Korean stocks are expected to continue their upward trend this week on a series of events that may keep market sentiments afloat, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index closed this week at 2,113.47, up 0.63 percent from a week earlier.The KOSPI lost ground at the beginning of last week, dipping to 2,093.79 on program and foreign sell-offs. The index rebounded to the 2,100 le

Korea’s food and agricultural exports surged 34.3 percent on-year in the first five months of 2011 mainly due to a rise in demand from Japan and other Asian countries, the government said Monday.The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said outbound shipments reached $2.82 billion in the cited period, fueled by solid overseas demand for such goods as ginseng, processed food and v

Korea’s smaller-sized budget carriers may start flight operations to Vietnam under a new arrangement reached between Seoul and Hanoi, the government said Monday.The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said that under the new pact, both countries will abolish restrictions imposed on how many carriers can offer flight services.The two countries signed a so-called open skies accord in 20

Local food product costs rose twice as fast as national consumer prices in May, fueling inflationary concerns that could exert a negative influence on economic growth, a government report showed Monday.The joint report by the Bank of Korea and Statistics Korea showed prices of 38 staples such as pork fat back cuts, various traditional stews and noodles shot up by more 8 percent last month compared

Lone Star Fund is in talks with Hana Financial Group to recoup another quarterly dividend off the Korea Exchange Bank as part of its re-negotiation to sell its majority stake over to Hana, sources involved in the negotiation said Monday.The insider said details of the payout dividend are expected to arrive when the two officially extend the $4.3 billion takeover deal of KEB for six months. The two

The emergence of BRICS economies in recent years poses both opportunities and risks for the global economy, which needs to be carefully monitored, a government report said Monday.The report by the finance ministry said the economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China as well as South Africa, which joined the ranks of the other large, rapidly growing countries this year, have contributed to a surge

A European Union delegation focusing on construction, building technologies, environment and energy-related technologies is in town until June 10.The Gateway Program is comprised of 51 specially selected European small- and medium-sized enterprises.“Participating European companies possess outstanding technologies and products in their field and receive comprehensive support aimed at developing bu

The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011, the world’s largest game trade show participated in by local players Nexon and Bluehole Studio, will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center from June 7-9.Nexon and Bluehole Studio will set up their own booths throughout the exhibition to make public their line-up of online games.Nexon, which took part in the show for the first time last year, will f

The spreading of English-only lectures in Korean universities is likely to slow, as presidents and deans have concluded that they have largely been ineffective because of unpreparedness from both professors and students. In a symposium on the efficiency of English-speaking lectures at Yonsei University last week, the participants agreed on the need to make more use of English in university classes

The U.S. government is reported to have designated Sung Kim, the special envoy to the six-party denuclearization talks, as new ambassador to Seoul. If the Senate endorses and Seoul accepts him, Kim will become the first U.S. ambassador of Korean descent in the 129-year history of diplomatic relations between the two countries.In Seoul, he will represent the national interest of the United States.

Last week, tens of thousands of Israelis flocked to Jerusalem to celebrate the anniversary of the unification of the city in the Six-Day War. They gave us locals the usual traffic jams, they sang the praises of Jerusalem at the top of their lungs and then they went away, leaving us struggling with the realities of our city, which are becoming more complex every year.Jerusalem has always invoked de

I recently enlisted a friend to sit down with me while waiting for our boys to finish a class one Saturday, and we each tried to remember what we had done on the previous Sunday. It was an agonizing exercise that resulted in a blank. I could almost feel the cognitive path my mind was taking, and it always ended with a wall.Conversations with our respective wives revealed that my friend had spent m