Hyundai Motor logs best-ever quarterly profit

South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor on Thursday reported its best-ever quarterly result for the April-June period, with operating profits surging 58 percent to nearly 3 trillion won ($2.2 billion) on the back of increased luxury vehicle sales and the weak Korean won. The carmaker’s operating profit jumped to 2.97 trillion won with the rate of operating profit reaching 8.3 percent. The last time the company recorded operating profit above 2 trillion won was in the second quarter of 2014

July 21, 2022

Samsung foldable smartphones to hit 10 million in shipments

Ahead of the global unveiling event for Samsung Electronics’ newest mobile lineup, the Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4, next month, the company’s mobile business chief said Thursday that its foldable series is having its moment with shipments of foldables nearing the 10 million mark. “Last year, we saw almost 10 million foldable smartphones shipped worldwide. That’s an industry increase of more than 300 percent from 2020, and I predict this fast-paced growth will continue,”

July 21, 2022

LG Chem exports 1st plant-based phenol, acetone to German firm

LG Chem is exporting its first bio-balanced phenol and acetone products to Germany, the company said Thursday. According to LG Chem, the exports that were made from biomaterials such as waste vegetable oil are eco-friendly products certified by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification PLUS. The total amounts of exported phenol and acetone are 4,000 tons and 1,200 tons, respectively, to mark the largest single-export volume that have been certified by the ISCC PLUS. The produ

July 21, 2022

JB Financial renames venture investing biz as JB Investment

JB Financial Group, a Jeonju-based financial holding company, said Thursday it has renamed its subsidiary Mega Investment to JB Investment. The finance company inked a deal to take over Mega Investment from South Korean online educational service provider MegaStudy in May for 48 billion won ($36.5 million). The deal was signed as part of the regional bank’s efforts in diversifying its business portfolio, said JB Financial Group. The newly named JB Investment is a venture investment firm

July 21, 2022

FDI in free economic zones soars 164% in H1: data

SEOUL, July 21 (Yonhap) -- Foreign direct investment (FDI) pledged to South Korea's free economic zones (FEZs) more than doubled in the first half of this year to hit a three-year high amid post-pandemic economic recovery, data showed Thursday. The country's nine FEZs received $560 million worth of FDI commitment during the January-June period, up 164 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. It is the highest figure si

July 21, 2022

S. Korea's seaport cargo down 5.1% in Q2 amid Ukraine crisis

Cargo processed at South Korean seaports fell 5.1 percent on-year in the second quarter of this year amid global supply disruptions due to the prolonged crisis in Ukraine and China's lockdown of major cities over the COVID-19 pandemic, the oceans ministry said Thursday. Cargo handled at the country's ports came to 373.98 million tons in the April-June period, compared with 394.17 million tons a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. Handling of export-import c

July 21, 2022

Exports up 14.5% during first 20 days of July

South Korea's exports rose 14.5 percent in the first 20 days of July from a year earlier, but the country suffered a trade deficit on higher global energy costs, customs data showed Thursday. The country's outbound shipments stood at $37.25 billion in the July 1-20 period, compared with $32.52 billion a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Imports jumped 25.4 percent on-year to $45.35 billion during the cited period, resulting in a trade deficit of $8.12

July 21, 2022

Seoul shares open higher on US gains

South Korean opened higher Thursday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 6.24 points, or 0.26 percent, to trade at 2,393.09 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, US. stocks rose as tech shares rallied on solid corporate earnings. The Dow Jones Industrial Average inched up 0.15 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite surged 1.58 percent. In Seoul, tech and chemical shares gathered ground, while financials and autos fe

July 21, 2022

ADB cuts 2022 growth outlook for S. Korean economy to 2.6%

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Thursday slashed its 2022 growth outlook for the South Korean economy to 2.6 percent amid the ongoing Ukraine crisis and aggressive monetary tightening by major countries. The latest estimate by the Manila-based bank is lower than the 3 percent growth forecast made in April. The ADB, however, maintained its earlier forecast of the country's 2.6 percent growth for next year. The bank cited the slowdown in the global economic growth and interest rate hikes

July 21, 2022

[Photo News] HiKR Grround

A media art tower displays content favored by younger people at an experience hall called HiKR Ground, set up at the Korea Tourism Organization in Seoul, Wednesday.

July 21, 2022

Prosecutors raid cryptocurrency exchanges in probe into Terraform crash

Prosecutors raided local cryptocurrency exchanges on Wednesday as part of an investigation into a fraud case in connection with the collapse of Terraform Labs’ digital coins, TerraUSD and Luna, officials said. A team of investigators from the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office began seizing transaction records and other material from Upbit and other local exchanges around 5 p.m., they said. Investors in TerraUSD and Luna filed complaints against Terraform Labs’ CEO Do Kwon

July 20, 2022

S. Korea to introduce new hydrogen rating scheme in 2024

South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Wednesday it is implementing a new clean hydrogen certification system from 2024 that evaluates corporate carbon footprints based on the amount of carbon emissions, not the type of production process. The new scheme will determine whether hydrogen can be classified as “low carbon” by analyzing the amount of carbon generated during its production -- the lower the emissions, the greater the incentives for companies. Th

July 20, 2022

Incheon Airport targets 106m travelers a year

Incheon Airport is pumping up its Level 4 construction plan, a project to expand its second passenger terminal, to maintain its leading position as an air transport hub in East Asia. The 4.84 trillion won ($3.69 billion) Level 4 construction plan involves a major upgrade of the airport’s infrastructure, through measures such as expanding its flight network and building a new runway. This year, the Incheon International Airport Corp. will focus on the expansion of Terminal 2 and its parki

July 20, 2022

FKI says wages rose too much

The Federation of Korean Industries said on Wednesday that the average annual wage per employee of listed companies rose 43.4 percent in the 10 years preceding 2021. During that time, their average revenue only rose 12.5 percent. The average annual salary per worker jumped from 55.93 million won ($42,600) in 2011 to 80.16 million won in 2021, while the listed firms’ revenue per employee went from 960 million won to about 1.1 billion won in the same period, the lobby of the nation’s

July 20, 2022

Seoul shares end higher on U.S. rallies

South Korean stocks ended higher Wednesday, as investor sentiment was boosted by Wall Street gains and the expected resumption of Russian gas to Europe. The Korean won gained ground against the U.S. dollar. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 15.88 points, or 0.67 percent, to close at 2,386.85. Trading volume was moderate at 328.96 million shares worth 7.36 trillion won ($5.61 billion), with gainers outstripping decliners 630 to 228. Retail investors picked up shares worth a net 65.73 bil

July 20, 2022

ICT minister calls for caution on joining Chip 4

Amid pressure building on South Korea to join a US-led chip alliance that strategically isolates China from the global semiconductor supply chain, Science Minister Lee Jong-ho on Wednesday said in rare remarks that the government should be careful in making such a decision, citing its impact on other industries. “I have talked to business executives who have been to China. It’s difficult to talk about the details, as it is an ongoing matter, but we have to make a decision that will

July 20, 2022

Won gains after Yellen’s visit, weakening preference in safe havens

SEJONG -- The Korean currency gained against the US dollar on Wednesday, a day after finance ministers from South Korea and the US said they could take actions like supplying liquidity for stabilization of the foreign exchange market. The price of the Korean currency climbed by 0.5 won per dollar from a trading session earlier to close at 1,312.9 won. After peaking at 1,326.1 won last Friday, the greenback fell for the third consecutive trading session. This could be attributab

July 20, 2022

East Sea tops list of Koreans’ preferred vacation destination

More Koreans plan to spend their summer vacation this year on the country‘s east coast instead of flying to the southern resort island of Jeju to save money amid rising inflation, a survey showed Wednesday. The year’s busiest travel week is expected to be from July 30 to August 5, as usual, and households plan to spend an average of 952,000 won, according to the survey conducted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The survey showed that 24.7 percent of responde

July 20, 2022

GS Energy rebrands EV charging biz as GS Connect

GS Energy, an energy arm of South Korean conglomerate GS Group, said Wednesday it has renamed its electric vehicle charging subsidiary as GS Connect. The subsidiary is a joint corporation, created by GS Energy and local EV charging firm Gntel. The two companies hold 50 percent of shares each. By stressing its identity as being part of GS Group, the subsidiary said it hopes to expand business and bolster customer trust. The name change also includes the company’s promise to connect with

July 20, 2022

Samsung to debut new foldable phones on Aug. 10

Samsung Electronics on Wednesday sent out invites to the 2022 Galaxy Unpacked event for its new foldable phones that will be held online via its official website at 10 p.m. (Korea time) on Aug. 10. Titled “Unfold Your World,” the event will feature Samsung’s latest Z series, including the larger Z Fold 4 and the more compact Z Flip 4, along with its smart watch Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Buds wireless earphones. Since last year, Samsung has held two separate unveiling events fo

July 20, 2022