Samsung Electronics Co. said Monday its accumulated production of compressors for refrigerators reached 200 million since it first started making the products in 1976.The South Korean company said compressors, which produce cold air, can be considered the "engine" of a refrigerator which combines various top-of-the-line technologies. The figure translates into the company producing a compressor unit every three seconds, according to Samsung. (Yonhap)The company said it has been making continuous

Technology May 22, 2017

To spark a team that has been utterly unimpressive in recent outings, South Korea men's football head coach Uli Stielike has gone back to some familiar faces.Stielike on Monday announced his 24-man roster for the World Cup qualifier against Qatar in Doha on June 13.With three matches remaining in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, South Korea are in second place in Group A with 13 points, thanks to four wins, one draw and two losses. They're four points back of Iran an

Soccer May 22, 2017

In-form Tottenham winger Son Heung-min was tapped on Monday to lead the South Korean attack at a crucial World Cup qualifier next month.Head coach Uli Stielike announced his 24-man roster that will take on Qatar in Group A on June 13 in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.South Korea will face Iraq in a tune-up on June 7 in the United Arab Emirates.Son was a no-brainer choice for Stielike. The 24-year-old has just completed his most successful club career with Tottenham,

Soccer May 22, 2017

Two hundred South Korean-made buses will be exported to Yangon, the former capital and the largest city of Myanmar, for use by schools, South Korea's trade promotion agency said Monday.According to the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, the 29-seat New County buses, manufactured by South Korea's top automaker Hyundai Motor Co., will be shipped to the Southeast Asian country next month under a deal between the Yangon Region Government and Kotra. (Yonhap)The deal marks South Korea's first go

Industry May 22, 2017

More than 17 percent of state financing projects were rated as "poor" in the latest efficiency assessment this year, the finance ministry said Monday.Out of 1,415 projects worth a combined 116.1 trillion won ($103.9 billion) run by 50 government ministries and agencies in 2017, 249 schemes received the lowest grade, with 238 plans appraised as "excellent," according to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance. The government carries out an efficiency test on state financing proje

Economy May 22, 2017

Chinese shipbuilders have received orders from South Korean shippers to build 13 ships so far this year, while their South Korean rivals clinched deals from local shippers to build just seven ships, industry sources said Monday.According to related data, local shippers have placed orders so far this year for a combined 20 ships. (Yonhap)Last year, South Korean shipping firms placed orders for 26 ships, 22 of which were awarded to local shipyards.PanOcean Co., the country's leading bulk carrier,

Industry May 22, 2017

They're still the worst team in South Korean baseball by a substantial margin, but the Samsung Lions are finally showing some signs of life.They went 5-1 last week, by far their best stretch of the 2017 Korea Baseball Organization season. That they're still at 12-29-2 (wins-losses-ties), 10th in the 10-team league and five games behind the ninth-place Hanwha Eagles, illustrates how horrendous their start was. Lee Seung-yuop of the Samsung Lions rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run agai

Baseball May 22, 2017

Four-time LPGA Tour winner Jang Ha-na will return to the South Korean competition full-time this summer, her agency announced Monday.Seoul-based Sportizen said Jang will rescind her LPGA Tour membership and will begin competing instead on the Korea LPGA Tour starting in June.South Korean golfer Jang Ha-na celebrates her victory at the ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open at the Royal Adelaide Golf Club in Adelaide, Australia, on Feb. 19, 2017. (EPA-Yonhap)Sportizen said Jang will hold a press conf

Golf May 22, 2017

South Korean pensioners find it difficult to live only on monthly payments from the state pension scheme as the amount comes to less than a quarter of their pre-retirement income, a government report said Monday.The state pension's so-called income replacement ratio for South Koreans aged 65 or older with an average subscription period of 23.8 years amounts to 23.9 percent, according to the report by the Board of Audit and Inspection.  The figure means South Korean pensioners receive a mont

Economy May 22, 2017

South Korea's transportation giant Hanjin Group said Monday one of its servers suffered a malfunction overnight due to a problematic power supply, leading to delays in some 40 flights from operators under its wing.Hanjin, which operates Korean Air and Jin Air, said its subsidiaries' Web sites and mobile applications were paralyzed due to technical issues which were normalized as of 4:20 a.m.  (Yonhap)The group said the problem was not caused by cyberattacks or ransomware. It marks the first time

Industry May 22, 2017

South Korean stocks opened higher on Monday, buoyed by bullish tech large caps, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index climbed 15 points, or 0.66 percent, to reach 2,303.48 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Big tech shares pushed up the market, although large-cap stocks were mixed across the board.Market behemoth Samsung Electronics gained more than 1.3 percent, with smaller rival LG Electronics adding 0.74 percent to hit a record high. SK hynix advanced 1.66 perce

Market May 22, 2017

Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's top automaker, said Monday that all its passenger cars will use environmental-friendly air-conditioning refrigerant by 2020 as part of efforts to combat global warming.The automaker said it will adopt the R1234yf air-conditioning refrigerant for all of its passenger vehicles going forward. (Yonhap)In the past it used eco-friendly refrigerants for vehicles sold in Europe in order to meet the European Commission standards regarding the regulations on carbon dioxide

Mobility May 22, 2017

South Korea's top 30 conglomerates increased their donations in 2016, but the sum compared with their sales did not change, a tally by a corporate tracker showed Monday.Analysis by Fn Guide showed that 179 companies affiliated with the top 30 business groups contributed 1.99 trillion won ($1.77 billion) last year, up 6.15 percent from 2015. Their sales for the year hit 1,487.715 trillion won, up 4.61 percent.Unlike what these numbers suggest, however, the donations accounted for 0.13 percent of

Industry May 22, 2017

More than 10 percent of full-time workers in South Korea consider themselves as nonregular employees because of poor working conditions, a report said Monday.According to the report by the Korea Labor Institute, 10.7 percent of South Korea's regular workers believe they are temporary employees owing to long work hours and low pay. Kim Ki-hong, a researcher at the think tank, authored the report based on the 2014 annual survey of 5,000 households on their economic activity, job mobility, income a

Economy May 22, 2017

South Korean companies listed on the country's main stock market saw their debt ratio inch up in the first quarter of this year from three months earlier, data showed Monday.The debt-to-equity ratio of the 725 listed companies, which close their books in December, came to 116.8 percent at the end of March, up 1.77 percentage points from the end of December, according to the data by the Korea Exchange and the Korea Listed Companies Association. A key measure of financial health and stability, the

Economy May 22, 2017