The Korea Herald

More SMEs see positive changes from shared-growth project

IndustryJul 18, 2011

Small- and medium-sized enterprises say that positive changes have been seen since Sept. 29 when the government drew up a comprehensive plan to promote shared-growth, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said Monday.According to the ministry, which inspected 12 industrial complexes to gauge SMEs’ sentiments, more SMEs responded that large firms were adopting measures promoted under the project.Change
Makgeolli boom driven by exports to Japan

IndustryJul 18, 2011

Shipments of makgeolli soared last year largely driven by a recent surge in exports to Japan, data showed Monday. A total of 412,000 kiloliters of the Korean rice wine were shipped here in 2010, up 58.1 percent from the previous year, according to the National Tax Service.In the local alcohol beverage market still dominated by soju, a Korean distilled beverage made from rice and other starches, an
Korean fake bills increase 8.4% in H1

IndustryJul 18, 2011

The number of counterfeit South Korean banknotes rose 8.4 percent in the first half from a year earlier mainly due to a jump in the discovery of fake banknotes in the second-highest denomination, the central bank said Monday.The number of counterfeit bills found in the country reached 5,153 in the January-June period, compared with 4,755 the previous year, according to the Bank of Korea. Compared
Hyundai Heavy to set up switchgear plant in Russia

IndustryJul 18, 2011

Hyundai Heavy Industries announced Monday that it will establish Hyundai Electricsystems in Vladivostok, Russia, that will produce gas insulated switchgears.Gas insulated switchgears are equipment used to control electricity flow, and to cut off power if a fault occurs in a power supply system.The company said it will invest 40 billion won ($38 million) in building the plant, and that the facility
Samsung’s mobile chief bullish on smartphones, tablet PCs

IndustryJul 18, 2011

Samsung Electronics Co. is expected to outdo its smartphone sales target this year, with the popularity of its latest Android devices and upcoming bada phones, which run on its own mobile software, and a ramp-up in low-cost smartphones, Samsung’s mobile and camera chief said Monday. The world’s second-largest maker of mobile phones, which competes with Apple Inc.’s iPad in the tablet PC sector, is
Mulberry is world’s top fashion retailer

IndustryJul 18, 2011

Mulberry Group Plc, the 40-year-old British luxury-handbag maker, is the world’s best-performing fashion retail stock over the past year and its sales may keep gaining, driven by overseas growth, analysts say.The stock has risen 506 percent to 1,720 pence in the past 12 months, making it best performer in the apparel retailers segment, according to Bloomberg data. Among all retailers, it’s behind
Chrysler beats Ford in Canada as No. 1 light truckmaker

IndustryJul 18, 2011

Chrysler Group LLC, benefiting from demand for its fuel-efficient crossover sport-utility vehicles, overtook Ford Motor Co. as the biggest seller of light trucks in Canada this year. Sales of light trucks, a category that includes pickups, minivans and SUVs, grew twice as fast as total auto deliveries in Canada in the first half, helped by growth in construction jobs. Chrysler led deliveries last
‘Global consumer confidence at lowest since late 2009’

World BusinessJul 18, 2011
What happens to markets if the U.S. defaults?

World BusinessJul 18, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) ― Time is running out for Washington to raise the country’s borrowing limit and avoid a default. Wall Street isn’t panicking yet. But if the unthinkable happens, a default could strike financial markets like an earthquake.“If we just get higher longer-term interest rates, we’d be lucky,” said John Briggs, Treasury strategist at the Royal Bank of Scotland.What might markets look like
Pressure rises for Greek debt buy-back, swap

World BusinessJul 18, 2011
Europe turns to China for cheap prom dresses

FashionJul 18, 2011

This year’s summer high school proms in Europe sparkled with a touch of China, thanks to a growing trend of Western teenagers going in for Middle Kingdom fashion bargains.An increasing number of dresses made in China adorned the dance floors of high schools worldwide this year as clothing wholesalers in the East market their Oscar-style dresses online at a fraction of the normal cost. With parents
Taiwan candidates ‘like’ SNS campaigning

PoliticsJul 18, 2011

Taiwan’s 2012 presidential campaign candidates have been actively interacting with supporters online, and they are taking advantage of social networking websites differently, research reveals. Results from research recently done by the Internet Buzz Research Center (iBuzz) on President Ma Ying-jeou and Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen’s Facebook pages indicated that
Fend off liver cancer ― a nice coffee may help

HealthJul 18, 2011

Coffee has been demonized and blamed for many ailments including heart disease, but evidence has emerged that the drink might actually help prevent liver cancer.A study done in Singapore has found that the more coffee you drink, the more you lower your risk of liver cancer. If you take three or more cups a day, for example, your risk could be up to 44 percent lower than for a total abstainer. Hot
[Fidel V. Ramos] Building Pax Asia-Pacifica

ViewpointsJul 18, 2011

MANILA ― One of the main sources of tension in Asia nowadays are the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, where the Philippines, Vietnam, China, and others have conflicting claims. In Chinese media reports, the heightened “unfriendliness” in the region has allegedly arisen from “bad rumors and speculations” on the part of Filipino commentators. But the reality is starker: the intrusions by Chin
Debt-ceiling denial would worsen fiscal problems

ViewpointsJul 18, 2011

Even if the White House and congressional leaders reach a deal to raise the debt limit, they face at least two hurdles to persuading rank-and-file Republicans to go along. Some cling to a disturbing belief that the Treasury Department doesn’t need to borrow more money to keep America’s creditors happy. And many more insist that the deal must include a constitutional amendment to require a balanced