Korea and the U.S. will soon conclude work on the final text of their recently concluded free trade agreement, paving the way for the pact to be ratified in both countries, a high-ranking trade official said Wednesday.In December last year, both countries reached a final agreement focusing on U.S. demands that Korea soften its automotive safety and environmental standards.The Korea-U.S. free trade

Exports of Korea’s traditional rice wine makgeolli reached an all-time high last year thanks to high demand in Japan and a spike in shipments to China, a report showed Wednesday.Makgeolli exports reached $19.1 million in 2010, up from $6.3 million a year earlier, said the report by the Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade Corp.By country, Japan topped the list of importers with shipments totaling $15.6 mill

Volume of cargo handled at Korea’s seaports hit a record high last year thanks to improving economic and business conditions, the transportation ministry said Wednesday.The nation’s seaports handled an all-time high of 1.2 billion tons of cargo last year, up 11.8 percent from a year earlier, according to a report by the ministry. In December, cargo handling also jumped to a monthly record of 110 m

Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s second-largest maker of mobile phones, said Wednesday that it has sold more than 2 million units of the Galaxy Tab tablet computer within three months of its global debut. Samsung achieved the sales figure this week as the company sells the 7-inch, Android-running tablet through some 200 mobile carriers in 94 countries, the company said. About 500,000 units of

Korea’s largest mobile carrier SK Telecom Co. said Wednesday that it will hire three companies to supply equipment to build a long-term evolution network as the mobile operator braces for a surge in wireless data demand. Samsung Electronics Co., LG-Ericsson Co. and Nokia Siemens Networks B.V. will supply equipment for the LTE network, SK Telecom said in a statement. The mobile operator plans to st

Three banking groups, including top financial firm Woori Finance Holdings Co., expressed their intention to buy an ailing savings bank Tuesday, a state insurance agency that arranges the deal and sources said.On Jan. 14, the financial regulator suspended mid-sized Samhwa Mutual Savings Bank for six months as it failed to meet regulatory capital requirements. State-run Korea Deposit Insurance Corp.

Hong Jun-ho is busy preparing to move out of the home his family has lived in for the past two years in southern Seoul. With the lease on his riverside apartment about to expire, the 34-year-old English teacher feels quite lucky to have found a new home in northern Seoul. It is affordable, located near his new school and also near his in-laws’ house.But without such luck, he could have been in ser

HONG KONG (Yonhap News) -- Korean tech behemoth Samsung Electronics Co. is expected to hire more employees in China in an effort to enhance its display production there, company officials said Wednesday.Samsung Electronics plans to hire dozens of professionals for process manufacturing, quality management and production management of its liquid crystal display (LCD) production facilities in China,