Philips Electronics Korea kicked off the local version of a global health and wellness initiative called “Simply Healthy @ Schools” on Friday, on the Korean islets of Dokdo and Ulleungdo. The Dutch multinational company’s community wellness program has been held in 50 countries and has benefited about 14,000 children to date, according to company officials. The company also donated defibrillators and LED lamps to schools and institutions on Ulleungdo, and also held a CPR training program for stu

The French Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry will hold a cocktail party and book signing on Tuesday. A 26-year-old North Korean defector, who goes by the assumed name of Kim Eun-sun, will present her book titled “North Korea: The Nine-Year Escape from Hell.” The event will take place at the French bistro and restaurant Le Saint-Ex in Itaewon. The book’s co-author, Sebastien Falletti, will also attend. Falletti works as a Seoul-based correspondent for the French newspapers Le Figaro and Le

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and Mexican President Felipe Calderon agreed Sunday to resume stalled negotiations on a free trade agreement between their countries this year, an official said.The two leaders reached the agreement during summit talks held after Lee arrived in the Mexican resort city of Los Cabos for a summit of the Group of 20 major economies, set for Monday and Tuesday.South

South Korean stocks opened higher Monday following the victory of pro-bailout parties in the Greek elections that could allow the country to stay within the eurozone, analysts said.The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), which fell Friday due to mounting concerns ahead of Greece's critical elections, moved up 1.97 percent, or 36.69 points, to 1,894.85 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Mark

CJ O Shopping Co., one of South Korea’s major home shopping channels, will launch a 24-hour TV shopping channel in Thailand on Monday in a joint venture with a local firm, a company spokesman said Sunday.G“CJ O Shopping, a joint venture with the biggest Thai entertainment and media group GMM Grammy, will show Korean as well as foreign-made electronic consumer products and other goods to 12 million households in the Southeast Asian nation, the spokesman said.G”CJ O Shopping is the fifth of its ki

The Korea International Trade Association said Sunday that it started controlling local companies’ exports to Iran from June 12 following the European Union’s tightened sanctions on the Middle Eastern country. The EU enacted rules in March to stop insurance coverage on all tankers carrying Iranian crude oil starting July 1 as part of sanctions on Iran to force it give up its nuclear program. With the temporary measure taken by the quasi-state trade agency, Korean companies can face restrictions

South Korea’s shipbuilding industry will likely begin picking up in 2014 despite the slumping global economy caused by lingering concerns over the eurozone debt crisis, a report said Sunday.The global shipbuilding market has contracted gradually since 2007, when the shipbuilding business index reached 103.21 points.SBI is a measure of shipbuilding demand, shipping business sentiment, global trading volume and several other factors affecting the shipbuilding industry developed by the Bank of Kore

Civic groups and small and medium-sized merchants are calling for the revision of a controversial law so that Nonghyup Hanaro Mart and Hanaro Club close two days per month along with other retail giants such as E-Mart. People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, one of the leading civic groups, is petitioning for the revision of the law and is contacting members of the opposition parties for support, according to reports. More than 70 percent of the nation’s discount retailers such as E-Mar

Operator association resists government’s plan to open more inexpensive oil stationsGas station operators have threatened to close temporarily at the same time unless the government halts plans to open more discount gas stations in their efforts to curb rising gasoline prices. The Korea Oil Station Association claimed on Friday that the government’s policies to increase discount gas stations disregard the gas station market which is suffering from its worst-ever financial strain. KOSA said the m

HONG KONG (Yonhap News) ― Foreign investment banks have a positive view on South Korea’s online game giant Nexon Korea Corp.’s takeover of its smaller rival on the home turf, bank officials said Friday.In a surprise move, Nexon announced last Friday it had acquired a majority stake in NCsoft Corp. from the latter’s founder and chief executive Kim Taek-jin through a private transaction.Following the deal, Nexon is now the largest shareholder of NCsoft with a 14.7 percent stake, followed by Kim wi

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― U.S. health authorities have urged restaurants and food outlets to stop selling all fresh, frozen and canned oysters, clams and mussels that came from South Korea over contamination fears.“These products and any products made with them may have been exposed to human fecal waste and are potentially contaminated with norovirus,” the Food and Drug Administration said in a statement issued late Thursday.The FDA said the measure also applies to any scallops that arrived in the Unit

South Korean stocks will be influence by Greece’s parliamentary elections that are expected to shape the future of the eurozone and the global economy, local analysts said Saturday.The country’s key stock index, the KOSPI, closed at 1,854.16 points after a choppy session on Friday, a drop of 13.32 points from Thursday but a gain of 22.52 points from a week earlier.The solid weekly gains were helped by a surge in stock prices in chemical, steel and machinery and construction after they had not do