KEPCO narrows loss on higher prices, won

Korea Electric Power Corp., the country’s biggest electricity producer, posted a narrower fourth-quarter loss after the government allowed power prices to increase for the first time in more than a year and a stronger won cut the cost of its foreign-currency loans.The loss shrank to 18.2 billion won ($16.2 million) in the three months ended Dec. 31 from a deficit of 336.4 billion won a year earlie

IndustryJan. 31, 2011

Hyundai Heavy delivers a record 1,700th ship

Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. has delivered its 1,700th vessel, becoming the world’s first shipyard to pass the milestone figure, the firm announced Monday.The shipyard’s 1,700th vessel, a car carrier capable of loading 8,100 vehicles, was delivered to the Seoul-based EUKOR Car Carriers Inc. EUKOR Car Carriers is one of the world’s largest shipping firms specializing in automobile transportation, a

IndustryJan. 31, 2011

S. Korean memory chipmakers see DRAM price rebound in Q1

  Plunging prices of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips, a key component in personal computers, have hit the bottom line and will rebound soon, senior officials from Samsung Electronics Co. and Hynix Semiconductor Inc. said Monday.   The remarks from Kwon Oh-hyun, president of Samsung's semiconductor division, and Kwon Oh-chul, Hynix's chief executive officer, come after DRAM devices for PC

TechnologyJan. 31, 2011

Seoul shares plunge on Egyptian unrest

  South Korean stocks ended 1.81 percent lower on Monday as foreigners dumped shares amid growing concerns over political protests in Cairo, analysts said. The local currency lost ground against the U.S. dollar.   The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) plunged 38.14 points to 2,069.73. Trading volume was moderate at 316.9 million shares worth 7.29 trillion won ($6.5 billion), with

Jan. 31, 2011

Financial firms to feel limited impact from Egyptian riots: watchdog

 Anti-government protests in Egypt will likely have a limited impact on South Korean financial companies in light of their minimal exposure to the North African country, the financial regulator said Monday.   As of the end of September, domestic financial companies owned no securities of or loans to Egypt and their borrowing from the country reached only US$6 million, the Financial Supervisory Ser

Jan. 31, 2011

Watchdog probing Korean Air for alleged price fixing

  South Korea's anti-trust watchdog is investigating price-rigging allegations that Korean Air, the nation's flag carrier, colluded in fixing prices with a Mongolian airline company for flight services to the central Asian country, officials said Monday.   The investigation by the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) focuses on relatively expensive flight ticket prices between Incheon and Ulan Bator offere

IndustryJan. 31, 2011

S. Korea's industrial output grows 9.8 pct in Dec.: govt report

  South Korea's industrial output grew for the 18th straight month in December, suggesting the economic recovery remains on track, a government report showed Monday.   According to the report by Statistics Korea, production in the mining and manufacturing industries expanded 9.8 percent last month from the same month a year earlier. The output has expanded since July 2009.    Production grew 2.8 p

IndustryJan. 31, 2011

Obama likely to submit Korea FTA to Congress in March: report

  The Obama administration will likely submit the pending free trade deal with South Korea to Congress in late March after undergoing a series of congressional hearings next month, reports said Sunday.   U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk is expected to appear at hearings at the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee in mid-February to "pave the way for a mock markup of th

Jan. 31, 2011

S. Korea's manufacturing sentiment falls for Feb.

  South Korean manufacturers' business confidence inched down for February on concerns that rising raw material prices could crimp their profitability, the central bank said Monday.   The index of manufacturers' outlook on business conditions reached 91 for February, down from 92 for January, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). The index measures manufacturers' outlook on business conditions for

IndustryJan. 31, 2011

S. Korea's semiconductor exports to reach $52.5 bln in 2011: gov't

  South Korea's computer chip exports are expected to reach $52.5 billion in 2011, fueled by greater overseas demand for system semiconductors, the government said Monday.   The total represents a growth of 3.5 percent compared to the previous year, with outbound shipments of system semiconductors used to make products like smartphones and tablet PCs expanding 18.7 percent on-year to $19.1 billion

IndustryJan. 31, 2011

Prices soar, defying government’s recent anti-inflation measures

Consumer price hikes are showing no signs of let-up, two weeks after the government embarked on a sweeping campaign to fight inflation. Crop damage from extreme weather conditions combined with the country’s worst animal disease outbreak sent food prices to record high levels, hurting low-and middle-income households preparing for the Lunar New Year holiday this week.Pork prices jumped more than 2

Jan. 30, 2011