Seoul stocks open higher on pharmaceutical gains

South Korean stocks opened higher Monday, led by strong pharmaceutical gains. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 15.35 points, or 0.52 percent, to 2,991.56 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Top cap Samsung Electronics slipped 0.12 percent, and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix retreated 1.22 percent. Pharmaceutical giant Samsung Biologics added 1.64 percent, and Celltrion jumped 6.64 percent. Leading chemical firm LG Chem moved up 0.55 percent, and rechargeable battery maker Sam

MarketFeb. 1, 2021

Small merchants' sentiment hits 10-month low amid new coronavirus wave

South Korean small merchants' business confidence sank to a 10-month nadir in January amid a new wave of the novel coronavirus in the country, a poll showed Monday. The Small Enterprise and Market Service said its business survey index (BSI) for small merchants came to 35.8 last month, down 15.8 points from a month earlier. It was the lowest level since March last year, when Asia's fourth-largest economy was gripped by the second wave of COVID-19, whose first local case was reported two months

EconomyFeb. 1, 2021

Exports up 11.4% in Jan. on robust chip, auto shipments

South Korea's exports rose 11.4 percent on-year in January to extend their on-year gains for a third consecutive month on the back of brisk demand for chips and cars, data showed Monday, though the global resurgence of new virus cases hindered a full-fledged recovery. Exports came to $48 billion last month, compared with $43 billion a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Imports edged up 3.1 percent to $44 billion, resulting in a trade sur

EconomyFeb. 1, 2021

[News Focus] Female 20-somethings hit hard by pandemic

SEJONG -- Women outnumbered and outpaced men in growth as recipients of unemployment benefits over the past year, when COVID-19 dealt a severe blow to the nation. According to the Korea Employment Information Service, the tally for female recipients of unemployment benefits came to 307,178 in December 2020, up 44.3 percent from 212,780, posted a year earlier. This outstripped the number of male recipients, 299,048, and on-year growth of 40.6 percent over the corresponding period. The ag

EconomyJan. 31, 2021

[Contribution] Asia beckons amid a changing global economic landscape

Every day, we are bombarded with headlines and news flashes. Reading these pings, we can all be forgiven for asking, “will this year be any different from the last?” Infection rates are hitting record highs, with travel restrictions being further tightened and jobless rates facing a lagged hit. The geopolitical landscape appears as febrile as ever. Amid the lackluster news flow, it is easy to overlook the profound shifts which are rapidly taking shape. Here in Asia, there are incre

EconomyJan. 31, 2021

5G subscriptions reach 11.85m

The number of subscribers to 5G network services in South Korea as of last year reached 11.85 million, according to government data, Sunday. Mobile data traffic using 5G networks too surged, due to the increasing number of 5G users, the government also reported. According to the Ministry of Science and ICT, the number of 5G subscribers in December increased 8.4 percent from a month earlier, continuing the upward trend in the previous month. The number of 5G users has increased by more than 90

TechnologyJan. 31, 2021

Korea considers extending ban on short selling until June

South Korea’s top financial regulator is likely to extend the temporary ban on short selling by institutional and foreign investors until as late as June, as it plans to establish a system that would enable individual investors to short sell stocks around that time, market officials said Sunday. At a Jan. 25 meeting, the Financial Services Commission reportedly encouraged working-level officials from stock brokerage firms to pick up the pace to set up the short selling system for retai

MarketJan. 31, 2021

[Herald Interview] Ford’s ambition to become ‘American vehicle of choice’

In 2020 a particular segment of passenger cars enjoyed strong sales in South Korea, reflecting a desire for road trips amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Recreational vehicles, including sport utility vehicles and car-derived vans, accounted for nearly half of all cars sold here last year, according to data from the Transport Ministry. For Ford Sales and Service Korea, this was an opportunity to solidify its position here as a leader in SUVs and pickup trucks, the company’s Managing Director D

MobilityJan. 31, 2021

Electric vehicles challenge traditional concept of gas stations

As South Korea accelerates its transition to electric vehicles, the question arises – is there a future for the country’s more than 10,000 gas stations? Unlike conventional petroleum- or gas-powered cars, electric vehicles run on electricity, which is relatively price stable and easily accessible. This means drivers can charge their car batteries at home, in public parking lots or elsewhere where charging systems are installed. In the face of a fundamental change to the retail

IndustryJan. 31, 2021

GS starts startup accelerator program to foster eco-friendly businesses

GS is launching a startup accelerator program to foster environmentally friendly business startups, the South Korean conglomerate said Sunday. Initiating “GS Challenge: Growth Through Sustainability,” the group said it is looking for biotech ventures seeking to expand their business with technology in three sectors -- environment-friendly materials, waste recycling and pollution mitigation and disease diagnostics and health care solutions. GS Group’s program is operated join

IndustryJan. 31, 2021

Korean investors turn net sellers of GameStop shares

South Korean investors were net sellers of US-based video game retailer GameStop solely on the day when the short squeeze started to materialize, data showed Sunday. Korean investors -- both individuals and corporations -- net sold GameStop shares worth $54 million on Tuesday, according to the latest data from the Korea Securities Depository. Trading data from Wednesday, when GameStop‘s share price peaked, was not available as the foreign securities settlement date is three business days

MarketJan. 31, 2021

BlackRock emerges as LG Display blockholder

BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, owned over 5 percent of Seoul-based LG Display ordinary shares as of January without the purpose of shareholder engagement, a filing showed Sunday. BlackRock Fund Advisor, a fully owned subsidiary of BlockRock, and its 13 specially related parties held a combined 17.8 million common shares in the South Korean company for 375.1 billion won ($335.7 million) as of Jan. 22. They have some 100,000 shares in the form of American depositary receipts

MarketJan. 31, 2021

[Newsmaker] Family, business community mourns KCC honorary chairman

Local business leaders paid tribute on Sunday to KCC’s Honorary Chairman Chung Sang-young, who died Saturday at the age of 84. The youngest brother of the late Hyundai Group Honorary Chairman Chung Ju-young, the KCC chief suffered from a chronic illness and had been hospitalized recently after his health deteriorated. He was the only surviving member of his generation within the legendary Chung family that built South Korea’s big companies, including Hyundai, in postwar Korea. M

IndustryJan. 31, 2021

Number of overdraft accounts on rise amid bull market

The number of new credit loans via overdraft accounts has been on a sharp rise as South Korean retail investors are scrambling to borrow money for stock investment, fueled by a recent market bull run, industry data showed Sunday. The five major banks here -- KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana, Woori and NH NongHyup -- saw their customers open a total of 43,143 overdraft accounts between Jan.1-28, which equates to a combined average of nearly 2,000 daily. The overdraft balance surged by 1.21 trillion w

MarketJan. 31, 2021

No. of airport passengers in S. Korea falls for 1st time in 12 years amid pandemic

The number of passengers using South Korean airports fell sharply last year due to the fallout of the new coronavirus outbreak, marking the first drop in 12 years, data showed Sunday. The number of people using 15 airports across the nation came to 65 million last year, down 58.8 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. It marked the first time that the number of airport passengers declined since 2008, when the country was in the midst of the global fina

MobilityJan. 31, 2021

S. Korea's exports of EVs shoot up 66% in 2020: KITA

South Korea's exports of electric vehicles (EVs) advanced nearly 66 percent on-year in 2020, data showed Sunday, despite the overall slump in the automobile industry amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Outbound shipments of EVs came to $3.9 billion in 2020, marking the first time for the volume to surpass that of hybrid cars, whose exports came to $2.5 billion last year, according to the data compiled by the Korea International Trade Association. EVs accounted for more than half of the combined outbou

EconomyJan. 31, 2021

S. Korean retail investors buy net W26tr worth of stocks in Jan.

South Korean retail investors snapped up a net 25.8 trillion won ($23 billion) worth of local stocks in January alone, data showed Sunday, in the latest sign of their relentless buying spree. Individual investors bought a net 22.3 trillion won worth of stocks in the main market and a net 3.5 trillion won of shares in the secondary-KOSDAQ market in January, according to the data compiled by the bourse operator Korea Exchange. The figure amounted to 40 percent of their total net stock purchases,

MarketJan. 31, 2021

Telcos bolster teleconference services amid pandemic

South Korean telecom operators are redoubling efforts to support teleconference and virtual education services as the prolonged pandemic limits in-person contact and encourages work-from-home practices. Last week, major telecom operator KT Corp. said it will launch a new cloud-based video meeting platform, KT BizMeet, targeting businesses and education services. KT said the platform can host large online seminars, supporting up to 5,000 users in a single online meeting. The move follows the l

IndustryJan. 31, 2021

[Weekender] Inside Korea’s interior design boom amid pandemic

From #OurHome #HomeDecorating to #OnlineHousewarming, Instagram lately is filled with hashtags and posts from users showcasing their homes and stylish interior design ideas. “May I know where you got the bookcase?” one comment read in response to a post showing a well-lit, nearly all-white room. Dambi, an author and blogger, who shared the original post on Instagram replied that it was from furniture company Basic Gagu. These types of interactions are fairly common in the online sp

ConsumerJan. 30, 2021

DRAM, NAND flash to be 2 fastest growing chips this year: report

DRAM and NAND flash are expected to be the two semiconductor products that outshine this year, a report showed Saturday, boding well for South Korean chipmakers that dominate the world's memory chip market. Sales growth for DRAM and NAND flash were projected to be 18 percent and 17 percent, respectively, making them the two sharpest-growing chips among the 33 integrated circuit products in 2021, according to the McClean Report released by market tracker IC Insights. DRAM, or dynamic random-a

TechnologyJan. 30, 2021