Most Popular
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Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
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Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
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[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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Samsung chief bolsters ties with Germany’s Zeiss
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Nominee for chief of anti-corruption body pledges 'independence, effectiveness'
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NewJeans pops out ‘Bubble Gum’ video amid troubles at agency
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Med schools expect 1,500+ new admission slots next year
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KT launches new mobile plans for foreign residents
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Finance minister cautiously upbeat about 2018 economic growth
South Korea's chief economic policymaker has said the South Korean economy will see solid growth in 2018, but there are still headwinds."The global economy is expected to remain strong, but at the same there are unfavorable external factors, such as trade protectionism and rate hikes," Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon said in a press meeting Thursday. "We also have many things to do for job creation, and that's the top priority of next year's economic policy."Asia's fourth-larg
Dec. 22, 2017
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Govt. to promote production, use of ultra-small cars
The government said Friday it will push legislation early next year to promote the production and use of supermini vehicles as a means of saving energy.Ultra-small vehicles will include those with less than 250 cc in engine capacity or 15kW in rated output, that are lighter than 600 kilograms and have a maximum speed of 80 kms per hour, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said.In comparison, vehicles with up to 1,000 cc in engine capacity are categorized as small cars under the Au
Dec. 22, 2017
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Korean household owes more than W70m in debt: data
One South Korean household owes more than 70 million won ($65,000) on average to banks and other financial companies this year as people borrowed to buy homes and invest in real estate and business activities, government data showed Thursday.The average household debt was tallied at 70.22 million won as of end-March this year, up 4.5 percent from a year earlier, according to data compiled by Statistics Korea.Of the total, 71.2 percent, or 49.98 million won, was financial loans, up 5.9 percent on
Dec. 21, 2017
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Korea likely to grow closer to its potential growth rate in 2018: BOK chief
South Korea's central bank chief said Thursday that Asia's fourth-largest economy is expected to pull off growth close to its potential economic growth rate based on favorable global trade conditions."Despite many difficulties, the South Korean economy achieved 3 percent growth this year," Bank of Korea Gov. Lee Ju-yeol said at a meeting with economic experts and advisers. "For next year, the economy will expand at its potential growth rate if there are no unpredictable developmen
Dec. 21, 2017
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Govt., ruling party seek measures to ensure fair transactions between big and small firms
The government and ruling Democratic Party agreed Thursday to seek a package of measures to ensure fair transactions among large and smaller companies, including bolstering negotiating power for subcontractors.During their policy consultation meeting, they stressed the need to address "imbalances in power" among local firms, citing them as the root cause of unfair business practices that have gnawed at subcontractors' competitiveness.The ruling bloc has recently been striving to better
Dec. 21, 2017
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Record number of job quitters remain unemployed
A record number of South Koreans who quit their jobs more than a year ago remained unemployed in November amid a severe job crunch, government data showed Thursday.According to the data from Statistics Korea, those people accounted for 30 percent of the country's total jobless tallied at 874,000 last month.It marks the first time that the ratio has reached the 30 percent mark since the agency started to compile related data in June 1999. The figure had stayed in the 10 percent range before excee
Dec. 21, 2017
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Trade figures veil weakening competitiveness
Impressive trade figures logged by Korea this year have veiled the weakening competitiveness of its major manufacturing industries, analysts here say.The country’s outbound shipments in the first 11 months of the year reached a record-high $524.8 billion, up 16.5 percent from a year earlier, according to data from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.Riding on the surge in exports, Asia’s fourth-largest economy saw its annual trade volume exceed $1 trillion last week. Korea&rsq
Dec. 20, 2017
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Jobs, innovation, aging key parts of economic policy for 2018
South Korea’s Deputy Prime Minister Kim Dong-yeon said Wednesday the country needs to tackle unemployment, foster innovative growth and address the low birthrate and aging population, a week ahead of releasing the economic policy direction for next year.While Kim assured that Korea would achieve economic growth of 3 percent this year and maintain a robust uptrend in the wake of the improving Korea-China relationship, he said the country would face persistent economic threats from within th
Dec. 20, 2017
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Korea to invest W110tr in renewable energy sources by 2030
South Korea will build more solar and wind farms nationwide to nearly triple its renewable energy ratio by 2030, a project estimated at 110 trillion won ($101 billion), the energy ministry said Wednesday. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced the detailed plans for its new energy road map, which aims to increase the ratio of renewable energy from the current 7 percent to 20 percent by 2030. The increase will allow renewable energy output to reach 63.8 gigawatt capacity. To achieve
Dec. 20, 2017
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Govt. eyes economic growth in 3% range in 2018
The government expects the economy to grow in the 3 percent range in 2018 following an estimated expansion of more than 3 percent this year, informed sources said Wednesday.It would mark the first time in seven years that Asia's fourth-largest economy will likely achieve a growth rate of 3 percent or more for two straight years.According to the sources, the finance ministry is slated to unveil its 2018 economic policy a week later, which may target an economic growth rate of 3 percent or higher.
Dec. 20, 2017
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FTC to reinvestigate humidifier sterilizer firms over misleading info
South Korea's antitrust watchdog said Tuesday that it has decided to reopen its probe into local humidifier sterilizer firms as its task force found some procedural loopholes in the previous investigation regarding their failure to inform consumers of possible health hazards.In 2016, the Fair Trade Commission closed an inspection of two local humidifier sterilizer manufacturers, citing a lack of evidence, amid a ballooning toxic disinfectant scandal that has resulted in numerous deaths and illne
Dec. 19, 2017
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Seoul expects US pressure on auto, steel in FTA talks
South Korea’s Trade Ministry said Monday that it will seek to start talks with the United States on amending the bilateral free trade deal as early as within a month, and take guard against Washington’s anticipated pressure in the auto and steel sectors.The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy submitted its Korea-US Free Trade Agreement road map to the National Assembly, wrapping up the domestic procedure that precede the actual renegotiation of the trade deal.“There is a pos
Dec. 18, 2017
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Korea expects US pressure on auto industry in FTA talks
South Korea's trade ministry said Monday it will push to start talks to amend the free trade agreement with the United States within a month or so and expected Washington to engage in hardball tactics, especially in autos.The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy reported its FTA plan to the National Assembly, wrapping up the domestic procedures required for beginning the renegotiation of the five-year-old trade deal. The latest move comes as Seoul accepted US President Donald Trump's demand to
Dec. 18, 2017
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More than 1 in 10 Korean workers underpaid: data
More than 1 out of 10 South Korean workers were paid below the minimum wage in 2016, with many being teenagers, elderly or female workers, government data showed Sunday. Out of 19.62 million workers, 2.66 million, or 13.6 percent, were paid below the minimum wage as of August 2016, up from 1.89 million in 2007, Statistics Korea said.The ratio of the underpaid workers stood at 4.9 percent in 2003, but the level has steadily risen to over 10 percent over the past decade, the national statistics of
Dec. 17, 2017
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Data show rising number of borrowers with excessive debt
A growing number of South Koreans were holding excessive amounts of loans compared with their income levels, raising concerns over their debt service capability, central bank data showed Sunday. One out of 10 borrowers held loans of more than their five-year income at the end of September, which means their loan-to-income ratio exceeded 500 percent, according to the data compiled by the Bank of Korea. The LTI ratio refers to the portion of outstanding loans to annual income. An increase in the r
Dec. 17, 2017
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Seoul shares may test 2,520 next week on eased uncertainties
outh Korean shares could rise next week on eased market uncertainties, analysts said Saturday.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) is expected to test 2,520 next week. The main index rose 0.73 percent for the whole of this week. The U.S. Federal Reserve marked up its key rates for the third time this year to 1.5 percent on Wednesday, although, having been expected, the move had little impact on the overall market.Political tensions between Seoul and Beijing over a U.S. mi
Dec. 16, 2017
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Moody's upgrades outlook for S. Korean banking system
Moody's Investors Service has upgraded the South Korean banking system's outlook to "stable" from "negative," citing stronger economic growth and stabilizing asset quality in Asia's fourth-largest economy."The outlook change reflects our assessment that the overall creditworthiness of Korean banks will be stable over the next 12-18 months," the global ratings agency said in a report released on Friday. "Stronger economic growth in Korea has resulted in an impro
Dec. 16, 2017
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Korea's annual trade volume tops $1tr
South Korea's annual trade volume surpassed the $1 trillion mark for the first time in three years, driven by upbeat exports of memory chips and petrochemical products, the government said Thursday.The total amount of trades by Asia's fourth-largest economy reached the threshold as of Thursday afternoon, according to the data from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Customs Service.Annual trade volume surpassed the $1 trillion mark for four consecutive years from 2011, but i
Dec. 14, 2017
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Record number of 20-somethings give up search for work in Nov.
A record number of South Koreans in their 20s gave up their search for work in November amid a severe job crunch, government data showed Thursday.A total of 284,000 South Korean 20-somethings were outside the labor force and did nothing to look for jobs last month, according to the data from Statistics Korea.The tally was up 48,500 from a year earlier and marked the highest-ever level for November. The number of 20-somethings giving up looking for work had been on the rise over the past se
Dec. 14, 2017
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Corporate activity hampered by steep rise in costs
Concerns are growing that a steep rise in corporate costs to be incurred by the Moon Jae-in administration’s anti-business policies will hold back companies from increasing investment and employment.Korean businesses are now bracing for a corporate tax hike, a minimum wage increase and a reduction in work hours in the coming year, which experts forecast will see them shoulder combined additional costs of 36.5 trillion won ($33.4 billion).Ruling party lawmakers, joined by some legislators f
Dec. 13, 2017