Seoul shares open lower amid recession woes; Korean won sharply down

Seoul shares opened lower Friday amid concerns over more aggressive interest rate hikes by central banks to tackle inflation and a global economic slowdown. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 7.96 points, or 0.34 percent, to trade at 2,314.36 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Institutions and foreigners sold a combined 109 billion won ($82 million) worth of stocks, exceeding individuals' stock purchases valued at 101.7 billion won. Foreigners offloaded some risky assets

July 15, 2022

Import prices up for 2nd month in June on high energy, raw material costs

South Korea's import prices grew for the second straight month in June as oil and raw material prices remained high, central bank data showed Friday. The import price index edged up 0.5 percent in June from a month earlier, according to the preliminary data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). This marked the second straight month of on-month increase following a revised rise of 3.8 percent in May. Compared with a year earlier, the index jumped 33.6 percent, the 16th consecutive month of on-year increa

July 15, 2022

Yoon vows debt relief for low earners after rate hike

President Yoon Suk-yeol pledged Thursday to help low-income earners with their mounting debt burdens, a day after the central bank made its biggest single rate hike to tame persistent inflation, at a weekly meeting he convened for the second time. The meetings deal with pressing economic issues affecting what they call a “vulnerable group” of self-employed people, small business owners and those fresh out of college. Policymakers discussed inflation last week. This week, they unveil

July 14, 2022

KT, CJ ENM join forces to set up Korea’s largest streaming platform

KT and CJ ENM have decided to merge their over-the-top video streaming platforms -- Seezn and Tving -- to create the largest Korean-made video streaming platform. The merger could accelerate the growth of Korean video content, officials said Thursday. The two companies each held board of directors meetings and decided that KT’s Seezn will be absorbed by CJ ENM’s Tving. KT Studio Genie, which holds a 100 percent stake in Seezn, will become the third-largest shareholder of the newly

July 14, 2022

In face of steep inflation, Koreans ponder samgyetang

For Oh Ju-ha, a housewife in her 50s, having samgyetang, or ginseng chicken soup, has for many years been a way to endure the highest temperatures of summer. But she is having second thoughts this year. “I’m thinking about making kongguksu (soy milk noodle soup) for this chobok, instead. It’s also high in protein, and not as ridiculously expensive as samgyetang,” she said. Chobok is traditionally the beginning of the most sweltering days of the year in Korea. Oh is one

July 14, 2022

HMM to invest W15tr to become worldwide leader in shipping

The country‘s top shipping company HMM is aiming to become a global industry leader by investing 15 trillion won ($11.4 billion) over the next five years. “We consider this investment the least that we can do to make our company a sustainable and stable company amid growing uncertainties in the global shipping market due to environmental regulations and digitalization,” Kim Kyung-bae, CEO of HMM, told reporters on Thursday. HMM will be using 10 trillion won of that investment

July 14, 2022

Seoul shares retreat amid rate hike woes

South Korean stocks retreated Thursday after a choppy session amid jitters about high inflation at home and in major economies. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index declined 6.29 points, or 0.27 percent, to close at 2,322.32 points. Trading volume was relatively low at about 344 million shares worth some 6.4 trillion won ($4.9 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 433 to 418. Institutions sold a net 534 billion won, while foreigners boug

July 14, 2022

Owner family of Hankook Tire loses lawsuit on hiding assets overseas

The ownership family of Hankook Tire and Technology, the world’s sixth-largest tiremaker, has lost a lawsuit against the local tax agency concerning a fine of 4.59 billion won ($3.5 million) for allegedly hiding assets overseas. The Seoul Administrative Court recently ruled against the suit brought by Cho Yang-rae, honorary chairman of Hankook & Co., the parent company of Hankook Tire, and his eldest son Cho Hyun-sik, a Hankook & Co. adviser. Cho and his son have argued that op

July 14, 2022

Seoul pressured to join chip alliance against China

The growing call on South Korea to participate in the United States-led chip alliance across East Asia is putting the semiconductor powerhouse, home to Samsung and SK hynix, again in a strategic dilemma. Sitting in the crosshairs of US-China economic warfare, Korea is being pressured to choose a side by joining the new semiconductor alliance of the US, Taiwan and Japan, with Korea making up the fourth in the so-called “Chip 4.” Alternatively, Korea might choose not to join them, con

July 14, 2022

Ioniq 6 makes world premiere at returning Busan show

BUSAN -- Hyundai Motor’s latest electric vehicle Ioniq 6 made its global debut at the Busan Motor Show Thursday, boasting not only its sleek design but also its single-charge travel capacity of 524 kilometers. The sedan, whose overall design was inspired by airplanes, features energy efficiency at 6 km per kilowatt-hour, which is the highest rate among EVs around the world, the carmaker said. “The Ioniq 6 will create a sensation in the local EV market, currently dominated by EVs wi

July 14, 2022

‘Wage hike pressure due to inflation will be hardest’

An upward pressure on wages caused by inflation will be the biggest ordeal for businesses in the long run, said Chey Tae-won, who is chairman of both SK Group and the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the nation’s largest business lobby. “Dealing with inflation was expected,” Chey told reporters at the KCCI Jeju Forum which opened Wednesday on Jeju Island. “I think it will be much more difficult especially for small- and medium-sized companies which hire a lot of

July 14, 2022

LG Uplus launches simpler bundle service

LG Uplus has launched a new subscription platform service that offers more convenient access, cheaper bundle deals and a simpler cancellation process in order to maximize customized experiences for its users, the South Korean mobile carrier said Thursday.  The new subscription service‘s name, Udok, is a combination of Uplus and the latter part of the Korean word “gudok” meaning subscription. “Udok has three differentiating factors. First, it does not require contr

July 14, 2022

Samsung samples world’s fastest GDDR6 memory using EUV tech

Chip-to-smartphone giant Samsung Electronics said Thursday it has unveiled the industry’s fastest GDDR6-standard memory chips for next-generation graphics cards, using the cutting-edge extreme ultraviolet photolithography process. The newest third-generation 10 nanometer-class GDDR6 DRAM is designed to deliver 30 percent faster processing speeds than its predecessor, as they feature 24 gigabits-per-second data transfer rate per pin. The predecessor, featuring speeds of 18 Gbps, has been m

July 14, 2022

Hyundai unveils 2nd dedicated EV model IONIQ 6

South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co. on Thursday unveiled its second dedicated EV model IONIQ 6 at the Busan International Motor Show ahead of its local launch in September. The IONIQ 6 is the second model embedded with Hyundai Motor Group's EV-only electric-global modular platform (E-GMP) following the IONIQ 5, which launched in April last year. Hyundai will begin receiving preorders for the new model on July 28 and aims to sell 12,000 IONIQ 6 models in the domestic market by the end of th

July 14, 2022

S. Korea's fiscal deficit worsens through May

South Korea's fiscal deficit rose 22.7 trillion won ($17.4 billion) in the first five months of this year from a year ago due largely to increased government spending aimed at tackling the pandemic, data showed Thursday. The managed fiscal balance, a key gauge of fiscal health calculated on a stricter term, posted a deficit of 71.2 trillion won in the January-May period, larger than a shortfall of 48.5 trillion won a year earlier, according to the finance ministry. The larger deficit came a

July 14, 2022

SK chief suggests possible changes in investment plans amid rising costs

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won has suggested possible changes or a delay in SK's multibillion dollar investment plans for the next few years, citing higher borrowing and raw material costs. Chey made the remarks at a forum in Jeju this week, noting the effect of the global easy-money policy over the past decade, coupled with global supply disruptions, and a surge in energy and commodity prices, triggered by Russia's war in Ukraine, are unraveling. "Costs have risen sharply in mate

July 14, 2022

BOK chief to join G-20 meeting in Bali, discuss inflation, other global issues

Bank of Korea (BOK) Gov. Rhee Chang-yong will take part in a Group of 20 (G-20) meeting of finance ministers and top central bankers this week in Indonesia, his office said Thursday. Rhee will join the G-20 meeting scheduled to be held from Friday to Saturday in Bali, and discuss key economic and financial issues with his counterparts from advanced and key emerging economies, according to the BOK. During the meeting, Rhee and other participants are expected to discuss global inflation, resilienc

July 14, 2022

S. Korea to actively deal with herd behavior in financial market: official

South Korea plans to actively tackle herd behavior in the financial market as market volatility has increased amid monetary tightening drives at home and abroad, a senior government official said Thursday. The government plans to step up its monitoring of the market, as the country's financial market has "sensitively" reacted to concerns about high inflation and global recession fears, according to First Vice Finance Minister Bang Ki-sun. "The government plans to actively deal wit

July 14, 2022

Seoul shares open lower on Wall Street losses

South Korean stocks opened lower Thursday, tracking overnight losses on Wall Street amid concerns about fast-growing inflation. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 7.77 points, or 0.33 percent, to trade at 2,320.84 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, US stocks dropped as the estimate-beating consumer price index for June fanned worries that the Federal Reserve can accelerate its rate hike moves. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.67 percent, and the tech-heav

July 14, 2022

Finance minister concerned about recession after inflation comes under control

  South Korea's chief economic policymaker said Wednesday that he is gravely concerned about a possible recession after soaring inflation stabilizes. His remarks came after the Bank of Korea raised its policy rate by a half percentage point, the largest-ever increase, earlier in the day to combat high-flying inflation. "(The BOK's rate hike) will help rein in rising expected inflation down the road," Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho said in a forum held in Jeju. "In October

July 13, 2022