Most Popular
-
1
NewJeans to terminate contract with Ador
-
2
Korean Air gets European nod to become Northeast Asia’s largest airline
-
3
NewJeans terminates contract with Ador, embarks on new journey
-
4
Seoul snowfall now third heaviest on record
-
5
Chaos unfolds as rare November snowstorm grips Korea for 2nd day
-
6
‘VCHA, Katseye and Dear Alice are not K-pop groups,’ industry experts say
-
7
BOK makes surprise 2nd rate cut to boost growth
-
8
Ador claims exclusive contracts with NewJeans still valid
-
9
Japan will pay for failing to honor promises, minister says
-
10
‘Green aurora’ is Seoul's color of 2025
-
Seoul shares fall 0.36 pct on exporter losses
South Korean stocks closed 0.36 percent lower on Monday as key exporters lost ground amid concerns over a strengthening won and a lack of strong upward momentum, analysts said. The local currency tumbled against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) slipped 6.98 points to 1,939.71. Trading volume was light at 336.2 million shares worth 4.33 trillion won (US$3.96 billion), with decliners outnumbering gainers 433 to 378."Unfavorable foreign exchange conditions, we
Jan. 28, 2013
-
BOK board member says global economy to face currency war
The global economy is likely to face a currency war this year, triggered by Japan's drive to weaken its currency through an open-ended asset-buying program, a central bank policymaker said Monday. "It is not an exaggeration that the global economy will face a currency war. An atmosphere of protectionism is spreading," Ha Sung-keun, a policymaker on the seven-member monetary policy committee of the Bank of Korea (BOK), told reporters.Japan's drive to weaken its currency aimed at propping up its f
Jan. 28, 2013
-
Cellphones teeming with germs
Cellphones are full of germs but users can damage phones‘ finishes with some commonly used cleaning products, U.S. researchers say.“Cellphones are 10 times as dirty as a toilet seat,” Chuck Gerba, a professor of microbiology at the University of Arizona, told ABC News.Cellphone users often carry their phones or smartphones all day -- from cars, public transit, offices, restaurants, stores, gyms, public bathrooms, home and often their beds.Most mobile phone manufacturers do not recommend using an
TechnologyJan. 28, 2013
-
People worldwide living longer, but sicker
The majority of the people in the world live longer, but spend more years in poor health compared to 20 years ago, U.S. researchers say.Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, and colleagues found life expectancy increased in 19 of 21 regions around the world but people are spending their later years living in relatively poor health. Comparing healthy life expectancy for 187 countries in 1990 and 2010, the researchers were
TechnologyJan. 28, 2013
-
Pantech unveils 5.9-inch full HD smartphone
South Korean handset maker Pantech Corp. on Monday unveiled its 5.9-inch full HD display “Vega No. 6” in a move to jump-start demand for smartphones with bigger and more vivid screens.The Vega No. 6 runs on the latest Android Jelly Bean platform and features a natural IPS Pro Full HD liquid-crystal display, which is the biggest full HD display packed on locally-released smartphones, according to Pantech.The company said the display enables a screen quality that is 2.3 times sharper than existing
TechnologyJan. 28, 2013
-
Mercedes commercial criticized as too sexy
A Mercedes-Benz commercial spotlighting model Kate Upton is too sexy, the Parents Television Council said.The commercial features the “Sports Illustrated” swimsuit model wearing cutoff shorts and a cleavage-revealing, skin-tight tank top in slow motion as she prepares to wash the 2014 Mercedes CLA-Class. In reality, she points out that a group of young football players “missed a spot” as they wash the vehicle.“This ad [reinforces] for millions of wives, daughters and sisters across the country t
IndustryJan. 28, 2013
-
Seoul shares down 0.46 pct in late-morning trade
South Korean stocks traded 0.46 percent lower late Monday morning due to losses in blue-chip exporters, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 9.03 points to 1937.66 as of 11:20 a.m.Big-cap tech names led the decline, with market bellwether Samsung Electronics plunging 2.75 percent and the leading electronic components maker Samsung Electro-Mechanics falling 3.11 percent. Top steelmaker POSCO also shed 3.41 percent.Carmakers also traded in negative territory,
Jan. 28, 2013
-
Hana Financial to buy additional shares in KEB
Hana Financial Group Inc. said Monday it plans to buy an additional 40 percent stake in the Korea Exchange Bank (KEB) in April by swapping shares, taking firmer control of South Korea's No. 5 lender.Hana Financial completed the deal to buy a 51.02 percent stake in KEB from Lone Star Funds for 4.69 trillion won ($4.34 billion) in February 2012, making it Korea's No. 3 banking group. It also bought further stakes to raise its holdings to 60 percent last year.The group said it plans to buy the rema
IndustryJan. 28, 2013
-
People who never married may die earlier
Not having a permanent partner or spouse during midlife is linked to a higher risk of premature death during that part of one‘s life, U.S. researchers say.Dr. Ilene Siegler and colleagues at Duke University Medical Center analyzed data for 4,802 people who took part in the University of North Carolina Alumni Heart Study -- an ongoing study of individuals born in the 1940s.The study authors were particularly interested in stability and change in patterns of marital and non-marital status during m
TechnologyJan. 28, 2013
-
Seoul shares open lower on earnings woes
South Korean stocks got off to a weak start on Monday as investors shed holdings amid lingering concerns over fourth-quarter corporate earnings, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 10.71 points, or 0.55 percent, to 1,935.98 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Key exporters lost ground. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics, which announced its quarterly results on Friday, slumped 2.19 percent and top steelmaker POSCO fell 1.09 percent.The local currency was
Jan. 28, 2013
-
Seoul begins preparations for launch of Naro space rocket
South Korea began preparations Monday for what will be the third launch of the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1) by moving the space rocket to its launch pad.The KSLV-1, also known as Naro, is set to blast off Wednesday from the country's Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, located 480 kilometers south of Seoul.The transfer of the space rocket from its storage facility to the launch pad began earlier in the day, and Naro is expected to be in place around 5 p.m., according to
TechnologyJan. 28, 2013
-
Male workers taking paternity leave surge in 2012
The number of male workers taking paternity leave soared nearly 30 percent last year, but their rate still came far behind that of their female counterparts, government data showed Monday.According to the data compiled by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the number of male employees getting paternity leave in2012 came to 1,790, up 27.6 percent from a year earlier.Since the measure was introduced in 1987, the number of fathers applying for the time off has been on a steady rise, with only tw
IndustryJan. 28, 2013
-
Trade minister determined to get WTO’s top post
To boost the stagnant global economy and reinstate the multilateral trade framework, it’s crucial for Korea to play the role of an international arbitrator, bridging developed and developing countries, according to Trade Minister Bark Tae-ho.“Despite the general consensus on lifting trade barriers and opening markets, the talks on multilateral trade have seen little progress over the past 10 years,” Bark told The Korea Herald in an interview.“Such depression created a rift between developed and
Jan. 27, 2013
-
Outdoor gear and clothing market bulging
The Korean market for outdoor gear and clothing was expected to continue growing on the burgeoning demand for outdoor activities, Samsung Fashion Institute said Sunday. This year, the market for such products is expected to grow to 6.4 trillion won, up 11 percent from 2012, the think tank said in a forecast. Last year, the market had reached 5.75 trillion won, up from 4.35 trillion won in 2011 and 3.25 trillion won in 2010. Major outdoor brands have vowed to take advantage of the situation to ag
IndustryJan. 27, 2013
-
Foreign low-cost carriers pushing to tap Korea
Several foreign budget carriers are setting their sights on South Korea as the country’s low-cost air travel market is expected to continue to grow considerably, industry sources said Sunday.Japanese low-fare airline Jetstar Japan has recently decided to offer flights to South Korea and China and conducted a field study of Gimhae International Airport on the outskirts of Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city, according to the sources.Singapore’s budget carrier Tiger Airways is reportedly cons
IndustryJan. 27, 2013
-
Per-capita GNI hits all-time high in 2012
South Korea’s per-capita gross national income (GNI) is estimated to have reached an all-time high in 2012 despite the country’s low economic growth, the finance ministry Sunday.The country’s nominal per-capita GNI probably came to US$22,720 last year, up 1 percent from the previous year’s $22,489, according to the ministry.The ministry’s estimate is based on the assumption that the country’s nominal gross domestic product expanded 3.2 percent in 2012 from a year earlier, amounting to 1,240.5 tr
Jan. 27, 2013
-
Hanwha to upgrade 2,000 workers
Hanwha Group has become the first of the nation’s top 10 industrial groups to upgrade the employment status for a substantial number of its non-regular workers.On Sunday, the company said a total of 2,043 individuals of non-regular status would be elevated to regular employee status to receive benefit packages and equal promotion opportunities.The figure included those who had been hired as contracted workers but were promised to be upgraded to regular worker status after two years. More than ha
IndustryJan. 27, 2013
-
Foreign investors scurry to leave Seoul
Foreign investors are scurrying to exit the South Korean stock market with a net selling binge, possibly shifting to the Japanese market as a weaker yen whets their investor appetite, analysts said.Overseas investors sold off local stocks worth a combined net 1.54 trillion won (US$1.45 billion) in the Seoul bourse for the last two weeks, according to the data by the Korea Exchange (KRX).They sold off a net 490 billion won last Friday, the largest daily net selling since 498 billion won tallied o
IndustryJan. 27, 2013
-
Heavy industries’ market cap slides on cheap yen
Despite the ambitious goals of local shipbuilders to attract more orders based on technological breakthroughs and more offshore plants, Korea’s heavy industries appear to have been hit by the rapid fall of the Japanese yen.During the past four months, automakers and shipyards saw their combined market capitalization plunge 34 trillion won ($32 billion), industry data showed Sunday.Companies selling to Japanese counterparts earn less due to a stronger won, while those who vie with Japanese firms
IndustryJan. 27, 2013
-
Financial holding firms’ profits slide
Korea’s four major financial holding companies are about to post their worst annual earnings for 2012, with their stock prices likely to take a hit going forward.Four holding companies ― Shinhan, KB, Woori and Hana ― are expected to post a combined net profit of 7.87 trillion won in 2012, down almost 1 trillion won, from a year earlier, according to FNGuide, an online securities information provider.This fall could reach 2 trillion won in total should Hana Financial leave out negative goodwill w
Jan. 27, 2013
