South Korea’s economic growth is expected to slow to 3.5 percent in 2012 from a 3.6 percent expansion last year as global uncertainties hurt exports, a private think tank said Thursday. In its growth outlook, Hyundai Research Institute said first half growth has been affected by protracted eurozone woes and sluggish economic conditions in the United States and China. It said such developments have hurt outbound shipments that play an important role in the country’s growth.The HRI’s forecast for

South Korean stocks fell 0.79 percent Thursday after the U.S. Federal Reserve failed to announce new economic stimulus measures to fuel growth of the world’s largest economy, analysts said. The local currency dipped against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gave up 14.97 points to close at 1,889.15. Trading volume was light at 369 million shares worth 3.72 trillion won ($3.23 billion), with gainers outpacing losers 421 to 402.“The Fed’s plan to maintain its current

South Korea’s corporate profitability fell in the first quarter of 2012 from a year earlier as a rise in commodity prices drove up other expenses, the central bank said Thursday.The average ratio of operating profit to sales, a key barometer of profitability, was 5.2 percent for the January-March period, down from 6.6 percent the previous year, the Bank of Korea said in a report based on a survey of 1,549 listed and 190 important non-listed companies.The result still marked a gain from the 3.7 p

South Korean stocks opened lower Thursday after the U.S. Federal Reserve failed to unveil any new economic stimulus programs but instead predicted slower growth for the world's largest economy this year, analysts said.The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 0.30 percent, or 5.68 points, to 1,898.44 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Market bellwether Samsung Electronics lost 1.20 percen

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee, who doubles as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), is regarded as the most influential figure in South Korean sports, a survey showed Wednesday.South Korean figure skater Kim Yu-na came second, followed by Rep. Chung Mong-joon, former vice president of football's international governing body FIFA, Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-sun

SK Engineering & Construction said Wednesday that next month it will finalize the project-financing deals for building an undersea tunnel in Turkey, which the company said will become the nation’s largest overseas engineering project.Following the latest $280 million from the state-run Export-Import Bank of Korea early this month, the construction unit of SK Group has secured financial funding worth $960 million from 11 financial institutions in Korea and abroad. According to the company, the tu

Korea’s household loans have grown “at an alarming rate” to $553 billion in April and are vulnerable to financial shocks arising from a global economic downturn, a report said Tuesday.More people are borrowing just to meet living expenses and there is an increase in borrowers from the older age group and lower income group, said the report from Moody’s Investors Service.The credit ratings agency said outstanding household loans at the country’s banks and non-banks totalled 639.6 trillion won ($5

Hyundai Motor Co. and sister brand Kia, already boosting sales in Europe’s contracting auto market, are extending their challenge to Fiat SpA and PSA Peugeot Citroen by enlisting soccer stars to steal customers.The Korean carmaker is attracting Europeans by stepping up sponsorship of their favorite pastime, hiring soccer heroes like Germany’s Lukas Podolski and France’s Karim Benzema to promote Hyundai as part of a marketing blitz focused around the European championship, the region’s biggest to

South Korea’s small and medium enterprises pledged Wednesday to play an active role in cutting back on electricity use during the peak summer months.Members of the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business, the Korea Federation of Retail Organizations and the Korean Women Entrepreneurs Association met in Seoul to give support to government-led efforts to cut back on electricity use.The SME organizations said they will voluntarily reduce power use to ensure there is no shortage of power.Small

The Chung Mong-koo Foundation of Hyundai Motor Group said Wednesday that it will accept applications from college students for a tuition fee loan program, which offers low interest rates.“For the second semester, students will be allowed to enjoy college loans with interest rates that range between 0 and 3 percent per annum,” the automotive group said in a statement.The program is designed to support students struggling with high-interest loans from the secondary banking sector or private moneyl

Chipmaker acquires U.S. controller firm to boost NAND Flash  competence in latest M&A driveSK Hynix said Wednesday it signed a contract to acquire U.S. controller firm Link_A_Media Devices to strengthen its NAND Flash competitiveness as it has been actively pushing for mergers and acquisitions since obtaining a new owner in February.The company said it decided to take over the California-based storage solution firm, also known as LAMD, in a bid to upgrade the speed and reliability of its flash m