South Korean banks' mid to long-term foreign borrowing jumped in March from the previous month as they braced for rising global uncertainties, the financial regulator said Monday.     Twelve local banks borrowed a total of $3.49 billion last month through overseas bond issuance and loans with a maturity over one year, $1.68 billion more than in February, according to the Financial Supervisory Se

April 18, 2011

   South Korean stocks lost ground on Monday after a strong start as investors unloaded tech blue chips and bank shares, analysts said.   The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed 1.29 points, or 0.06 percent, to trade at 2,139.21 in the first 15 minutes of trading.   The KOSPI touched a record high of 2,149.45 as soon as the market opened, but tech and financial shares increase

April 18, 2011

   A Chinese employee of South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. has been indicted for trying to leak the company's core technology and business secrets, prosecutors said Sunday.   The 40-year-old woman, who had worked as a senior researcher for a home appliance department of the company since 2007, is suspected of attempting to hand over the company's classified documents regarding noise reduction

Industry April 17, 2011

   WASHINGTON --  U.S. President Barack Obama Wednesday lauded South Korean students for outperforming American students thanks to the nation's heavy investment in education.   "South Korean children are outpacing our kids in math and science," Obama said in a speech at George Washington University to unveil his fiscal policy centering on budget deficit cuts while maintaining heavy investment in e

Foreign Affairs April 14, 2011

   WASHINGTON -- An American citizen being held in North Korea has been accused of getting involved in unauthorized religious activities in the reclusive communist state, informed sources said Wednesday.   The Korean-American businessman has been held in North Korea since November for his involvement in missionary work, the sources said, adding the man in his 60s attends a church in Orange County,

North Korea April 14, 2011

The female population outnumbered the males in Seoul for the eighth straight year last year, though the proportion of the male population grew slightly, census data showed Wednesday.    Out of 10.5 million people living in the capital, 5.2 million or 49.5 percent were male, and 5.3 million or 50.3 percent were female as of December, showing a male-to-female ratio of 98.09, according to data from t

Social Affairs April 13, 2011

   South Korea's jobless rate rose in March from a year earlier, but the number of newly created jobs grew sharply as the private sector continued to expand recruitment, a government report showed Wednesday.   The jobless rate was 4.3 percent last month, up from 4.1 percent a year earlier, according to the report by Statistics Korea. It was, however, down from 4.5 percent in February.   The number

April 13, 2011

   South Korea's central bank on Wednesday revised up its projection for this year's consumer inflation on high oil and food prices, but the bank retained its economic growth forecast.   The Bank of Korea (BOK) upgraded its inflation projection for this year to a three-year high of 3.9 percent from a previous estimate of 3.5 percent, indicating that the country will face a buildup in inflationary

April 13, 2011

  A chief North Korean military general said Friday that his troops will not remain a "passive onlooker" if South Korea and the United States continue their joint military exercise, according to Pyongyang's official news agency.   The threat from Ri Yong-ho, vice marshal of the Korean People's Army, came at a ceremony to celebrate the 18th anniversary of the election of North Korean leader Kim Jon

North Korea April 8, 2011

  The South Korean government needs to be more active and logical in defending its sovereignty over Dokdo against Japan's continued claims to the rocky islets in the East Sea, a Japanese-born scholar said Friday.   Yuji Hosaka, professor of Japanese Studies at Sejong University in Seoul, questioned the effectiveness of Seoul's so-called quiet diplomacy on the Dokdo issue aimed at blocking it from

Foreign Affairs April 8, 2011