South Korean stocks opened almost flat Friday as investors took a wait-and-see approach ahead of U.S.Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting slated for next week, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) moved down 2.23 points, or 0.12 percent, to 1,907.38 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Carmakers traded mixed, with Kia Motors advancing 0.16 percent and top auto parts maker Hyundai Mobis remaining unchanged. No. 1 player Hyundai Motor also stayed flat.Market

July 26, 2013

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has held talks with China's Vice President Li Yuanchao during commemorations of the anniversary of the Korean War ceasefire, state media said Friday.Kim told a Chinese delegation led by Li on Thursday that Pyongyang "will always remember the disinterested internationalist assistance" China provided during the War, the North's Korean Central News Agency reported.China's intervention in the Korean War was decisive in halting and then pushing back a powerful US-led o

North Korea July 26, 2013

Japan's consumer prices rose in June for the first time in 14 months, official figures showed Friday, as Tokyo looks to tackle years of deflation that have crippled growth in the world's third-largest economy.Excluding volatile prices of fresh food, prices rose 0.4 percent in June, the first increase since a 0.2 percent rise in April last year, according to the internal affairs ministry.Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has vowed to pull Japan out of 15 years of falling prices with active government spe

World Business July 26, 2013

The number of dead in Syria's civil war has passed 100,000, the U.N. chief said Thursday, calling for urgent talks on ending 2{ years of violence even as President Bashar Assad's government blasted the United States as an unsuitable peace broker. In the latest example of the relentless carnage, a car bomb killed at least 10 people and wounded 66 in a pro-regime, residential area near the capital.All international attempts to broker a political solution to the Syrian civil war have failed. Despit

World News July 26, 2013

Serbia's Viktor Troicki has been banned for 18 months for failing to provide a blood sample during an anti-doping test before the Monte Carlo Masters in April.The International Tennis Federation said in a statement Thursday that the 53rd-ranked Troicki had provided a urine sample, but not a blood sample, and therefore had violated anti-doping rules. His ban will end Jan. 24, 2015. Troicki, who is competing at the Croatia Open this week at Umag, told a news conference on Thursday that “this is th

More Sports July 26, 2013

Samsung Electronics Co., the world's top maker of computer memory chips and smartphones, said Friday that its second-quarter profit spiked 49.6 percent from a year earlier, buoyed by robust shipments of its flagship Galaxy S smartphones and higher chip prices.Net profit came to 7.77 trillion won ($6.96 billion) in the April-June period, compared with a profit of 5.19 trillion won a year earlier, the company said in a regulatory filing.Revenue soared 20.7 percent on-year to 57.46 trillion won in

July 26, 2013

U.S. President Barack Obama said Thursday that his country needs to commemorate the sacrifice of Korean War veterans "with deeds, not just with words."In a proclamation to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of the three-year Korean War, Obama described it as a "conflict that defined a generation and decided the fate of a nation."He added, "Most of all, we remember those brave Americans who gave until they had nothing left to give. No monument will ever be worthy of their service, and no memori

Foreign Affairs July 26, 2013

South Korea's top central banker said Friday that the country is seen as overcoming the negative impacts of the yen's weakness on the local economy, but weak domestic demand still remains a concern."It seems that (Korea) has weathered well the impacts of the yen's slide (as the second-quarter growth data shows)," Bank of Korea (BOK) Gov. Kim Choong-soo said before holding a monthly meeting with heads of local banks.The BOK said Thursday that the South Korean economy grew 1.1 percent on-quarter i

July 26, 2013

The prosecution has imposed overseas travel bans on 40 people including former President Chun Doo-hwan, his relatives and associates who allegedly helped him conceal his assets, officials said on Thursday. Investigators also said they were considering requesting authorities in the United States, Singapore and the British Virgin Islands for judicial cooperation. The former president and his family are suspected of hiding massive assets overseas under borrowed names and by other illegal means such

Social Affairs July 25, 2013

South and North Korea resumed talks Thursday aimed at restarting operations at a joint factory park in the communist country, a key symbol of inter-Korean cooperation.Working-level officials from both sides have met five times this month but with neither side showing a willingness to make concessions. No agreement has been reached on the specific conditions for the resumption of operations at the factory zone that has remained shuttered since early April. From the outset of negotiations, each si

North Korea July 25, 2013

South Korean stocks opened lower Thursday as investors sought after profit taking, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) moved down 4.62 points, or 0.24 percent, to 1,907.46 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Carmakers led the decline, with No. 1 player Hyundai Motor losing 0.89 percent and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors falling 0.83 percent. Top shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries shed 0.48 percent.Retailers also traded lower, with Lotte Shopping moving down 0

July 25, 2013