Rogers expects unification to make Korea a greater forceChina will dominate the 21st century. The economic policies, particularly monetary policies, pursued by the U.S. are hastening its decline. Commodities, not stocks or bonds, are the smart investments now. This is what American investor and author Jim Rogers has been saying for several years now, and it was the message he brought with him Thur

March 13, 2011

Central bank governor sees high inflationary pressureKorea’s central bank raised its key interest rate for the second time in three months Thursday as it steps up efforts to control inflation.The Bank of Korea lifted its benchmark base rate to 3 percent from 2.75 percent at a monthly meeting. The rate influences a variety of borrowing costs, including those on overnight loans between financial ins

March 10, 2011

Lee Kun-hee, chairman of Samsung Electronics Co., on Thursday lashed out at a recent proposal by former Prime Minister Chung Un-chan for large businesses to share their excessive profits with smaller companies.The rare attack from usually reticent Lee, 69, came as he was on his way to a monthly meeting of the executive board of the Federation of Korean Industries, the largest business lobby in Kor

March 10, 2011

 Kang Man-soo, senior presidential economic adviser and former finance minister, was recommended Thursday as the next chairman of state-run KDB Financial Group Inc.The Financial Services Commission requested President Lee Myung-bak appoint Kang to lead the group, which controls Korea Development Bank. He would double as chief of the lender.Kang, 66, will replace Min Euoo-sung, who led the state fi

March 10, 2011

The head of LG Display Co., the world’s No. 2 maker of liquid crystal display (LCD) panels, said Thursday electronics giant Sony Corp. is mulling using its proprietary 3-D panels for the Japanese company’s 3-D TVs.Kwon Young-soo made the remark amid its on-going battle with Samsung Electronics Co. to win the 3-D TV industry standard. LG Display developed the proprietary film patterned retarder (FP

Industry March 10, 2011

Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s largest maker of flat-screen TVs by shipments, is pinning its hopes on African countries to fuel sales growth of flat-screen TVs, a company executive said Thursday.“Africa has huge growth potential,” Yoon Boo-keun, president of Samsung’s visual display division, told reporters ahead of his departure to the continent. “Cathode ray tube (CRT) TVs have been mainst

Industry March 10, 2011

Hana Financial Group Inc. has nominated its current chairman to continue leading the country’s fourth-largest financial holding company for another year.The group’s board of directors made the decision on Wednesday in a bid to successfully finalize its takeover of Korea Exchange Bank, which started under the leadership of Chairman Kim Seung-yu, according to Hana Financial. Kim Seung-yuThe finaliza

March 10, 2011

Korea’s top automaker Hyundai Motor on Thursday unveiled a three-door compact car aimed at younger customers, after a 40-month development program costing 270 billion won ($242 million).The Veloster is the company’s first vehicle with an odd number of side doors ― one on the driver’s side and two on the passenger side. Hyundai Motor Co. launches its new compact passenger vehicle, the Veloster, in

Mobility March 10, 2011

Korea’s producer prices rose at the fastest pace in more than two years in February due to a hike in international oil and commodity prices, the central bank said Thursday.The producer price index (PPI), a barometer of future consumer inflation, climbed 6.6 percent in February from a year earlier, up from 6.2 percent the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea.It marked the fastest expansio

March 10, 2011

In the early days of her 30-year career, Lee Young-hui, executive vice president for Korea’s telecom titan KT Corp., said that she had to challenge the norm and work hard to earn even things taken for granted by her male colleagues. “I didn’t imagine promotion was possible for women,” Lee told Yonhap News Agency in a recent interview in her office south of Seoul. “Back then, women were not even el

Industry March 9, 2011