.The country’s trade surplus reached $2.75 billion in May, compared with a $5.14 billion surplus in April, according to the report by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy. Exports rose 23.5 percent on-year to $48
June 1, 2011
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Millionaires control 39% of the world's wealth
More than 1 million millionaires live in China, their ranks swollen last year by economic growth, savings and a strengthening currency, according to a Boston Consulting Group survey. Millionaire households jumped 31 percent to 1.11 million in 2010 from the previous year, a BCG Global Wealth Survey released Tuesday showed. That puts China in third place for millionaire households, behind the 5.22 m
June 1, 2011
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S. Korea's consumer prices grow 4.1 pct in May
SEOUL, June 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's consumer prices grew at a slower pace in May, but they were still quite higher than the government's inflation target, raising concerns that price hikes still remain a drag on the nation's economic recovery, a report showed Wednesday.According to the report by Statistics Korea, the country's consumer price index rose 4.1 percent last month from a year earlie
June 1, 2011
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Smaller gold rings: solution to surging prices
Korea is poised to stimulate the market for solid gold rings as the popularity of the traditional first-birthday gift has slackened in the face of skyrocketing commodities prices, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said Tuesday. Gold prices per “don,” a Korean measure equivalent to 3.75 grams, have surged more than four-fold in six years to roughly 230,000 won ($213), the ministry said in a stateme
May 31, 2011
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China’s Baitong to invest $70 million in Jeju resort
The China-based real estate developer Baitong Group will invest $70 million in a resort complex development project on the South Korean island of Jeju.According to the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, Baitong Group plans to build condominiums on the southern island that will be sold to Chinese consumers. The Chinese company’s intentions were confirmed at an event held on the sidelines of a conferenc
May 31, 2011
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Foreigners’ land ownership up 0.7%
Foreigners’ ownership of South Korean land edged up 0.7 percent in the first quarter from three months earlier, posting a much slower growth rate seen before the recent global financial crisis, the Land Ministry said Sunday.As of the end of March, foreigners owned a combined 225.3 million square kilometers of land, 1.57 million square kilometers more than at the end of 2010, the Ministry of Land,
May 29, 2011
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Airlines set to hike fuel surcharges
Korean airlines are expected to jack up their fuel surcharges on international flights for July and August, but the increase rate will likely slow amid easing fuel prices, officials and industry sources said Sunday.The average price of jet fuel hovered at about $3.16 a gallon on the Singaporean spot market from April to May 28, compared with $3.02 per gallon between February and March, according t
May 29, 2011
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Drug makers fined W3b for illicit rebates
The Fair Trade Commission imposed a combined 3 billion won ($2.78 million) in fines on nine pharmaceutical companies for unfair trade practices, including the provision of illegal rebates to doctors and wholesalers, it said Sunday.The toughest punishment of 753 million won was slapped on Pacific Pharma Corp., for paying kickbacks to doctors in forms of gift cards, golf tours and cash.Those involve
May 29, 2011
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Hyundai E&C seeks edge with aluminum cables
Hyundai Engineering and Construction is looking to boost efficiency and cut costs by using aluminum cables in place of copper ones.According to the company, it has been working with a cable manufacturer to develop aluminum cables for low voltages that meet Korean standards since last year. The company was able secure a source of aluminum cables that passed Korea Electrical Safety Corp.’s safety st
May 29, 2011
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N.K. trade up 22% in 2010: report
North Korea’s trade volume soared 22 percent in 2010 from a year earlier as the communist state boosted exports of minerals to earn hard currency and increased imports of fuels, mostly oil, a local trade agency said Friday.North Korea’s imports and exports, excluding those with South Korea, jumped 22.3 percent on-year to $4.17 billion last year, according to the state-run Korea Trade-Investment Pr
May 29, 2011
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Business sentiment remains positive for June
Korea’s major companies remain positive about their business conditions for June on expectations of growing exports and improving economic conditions, a poll showed Sunday.The monthly Business Survey Index for the upcoming month came in at 104.3, unchanged from May when the reading turned positive after it dipped to 98.4 the previous month, according to the Federation of Korean Industries, the cou
May 29, 2011
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Listed firms change CEO every 31 months: data
The average term of a chief executive officer at listed firms was 31 months, data showed on Sunday.It was also found that a single firm reseated its CEO an average of 3.7 times over the past 10 years, according to data released by Chaebul.com, a website that provides information on the country’s conglomerates. The survey was conducted on 992 listed firms.A firm that changed its chief executive in
May 29, 2011
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Telecom discount plan delayed until next week
The government is delaying its announcement of a telecom fees discount plan until next week after fierce opposition from political circles early this week.According to the draft plan, prepared following talks between a state taskforce and local telecoms, mobile carriers are to offer 50 more free text messages every month and subscription costs for mobile phone services are to be halved for teenage
May 26, 2011
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Companies fear loss in profit on won ascent: poll
A majority of Korean businesses believe their earnings will worsen this year due to the local currency’s ascent against the U.S. dollar, a poll showed Wednesday.According to the survey by the Federation of Korean Industries, 55.9 percent of respondents said the local currency will likely trade at a band of 1,000 won to 1,050 won to the greenback this year, up from the 2010 average of 1,156 won.The
May 25, 2011