Youth employment jumps over past year amid pandemic

South Korea's youth employment rose sharply in May from a year earlier despite the coronavirus pandemic, government data showed Tuesday. The number of employed young people aged 15-29 reached 4.1 million in May, up 196,000 from a year earlier, according to the data released by Statistics Korea. Their employment rate came to 47.8 percent, up 3.4 percentage points from a year earlier. Of the country's youth population of 8.59 million, 51.5 percent were economically active in May, up 2.5

July 19, 2022

DLS sales in S. Korea plunge 40% in H1

The issuance of derivatives-linked securities (DLS) in South Korea tumbled more than 40 percent on-year in the first half of the year, data showed Tuesday, amid new regulations, rising interest rates and a bearish stock market. The country's DLS sales came to 5.7 trillion won ($4.3 billion) in the January-June period, down 40.2 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Securities Depository. The amount was also down 25.4 percent from the previous quarter. DLS tracks

July 19, 2022

Yellen tours LG battery facility amid US push for resilient supply chains

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen toured an LG Chem battery facility on Tuesday as the United States is seeking to build resilient supply chains with its allies in an effort to address supply disruptions and tackle high inflation. Yellen visited LG Science Park, a research and development campus of LG Group's eight affiliates, in western Seoul on her first stop of a three-day trip to South Korea. It marked her first trip to Seoul since she took office last year. Accompanied by LG Chem CEO

July 19, 2022

FSC chief highlights need to ease restrictions preventing industrial businesses from owning banks

South Korea's top financial regulator said Tuesday it is necessary to ease a rule that restricts industrial businesses from owning banks, saying that such deregulation could generate mega players like BTS in the financial sector. The government restricts industrial capital from being used to purchase stakes in banks and financial institutions in a bid to make it hard for business owners to take advantage of them as private coffers. Under the rule, businesses can own up to a 4 percent stake

July 19, 2022

Seoul shares open lower on recession woes

South Korean stocks opened lower Tuesday, tracking overnight falls on Wall Street amid concerns about rate hikes and slower economic growth. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 12 points, or 0.51 percent, to trade at 2,363.25 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, US stocks retreated on spreading concerns about the aggressive monetary tightening, fanned by Apple Inc.'s decision to narrow hiring and cut costs. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite lost 0.81 percent,

July 19, 2022

Regulator holds firm on debt relief plan

South Korea’s top financial regulator said Monday that its plan to help low-income earners reduce their debt burdens does not encourage reckless investments in stocks or real estate, amid criticism that young Koreans who have made losses from such investments could repay debts with taxpayers’ money. “We’re not helping those who have had to cut their losses on stocks and cryptocurrencies to pay for loans (taken out for investment),” Kim Joo-hyun, chairman of the Fin

July 18, 2022

SK E&S to invest W33b in turquoise hydrogen producer in US

SK E&S, an energy unit of South Korean conglomerate SK Group, said Monday it would invest 33 billion won ($25 million) in a clean hydrogen and materials company in US. Headquartered in Nebraska, Monolith Materials is currently the only company to have successfully commercialized turquoise hydrogen, according to SK. Turquoise hydrogen is a new addition in the hydrogen color charts that emits zero carbon dioxide during its production. Through the investment, SK aims to manage the production

July 18, 2022

Samsung Biologics sign deal with Incheon to build Biocampus 2

Samsung Biologics, a leading contract development and manufacturing organization, signed a land sales contract worth 426 billion won ($323 million) with Incheon metropolitan city to acquire space for its second Biocampus, the company said Monday. The contract mainly focuses on building research and manufacturing facilities in the 11th district of Songdo International City, which is located within the Incheon Free Economic Zone. With the second campus, the company plans to increase its manufa

July 18, 2022

Seoul shares spike almost 2% to 2-week high on eased rate hike woes

South Korean stocks soared nearly 2 percent higher Monday, as the US Federal Reserve will unlikely deliver a full-percentage point interest rate hike amid deepening concerns over an economic slowdown. The Korean won gained ground against the US dollar. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 44.27 points, or 1.90 percent, to close at 2,375.25. Trading volume was moderate at 318.99 million shares worth 6.99 trillion won ($5.31 billion), with gainers outstripping decliners 778 to 116. F

July 18, 2022

Damage claims surge over frequent flight cancellations

The number of damage claims over canceled or delayed flights has increased as airlines struggle with manpower shortages, according to the Korea Consumer Agency on Monday. A total of 213 air service-related cases requesting compensation were submitted from January to May this year. In April, when South Korea dropped the bulk of its COVID-19 social distancing restrictions, the number of filed claims doubled on-month to 60, the agency said. The number of overseas travelers in Incheon Airport alon

July 18, 2022

CJ CheilJedang to expand plant-based sales to W200b by 2025

South Korean food giant CJ CheilJedang will boost its overseas and domestic sales of plant-based meat products to 200 billion won ($151.9 million) by 2025, the company said on Monday. “The US and European countries including the UK and Germany, and Japan, which show increasing demand for Korean food and culture, will be our key target markets. We also plan to make forays into China, Singapore and other southeast Asian countries, expanding global business to account for 70 percent of tota

July 18, 2022

Chip makers face China dilemma as Seoul mulls joining US-led chip alliance

South Korean chip makers are under increasing pressure as Seoul mulls joining a US-led semiconductor alliance, so-called the “Chip 4,” which appears to be aimed at countering Beijing’s growing influence in global supply chains as well as boosting Washington’s manufacturing prowess in high-tech. According to diplomatic sources on Monday, the US government has recently asked Seoul officials to respond to its invitation to join the chip alliance by the end of August, sayin

July 18, 2022

Kyobo, Affinity on blame game over IPO rejection

South Korea’s Kyobo Life Insurance and its second-largest shareholder -- a consortium led by Affinity Equity Partners -- are blaming each other for its recent failure to carry out an initial public offering. The blame game follows the nation’s sole bourse operator Korea Exchange’s decision on July 8 to reject an initial public offering by Kyobo, without citing a reason. Market watchers, however, cited Kyobo’s yearslong legal dispute with the consortium led by the Hong K

July 18, 2022

[Newsmaker] [Reporter’s Notebook] The dark side of Nuri rocket’s success

While the entire country was still relishing the launch of South Korea’s first domestically developed rocket last month, unionized workers and engineers at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute came out with a rather surprising statement. “The satisfaction and joy of the second launch are passing by as we despair in the unimproved reality,” a statement by the union read. Citing government data, the union pointed out that the annual salary of the national space agency&rsquo

July 18, 2022

Tally for economically inactive seniors surges 96% since 2002

SEJONG -- The number of Koreans who are not engaged in any economic activities after being classified as seniors has surged almost 100 percent in two decades, state data showed Monday. According to Statistics Korea, the tally for economically inactive people due to old age reached a record-high of 2.48 million as of June. “Old age” refers to those aged 65 and over, according to stipulations from the United Nations. The figure was a surge by 96.8 percent, compared to 1.26 million po

July 18, 2022

Earnings surprise expected for Hyundai, Kia: reports

South Korea’s largest and second-largest carmakers Hyundai Motor and Kia are expected to deliver earnings surprises with record-high profits in the second quarter on improved product mixes and a weakening Korean won. According to the securities industry Monday, Hyundai Motor is expected to record 2.3 trillion won ($1.7 billion) in operating profit in the April-June period, surpassing 2 trillion won mark for the first time in eight years. In the 2014 Q2, Hyundai Motor recorded 2.87 trilli

July 18, 2022

Overseas stock dealings dip in H1 on weak equity markets

South Koreans' transactions of foreign stocks fell sharply in the first half of the year from six months earlier on bearish overseas equity markets, with their bond trading edging up, data showed Monday. Local investors' transactions of overseas shares were valued at $167.99 billion in the January-June period, down 12 percent from the second half of 2021, according to the data from the Korea Securities Depository (KSD). The figure covers overseas stock purchases and sales made through

July 18, 2022

Seoul shares open higher on US gains

Seoul shares opened higher Monday tracking strong gains on Wall Street last week. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 20.48 points, or 0.88 percent, to trade at 2,315.46 in the first 15 minutes of trading. On Friday, US shares closed sharply higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 2.15 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite rose 1.79 percent. In Seoul, most big-cap shares gathered ground, with carmakers and tech firms leading the upturn. Market bellwether Samsung

July 18, 2022

Weak won set to persist with US intent on more rate hikes

The South Korean won could further depreciate against the US dollar in months to come as long as the US backs aggressive monetary tightening to fight raging inflation, analysts said, as the Korean currency weakened to a 13-year low of 1,326.1 won per US dollar Friday. The breach of the 1,300 won psychological threshold -- prompted by rising US rates luring investors and soaring demand for the safe-haven asset amid global economic uncertainty -- is the latest indication that policymakers in Seou

July 17, 2022

Hyundai takes lead in EV efficiency with Ioniq 6

Hyundai Motor is expected to renew energy efficiency competition among electric vehicles, with its upcoming Ioniq 6 boasting the world’s best energy efficiency. The Ioniq 6, Hyundai’s second all-electric vehicle that made its global debut at the Busan Motor Show on Thursday, has an energy efficiency of 6 kilometers per kilowatt-hour, the highest rate among EVs around the world. The carmaker pointed to its EV-dedicated platform E-GMP with optimal heat, battery and power control sy

July 17, 2022