Most Popular
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Criminals who drugged teens' drinks with meth sentenced to up to 18 years
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Rival parties unite to form 4-way body to break med school standoff
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Korea to certify safety of EV battery from October
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Wartime sexual slavery victims file for Japanese govt. asset disclosure
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S. Korea logs current account surplus for 3rd month in July
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Producer Teddy's girl group Meovv debuts, showcasing dual feline charms
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Farewell summit: Yoon, Kishida pledge to keep momentum in revitalizing ties
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Man to pay W727m for opening plane door before landing
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Two Korean women arrested for stealing tourist's bag in Turkey
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Frieze Seoul sees slower sales, yet confirms stronger art scene in Seoul
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Moody’s maintains Korea’s credit rating at Aa2
Moody’s Investors Service has maintained South Korea’s credit rating at Aa2, a high quality and low risk rating, according to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance on Wednesday. It also raised the country’s 2017 growth outlook to 2.8 percent from 2.5 percent. Moody accredited the country’s “very high” assessment based on economy size, diversity and competitiveness, which it credits as helping the country achieve reasonably robust medium-term growth against very
July 5, 2017
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Market rebounds after North Korea risk shock
South Korea’s main stock market rebounded Wednesday from a brief retreat after North Korea’s missile launch, but the foreign selling trend continued a second day. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Market Index rose 0.33 percent to close at 2,388.35 on Wednesday, after a 0.58 percent loss the previous day, the third-largest since May. Foreign investors net sold 8.9 billion won ($7.7 million) in Korean stocks, a continued sell-off after 193.6 billion won was sold by offshore investo
July 5, 2017
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Seoul stocks rebound on Samsung, SK hynix
South Korean stocks rebounded on Wednesday from a brief dip in the previous session, as investors brushed off geopolitical woes stemming from North Korea's missile launch, analysts said. The Korean won rose against the U.S. dollar.After a choppy session, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 7.83 points, or 0.33 percent, to close at 2,388.35.Trade volume was moderate at 329 million shares worth 4.65 trillion won ($4.04 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 420 to 358.After th
July 5, 2017
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Stocks open slightly lower on geopolitical risk, profit-taking
South Korean stocks opened slightly lower Wednesday, as risk-off sentiment took hold amid geopolitical tensions stemming from North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile launch.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 1.39 points, or 0.06 percent, to 2,379.13 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Market kingpin Samsung Electronics shed 0.21 percent, and SK hynix was 0.15 percent down.Hyundai Motor, the No. 1 automaker, remained flat, while AmorePacific, the country's top cosmetics
July 5, 2017
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Banks' loan delinquency rate edges up in May
The delinquency rate of South Korean banks' won-denominated loans edged up in May from a month earlier due to a slight rise in non-performing loans, government data showed Wednesday. The rate for bank loans more than 30 days overdue stood at 0.58 percent at the end of May, up from 0.54 percent at the end of April, according to the data by the Financial Supervisory Service.Compared to a year ago, however, the rate was down 0.16 percentage point, it said. "In May, newly delinquent loans excee
July 5, 2017
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Government to announce new fiscal blueprint this month
The Moon Jae-in administration’s new comprehensive macroeconomic blueprint will be announced later this month, according to Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon on Tuesday. “The president, along with other officials, will hold a meeting to discuss the government‘s fiscal policies and strategies over the next five years sometime mid-July,” said the finance minister, during a policy meeting in Seoul with ministry officials, including the minister of land, infrastructure, transpo
July 4, 2017
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BOK to brace for global tightening
Emerging markets should brace for signs of monetary policy shifts in developed nations, and South Korea will remain vigilant to such signs that are moving toward ending a decade of fiscal stimulus, Bank of Korea Gov. Lee Ju-yeol said Tuesday.“The massive amount of cash flow into global financial markets will be on the decrease at any rate,” Lee said, while presiding over a conference on economic trends. “The BOK will respond to this by closely watching the shift in developed na
July 4, 2017
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Seoul stocks dip amid rising geopolitical tension
South Korean stocks finished sharply lower Tuesday, as investors remained wary of rising geopolitical tension stemming from North Korea's missile launch, analysts said. The Korean won fell against the US dollar.After a choppy session, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 13.96 points, or 0.58 percent, to close at 2,380.52 as uncertainties surrounding North Korea caused investors to cash in recent gains.Trade volume was moderate at 380 million shares worth 4.75 trillion won ($4.13
July 4, 2017
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Korean stocks almost flat late Tuesday morning
Korean stocks traded almost flat late Tuesday morning, as top market cap Samsung Electronics and No. 2 SK hynix attempted to rebound amid heavy losses by automakers. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed1.72 points, or 0.07 percent, to 2,392.76 as of 11:15 a.m. Market kingpin Samsung Electronics rose 0.04 percent, and SK hynix, a major chipmaker, remained unchanged. In contrast, Hyundai Motor, the No. 1 automaker, dropped 2.75 percent, a
July 4, 2017
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FDI pledges drop 9.1 pct in H1
New foreign direct investment pledged to come into South Korea fell 9.1 percent in the first six months of the year, amid rising uncertainties at home and abroad, the government said Tuesday.Fresh FDI commitments made in the January-June period came to $9.6 billion, down from $10.56 billion a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The amount of new FDI actually entering the country also retreated 4.4 percent on-year to $4.96 billion over the cited period, the mini
July 4, 2017
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Stocks open slightly higher on overnight Wall Street gains
South Korean stocks opened slightly higher Tuesday on overnight gains on Wall Street.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 1.34 points, or 0.06 percent, to 2,395.82 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Market kingpin Samsung Electronics climbed 0.25 percent, and SK hynix was 0.6 percent up.Hyundai Motor, the No. 1 automaker, surrendered 2.75 percent, while AmorePacific, the country's top cosmetics maker, rose 1.25 percent.LG Chem, the country's top chemicals firm, fell 0.12 percent.
July 4, 2017
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Eximbank chief Choi Jong-ku nominated as FSC head
Choi Jong-ku, CEO of the state-run Export-Import Bank of Korea, has been nominated as the chairman of the Financial Services Commission.Cheong Wa Dae on Monday said it expected Choi to become a game changer in curbing household debt, tackling unemployment, stabilizing people‘s quality of life and seeking efficiency in corporate restructuring. “As a nominee of the FSC chief in charge of crafting financial policies for the national economy, I feel grave responsibility,” Cho said
July 3, 2017
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Bills move to give bitcoin legal grounds
A set of bills to give cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin and ethereum, legal grounds is being prepared by a South Korean lawmaker, a long-awaited move to protect South Koreans from potential risks in transactions.Rep. Park Yong-jin of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea said in a release Monday he would introduce three revisions in July to build a set of regulatory frameworks for digital currencies.Under the bill that aims to revise the Electronic Financial Transactions Act, traders, brokers,
July 3, 2017
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[Photo News] Standard Chartered Korea celebrates 88 years
July 3, 2017
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Korean stocks almost flat in late Monday morning
South Korean stocks traded almost flat Monday morning, with top market cap Samsung Electronics and No. 2 SK hynix falling on profit-taking.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 0.32 point, or 0.01 percent, to 2,392.11 as of 11:15 a.m.Market kingpin Samsung Electronics shed 0.38 percent, and SK hynix, a major chipmaker, dropped 2.08 percent.In contrast, Naver, the country's top Internet portal operator, gained 0.24 percent, and Hyundai Motor, the No. 1 automaker, rose 0.31 percen
July 3, 2017
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LG Electronics simplifies rank structure to break up work hierarchy
LG Electronics said Monday it has simplified titles among its workers to break the previous hierarchical structure and to induce employees to become more creative.The South Korean tech giant said it has streamlined the five-level ranking system to three in a bid to help workers better communicate with each other. Starting Monday, the workers were given one of three titles, namely professional, specialist and associate. Complicated ranking systems closely linked to deep-rooted hierarchical cultur
July 3, 2017
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Stocks open slightly higher on chemicals, banks
South Korean stocks opened slightly high Monday, as investors scooped up chemicals amid a rebound in oil prices.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 3.17 points, or 0.13 percent, to 2,394.96 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Market kingpin Samsung Electronics remained unchanged, and SK hynix was 1.93 percent down.Hyundai Motor, the No. 1 automaker, surrendered 0.31 percent, while AmorePacific, the country's top cosmetics maker, rose 1.32 percent.LG Chem, the country's top
July 3, 2017
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Foreign investors' net purchase tops W10tr in 1st half
Foreign investors’ net purchase of South Korean stocks are estimated to go beyond 10 trillion won ($8.7 billion) in the first half of 2017, the highest since 2009, data showed Sunday. Their combined net purchase in the first-tier and second-tier stock markets reached 10.3 trillion won from January until Friday, according to data by Koscom, a market watcher launched by the Finance Ministry and the Korea Exchange.Of the total 10.3 trillion won, offshore net purchase in the main bourse amount
July 2, 2017
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Seoul stocks fall on foreign, institutional sell-off
South Korea's main stock index declined on Friday, driven by the sell-offs by foreign and institutional investors with risk aversion on the rise. The Korean won fell against the US dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 3.87 points, or 0.16 percent, to close at 2,391.79. Trade volume was moderate at 332 million shares worth 5 trillion won ($4.4 billion). The local stock market opened lower, tracking declines on the Wall Street overnight. However, the main stock index, w
June 30, 2017
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Korea's finance minister has no immediate plan to raise growth forecast from 2.6%
South Korea's finance minister said Friday that he has no immediate plan to raise the current economic growth forecast of 2.6 percent despite an uptick in exports and world trade."If the supplementary budget is approved and implemented in a timely manner and we see its effect, the growth rate can probably go up," Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon told reporters after an event held in Goyang on the northern outskirts of Seoul. The government submitted an 11.2 trillion won ($9.8 billion) ex
June 30, 2017