Most Popular
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No plan to let doctors with foreign licenses practice here anytime soon: PM
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Ador CEO's dismissal to be decided on last day of May
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Science Ministry expresses regret over Japan’s pressure on Naver
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Haeundae Beach to become sand art museum in late May
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Hostilities get out of hand as YouTuber murders another outside courthouse
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Medical professors set to take day off amid protracted walkouts by junior doctors
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Police officer jumps barefoot into drainage tunnel to save man
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Yoon interacts with public for 1st time since election defeat
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Lee Sun-kyun's posthumuous film to hit theaters in August
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[Weekender] Pet food makers bet big on ‘recession-free’ pet food market
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IMF director calls new BOK chief nominee an outstanding institutional leader
The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Wednesday hailed the nomination of a South Korean IMF official, Rhee Chang-yong, to be the head of South Korea's central bank, calling him an outstanding leader and champion of analytical rigor. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said Rhee will step down as director of the Asia and Pacific Department (APD) early next month to be considered for his new role as governor of the Bank of Korea. "Since joining the Fund in February 2014,
March 24, 2022
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SK E&S acquires US EV charging platform operator
SK E&S Co., the natural gas provider under South Korean conglomerate SK Group, said Thursday it has acquired a US electric vehicle (EV) charging platform operator as part of its push for green energy business. The acquisition of EverCharge Inc., a California-based startup, also included the takeover of its management, the company said in a release, without disclosing the details of the transaction. SK E&S said in a regulatory filing that it is investing $400 million in its US subsidiary
March 24, 2022
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Seoul stocks open lower on Wall Street tumbles, inflation woes
South Korean shares opened lower Thursday, tracking overnight losses on Wall Street, led by declines in big-cap tech and auto shares, amid rising woes over inflation. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) had shed 18.15 points, or 0.66 percent, to reach 2,716.90 as of 9:15 a.m. Overnight, the US stock market tumbled amid renewed concerns over rising energy prices and inflation. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.29 percent, and the Nasdaq composite dropped 1.23 percent. On
March 24, 2022
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Nat'l brand positively impacts foreign buyers' purchases of Korean goods: poll
Nearly 7 in 10 foreign buyers think that South Korea's national brand is having a positive impact on their purchases of products from Asia's fourth-largest economy, a poll showed Thursday. According to the survey of 213 foreign buyers, 72.9 percent of the respondents replied that their imports of South Korean goods have been affected positively by the country's national brand. Slightly over 25.4 percent said South Korean products remind them of high quality, followed by reasonable prices with 16
March 24, 2022
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Corporate direct financing tumbles 44% in Feb.
Corporate direct financing in South Korea plunged nearly 44 percent in February from the previous month due mainly to a base effect, data showed Thursday. Local companies raised a combined 15.5 trillion won ($12.7 billion) by selling stocks and bonds last month, down 43.7 percent from January, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service. Direct financing refers to raising funds directly from the stock and bond markets without borrowing from banks and other financial institutions
March 24, 2022
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Ahn stocks hit record high on bets he could be PM
Ahnlab founder Ahn Cheol-soo, the leader of the transition committee for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, saw his shares shoot up to a record high in 10 years on Wednesday on market expectations that he could be the prime minister when Yoon is sworn in on May 10. The stocks closed at 175,800 won ($144.76) Wednesday, breaking the previous intraday high of 167,200 won in January 2012. The net worth of the software mogul-turned-politician soared to 327 billion won. Ahn has a
March 23, 2022
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[UP IN THE AIR] ‘Only few will succeed in air taxi commercialization’
The race to come out on top in the future mobility sector is reaching a fever pitch. Market estimates show there are at least 200 global carmakers, aircraft manufacturers, telecommunication firms and startups working on developing urban air mobility (UAM) or flying cars. And Korean companies are no exception. Hanwha Systems, the country’s major defense electronics and related smart technologies and infrastructure service provider, is seeking to pivot its airspace business to target the g
March 23, 2022
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Seoul shares up for 2nd day on big-cap tech, steel gains
South Korean stocks extended their winning streak to a second session Wednesday as institutional investors picked up large-cap steel and tech shares. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 25.05 points, or 0.92 percent, to close at 2,735.05 points. Trading volume was moderate at 870.73 million shares worth some 11.7 trillion won ($9.64 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 529 to 300. Institutional investors bought a net 233.0
March 23, 2022
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Outgoing BOK chief concerned over high inflationary pressure
South Korea’s central bank chief Lee Ju-yeol on Wednesday expressed concerns of the lingering woes stemming from COVID-19, including the high inflationary pressure, as he prepares to wrap-up eight successful years as the Bank of Korea governor. “Looking back, my past eight years as BOK governor were full of unexpected events starting with the Sewol Ferry disaster -- which happened only 15 days after I took office -- MERS, Brexit, US-China trade war, Japan’s export restri
March 23, 2022
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Dongnae raises W25b in Series A funding
Dongnae, Korea’s real estate startup platform, said Wednesday it has raised 25 billion won ($21 million) in Series A funding from US and Korean investors. Key investors include NFX, Daol Investment, Hana-Magna, Hana Financial Group, MetaProp, Fursys, Han River Partners, Flybridge, Maple, and WeWork co-founder Miguel McKelvey. “We plan to expand Dongnae branches in Seoul and in the Seoul metropolitan area, like the Pangyo office in Gyeonggi Province,” a Dongnae official said.
March 23, 2022
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Moon taps IMF director as new central bank chief
President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday tapped Rhee Chang-yong, director of the Asia and Pacific department at the International Monetary Fund, as the nation’s next central bank chief, but the nomination set off a new war of words as President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s office said it wasn’t consulted on the selection. Rhee’s nomination comes on the heels of an apparent weekslong power struggle between the outgoing Moon and the incoming Yoon administrations on naming key staff me
March 23, 2022
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SK becomes world’s 1st buyer of ‘net-zero oil’
SK Trading International, a subsidiary of South Korean refiner SK Innovation, announced Wednesday plans to purchase up to 200,000 barrels of “net-zero oil” each year for five years from US-based Occidental Petroleum Corp., in a move to use the sustainable commodity for commercial products. The affiliates of SK Group, South Korea’s third-largest conglomerate by assets, will use the oil for products including eco-friendly aviation fuel. SK’s purchase of net-zero oil will b
March 23, 2022
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LG Energy Solution, SK On win hefty incentives in US, Hungary
LG Energy Solution and SK On, two Korean battery makers that are increasingly expanding their production base in key markets for electric vehicles, have recently won hefty incentives in the US and Europe, respectively. On Tuesday, the state of Michigan approved a package of incentives worth about $600 million for LG Energy Solution, including $565 million in government subsidies and $132.6 million in tax cuts. The incentives come after the battery maker announced a new investment of $1.7 bil
March 23, 2022
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Nexon launches Dungeon & Fighter Mobile
South Korean gaming giant Nexon will launch Dungeon & Fighter Mobile -- the latest title of the developer’s megahit intellectual property -- on Thursday, the company said Wednesday. Similar to the PC version, the mobile title is a fast-paced 2D anime-styled side scrolling action game combined with elements of role-playing games and based on a continuously developing storyline. Dungeon & Fighter is one of Nexon’s most popular franchises as the PC version has 850 million re
March 23, 2022
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Eximbank helps finance world’s longest suspension bridge in Turkey
The Export-Import Bank of Korea said it provided 600 million euros ($661.6 million) in financial support for the construction of the world’s longest suspension bridge, which opened last week in Turkey. The 2,023-meter Canakkale Bridge, built by a consortium of South Korea’s DL E&C and SK ecoplant, and Turkey’s Yapi Merkezi and Limak, connects Europe and Asia over the Dardanelle Strait. The 3.13 billion-euro project to build and operate the bridge and an 88.4-kilometer hig
March 23, 2022
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LG opens AI research base in US
LG AI Research, an in-house research hub of South Korea‘s fourth-largest conglomerate, said Wednesday it has opened a new research center in the United States. The center is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, near the University of Michigan. It is LG AI Research’s first overseas location. The new facility will be led by Lee Hong-lak, chief scientist of AI and professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Michigan. The center’s fundamental researc
March 23, 2022
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[KH Explains] Where can you travel from Korea quarantine-free?
If you are fully vaccinated in South Korea or elsewhere and have your vaccination status registered in the country, you can now enter without quarantine on the way back. Those who are fully vaccinated abroad but have not been able to register their vaccination status in the COOV system will also be free of the seven-day long self-quarantine, which is currently required, from next month. As of Wednesday, 54 countries and territories around the world have banned entry from foreigners, of which 2
March 23, 2022
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[Graphic News] 7 in 10 S. Koreans suffered income reduction amid pandemic: survey
Nearly 7 in 10 South Koreans saw their income fall in the wake of COVID-19, a survey showed. In an online survey of 2,016 people aged 18 or above by the Korea Institute of Public Administration from Nov. 15-22, 68 percent said their average monthly income was lower in 2021 than in 2019 before the pandemic struck. Only 30 percent said their income rose, while the remaining 2 percent said it remains unchanged. Those who earned less lost 1.25 million won ($1,038) per month
March 23, 2022
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S. Korea's overseas direct investment hits all-time high in 2021
South Korea's overseas direct investment hit a record high last year as the global economy recovered from the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, data showed Wednesday. The value of investments made by South Korean companies reached $75.87 billion last year, up 32.8 percent from a year earlier, according to the data by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. It marked the highest since the government compiled related data in 1968. In the fourth quarter, the country's overseas direct investment jumped
March 23, 2022
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Seoul stocks open higher on US gains
South Korean shares got off to a strong start Wednesday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street, led by institutional investors' purchase of big-cap shares. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) rose 26.48 points, or 0.98 percent, to reach 2,736.48 as of 9:15 a.m. Overnight, the US stock market finished higher, as investors digested recent hawkish comments by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on rate hikes. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 0.74 percent, and the Nasd
March 23, 2022