The Korea Herald

Korean Air introduces premium services

IndustryApr 27, 2011

Korean Air, the country’s top air carrier, introduced a number of new services on Wednesday, including an upgraded menu on some routes and a new cosmetic skin care set, in a bid to enhance its in-flight services. Heather Cho (fourth from left), senior vice president at Korean Air and DAVI’s chairman Carlo Mondavi (third from left) after featuring a new amenity cosmetic skin care set for business a
Prices of DRAM chips remain below $1: report

IndustryApr 27, 2011

Prices of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) devices rose marginally in the second half of this month but stayed below the $1 level, an industry report showed Wednesday, casting doubts on the prospect for their quick recovery.The contract price of the benchmark DDR3 1-gigabit 128Mx8 1066-megahertz device rose 1.03 percent from the first half of this month to $0.98 in the second half, according to
Foreign life insurers take up 17% of Korean market

Apr 27, 2011

Foreign life insurance companies operating in South Korea claimed 16.9 percent of the local market in terms of assets last year, industry data showed Wednesday.The combined assets of the nine foreign life insurers reached 68.9 trillion won ($63.8 billion) as of the end of 2010, according to the data. However, the figure is dwarfed by the 408.4 trillion won in total assets held by the three leading
Q1 auto exports to Eastern Europe surge

IndustryApr 27, 2011

South Korea’s automobile exports to Eastern Europe rose sharply in the first three months of this year thanks to an economic recovery in the region, a local automobile association said Wednesday. During the January-March period, South Korean car makers’ auto exports to Eastern Europe, including Russia, reached 72,393 units, compared with 37,670 units a year earlier, according to the Korea Automobi
May manufacturing sentiment at 8-month high

Apr 27, 2011

South Korean manufacturers’ business confidence for May rose to the highest level in eight months due to optimism about the economic recovery, the central bank said Wednesday.The index of manufacturers’ outlook on business conditions reached 100 for May, up from 95 for April, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). The index measures manufacturers’ outlook on business conditions for the coming month
Lone Star haunts FSC chief for 8 years

Apr 27, 2011

Ruling on Lone Star’s eligibility as KEB owner postponedThe Financial Services Commission decided to delay its ruling on the issue of Lone Star Funds’ eligibility as the majority shareholder of KEB.The decision marks a shift from its earlier stance to rule on whether the U.S. fund was a financial investor in 2003 in its scheduled panel meeting Wednesday.Though the issue has come into the spotlight
Tycoon families prefer to live in Gangnam: report

IndustryApr 27, 2011

By Koh Young-aahSeoul’s Gangnam area, on the southern side of the Han River, has emerged as a popular residential area for families of the country’s top 30 tycoons over the years, a research firm said in a report Wednesday.Seongbuk-dong and Hannam-dong, located in Gangbuk, north of the river, have historically been considered wealthy areas where most local conglomerate owners reside.The trend, how
LG Electronics post Q1 profit after two quarterly losses

IndustryApr 27, 2011

By Cho Ji-hyunLG Electronics announced its comeback Wednesday by getting back into the black, posting 13.15 trillion won ($12.19 billion) in sales and 130 billion won in operating profit for the first quarter of this year.In its quarterly earnings report, the company said total sales maintained a similar level to the same period last year, down 0.4 percent. However, its net loss during the term wa
‘Knowing market key for foreign retailers’ entry here

IndustryApr 27, 2011

By Koh Young-aahForeign retailers seeking to enter the Korean market should consider its unique traits and cultural differences to succeed, according to Richard Hwang, managing director of global commercial real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield’s Korean unit. “A lot of global retailers have experienced failure here because they had little understanding of the market before entering it. As
KAIST develops robotic offshore docking system

IndustryApr 27, 2011

South Korean engineers successfully tested the world’s first operational automatic docking system between two large ships off the country’s southeastern coast, a state-run science and technology university said Tuesday.The test carried out in Busan, 453 kilometers southeast of Seoul, is an integral part of the larger “mobile harbor” project that aims to make it possible to speed up the loading and
Ford posts best Q1 profit in 13 years

IndustryApr 27, 2011

DETROIT (AP) ― Ford posted its best first-quarter profit in 13 years, as its new, more fuel-efficient vehicles reached showrooms during a surge in gasoline prices.New arrivals such as the Ford Explorer and Fiesta small car are selling well. Company profits are growing around the world. And Ford is charging more for its cars, helping offset higher commodity costs.Ford Motor Co. on Tuesday said its
Samsung to build green energy complex in reclaimed Saemangeum

IndustryApr 27, 2011

Samsung Group, South Korea’s top conglomerate, will build green-energy industrial facilities from 2021 in a new town to be created on west coastal tidal flats, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said Wednesday.Samsung signed a memorandum of understanding with the government to construct green-energy production facilities, a research institute and houses on a 11.5-square-kilometer plot in the Saeman
Greece’s deficit bigger than forecast

IndustryApr 27, 2011

Government deficit reaches 10.5% of GDP in 2010, above 9.6% predicted by EUBRUSSELS (AP) ― Greece’s government deficit was significantly bigger than forecast last year, European Union data showed Tuesday, underlining the difficulties the debt-ridden country is having to get its finances under control.Greece’s deficit hit 10.5 percent of economic output in 2010, well above the 9.6 percent the Europ
8 out of 10 employees work late: survey

IndustryApr 27, 2011

(MCT)Eight out of ten employees work overtime, half of them without any reward, a study showed Tuesday.In a survey conducted by Saramin, an online recruitment website in Korea, about 75.9 percent of respondents worked overtime, with 45.8 percent of them doing so without proper compensation.More than 54 percent of respondents who worked overtime said they were considering quitting their jobs. Most
Sony PlayStation suffers massive data breach

TechnologyApr 27, 2011