Online shopping soars 27.5% in Aug. as virus-wary shoppers stay home

Online shopping soared 27.5 percent from a year earlier in August, data showed Monday, as the coronavirus pandemic prompted more shoppers to buy goods via e-commerce platforms. The value of online transactions came to a record high of 14.38 trillion won ($12.29 billion) in the month, up 3.1 trillion won from the same month last year, according to the data from Statistics Korea. The sharp increase in August was largely attributed to the pandemic that forced citizens to use online shops. The c

Oct. 5, 2020

LG Chem tops global EV battery sales this year

LG Chem Ltd., South Korea's leading chemical company, topped global electric vehicle (EV) battery sales from January to August, a local market research firm said Monday. LG Chem accounted for a 25 percent share of the global EV battery market, in which a total of 64.7 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of batteries were supplied during the January-August period, according to SNE Research. In the first eight months, global automakers used 15.9 GWh of LG Chem batteries. Chinese battery maker CATL came second

Oct. 5, 2020

S. Korea, Cambodia to hold 3rd round of FTA talks

South Korea said Monday it plans to start its third round of free trade talks with Cambodia this week to outline details, in line with Seoul's efforts to diversify its export portfolio in Southeast Asia. The three-day virtual meetings, with a goal to come up with a finalized draft of the deal by the end of this year, will start Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The two countries held their first round of negotiations in July, which was followed by another gather

Oct. 5, 2020

S. Korean manufacturing stays below par amid virus impact: IHS Markit

South Korea's manufacturing activity gathered ground for the fourth straight month in September but remained below par amid the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, a global market researcher said Monday. The purchasing managers' index (PMI) of the country's manufacturing sector stood at 49.8 last month, up 1.3 points from the previous month, according to a survey by IHS Markit. Yet the September figure was below the 50-point mark that separates contraction from expansion. PMI is a

Oct. 5, 2020

S. Korean carmakers' US market share rises above pre-COVID levels

South Korean carmakers' market share in the United States rose above pre-coronavirus levels in the March-August period, helped by new models, an industry association said Monday. Local carmakers accounted for 8.9 percent of the US passenger car market during the cited period, up from the 7.7 percent during the December-February period, the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association (KAMA) said in a statement. South Korea reported its first confirmed coronavirus case on Jan. 20, with its tota

Oct. 5, 2020

Big conglomerates report sales of 12tr won from collusion

SEJONG -- South Korea's big conglomerates have reported sales of some 12 trillion won ($10.3 billion) from collusion and price-fixing practices over the past six years, a report showed Monday. The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) found that 21 business conglomerates colluded a total of 162 times between 2015 and August this year. The conglomerates reported sales of 11.7 trillion won from collusion during the period, the KFTC said in the parliamentary audit report. The KFTC fined them 654

Oct. 5, 2020

Carmakers to promote new models in Q4 amid pandemic

South Korean carmakers are set to launch aggressive promotions to boost sales with new vehicles in the fourth quarter to offset weak sales in the previous three quarters amid the coronavirus outbreak, industry sources said Monday. The country's five carmakers -- Hyundai Motor Co., Kia Motors Corp., GM Korea Co., Renault Samsung Motors Corp. and SsangYong Motor Co. -- reported an 18 percent on-year decline in sales to 4.2 million vehicles during the January-August period. Their domestic sales

Oct. 5, 2020

BTS agency chief to be stock-rich after IPO

The chief of Big Hit Entertainment, the creative force behind K-pop superstar BTS, will become the 14th-richest stockholder in South Korea after his company's initial public offering (IPO) in mid-October. The company is scheduled to open subscription for retail investors Monday and Tuesday at an IPO price of 135,000 won ($115). Bang Si-hyuk holds 12,377,337 shares, or a 36.6 percent stake valued at about 1.67 trillion won based on the IPO price, in Big Hit Entertainment, according to the agenc

Oct. 4, 2020

Prolonged slump bodes ill for Korean shipyards in Q3

An extended slump is expected to undermine South Korean shipbuilders' earnings in the third quarter of the year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with a meaningful recovery in the near future not in sight. According to the data provided by global market researcher Clarkson Research Service, global new orders for ships more than halved to 8.12 million compensated gross tons (CGTs) in the first eight months of the year from 17.47 million tons a year earlier. "South Korean shipbuilders may log a

Oct. 4, 2020

Steelmakers may see earnings improvement in Q3: analysts

South Korean steelmakers are expected to have performed better in the third quarter despite the new coronavirus fears, moving on from a slump a quarter ago, analysts said on Sunday. The country's major steelmakers are likely to have earned more in the July-September period, thanks to a rebound in global steel demand, according to the analysts. Posco, the world's fifth-biggest steelmaker by output, is forecast to have logged 492.9 billion won in operating profit on a consolidated basis, accord

Oct. 4, 2020

S. Korea to conduct population census this month amid pandemic

SEJONG -- South Korea will launch a national census this month, with census workers taking extra precautions amid the coronavirus pandemic, Statistics Korea said Sunday. The nation conducts a population census every five years, and this year's survey includes 27,000 census workers who will carry out door-to-door interviews with residents. To reduce door-to-door visits, people will be encouraged to use mobile phones, fixed-line telephones and personal computers to register their personal, fami

Oct. 4, 2020

S. Korea fares better than other OECD members in Q2

South Korea performed relatively better in terms of economic growth over the second quarter of the year compared to other members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), data showed Sunday. South Korea's economy contracted 3.2 percent on-year in the April-June period, which marked the smallest decrease among the 36 member countries of the Paris-based organization, according to the data compiled by the Bank of Korea. Over the cited period, China, which is not a memb

Oct. 4, 2020

Department stores renovate outlets targeting young customers

Major local department stores have renovated their outlets in bustling areas and realigned sales sections in an effort to attract a new clan of young customers amid faltering sales hit by the new coronavirus outbreak, industry sources said Sunday. Industry leader Lotte Department Store and its main rivals Shinsegae and Hyundai department stores are targeting the MZ generation, those born between 1980 and the early 2000s as a combination of millennials and Generation Z. Local retailers are scra

Oct. 4, 2020

Korea ranks No. 18 of 25 OECD members in Q2 employment

SEJONG -- South Korea underperformed in a comparison of employment among some members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. It ranked 18th among 25 major economies that released hiring data for the second quarter. Alongside the tough job market, the proportion of nonregular workers held by Korea far exceeded the OECD average. According to the France-based organization, Korea posted 65.4 percent in the employment rate in the second quarter of the year, which is an indica

Oct. 2, 2020

Sept. exports rebound for 1st time in 7 months on chips, autos

South Korea's exports rebounded for the first time in seven months in September, data showed Thursday, helped by increased shipments of chips and automobiles as major trade partners gradually resumed their business activities amid the pandemic. Outbound shipments came to $48 billion last month, up 7.7 percent from $44.6 billion posted a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The on-year gain in exports marked the largest increase since Octob

Oct. 1, 2020

How to save and invest Chuseok money?

Ahead of the Chuseok holidays, many Koreans expect cash, with companies offering bonuses to motivate employees and relatives exchanging money as gifts in the family reunion rituals. This year, the three-day Chuseok holiday that kicks off Wednesday for three days is coming amid the COVID-19 outbreak, and the prolonged pandemic appears to be influencing ways to save or invest the holiday pocket money. But what to do with cash in times of ultralow interest is a big question.　 Some financial consu

Sept. 29, 2020

Hyundai Mobis to buy back 221b won worth of stocks

Hyundai Mobis Co., South Korea's biggest auto parts maker, said Tuesday it will buy back 221 billion won ($189 million) worth of its stocks in the fourth quarter to enhance shareholder value. Hyundai Mobis plans to buy back 983,000 stocks from Oct. 5 through Dec. 28 to stabilize the stock prices and improve shareholder value, the company said in a regulatory filing. The company said it will cancel 62.5 billion worth of stocks out of the 983,000 shares to be bought and ho

Sept. 29, 2020

Hyundai Heavy wins 420b won order for 4 crude carriers

Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co. said Tuesday that its shipbuilding unit Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. secured a 420 billion won ($359 million) deal to build four crude carriers. Under the deal with companies from Europe and Oceania, Hyundai Heavy will complete the construction of the 300,000-ton very large crude carriers by the first half of 2022, Korea Shipbuilding said. The names of the buyers were not revealed. With the latest orders, Korea Shipbuilding has so far won ord

Sept. 29, 2020

[News Focus] Household debt up 250 trillion won during Moon’s term

SEJONG -- South Korean households have been taking out an increasing amount of loans to invest in the real estate or capital market over the past few years. This has been in line with a fever for mortgages or credit-based loans amid low benchmark interest rate, which has stayed under 2 percent per annum for more than five years, and is currently at an all-time low of 0.5 percent. According to the Bank of Korea, outstanding household debt - the total of financial loans and credit-based payment

Sept. 29, 2020

S. Korea's industrial output falls 0.9% in August

South Korea's industrial output fell in August for the first time in three months, but consumption increased amid the coronavirus pandemic, data showed Tuesday.   The nation's overall industrial production declined 0.9 percent on-month in August, following a 0.1 percent on-month gain in July, according to data compiled by Statistics Korea.   Compared with a year earlier, overall industrial production plunged 3.4 percent in August.   Retail sales rose 3 percent f

Sept. 29, 2020