The Korea Herald

Samsung's Q4 operating profit down 12.4 pct

IndustryJan 28, 2011

Samsung Electronics shares surpassed the 1,000,000 won mark on Jan. 19 in an intraday trading. (Yonhap News)Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest maker of computer memory chips, said Friday that its fourth-quarter operating profit fell 12.4 percent from a year ago as weak demand for TVs battered flat-screen panel prices. Operating profit stood at 3.01 trillion won ($2.7 billion) in the
KT swings to profit in Q4 on iPhone sales

IndustryJan 28, 2011

South Korea's biggest telecom company KT Corp. said Friday that it returned to the black in the fourth quarter of 2010 from a net loss a year earlier, helped by brisk sales of Apple Inc.'s iPhone. Net profit reached 105.1 billion won ($94.3 million) in the October-December period, compared with a net loss of 430.5 billion won one year earlier, it said in a regulatory filing. The loss in the
POSCO steps up resources development

IndustryJan 27, 2011

Steelmaker boosts magnesium capabilities in its diversification driveAs magnesium alloys emerge as next-generation material for vehicles, POSCO, the world’s fourth-largest steelmaker, is betting on the metal to fuel the next stage of its drive to become an all-round materials developer.While the market for magnesium alloys remains relatively small, such materials have become key candidates for use
Business sentiment turns negative for Feb.

Jan 27, 2011

Korea’s business sentiment for February turned negative for the first time in 17 months amid rising prices of imported raw materials and signs of rate hikes, a poll showed Thursday.The Business Survey Index (BSI) for February came in at 98.0, compared with 101.4 in January, according to the Federation of Korean Industries, the largest industry lobby in Korea.The BSI reading has stayed above 100 si
Creditors to pick Korea Express managers

Jan 27, 2011

The state-run Korea Development Bank, main creditor of Korea Express, said Thursday that it will pick two arrangers next month to find a new owner for the country’s top logistics company.Creditors are seeking to sell over 35 percent of their total 47.9 percent stake in Korea Express, held by Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co. and Asiana Airlines Inc., the airline unit of liquidity-squeezed Kumh
Seoul shares up on global recovery hopes

Jan 27, 2011

Korean stocks closed 0.22 percent higher on Thursday as investor sentiment was lifted by the U.S. Federal Reserve’s vow to keep its bond-buying program to support an economic recovery, analysts said. The local currency rose against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 4.55 points to 2,115.01, the fourth straight session of gains.Trading volume was moderate at 347.
China-bound Korean investment drops in 2010

Jan 27, 2011

The portion of Korea’s direct investment in China shrank last year amid intensifying competition from other global companies in the world’s second-largest and fastest-growing economy, a report said Thursday.In the first nine months of 2010, the proportion of foreign direct investment made by Korean firms in China dropped to 2 percent from 2.7 percent in 2009, according to the report from the Korea
Per-capita rice consumption lowest in 2010

Jan 27, 2011

Korea’s per-capita annual consumption of rice declined to a record low last year as a growing number of people chose other food alternatives for their daily meals, a report showed Thursday.Rice consumption per person in the household sector here came to 72.8 kilograms last year, down from 74 kilograms the previous year, according to Statistics Korea. The figure was the lowest since related data st
Bottled water imports hit record high

Jan 27, 2011

Korea’s imports of bottled water jumped to a record high last year as demand grew for premium brands from European countries, the nation’s customs office said Thursday.Korea imported a record $7.9 million worth of bottled water last year, up 19 percent from a year earlier. The import figures have grown an annual average of 23 percent over the past five years, according to the report by the Korean
EU passes safeguard act for Korea FTA

Jan 27, 2011

BRUSSELS (Yonhap News) ― The European Parliament’s trade committee passed an enactment bill that outlines the use of trade safeguards once a free trade agreement with Korea goes into effect, local sources said Wednesday.Parliamentary insiders said the Committee on International Trade passed the bilateral safeguard act with no objections raised by those taking part in the vote.A safeguard arrangeme
Kindle Singles debuts pithy digital works

IndustryJan 27, 2011

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) ― Amazon has released the first of a new line of short digital books pitched as quick, captivating works for its popular Kindle electronic readers.The launch of Kindle Singles included the debut of TED Books, written versions of inspirational 18-minute talks that are a trademark of renowned TED gatherings dedicated to cultivating “ideas worth spreading.”“This first set of Singl
China unveils new steps to cool property market

IndustryJan 27, 2011

BEIJING (AP) ― China on Wednesday unveiled fresh measures to curb property prices, including requiring unruly local governments to set price controls, but made no mention of a widely expected property tax.City governments must set property price control targets in line with local income levels for 2011 and need to make the targets public in the first quarter, according to a state media report citi
Fed cautious on recovery, focused on jobs

Jan 27, 2011

Fed likely to cite economy's gains and risks and maintain pace of $600b bond-buying programWASHINGTON (AP) ― The economy isn’t growing fast enough to lower unemployment and still needs help from the Federal Reserve’s $600 billion Treasury bond-purchase program.That was the assessment Wednesday of Fed policymakers as they ended their first meeting of the year. The Fed made no changes to the program
Ministry considers panic rooms as anti-piracy step

Jan 27, 2011

South Korea will require all Korean vessels which go through piracy-prone regions to establish a safety zone inside, and double escorting capacity for its vessels at the Gulf of Aden, the government said Thursday.The Ministry of Land, Transportation and Maritime Affairs revealed strengthened anti-piracy measures to counter the rising number of its ships being attacked and hijacked by pirates over
Inflation fight lifts won amid persisting animal disease

Jan 27, 2011

Korea’s plans to slaughter 7.9 million cattle, pigs and poultry to halt the spread of disease are pricing pensioner Lee Ok-soon out of a Lunar New Year tradition of cooking beef soup as an offering for her ancestors. “I don’t believe the government can do anything to pull down prices, which are soaring as if the sky’s the limit,” said Lee, 77, as she shopped at a market in central Seoul on Jan. 20