Experts cite real estate market, worsening employmentThe number of credit delinquents has increased by more than 23 percent over the past year. A local credit appraiser NICE Information Service said on Sunday that the index showing the increase of credit delinquents every month scaled up from 16.83 in April last year to 20.80 in March this year, which is a jump by 23.6 percent. A higher index, developed by NICE, means more credit delinquents. The index has been on the increase since the latter h

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG has long made powerful motorcycles such as the 193-horsepower S 1000 RR that can be seen screaming down the autobahn. Now, as arch-rival Audi roars into the bike market after buying Italy’s Ducati, BMW is looking to update its two-wheeler image with scooters designed to appeal to a more urbane rider.BMW is reviving its scooter ambitions nine years after it discontinued the C1, a model with a roof to keep riders dry in rainy weather. The new line is a far cry from unde

Chrysler Group LLC, the U.S. automaker majority owned by Fiat SpA, boosted its rating in Consumer Reports’ testing of large sedans as its 300 topped offerings by General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. The Chrysler 300 scored an 83, behind only Hyundai Motor Co.’s Genesis at 92, the Yonkers, New York-based magazine and product-testing group said today in an e-mailed statement. The cars were tested for their handling, efficiency, comfort and ease of use. The 300 was one of the new or refreshed mode

Riding a motorcycle with a cage, Pov Nat scours rural areas for dogs. He pays between 30,000 ($7.38) and 80,000 riel a head and sells the animals to a butcher in Siem Reap.The 21-year-old native of Kampong Cham province began buying dogs after coming to live with his uncle in Rohal commune in Preah Nethpreach district.“I never thought of this business. I left my hometown to find work. But I don’t

South Korea's Samsung Electronics said Saturday it will contest a U.S. court ruling that it must pay rival technology giant Apple damages of more than $1 billion for patent violations."We will move immediately to file post-verdict motions to overturn this decision in this court and if we are not successful, we will appeal this decision to the Court of Appeals," Samsung said.The statement came just

Jurors who zipped through more than 600 questions in three days to arrive at their verdict in the intellectual-property battle between Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. had as their leader an engineer with a patent to his name.Velvin Hogan, foreman of the nine-member panel, told the court during jury selection last month that he spent seven years working with lawyers to obtain his own patent,

Samsung's loss Friday in a U.S. lawsuit brought by Apple Inc. has set an amber light before the future of the Google-backed Android operating system.More than a year of courtroom fights between Samsung and Apple mean more than just patent disputes between the arch-rivals in the world's smartphone and tablet computer markets.Also at issue is Apple's claim that the Android operating system, which ru

The court session held in Seoul on Friday was only one battle in a multibillion dollar patent war between Samsung Electronics and Apple Inc. that has been ongoing for more than a year. The court battle began last year when Apple filed a suit against its parts supplier Samsung at a U.S. court in San Jose for patent infringement on April 15.While many believed Samsung would back off due to the fact that Apple was its biggest customer, the company took a surprising step and filed countersuits again

Officials at the nation’s nuclear power plant Uljin-1 have yet to find out what caused the plant to shut down suddenly on Thursday.The Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Corp. reported on Thursday evening that the nuclear unit’s reactor and power-generating turbine suddenly ceased operation at around 6:41 p.m. for unknown reasons. Capable of providing 950,000 kilowatts of electric power, the nuclear unit is currently undergoing an inspection by experts dispatched from the International Atomic Energy

South Korea stocks dropped 1.17 percent on Friday on renewed concerns over a global economic slowdown and dashed hopes for imminent stimulus measures from European and U.S. central banks, analysts said. The local currency fell against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 22.73 points to close at 1,919.81. Trading volume was moderate at 615.9 million shares worth 4.3 trillion won ($3.8 billion), with losers outstripping gainers 542 to 278.“There still remains wides

Reeling from slackening overall sales for months, local department stores are shifting their focus to Chinese customers. Department stores are beefing up marketing targeted at Chinese tourists as their number is expected surge during the Chinese National Day holidays from Sept. 30 through Oct. 7. Chinese customers’ purchases at Lotte Department Store using the China UnionPay credit cards in the first seven months of this year jumped 180 percent from a year ago. The on-year growth this month so f

Local major carmakers are expected to post a steep sales drop this month in the aftermath of labor strikes, automotive industry insiders said Friday.Hyundai Motor has revised down its August sales target by about 20 percent from its earlier goal, as production of popular models such as the Avante, Sonata and Santa Fe has declined sharply.“August is normally the month that records the fewest vehicle sales due to seasonal factors. This year, the labor dispute has aggravated the situation,” a compa