Korean banks’ household loans grew at a slower pace in June than the previous month due mainly to an absence of a one-off seasonal factor, the central bank said Wednesday.Local banks’ household loans, including home-backed and credit loans, amounted to 457.1 trillion won ($399.1 billion) as of the end of June, up 1.3 trillion won from the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea.The June growth eased from a 2.2 trillion won expansion in May when people took more loans to cover spending for

Samsung Network Services and Solutions said Wednesday that it won the top position for information and telecommunications construction capabilities, such as building Long Term Evolution and home networks, for the 11th consecutive year.In an evaluation performed by the Korea Information and Communication Contractors’ Association, an affiliate of state telecom regulator Korea Communications Commission, Samsung SNS scored the highest amount ― 278.1 billion won in total ― among 7,023 firms.The assoc

LG Display has been chosen by the government to lead a project to develop transparent and flexible organic light-emitting diode displays.Korea’s second-largest display-panel maker said that it will develop proprietary technology for ultra high-definition, 60-inch flexible OLED displays by 2017 as part of the government’s “Future Flagship Program” to promote next-generation technologies.The company will lead a consortium, which includes Avaco, an equipment maker for display production, for the de

South Korean stocks edged down 0.17 percent on Wednesday as investors remained jittery over a global economic slowdown, analysts said. The local currency gained against the U.S. dollar.The Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 3.06 points to finish at 1,826.39. Trading volume was light at 329.9 million shares worth 3.24 trillion won ($2.84 billion), with losers just outpacing gainers 393 to 388.“The latest decisions made by European political leaders failed to stimulate the market,” said analys

The government registered more than 20 trillion won ($17.5 billion) in cumulative losses last year from operating its foreign currency stabilization fund, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday. The government runs the fund, aimed at helping protect the local financial market from external shocks, by issuing state bonds and overseeing the raised money partly by investing in safe assets such as U.S. Treasuries. According to the ministry, the fund’s cumulative losses stood at 22.19 trillion won as of

Korea’s jobless rate inched up in June from a month earlier amid worries that businesses are holding back hiring due to lingering market uncertainty caused by the eurozone debt problems, a report showed Wednesday.The jobless rate stood at 3.2 percent last month, up from 3.1 percent in May, according to the report by Statistics Korea. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 3.2 percent from a month earlier.Job creation decelerated, with employers adding 365,000 more jobs on-year

The government unveiled a plan on Wednesday to develop the Pangyo area in Gyeonggi Province into a “Korean Silicon Valley.”The Ministry of Knowledge Economy said the Pangyo Semicon Cluster will be the nation’s base for the information technology and semiconductor industry.Government officials, businessmen and scholars, about 300 in total, gathered in Pangyo to celebrate the “Pangyo Semicon Cluster Vision Declaration Ceremony” that was hosted by the Knowledge Economy Ministry.Pangyo is a planned

Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade Corp. said Wednesday that it will sign a contract with the InterContinental Hotels Group in October to cooperate in globalizing Korean food.The corporation, or aT, plans to launch promotional events in InterContinental hotels in Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong following conclusion of the contract. The company said the event includes publicizing Korean foods through the local media and providing culinary lessons. aT will also financially support the cooks’ fli

Korea’s money supply grew at the 5-percent range for the fourth straight month in May, the central bank said Wednesday, underscoring concerns about inflation risks.South Korea’s M2, a narrow measure of the money supply, amounted to 1,784.2 trillion won ($1.6 trillion) in May, up 5.5 percent from a year earlier, according to the Bank of Korea. In April, the M2 grew an identical 5.5 percent from the year before and the growth of the M2 stayed within the 5-percent range for the fourth straight mont

Sector accounts for 13.5% of Korea’s total exports in first halfThe automobile sector has led the nation’s exports during the first half of the year, offsetting worries over a sluggish performance amid the eurozone debt crisis.According to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association, the nation’s vehicle exports increased by 15.7 percent in the first half over the same period last year, marking the highest growth among the overall industries.In addition, the ratio of vehicles to total exports

BRUSSELS (AFP) ― Google said Monday it had made proposals to EU regulators who have threatened to impose huge fines unless the Internet search giant allays concerns it has abused its dominant market position.“We have made a proposal to address the four areas the European Commission described as potential concerns,” said Google spokesman Al Verney.The proposals, made in a letter from Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt to EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia, followed a demand by EU ant