South Korean stocks rose 1.46 percent on Thursday as investors were buoyed by a set of bailout measures agreed on by European policymakers and financialinstitutions. The local currency shot up against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index soared 27.73 points to a near three-month high of 1,922.04. Trading volume was heavy at 410.4 million shares worth 7.82 trillion won ($7.02 billion), with gainers far outnumbering decliners 594 to 234.“Market watchers are split on the

GS Caltex Co., South Korea’s second-largest refiner, said Thursday that it has completed a polymer compound plant in eastern China that will help the company further tap into the world’s second-largest economy.The plant, located in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, has begun commercial operations with an annual output of 37,000 tons of polymer compounds, the company said. Polymer compounds are functional plastics widely used for making cars and home appliances.GS Caltex said that global manufacturing fi

Moody’s Investors Service reaffirmed its “A1” sovereign rating with stable outlook for Korea, citing the nation’s strong fiscal status and ample foreign exchange reserves, a Finance Ministry official said Thursday. The rating agency is said to have assessed the strength of the economy by sending a delegation to the Finance Ministry and Financial Supervisory Services earlier this year, where it decided to maintain its fifth-highest rating for Asia’s fourth largest economy.“In accordance to its re

The government announced Thursday that it will build the country’s first meister high school specializing in software and create a software bank as part of its efforts to boost the nation’s competitiveness in the software industry.In a meeting chaired by President Lee Myung-bak, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy unveiled its plan, divided into 11 policy tasks, to establish an ecosystem for the software industry.The announcement takes place after global players like Apple and Google Inc. have bee

Thailand’s flood crisis deepened this week as floodwaters advanced into Bangkok, forcing authorities to shut down the capital city’s second-largest airport, but its impact on Korean travelers will likely remain limited, airline officials said Thursday.Major Korean carriers have not seen delays or cancellations of flights due to floods and have not experienced noticeable drops in occupancy rates, officials said, although they have been closely following the Southeast Asian country’s worst natural

Hyundai Motor Co., the world’s fifth-largest carmaker by sales, posted a 21 percent jump in net profit in the third quarter Thursday.The figure was in line with the market consensus on continued popularity of its sedans and SUVs in China, the U.S. and Europe. The company reported 1.92 trillion won ($1.7 billion) of net income for the June-September period, up from 1.59 trillion won a year earlier.The result is expected to cap the company’s most profitable year and beat sales of its rival firm To

NEW YORK (AP) — Steve Jobs told Walter Isaacson he wanted him to write his biography because he's good at getting people to talk. Jobs, it turns out, didn't need much prodding, secretive as he was about both his private life and the company he founded."I just listened," said Isaacson, whose bo

NEW YORK, Oct 26, 2011 (AFP) - YouTube is teaming up with media companies to produce original content in its latest bid to boost the amount of professional material on the video-sharing site, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.The newspaper said Google-owned YouTube is expected to announce a

SEOUL, Oct. 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's consumer confidence bounced back in October after staying below par for the last two months, the central bank said Thursday.The consumer sentiment index (CSI) -- a gauge of consumers' overall economic outlook, living conditions and future spending -- stood at

SEOUL, Oct. 27 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean economy grew at the slowest pace in three quarters in the third quarter on weaker consumer spending and faltering facility investment, the central bank said Thursday, showing that growth momentum cooled amid a global economic slowdown.Asia's fourth-largest

South Korea’s growth probably moderated in the third quarter as a faltering global economy damped demand for Asian exports, putting pressure on the central bank to extend a pause in raising rates.Gross domestic product expanded 0.6 percent from the second quarter, when it gained 0.9 percent, according to the median of 12 estimates in a Bloomberg News survey. The report will be released at 8 a.m. tomorrow in Seoul. From a year earlier, the economy grew 3.4 percent, according to the survey.Europe’