Most Popular
-
1
Blinken calls on China to press N. Korea to end its 'dangerous' behavior
-
2
New celebrity-endorsed therapy for face contouring requires only a pair of rubber bands
-
3
[Weekender] How DDP emerged as an icon of Seoul
-
4
Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
-
5
Doctor group's incoming head renews call for govt. to scrap medical school quota hike for dialogue
-
6
Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
-
7
[Music in drama] An ode to childhood trauma
-
8
'The Roundup: Punishment' becomes fastest 2024 film to top 2 mln admissions
-
9
Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
-
10
New head of doctors' association vows war in case of disadvantage to medical professors
-
BOK faces policy decisions amid growing inflation signs
South Korea’s central bank faces decisions in whether to maintain or raise its key interest rate as a bigger-than-expected jump in global consumer prices have heightened inflation concerns. The Bank of Korea is scheduled to hold its fourth monetary policy meeting this year on May 27, in which they are expected to decide whether to keep the national interest rate anchored at a record-low of 0.5 percent or change course. While they may have smoothly maintained a dovish stance so far, ami
May 17, 2021
-
Korea Airports Corp. ‘on course’ to lead airport expansion project in Laos
Korea Airports Corp. said on Monday that it is on course to lead a project worth 100 billion won ($88.2 million) to expand Luang Prabang International Airport in Laos. Once the ongoing deal is finalized, the move will see the public enterprise behind Gimpo and Jeju International Airports become a first in the country to pursue such a project in the Southeast Asian country. “Amid the prolonged coronavirus crisis and hardships surrounding it, we are honored to announce our foray into succe
May 17, 2021
-
Air carriers to raise fuel surcharges on int'l routes in June
South Korean airlines will raise fuel surcharges on international routes next month amid rising jet fuel prices, industry sources said Monday. Starting June 1, the surcharge for one-way tickets on international routes will range from 3,600 won ($3.20) to 20,400 won depending on the routes, according to the sources. The amount is up one level from the band of 1,200 won to 9,600 won for this month. Rising jet fuel prices prompted local air carriers to begin imposing fuel surcharges in April af
May 17, 2021
-
Samsung's US chip plant investment may be in offing: sources
Samsung Electronics Co. may unveil its plan later this month to build a new chip factory in the United States, industry sources said Monday, as the South Korean tech giant tries to cope with rivals' capacity expansions. Speculation has run high that Samsung would reveal its US investment upon the summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Joe Biden to be held in Washington on Friday (local time). Samsung, the world's largest memory chip producer and No. 2 foundry firm,
May 17, 2021
-
SsangYong Motor Q1 net losses narrow on base effect
SsangYong Motor Co., the South Korean unit of Indian carmaker Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., said Monday its first-quarter net losses narrowed from a year earlier on a base effect. Net losses narrowed to 86.29 billion won ($76 million) in the January-March quarter from 193.54 billion won in the same period of last year, the company said in a statement. "In the first quarter of 2020, losses involving tangible assets were reflected, but there was no such one-off factor in the past quarter,&
May 17, 2021
-
Number of firms with sales of over W1tr drops in 2020 amid pandemic
The number of South Korean firms with sales of 1 trillion won ($882 million) or more edged down in 2020 from a year earlier amid the coronavirus pandemic, a corporate tracker said Monday. A total of 204 local companies posted sales of 1 trillion won or more last year, down five from the previous year, according to the CXO Institute. It represents the first drop in the number in five years. The figure rose from 184 in 2016 to 187 in 2017, 199 in 2018 and 209 in 2019. Namyang Dairy Products Co.
May 17, 2021
-
Residents' FX deposits rise for 3rd month in April amid robust exports
Foreign currency deposits at banks in South Korea rose for the third straight month in April as exporters increased dollar holdings amid brisk overseas shipments, central bank data showed Monday. Outstanding foreign currency-denominated deposits held by residents amounted to $94.83 billion as of end-April, up $2.13 billion from the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). The FX deposits rose for the third consecutive month in April after they declined for the first time in four m
May 17, 2021
-
Banks' Q1 net profit jumps on KDB's one-off gains
South Korean banks saw their first-quarter earnings jump 71 percent from a year earlier due to one-off gains from state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB), data showed Monday. The combined net profit stood at 5.5 trillion won ($4.8 billion) for the January-March period, compared with a profit of 3.2 trillion won a year earlier, the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) said in a statement. In the first quarter, the KDB reported an unusually high net profit of 1.4 trillion won, thanks to stock inv
May 17, 2021
-
Service output in provinces, major cities up in Q1
Service output in eight provinces and major cities increased in the first quarter from a year earlier as production in the in-person service segment improved amid relaxed social distancing rules, data showed Monday. The country's service output rose 2.2 percent on-year in the January-March period, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. Of 16 provinces and cities, Seoul, three major cities and four provinces posted an on-year rise in service production in the cited period, as the f
May 17, 2021
-
Samsung, LG to unveil advanced displays at SID 2021
Samsung Display Co. and LG Display Co., the country's two largest display makers, on Monday said they will unveil their latest innovations at the world's leading exhibition for display panels to be held virtually this week. The two companies will take part in the Display Week 2021, organized by Society for Information Display (SID), which runs through Friday online. Samsung Display, the world's top mobile display panel maker, said its exhibitions will include a 7.2-inch display with a multi-
May 17, 2021
-
S. Korea's ICT exports up over 30% in April
South Korea's exports of information and communication technology (ICT) products rose more than 30 percent last month -- the sharpest rise in over 10 years -- on the back of robust global demand for chips and displays, data showed Monday. Outbound shipments of ICT products were estimated at $17.06 billion in April, the highest-ever amount for any April and a rise of 32.6 percent from a year earlier, according to data from the Ministry of Science and ICT. The latest data marked the 11th consecu
May 17, 2021
-
S. Korea to triple EDCF loans to fight climate change by 2025
South Korea plans to triple its low-interest rate loans for green energy projects sought after by emerging countries by 2025, the finance ministry said Monday. The country will increase the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) in the green energy field to $600 million in 2025 from last year's $200 million, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The government also plans to raise the proportion of the green-related loans to 40 percent of its total EDCF program from the curren
May 17, 2021
-
Budget carrier Eastar begins auction to find investor
Financially troubled budget carrier Eastar Jet said Monday it has begun an open auction to find an investor after selecting a preliminary preferred investor last week. In the open bid, Eastar Jet plans to receive letters of intent from interested companies by June 14 and select a final investor afterward, Eastar Chief Executive Kim You-sang said over the phone. On Friday, Eastar signed a contract with an unidentified local investor and obtained approval for the preliminary deal from the Seoul
May 17, 2021
-
LG introduces wireless charging solutions for electric scooters
LG Electronics Inc. on Monday introduced wireless charging solutions for electric scooters as the South Korean tech giant eyes to expand its presence in the mobility sector. LG said it has established electric scooter wireless charging stations in Bucheon, west of Seoul, in partnership with local electric scooter sharing services provider Kickgoing. The two will verify usability and safety of electric scooter wireless charging solutions for the next six months before they expand to cover Seo
May 17, 2021
-
Seoul shares open higher on eased inflation worries
South Korean shares opened higher Monday, driven by retail buying amid eased concerns over post-pandemic inflation. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) rose 4.57 points, or 0.14 percent, to 3,157.89 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. The local index traded higher after a slump the previous week, tracking a sharp rise on Wall Street on Friday as investors shrugged off worries over inflation and rising commodity prices. In Seoul, top cap Samsung Electronics inched up
May 17, 2021
-
Bithumb faces mounting criticism over repeated server errors
Bithumb, South Korea’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by transaction volume, is facing mounting criticism over repeated glitches on its platform, which has accumulated to at least 11 times since April. As of Sunday, there were a total of 11 server delays that Bithumb disclosed officially since April, including the latest one Friday. The figure excludes temporary suspensions in transactions due to network issues. Bithumb’s server errors, ranging from suspension in price
May 16, 2021
-
[Contribution] Do optimists usually win?
One of the most over-used phrases of the past decade has been “buy-on-dips.” Many market analysts, including ourselves, have often reached for this phrase when considering the best course of action amid stock market volatility. However, it raises a broader question of whether this optimism has been the right course of action. When faced with the choice of stocks or bonds, should investors have defaulted to buying equities on dips, or would they have been better served by seeking s
May 16, 2021
-
Google faces anti-trust probe over Android Auto
The South Korean government has started looking into an allegation that Google restricted applications downloaded from other app stores from accessing Android Auto, the company’s mobile operating software for in-car use. According to the industry and government sources Sunday, the Korea Communications Commission has recently opened a probe to see if Google has violated the Telecommunications Business Act here. “The commission would see if Google has unfairly limited end users&rsqu
May 16, 2021
-
Top 4 conglomerates eye W40tr of investments ahead of Korea-US summit
South Korea’s top four conglomerates are reviewing investments worth 40 trillion won ($35.5 billion) in the US as President Moon Jae-in prepares for his first summit with President Joe Biden on Friday. Industry watchers say that although investments from Samsung, Hyundai, SK and LG are intended to respond to Biden’s protective policies -- such as strengthening chip and battery supply chains, the Buy American policy and Green New Deal initiative -- they are likely to act as a dipl
May 16, 2021
-
LG Chem invests W40b into Chinese EV battery copper foil maker DeFu
LG Chem has purchased shares worth 40 billion won ($35.5 million) in Jiujiang DeFu Technology, a Chinese firm that manufactures copper foils for electric vehicle batteries, the firm said Sunday. A copper foil is a sheet of copper 15 times thinner than a strand of hair. Copper foil is where electricity flows in battery’s anodes, or the negative side. The thinner the copper foils are, the more materials can be packed inside, making batteries more powerful. DeFu is the No. 3 copper foil
May 16, 2021