Four out of 10 South Koreans believe that their government should be able to prevent media organizations from publishing information that could harm the country's economy, a U.S. survey showed.According to the Pew Research Center survey, South Koreans were less supportive of freedom of the press than their U.S. and European counterparts when it comes to reporting on economic issues that might destabilize the country's economy.While 40 percent of South Koreans were in favor of restricting publica

South Korea's tour agents are forecast to post better earnings this year as a sharp rise in outbound travelers offset a fall in the number of foreign visitors in the wake of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome outbreak in the country, according to market watchers Friday. The MERS outbreak in late May led to mass cancellations of flights and tour programs scheduled in the summer, cutting tour agencies' earnings in the third quarter.  Hana Tour, the nation's leading tour agency, saw its operating

The majority of Koreans are insecure about their current employment status, according to a biennial poll from the government’s statistical office released on Thursday.The 2015 society sector survey on about 39,000 Koreans conducted by Statistics Korea showed 61 percent of the employed respondents said they “feel insecure about their current job status.” The office said it sampled a cross section of Korean households in 27 residential districts nationwide for research on segments such as labor, i

South Korea kicked off a four-day exhibition Thursday to promote the country's creative economy policies, inviting local firms to share their achievements in the technology realm.  The creative economy refers to President Park Geun-hye's flagship policy that aims to merge different industrial sectors, mostly with information and communications technologies, to generate new business opportunities and foster the growth of startups.  "The creative economy became a symbolic policy of South Korea to

South Korea's trade balance from intellectual property rights stayed in the red in the second quarter, but the deficit shrank significantly from a year earlier on a large cut in deficits from industrial property rights, central bank data showed Thursday.  In the April-June period, the country posted a trade deficit of $550 million in the intellectual property sector, according to the Bank of Korea.  The Q2 tally marks a 63.6 percent drop from a deficit of $1.51 billion in the same period last ye

Consumer sentiment in South Korea continued to improve from a month earlier in November, mainly on a better outlook for income, central bank data showed Thursday.  The composite consumer sentiment index for November came to 106, up 1 point from the previous month, according to data from the Bank of Korea (BOK).  A reading above 100 means optimists outnumber pessimists.  The index has been on a steady rise since it dipped to below the benchmark 100 in June for the first time since December 2012.

South Korean securities companies saw their third-quarter earnings tumble 38.7 percent from three months earlier due to huge losses from derivatives amid a bearish stock market, the financial watchdog said Wednesday.   The combined net profit of 56 brokerage houses came to 747.2 billion won (US$652.2 million) in the July-September period, compared with an eight-year high of 1.2 trillion won in the second quarter, according to the Financial Supervisory Service.  The weak on-quarter bottom line ca

South Korea's terms of trade continued to improve last month despite a large cut in exports as import prices dropped at a faster rate than export prices, central bank data showed Wednesday.  The country's terms of trade index spiked 12.4 percent on-year to 101.72 in October, according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea.  The index gauges the amount of imports a country can purchase for each unit of exports, which shows how the country's exports are doing in comparison with those of other

South Korea's economy has performed relatively well in 2015 despite domestic and overseas challenges, the country's top economic policymaker said Monday.   In a meeting with senior finance ministry officials in Sejong City, Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan said the timely injection of an 11.5 trillion won (US$9.94 billion) extra budget and other stimulus measures have kept alive the country's growth momentum.   "Despite a slew of difficult conditions at home and abroad, the economy has put up a

South Korean stocks closed 0.7 percent higher on Monday as investor sentiment was boosted by eased uncertainties on the U.S. Fed's interest rate policy. The local currency fell against the greenback.  The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index advanced 13.84 points to 2,003.70. Trading volume was low at 375.2 million shares worth 4.4 trillion won ($3.8 billion), with losers outpacing gainers 420 to 373.  Analysts said investors' concerns over the Fed's rate policy eased following the releas

South Korean stocks started higher Monday on the back of gains in retailers and construction shares.  The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 5.92 points, or 0.3 percent, to 1,955.78 in the first 15 minutes of trading.  Retailers gained ground, with Lotte Shopping rising 0.9 percent and GS Retail climbing 1.68 percent. Samsung C&T, the trading unit of Samsung Group, shot up 5.32 percent.  Builders also opened bullish, with Hyundai Engineering & Construction moving up 1.84 percent a

South Korea and Central American countries will engage in talks aimed at laying a firm foundation for a free trade pact that can benefit all sides, the government said Monday.  The five-day talks, scheduled to run from Monday through Friday in El Salvador, will focus on tariff concessions, liberalization of the service sector, business investment, e-commerce, financial markets and intellectual property rights, the Ministry for Trade, Industry and Energy said.   "There will be comprehensive discu

The South Korean economy is expected to expand around 3 percent in 2016 from this year unless external uncertainties worsen further, local economists predicted Sunday.  In a survey conducted by Yonhap News Agency, the heads of six major economic think tanks forecast Asia's fourth-largest economy will grow moderately next year on the back of recovering domestic demand.  Their prediction is slightly lower than the government's estimate. The finance ministry has predicted Asia's fourth-largest econ