South Korean stocks got off to a weak start on Monday due to losses in major exporters, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) slipped 2.87 points, or 0.14 percent, to 1,978.31 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Automakers were trading in negative territory, with Hyundai Motor falling 1.17 percent and Kia Motors losing 0.56 percent.Market bellwether Samsung Electronics lost 0.33 percent.The local currency was trading at 1,080.65 won to the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.

LG Display Co., the world's second-largest display maker, on Monday announced plans to invest 706 billion won ($652 million) in OLED TV facilities in efforts to strengthen its leadership in OLED technology.The investment in the 8th generation OLED TV manufacturing line, set to be installed in the company's Paju plant in suburban Seoul, is scheduled to begin in the first quarter, LG Display said in a press release.Mass production is set to begin in the first half of 2014 at a monthly capacity of

Blacklist includes units of Woongjin Group, Hyundai Group

Hanwha Life Insurance Co., South Korea’s second-largest life insurer, is expected to compete with No. 3 industry player Kyobo Life Insurance Co. to take over the local life insurance unit of ING Group, industry sources said Sunday.The race comes after the board of KB Financial Group Inc., South Korea’s No. 2 banking group, turned down a company plan to take over ING Life Korea on Dec. 18 last year, dealing a blow to the group’s push for business expansion.The two life insurance giants have begun

Lotte Group’s financial affiliates ― Lotte Insurance, Lotte Card and Lotte Capital ― were found to have relied most on illegitimate support from the group to boost sales, compared with their financial rivals, sources said Sunday. Amid mounting calls for economic democratization and fair competition in business, Lotte affiliates have been marching in the opposite direction to bring larger profits to chaebol, or local conglomerates, the financial policy team of Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Jus

Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. identified products they allege infringe their patents for smartphones and tablet computers as part of a lawsuit in federal court in San Jose, California.The filings on Friday were made in a newer of two related patent cases. The lawsuit, scheduled for trial in March 2014, was filed last year and covers technology in newer smartphones made by both companies, including Samsung’s Galaxy S III and Apple’s iPhone 5.In its filing on Friday, Cupertino, California

South Korean stocks are expected to bounce between small rises and falls this week, paring gains from a nine-week high rally, amid continuing jitters over a weaker yen and U.S. spending cuts, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index closed up 30.28 points, or 1.55 percent, to 1,981.18 on Friday, the biggest weekly gain since Dec. 14 last year.The statement from developed nations on Tuesday warning about Tokyo’s competitive currency devaluation partly stemmed concerns over th

BlackBerry, a Canadian smartphone maker, may pull out of the South Korean market in the first half of this year due to sluggish sales, industry sources said Friday.Speculation arose of BlackBerry’s possible exit from South Korea following its recent announcement that it plans not to unveil new products in Japan. Industry analysts took it as a move by BlackBerry to leave from South Korea and other countries in the region.Canadian-based Research in Motion changed its name to BlackBerry in January

Foreign investors’ holdings of South Korean state bonds reached a record high last year due largely to the country’s relatively strong economic fundamentals and a stronger won, data showed Sunday.Foreign investors held state bonds worth $68.6 billion at the end of last year, the largest-ever amount, according to industry data. The figure compares with $56.9 billion at the end of 2011 and $37.3 billion at the end of 2010, the data showed.Their portion against combined state bonds listed on the lo

WASHINGTON (Yonhap News) ― The U.S. government has decided to revoke antidumping and countervailing duties on corrosion-resistant carbon steel flat products from South Korea and Germany, industry sources said Saturday.The International Trade Commission voted unanimously to allow the duties, which have been in place since 1993, to expire after a mandatory five-year, or sunset, review of the issue.“Antidumping relief is not intended to be permanent,” said Don Cameron of the International Trade Gro