LGE sees record Q3 sales, but operating profit halved on GM EV recall

LG Electronics is expected to report its highest-ever quarterly sales in the third quarter of this year, but a sharply lower operating profit due to provision expenses for a US recall. The South Korean electronics firm on Tuesday announced its earnings guidance for the July-September period -- 18.7 trillion won ($15.5 billion) in estimated revenue and 540.7 billion won in estimated operating profits. LG Electronics’ revenue exceeded a previous record set in the second quarter of this y

TechnologyOct. 12, 2021

Seoul shares end lower on inflation woes, foreign selling

Seoul shares closed lower for a second straight session Tuesday on foreign selling amid concerns over inflation sparked by surging prices of oil and other energy resources. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 39.92 points, or 1.35 percent, to close at 2,916.38 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 648 million shares worth some 12.5 trillion won ($10.4 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 572 to 310. Foreigners s

MarketOct. 12, 2021

Won fades to 14-month low against dollar amid inflation concerns

Signs of a weakening Korean won are growing, as investors flock to safe haven assets amid escalating inflation concerns. The won declined to a 14-month low at the closing, hovering around the level of 1,200 won per dollar on Tuesday. The local currency traded at 1,198.8 won per dollar, weakening 4.2 won per dollar, or 0.35 percent, from the previous session’s close. It set a new record after the closing of July 24 last year with 1,201.5 won per dollar. The Korean won once depreciated to

MarketOct. 12, 2021

Bitcoin price jumps 30% in Oct

Bitcoin jumped 30 percent this month to reach 70 million won ($58,378), the first time it breached that level in five months, as US financial regulators said they won’t follow China in banning cryptocurrency transactions. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap rose almost 30 percent during October to 70.99 million won as of Tuesday morning, data from crypto exchange Upbit showed. With the rally this month, bitcoin’s market capitalization reached 1 trillion won, surpassing that of

MarketOct. 12, 2021

Shareholders OK SK Telecom's non-telecom spinoff

SK Telecom Co. said Tuesday its shareholders approved the company's plan to launch a non-telecom spinoff in the latest move to make aggressive investments in new tech and semiconductor businesses. The corporate restructuring -- the first since the company's foundation in 1984 -- is designed to split South Korea's largest wireless carrier into two, spinning off a new investment company as SK Square. "The main purpose of the company's spinoff is to maximize shareholder value," Park Jun

IndustryOct. 12, 2021

Chung Ki-sun named CEO of Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings

The first son of Chung Mong-joon, the largest shareholder of Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings Co. (HHIH), has been appointed the new CEO of the holding company, Hyundai Heavy Industries Group said Tuesday. Chung Mong-joon holds a 26.6 percent stake in HHIH, the holding company of the world's largest shipbuilding group, and his eldest son, Chung Ki-sun owns, a 5.26 percent stake in the company. The junior Chung, 39, has been also named the chief executive of Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore

IndustryOct. 12, 2021

South Koreans withdraw money from retirement pensions to buy homes: data

More South Koreans are dipping into their retirement pension pots to buy homes in expectation of future gain amid soaring housing prices, causing concern over the availability of secure retirement income, a lawmaker said Tuesday. The number of people who pulled out their money from their retirement accounts early stood at 71,931 in 2020, up 79.4 percent from the 40,091 tallied in 2016, according to Financial Services Commission data submitted to Rep. Chun Jae-soo of the ruling Democratic Party

MarketOct. 12, 2021

S-Oil to bring Saudi Aramco’s blue hydrogen to South Korea

S-Oil said Tuesday it will import blue hydrogen produced by Saudi Aramco to South Korea and establish a hydrogen ecosystem with consortium partners. According to the South Korean refinery, it will convert the blue hydrogen into ammonia and transport it to Korea. Saudi Aramco is the parent company of S-Oil’s major shareholder Aramco Overseas Company. The imported ammonia will then be cracked into blue hydrogen or be supplied without conversion to its consortium partners, including Samsu

IndustryOct. 12, 2021

Hyundai Motor to launch self-driving tech test bed

Hyundai Motor is to open a self-driving technology test bed at its R&D Center to speed up development, the automaker said Tuesday. Hyundai Motor, South Korea’s biggest carmaker, said it has been setting up the infrastructure needed for researchers to try out different autonomous driving technologies at its Namyang R&D Center. Located in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, the Namyang center is the main research institute for Hyundai Motor Group’s automotive affiliates, Hyundai an

MobilityOct. 12, 2021

BOK chief hints rate hike next month

South Korea’s monetary policy chief said Tuesday the central bank may carry out its second rate hike in the pandemic-era next month, after deciding to keep the rate steady at 0.75 percent until then. “When we made our rate hike decision in August, we mentioned that we would adjust the level of our monetary easing in tandem with the pace of the economic recovery,” Bank of Korea Gov. Lee Ju-yeol said in a briefing tied to Tuesday’s rate-setting meeting. “We have d

EconomyOct. 12, 2021

US location analytics startup snaps up seed funding from Korean VCs

New York-based property technology startup Market Stadium has raised 1 billion won ($834,400) in seed funding from venture capital houses in South Korea and abroad, the company said Tuesday. Taking part in the latest rounding were early-stage VC Kakao Ventures, financial backer Shinhan Capital and California-based Primer Sazze Partners. Angel investors including John Kim, co-founder of messaging-as-a-service startup Sendbird; and Scott Robinson, a clinical assistant professor at New York Unive

MarketOct. 12, 2021

Shinsegae Group’s anti-protest policy in breach of constitution: lawmaker

Retail giant Shinsegae Group is in breach of the constitution over its workplace policy that prohibits employees from partaking in political activities, lawmaker Song OK-joo’s office said on Tuesday. Supermarket chain Emart has a workplace policy banning staff from distributing handouts or putting up banners and posters as well as staging a protest without permission from the company, a review of the company’s internal rules found. Rep. Song’s office found that a similar work

ConsumerOct. 12, 2021

Eastspring's Korea head to serve 4th term

Eastspring Asset Management Korea said Tuesday that its incumbent Chief Executive Officer Park Chun-woong would serve a fourth term and remain in office until 2024. The decision was made in a shareholders meeting Friday, according to the company, which is fully owned by London-based insurance firm Prudential. Park took the helm at Eastspring’s South Korean unit in 2012. Its assets under management came to 11.5 trillion won ($9.6 billion) as of end-September, the 20th-highest amount fo

MarketOct. 12, 2021

Tax revenue rises for 8th straight month in Aug.

South Korea's tax revenue rose for the eighth straight month in August amid an economic recovery and a boom in asset markets, the finance ministry said Tuesday. The country collected 24.6 trillion won in taxes in August, up 600 billion won from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The government said tax revenue has increased so far this year as corporate tax income has risen in line with the economic recovery, while a boom in the stock and property markets jacked

EconomyOct. 12, 2021

Seoul stocks open lower on US losses

South Korean stocks opened lower Tuesday, tracking overnight losses on Wall Street, with tech shares weighing on the main index. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 29.89 points, or 1.01 percent, to 2,926.41 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average retreated 0.7 percent to 34,496 as a global energy crunch increased concerns about inflation. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite declined 0.6 percent to 14,486. The Korean stock market closed Monda

MarketOct. 12, 2021

KT&G to build forest to help tackle climate crisis

South Korea‘s top tobacco maker KT&G plans to build a forest as part of their efforts to help tackle the global climate crisis. The opening ceremony for the project took place last Wednesday with officials from KT&G, Eastern Province Forest Service and social enterprise Tree Planet. The new project is designed to contribute to carbon neutrality with trees planted to pull in carbon dioxide and fine dust, helping reducing greenhouse gas. Once the forest has been built, the plan wi

ConsumerOct. 12, 2021

Celltrion seeks European approval for anticancer biosimilar

South Korean biopharmaceutical firm Celltrion Inc. said Tuesday that it has sought European approval for the sale of its anticancer biosimilar candidate. The European Medicines Agency will review Celltrion's application to sell CT-P16, which references Switzerland-based Roche Holding's blockbuster pill Avastin. Avastin, which kills cancer cells by removing blood vessels, is approved to treat numerous cancers, including metastatic colorectal cancer. Avastin raked in sales of 7.7 trillion won (

IndustryOct. 12, 2021

Exports jump 63.5% in first 10 days of Oct.

South Korea's exports jumped 63.5 percent on-year in the first 10 days of October on the back of robust demand for chips, petroleum products and autos, customs data showed Tuesday. The country's outbound shipments stood at $15.2 billion in the Oct. 1-10 period, compared with $9.28 billion a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Imports increased 58.6 percent on-year to $17.6 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of $2.46 billion during the cited period, the data s

EconomyOct. 12, 2021

S. Korea's exports of kimchi up 13.8% in Jan.-Aug.

South Korea's exports of kimchi climbed nearly 14 percent in the first eight months of 2021 on growing overseas demand for healthier food amid the new coronavirus pandemic, data showed Tuesday. Outbound shipments of kimchi reached $111.5 million in the January-August period, up 13.8 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service and the food industry. In contrast, imports of kimchi shrank 9.7 percent on-year to $86.1 million over the cited period, resulting i

EconomyOct. 12, 2021

Taxes and more taxes to make Lee’s vision real

Lee Jae-myung, the ruling Democratic Party’s standard bearer in next year’s presidential election, is hoping to establish several new taxes, which would support his basic income plan. And as much as his universal benefit policy would weigh on the country’s fiscal management –- a minimum 1 million won ($890) subsidy to every individual each year -- the liberal politician is talking trillions of won in new tax revenues. A key measures that the Gyeonggi Province governo

IndustryOct. 11, 2021