Most Popular
-
1
Seoul Fireworks Festival ends smoothly, but leaves piles of trash
-
2
[AtoZ into Korean mind] The price of numbers: How rankings shape lives in Korea
-
3
Yoon set for talks with Marcos in Philippines
-
4
Can Jennie break the K-pop solo artist slump?
-
5
Baseball star Hwang Jae-gyun, T-ara's Jiyeon file for divorce mediation
-
6
[Exclusive] Korea’s defense acquisition agency fails to meet legal standard for women representation
-
7
First lady’s Dior bag scandal to be at center of Assembly audit
-
8
2 US B-1B bombers conducted joint drill with S. Korean Air Force on Oct. 1 Armed Force Day
-
9
Firefighters’ 3,000 won meals spark nutrition concerns
-
10
Yoon honors veterans of Korean War in trip to Philippines
-
Hanmi’s hypertension drugs post 14% growth in revenue
Hanmi Pharmaceutical said Thursday its high blood pressure treatments notched 14 percent revenue growth in 2019, raking in 153 billion won ($129 million) and dominating the market in South Korea. The company said that its 15 types of combination molecules for treating hypertension, all independently developed, accounted for 8.3 percent of the entire Korean high blood pressure treatment market last year which amounted to 1.8 trillion won. These treatments include the three Amozaltan drug
Jan. 30, 2020
-
Korean firms help to fight coronavirus outbreak
South Korean companies said Thursday they are lending a helping hand to fight the outbreak of new coronavirus in China, the nation’s top export destination. The nation’s largest automaker Hyundai Motor Group was one of the first firms to decide on delivering donations to Wuhan, the epicenter of the new coronavirus outbreak in Hubei province. The firm said it would deliver medical goods and donations totaling 15 million yuan ($2.2 million) to help Chinese people affected by the ep
Jan. 30, 2020
-
Samsung maintains No. 1 smartphone vendor status in 2019: data
Samsung Electronics Co. maintained its status as the world's top smartphone vendor last year, industry data showed Thursday, although its fourth-quarter shipments were behind Apple Inc. Samsung shipped 295.1 million smartphones around the globe in 2019, taking a 20.9 percent market share, according to data from market researcher Strategy Analytics. In 2018, Samsung claimed the No. 1 position with a 20.3 percent market share after shipping 291.3 million smartphones. "Samsung continues
Jan. 30, 2020
-
Rice consumption dips to all-time low in 2019
South Korea's per capita annual rice consumption fell to a record low in 2019 amid changes in diet and eating habits, data showed Thursday. Per capita average annual rice consumption hit a fresh low of 59.2 kilograms last year, down 3 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. It marked the first time for the amount to fall below the 60-kilogram threshold. Rice is a key staple food for Koreans, but its consumption has been on a steady decline since 1980,
Jan. 30, 2020
-
MWC 2020 to proceed as scheduled despite coronavirus spread
The Mobile World Congress 2020 will proceed as planned, according to a statement released by London-based GSMA on Tuesday local time. The event will kick off in Barcelona, Spain, on Feb. 24-27. The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting more than 750 operators with almost 400 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem. It organizes MWC events annually in Barcelona, Los Angeles and Shanghai. The announcement comes amid mounting concerns over the novel coronavirus
Jan. 29, 2020
-
SK in hot pursuit of Hyundai for No. 2 spot in chaebol list: report
SK Group is fast catching up with South Korea’s second-largest conglomerate Hyundai Motor Group, even as Samsung Group continued to maintain the top spot last year with a sizable lead over them, according to a report on Wednesday. Samsung Group has remained the largest conglomerate in terms of fair value, revenue, operating profit and operating margin for the past five years, local corporate research center Korea CXO Institute said. Fair value represents the estimated worth of various
Jan. 29, 2020
-
[Monitor] South Korea has largest trade surplus with Hong Kong
South Korea had the largest trade surplus with Hong Kong last year, data from the Korea Customs Service showed. Its trade deficit with Japan remained the largest, although the size was the lowest in 16 years due to Tokyo’s restrictions on exports of high-tech materials and the consequent boycott of Japanese products. While China was the country with Korea’s largest trade surplus for 10 years, Hong Kong topped the list last year. Poland joined the list of 10 countries with which K
Jan. 29, 2020
-
Crude oil spills from buoy off coast of Ulsan
Local maritime police took emergency action Wednesday after crude oil spilled from a buoy -- an offshore crude oil loading facility -- installed off the coast of Ulsan, according to police and news reports. Police said oil bands were found at around 8 a.m. about 3.6 kilometers south of Ganjeolgot, Ulju County. A local merchant ship passing through the point reported it to police, saying brown oil was floating on the sea. The oil bands were reportedly distributed hundreds of meters long and 1
Jan. 29, 2020
-
China’s coronavirus raises economic concerns in Korea
As the outbreak of China’s new coronavirus rapidly spreads, concerns have been raised about the Korean economy that heavily depends on China, the nation’s top export destination by volume. On Wednesday, China confirmed the number of deaths from the coronavirus epidemic at 132 and the number of confirmed cases at around 6,000. If the coronavirus turns into a prolonged outbreak, “the biggest concern is the impact on the Chinese economy,” said Park Sang-hyun, an analyst
Jan. 29, 2020
-
Korea's air passenger traffic up 5% in 2019
South Korea's air passenger traffic rose 5 percent last year from a year earlier on higher travel demand, the transport ministry said Wednesday. For the whole of 2019, 123 million passengers, including 90 million on international routes, flew with full-service and low-cost carriers, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The number of passengers on international routes jumped 5.2 percent on-year last year, mainly helped by increased numbers of flights by low-cost c
Jan. 29, 2020
-
SK Innovation to boost investment in EV batteries and materials
SK Innovation Co., South Korea's leading refiner, will boost investment in its electric vehicle battery and materials business, a top executive has said. SK Innovation CEO and President Kim Jun made the comments in an interview with the company's in-house news channel that was provided to employees Wednesday as the company strives to strengthen its battery and materials businesses. Kim did not provide any further details on proposed investments. SK Innovation is South Korea's top oil refiner
Jan. 29, 2020
-
Samsung No. 2 5G smartphone vendor in 2019: data
Samsung Electronics Co. was the No. 2 player in the global 5G smartphone market last year in terms of shipments, industry data showed Wednesday, as the South Korean tech giant faces tough challenges from Chinese rivals. Samsung had a 35.8 percent share in the global 5G smartphone market last year, with shipments of 6.7 million 5G smartphones worldwide, according to data from market researcher Strategy Analytics. Chinese tech titan Huawei ranked first by shipping 6.9 million 5G smartphones for
Jan. 29, 2020
-
Kumho Tire supplies tires for Audi Q5 SUV
Kumho Tire Co., the South Korean unit of Chinese tiremaker Qingdao Doublestar Co., said Wednesday it began to supply tires to the Audi Q5 SUV. Kumho Tire began to deliver the high-performance Crugen Premium KL33 tires for the Q5 in early January, the company said in a statement. The cars are being manufactured at Audi's Mexico plant and the tires will be produced in Kumho Tire's plant in Georgia, the United States, in the form of original equipment tires, it said. Supplying OE tires to car
Jan. 29, 2020
-
Korea ups monitoring of fake news on Wuhan coronavirus
The Korea Communications Commission is stepping up its efforts to monitor online posts concerning the new Wuhan coronavirus, to counter rapidly spreading falsehoods that could mislead the public. The agency said late Monday that it was focusing on preventing false information about the virus from spreading online. The existence of a fourth coronavirus patient has been confirmed in South Korea, with 15 suspected cases under investigation. KCC Chairman Han Sang-hyuk visited local broadca
Jan. 28, 2020
-
[Monitor] Land price hike slows down
Land prices across South Korea surged by 3.92 percent last year from 2018, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The growth in land prices dropped by 0.66 percentage point from 4.58 percent in 2018. In 2019, the price hike in the capital and surrounding region dropped to 4.74 percent from 5.14 percent, and in provinces, to 2.51 percent from 3.65 percent a year ago. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)
Jan. 28, 2020
-
Semiconductors again top list of S. Korea's export items in 2019
Semiconductors continued to top the list of South Korea's largest export items last year, data showed Tuesday. Outbound shipments of semiconductors came to $93.9 billion in 2019, accounting for 17.3 percent of the country's overall exports of $542.3 billion, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. The amount marks a 25.9 percent plunge from 2018, when semiconductors accounted for nearly one-quarter of South Korea's overall exports. The drop has largely been attributed to a shar
Jan. 28, 2020
-
Korean firms scrambling to minimize fallout from Wuhan virus
Major South Korean companies are scrambling to minimize any possible fallout from the Wuhan coronavirus by pulling their staff out of China and curbing trips there, industry sources said Tuesday. Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. plan to evacuate family members of hundreds of their employees in China to South Korea by Wednesday while allowing the employees in China to work at their homes, a Hyundai Motor official said. The move is meant to minimize contact with people as th
Jan. 28, 2020
-
More institutions adopt stewardship code, embrace shareholder activism
The number of South Korean institutions that have embraced shareholder activism by adopting the stewardship code surged last year, raising tensions for companies ahead of their general shareholders meetings in March. The stewardship code sets forth guidelines for institutional investors, allowing them to participate actively in corporate governance by exercising their voting rights in the interests of their beneficiaries. The code was introduced in December 2016. The National Pension S
Jan. 28, 2020
-
Naver’s webcomic unit ramps up service worldwide
The webcomic unit of Korea’s largest internet portal operator Naver is ramping up efforts to attract more foreign users, launching services in French and Spanish recently. Naver Webtoon, also known as Line Webtoon in the United States, is a Korean web comic platform. The online cartoon service is increasing efforts to increase its foothold in the global market. The company added Spanish on Nov. 22 and French on Dec. 19, while continuing its existing service in Engl
Jan. 27, 2020
-
[Monitor] South Korea‘s trade deficits with Japan
Japan was the trade partner with which South Korea posted the largest deficit in 2019, keeping the top spot for the fifth year in a row, according to data by Korea International Trade Association released Sunday. Last year, the trade deficit with Japan stood at $19.16 billion, recording the biggest among other trade partners. However, the figure was a significant improvement from a $28.31 billion deficit in 2017. It also marked the smallest deficit in 16 years due to the decreased trade volum
Jan. 27, 2020