Seoul shares open lower on Wall Street losses

Seoul shares opened lower Tuesday tracking overnight losses on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 7.74 points, or 0.30 percent, to 2,583.57 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 0.71 percent lower after US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell made remarks that suggested rate cuts may come later than anticipated. In Seoul, large caps traded mixed. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics advanced 0.13 percent, while the w

Feb. 6, 2024

OECD cuts S. Korea's 2024 growth outlook to 2.2%

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development revised down its outlook for South Korea's economic growth this year to 2.2 percent, Seoul's finance ministry said Monday. The figure marked a 0.1 percentage-point fall from its projection of 2.3 percent made in November, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The projection was on par with that of the South Korean government, though the Bank of Korea presented a 2.1 percent growth outlook for this year. The Internati

Feb. 5, 2024

Court clears Samsung chief of all charges

A Seoul court acquitted Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong of all charges related to a 2015 merger fraud case on Monday, clearing the path for the country's biggest tech giant to push forward with investment for future technologies. In the final verdict handed down at 2:55 p.m., judges at the Seoul Central District Court found Lee and 13 other defendants -- former executives of Samsung -- all not guilty. The court dismissed the allegations proposed by prosecutors, who claimed that Lee and

Feb. 5, 2024

[Gadget Review] Real-time call translation: SKT A. vs. Galaxy S24 Ultra

More and more artificial intelligence services are becoming available for use in daily life, and one of the breakthrough applications is set to come in real-time translation built into phone calls. In its latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S24 series, Samsung Electronics presented its Live Translate feature for the first time. This feature competes directly with SK Telecom's A., a mobile app developed by the mobile carrier to allow iPhone users in Korea to explore real-time translation

Feb. 5, 2024

Hyundai Motor India to go public this year: reports

Hyundai Motor India, South Korean conglomerate Hyundai Motor Group’s local subsidiary, is planning to float its shares in an initial public offering on the Indian stock market before the end of this year, according to reports Monday. Citing unnamed sources, The Economic Times reported that a group of global investment banks including Goldman Sachs, Citi, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, Bank of America, HSBC, Deutsche Bank and UBS came to Seoul last week to present their IPO proposals to Hyundai

Feb. 5, 2024

KCC chief reiterates call to abolish handset subsidy ban

Broadcasting watchdog chief said Monday that scrapping the controversial handset subsidy ban can provide "greater benefits" to consumers as the removal would boost competition among mobile carriers to lower smartphone prices to sell more. "The Mobile Device Distribution Improvement Act was legislated in 2014 to resolve excessive competition. As time passed, however, the act limited the local telecom carriers' competition and caused the cost of smartphones to become even more

Feb. 5, 2024

GNT Pharma partners with Pfizer for animal drug development

GNT Pharma said Monday that the company has signed an agreement with Pfizer's contract manufacturing arm for overseas production of the company’s veterinary medication GedaCure. Under the recent agreement, Pfizer CentreOne, which has production facilities in around 30 countries, will provide GNT Pharma with CDMO services in the countries, including the US and Europe, where GNT Pharma launches GedaCure. GedaCure is a chewable tablet of crisdesalazine and the world’s first multi-t

Feb. 5, 2024

Seoul shares close lower on profit taking

South Korean stocks closed lower Monday on profit taking after recent gains. The local currency fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 24 points, or 0.92 percent, to 2,591.31, ending a two-day winning streak. Kospi soared nearly 5 percent over the bullish period. Trade volume was heavy at 500.2 million shares worth 12.1 trillion won ($9.09 billion), with losers closely outnumbering winners 459 to 434. Institutions sold a net 724.2 billion won worth of lo

Feb. 5, 2024

Hahn & Co. makes offer to buy SsangYong C&E stakes

Hahn & Co., the nation's largest private equity firm based on assets under management, launched a bid on Monday to take full ownership of cement producer SsangYong C&E, offering over 700 billion won ($525 million) for the shares it does not hold. Hahn & Co. will offer 7,000 won per share for the cement producer to secure an additional 20.1 percent stake in the company, spending 701.8 billion won, according to an announcement made through regulatory filings from its special purpo

Feb. 5, 2024

[Photo News] Foreign reserves fall

Two employees sort out dollars at Hana Bank's Counterfeit Notes Response Center in central Seoul on Monday. Korea's foreign reserves stood at $415.7 billion as of end-January, down $4.39 billion from the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea. It was the first time in three months for the figure to fall. The US greenback has been strengthening as the market has lowered its expectation of an early pivot in the Federal Reserve's monetary policy. Korea was the world's ni

Feb. 5, 2024

LS targets N. America with Mexican EV parts plant

LS Electric said Monday that its electric vehicle parts subsidiary LS e-Mobility Solutions has recently completed the construction of an EV parts manufacturing plant in Durango, Mexico to target the North American electric vehicle market. The Durango plant, which covers an area of 35,000 square meters, is capable of producing 5 million EV relays and 4 million battery disconnect units per year. As a typical EV can have 20 relays or more, the plant has the capacity to deliver EV relays for up to 2

Feb. 5, 2024

FSS officials to visit Hong Kong in short selling probe

South Korean financial regulators are set to collaborate with their counterparts in Hong Kong as part of its ongoing investigation into illegal short selling involving Hong Kong-based companies. The Financial Supervisory Service on Monday announced plans to dispatch working-level officials to Hong Kong in early February to facilitate this cooperation. FSS Chief Lee Bok-hyun disclosed this initiative during a meeting with local journalists at the agency's headquarters in Seoul, where he outl

Feb. 5, 2024

Lotte Global Logistics new CEO vows global push

Lotte Global Logistics' new CEO Kang Byoung-ku pledged to take its logistics networks to a new level for oversea expansion while tapping into cross-border e-commerce business on his first day in office. “I promise to establish Lotte Global Logistics as a leading company in the global logistics industry through challenge and innovation,” said Kang during his inauguration speech on Friday. To achieve this, Kang outlined four key strategies. Kang emphasized a focus on differentiati

Feb. 5, 2024

CJ’s Miky Lee wins Abu Dhabi Festival Award

ABU DHABI -- Miky Lee, vice chair of CJ Group and its entertainment and media subsidiary CJ ENM, has won this year’s Abu Dhabi Festival Award, a top honor offered to individuals in recognition of their outstanding contributions to culture and the arts. The Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation held the award ceremony in the UAE capital Saturday. Lee attended the event in person to receive the award. The annual award, inaugurated in 2012 by the foundation in association with the Swiss luxur

Feb. 5, 2024

Seoul shares open lower after rally

South Korean stocks started lower Monday as investors locked in profits following a surge the previous session. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index dropped 1.32 percent, or 34.56 points, to 2,580.75 in the first 15 minutes of trading. On Friday, the Kospi soared 2.87 percent on the back of a climb in autos and techs. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics sank 1.46 percent, and its consumer electronics rival LG Electronics declined 0.51 percent. Bio shares also traded weaker, with Sam

Feb. 5, 2024

Court set to rule on Samsung chief in controversial 2015 merger case

A Seoul court is set to deliver its ruling on Samsung Electronics Co. Chairman Lee Jae-yong on Monday on charges of stock price rigging and accounting fraud connected to the controversial 2015 merger of two Samsung affiliates. The Seoul Central District Court is scheduled to hold a sentencing hearing at 2 p.m. on Lee, three years and five months after the Samsung chief was indicted in connection with the merger of Cheil Industries Inc. and Samsung C&T Corp. Lee was charged with stock price r

Feb. 5, 2024

HD Korea Shipbuilding attains one-third of yearly order goal

HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co., the world's top shipyard, has already achieved nearly one-third of its yearly order target on brisk demand for green vessels, industry sources said Monday. So far this year, the shipbuilder has clinched $4.65 billion worth of orders to construct 38 ships, or 34.4 percent of its yearly target of $13.5 billion, according to the sources. In light of the faster-than-expected pace, HD Korea Shipbuilding, a subholding company of shipbuilding,

Feb. 5, 2024

Analysts upbeat on Kakao; battery sector outlook gloomy

Despite lingering management risks, tech giant Kakao may see a surprise increase in its stock price this year, with analysts bullish on its advertising and commerce businesses. According to market intelligence firm FnGuide, Kakao's target price, provided by more than three analysts, was 69,458 won ($51.90) as of Sunday, up 10.6 percent from 62,783 won recorded at the end of last year, marking the highest increase rate among the target prices of the top 20 firms listed on the Korean stock ma

Feb. 4, 2024

Korean dietary supplements makers eye Chinese market

South Korean dietary supplements manufacturers are accelerating their entries into the growing Chinese market as the number of elderly people continues to increase in the country, according to industry sources on Sunday. On the back of an aging population, the Chinese dietary supplements market grew 3 percent on-year to reach around 73 trillion won ($54.5 billion) in 2022, according to a report released by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency. Among Korean companies, Korea Ginseng Corp.,

Feb. 4, 2024

GM Korea unveils 2024 roadmap with four new vehicles

General Motors will release four new vehicles in South Korea this year including two electric vehicles as the global automaker looks to expand its presence in the local market, GM's Korean office said Friday. "We plan to strengthen GM’s presence in the fiercely competitive domestic market and meet the needs of those seeking the unique American product experience and new lifestyle that only GM can provide by expanding our comprehensive range of products," said Hector Villarre

Feb. 4, 2024