The Korea Herald

iPads in cockpits may hasten end of era for paper charts

TechnologyMar 8, 2011

Apple Inc.’s iPad won approval from U.S. regulators to display navigational charts for some charter pilots, a step that may speed the end of the decades-old tradition of paper maps in the cockpit. With the Federal Aviation Administration endorsing iPads in a test project at Executive Jet Management, a unit of Warren Buffett’s NetJets, the way is open for pilots at airlines and other commercial car
Social commerce set for major showdown

TechnologyMar 8, 2011

Global giant Groupon joins Korea’s growing social commerce marketA major showdown is expected in Korea’s social commerce market with the introduction of global giant Groupon next week.The U.S.-based social commerce firm announced Monday that it will launch its branch here next Monday, going head-to-head with the country’s industry leaders like Ticket Monster and Coupang.Recruiting about 200-300 em
‘China faces 60% risk of bank crisis by 2013’

IndustryMar 8, 2011

China faces a 60 percent risk of a banking crisis by mid-2013 in the aftermath of record lending and surging property prices, according to a Fitch Ratings gauge. Fitch sees the risk of “holes in bank balance sheets” should a property bubble burst, Richard Fox, a London-based senior director, said in a phone interview on March 4. The risk assessment is from a macro-prudential monitor used by the ra
Volkswagen launches new Volkswagen CC in S. Korea

TransportMar 8, 2011

Volkswagen Korea, the local importer of German automaker Volkswagen, introduced the latest version of the Volkswagen CC sedan in South Korea Tuesday. The new Volkswagen CC is Volkswagen's second vehicle introduced in South Korea with the BlueMotion technology, which automatically shuts down the engine when the vehicle is idling and restarts it when the car is ready to move again, significantly i
Seoul shares open higher on shipbuilders

Mar 8, 2011

South Korean stocks started higher on Tuesday as retail and institutional investors picked up shares of shipyards, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 4.13 points, or 0.21 percent, to 1,984.4 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The world's largest shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries rose about 1.5 percent, helping the key index bounce back from a sharp
Korea’s savings rate far below OECD average

Mar 7, 2011

Korea’s household savings rate stayed far below the average for major economies in the world, a report showed Monday, apparently indicating that the latest economic crisis resulted in a decline in income reserved for bank savings. According to the report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Korea’s household savings rate ― the ratio of savings to total disposable income ―
Trade group urges swift Korea-EU FTA approval

Mar 7, 2011

The head of Korea’s largest trade organization urged the country’s National Assembly Monday to quickly ratify the free trade agreement with the European Union.SaKong Il, chairman of the Korea International Trade Association, said the Korea-EU FTA is the key to boosting the country’s annual trade volume to over $1 trillion for the first time in its history. SaKong Il“The Korea-EU FTA is expected to
Car output rise in February

IndustryMar 7, 2011

Output of five automakers in Korea rose 6.4 percent on-year in February with strong demand at home and abroad also keeping their sales humming, an industry group said Monday.Led by industry leader Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp., the automakers produced 297,350 vehicles last month, compared with 279,368 units a year earlier, according to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Asso
Asian economies in danger of ‘overheating’

IndustryMar 7, 2011

Experts warn subsidy spree may store up trouble for the futureKUALA LUMPUR (AFP) ― As prices of food and fuel reach historic highs, Asian nations with a wary eye on Middle East uprisings are doling out subsidies that experts warn are storing up trouble for the future.Robust Asian economies largely escaped the global downturn, and are now in danger of overheating, stoked by low interest rates, dema
Social commerce giant Groupon to launch here

IndustryMar 7, 2011

Groupon, a U.S.-based social commerce firm, announced Monday that it will launch here next Monday further fanning competition over the increasingly popular form of cyber-shopping.Ahead of its official launch, it said it would organize a pre-launching event through its website (www.groupon.kr) which offers 1,000 won of Groupon cash to its e-mail subscribers. The figure of subscribers, however, must
FSS warns of credit card woes

Mar 7, 2011

Financial Supervisory Service Gov. Kim Jong-chang speaks during a meeting with chief executives of credit card companies on Monday. (Kim Myung-sub/The Korea Herald)The nation’s chief financial regulator on Monday expressed his strong resolve to tighten supervision of credit card issuers, warning their excessive competition could bring the industry to a new crisis. In his breakfast meeting with CE
China’s focus on stability to create opportunities for Korea

Mar 7, 2011

China’s new drive for sustainable growth raised expectations of bigger opportunities for Korean exporters, with some advising more aggressive investment to target mainland consumers.Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao on Saturday pledged to make the country’s growth more sustainable over the next five years with a lower GDP target of 7 percent, a sign Beijing intends to fight inflation and strengthe
Korea ups rare earth reserve target

IndustryMar 7, 2011

South Korea is to increase its rare earth reserves to around 1,500 tons by 2014 amid fierce global competition to ensure a stable supply.The new target for a group of 17 scarce metals key to mobile devices, electric vehicles and other high-tech products, would meet the local industrial demand for 100 days, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said Monday.The government initially set the goal at 1,200
Team to combat offshore tax evasion

Mar 7, 2011

Tax, customs and financial authorities plan to set up a joint task force to better crack down on offshore tax evasion, sources said Monday.The new body will be established within this year with officials from the National Tax Service, Financial Supervisory Service and Korea Financial Intelligence Unit, they said.The government is seeking to strengthen its fight against tax offenders as a way of in
POSCO picked as most admired firm

IndustryMar 7, 2011

The world’s fourth largest steelmaker POSCO ranked highest among South Korean firms in the latest world’s most admired companies list from the U.S. business magazine Fortune.The rankings are based on an analysis of 667 companies from 32 nations that reviewed nine categories including financial stability, innovation and human resource management. With a score of 7.21, POSCO received the highest rat