Most Popular
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Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
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Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
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[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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[Grace Kao] Hybe vs. Ador: Inspiration, imitation and plagiarism
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Samsung chief bolsters ties with Germany’s Zeiss
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NewJeans pops out ‘Bubble Gum’ video amid troubles at agency
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China outpaces Korea in smaller OLED shipments for 1st time
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Yoon, Lee end first talks with differences, agree to meet more
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Semiconductor industry urges for government support amid supply shortage
Local semiconductor companies have called on the government for support, in a bid to expand their production facilities against the backdrop of the prolonged global shortage. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, a group of industry representatives from the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association met with Minister Sung Yun-mo during a conference held Friday at the Westin Chosun in central Seoul. The corresponding event came as policymakers and industry officials sought to
April 9, 2021
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Kakao in talks to acquire fashion shopping app Zigzag: report
Kakao, the South Korean tech giant behind popular messaging app KakaoTalk, is taking steps to acquire mobile shopping app Zigzag, according to local reports Friday. The reported deal could see Kakao buy a controlling stake in the operator of the shopping app -- estimated to be worth about $1 billion -- and create a new subsidiary for a merger. Kakao, however, has not yet confirmed the move, saying it is taking into account “a range of options.” The reports came after Kakao, once
April 9, 2021
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Foreigners stay net sellers of S. Korean stocks in March
Foreign investors remained net sellers of South Korean stocks for a fourth month in March on profit-taking and rising US long-term interest rates, central bank data showed Friday. Foreigners' stock investment funds recorded a net outflow of $2.58 billion, the second-largest monthly outflow after February's $2.86 billion, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). Offshore investors have remained net sellers of South Korean stocks since December. The central bank said foreign investor
April 9, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Samsung heir's return to jail postponed due to extended hospital stay
Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, the de facto leader of Samsung Group convicted of bribery, will return to jail later than the scheduled date, industry sources said Friday, after doctors recommended longer hospital care following his appendicitis surgery. Lee was transferred from Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, to Samsung Medical Center in southern Seoul on March 19 to receive the surgery after suffering a ruptured appendix. The 52-year-old tycoon was suppos
April 9, 2021
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S. Korea's bond issuance falls in March
Bond issuance in South Korea shrank in March from the previous month due mainly to a tumble in corporate debt sales, industry data showed Friday. The value of bonds sold in Asia's fourth-largest economy stood at slightly over 74 trillion won ($66.4 billion) last month, nearly 720 billion won smaller than a month earlier, according to the data from the Korea Financial Investment Association. Sales of corporate bonds declined by about 4.1 trillion won, and the issuance of currency stabilization
April 9, 2021
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KT to develop music streaming service in Vietnam
KT Corp., a South Korean telecom giant, said Friday it has clinched business ties with a Vietnamese cable network to cooperate in developing a music streaming platform in the Southeast Asian country. Under the memorandum of understanding, KT and Vietnam Television Cable, a subsidiary of state broadcaster Vietnam Television, plan to design a music streaming platform and cooperate in K-pop music distribution and the management of intellectual property. KT said it plans to provide key technology
April 9, 2021
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State deposit insurer KDIC sells 2% stake in Woori Financial
The state-run Korea Depository Insurance Corp. (KDIC) said Friday it sold a 2 percent stake in Woori Financial Holdings Co. as part of efforts to recoup taxpayer money injected into the company. The stake, or 14.5 million shares, was offloaded through a block sale in pre-market trading for 149.3 billion won ($134 million), the KDIC said. The stake sale comes in line with a government road map to dispose of its interest in the major financial holding company, whose flagship is Woori Bank. It a
April 9, 2021
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Samsung unveils upgraded smart tracking tag with UWB tech
Samsung Electronics Co. on Friday unveiled its upgraded smart tracking tag leveraging advanced wireless communication technologies that can locate people's lost items with better accuracy. The Galaxy SmartTag+ uses both Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and ultra-wideband (UWB) solutions, according to Samsung. The latest product will be available beginning next Friday though its launch schedule will vary by market. Its predecessor, Galaxy SmartTag, which was launched in January, only used BLE techn
April 9, 2021
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[Graphic News] Instant noodle makers see 2020 sales jump amid pandemic
Sales of South Korea‘s top instant noodle makers posted strong sales in 2020 thanks to brisk demand amid the coronavirus pandemic, data showed. Nongshim said its sales of instant noodles, or “ramyeon” in Korean, came to 2.09 trillion won ($1.85 billion) last year, up 16.3 percent from the previous year, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service. It marks the first time for Nongshim’s ramyeon sales to top the 2 trillion-won mark and the amount acc
April 9, 2021
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S. Korea needs preemptive anti-inflation steps: senior official
South Korea needs to take preemptive measures to cope with escalating concerns over inflation, a senior government official said Friday. The remark by First Vice Finance Minister Lee Eog-weon comes as Asia's fourth-largest economy faces growing inflationary pressure amid signs of an economic recovery. "It is necessary to take preemptive steps to prevent inflationary pressure from constraining an economic rebound and inflicting burdens on ordinary people," Lee told a government policy
April 9, 2021
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Seoul stocks open tad higher on hopes for global economic recovery
South Korean stocks opened higher Friday, tracking overnight Wall Street gains amid growing hopes for a global economic recovery. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 3.25 points, or 0.1 percent, to 3,146.51 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the S&P 500 gained 0.42 percent to a new record closing, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite adding 1.03 percent. In Seoul, market kingpin Samsung Electronics retreated 0.35 percent, and No. 2 chipmaker SK
April 9, 2021
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GS to ramp up ESG efforts with green biotech startups
GS Group kicked off a mentoring camp with biotech startups on Thursday as part of environmental, social and governance efforts, with plans to pursue eco-friendly business projects together. A total of six startups have been chosen to be part of the camp dubbed the GS Challenge based on their business potential after 85 startups in the biotech field applied for the acceleration program. The South Korean conglomerate known for its energy and retail businesses said it will provide mentoring on tec
April 8, 2021
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S. Korean O2O services grow fast in COVID-19 pandemic
South Korea’s online-to-offline, or O2O, services marked rapid growth amid the booming stay-at-home economy last year during the COVID-19 pandemic, government data showed Thursday. According to data from the Ministry of Science and ICT, the total trading volume created through local O2O services for the whole of last year reached 126 trillion won ($112.83 billion), up 29.6 percent from 97 trillion won a year earlier. The increase largely stemmed from expanded transactions in the
April 8, 2021
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[Herald Interview] Despite high hurdles, Korea bent on developing drugs
When it comes to new drug development, South Korea has built strength in cancer treatment fields, but it lacks attention to infectious disease treatments, said the country’s point man on new drug development support. “The local infectious diseases pipelines account for around 9 percent of the total, compared to around 18 percent of the global drug market. The area has been less developed largely as the country has been considered as being relatively safer from infectious diseases
April 8, 2021
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Renault Samsung brings back XM3, eyes growing SUV market
Renault Samsung, the South Korean unit of French carmaker Renault, has successfully brought back its popular XM3 model to the market after dealing with technical issues, officials said Thursday. The subcompact SUV comeback follows after facing a string of challenges right from the beginning. Its launch in March last year came amid the country’s first mass outbreak of COVID-19 but the automaker managed to pull off the event by introducing contactless promotion and sale strategies. Anot
April 8, 2021
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Bitcoin on rollercoaster ride amid government warnings
Bitcoin prices remained unstable Thursday after falling more than 10 percent late Wednesday in a roller-coaster movement that coincided with the government’s warning and a widening price gap with overseas exchanges. The price for a bitcoin stood at about 71 million won ($63,600) as of 3 p.m. on Thursday, falling from 79 million won a day ago. The price of the largest cryptocurrency climbed sharply in recent days especially in domestic markets, showing a widening “Kimchi premium,&rd
April 8, 2021
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Seoul stocks up for 6th day on global recovery hope
South Korean stocks gained for a sixth consecutive session Thursday amid global economic recovery hope. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. After choppy trading, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 5.85 points, or 0.19 percent, to close at 3,143.26. Trading volume was moderate at about 1.3 billion shares worth some 16.8 trillion won ($15 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 487 to 352. Foreigners bought a net 107 billion won, while institutions sold 479 b
April 8, 2021
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New Seoul Mayor's deregulation pledge excites market, draws concerns
Expectations for Seoul’s grand-scale redevelopment grew Thursday after the opposition candidate won the Seoul mayoral race, partly on a pledge to lift regulations affecting high-rise apartments along the Han River and in other parts of the city. Oh Se-hoon’s election pledges, however, are expected to face headwinds as they contradict central government policies that favor community-based urban restoration projects and strictly limit large-scale redevelopment. Among the projects tha
April 8, 2021
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SKT to support vaccination monitoring with AI
SK Telecom, South Korea’s top telecom company, is utilizing its artificial intelligence technology to support the country’s health authority in monitoring recipients after COVID-19 vaccination, it said Thursday. Dubbed NUGU Vaccine Carecall, SKT’s NUGU AI platform will provide guidance to those subject to vaccination through calls, and monitor any abnormal signs after shots are administered. The telecom company signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Korea Disease C
April 8, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Innisfree forced to clarify ‘paper bottle’ packaging after customer discovers plastic bottle inside
Innisfree, a cosmetic brand under Amorepacific, has been forced to clarify its eco-friendly “paper bottle” packaging after a customer’s complaint about plastic usage and a “misleading” label went viral online. In a post on a Facebook group called “No Plastic Shopping,” a customer shared photos of what is inside the package for the brand’s face serum product after cutting the bottle in half. Despite the label reading “Hello, I‘m Paper
April 8, 2021