The South Korean won has risen the most among major currencies against the U.S. dollar since end-June, data showed Thursday, apparently due to the country’s sound economic data.The won has climbed nearly 6.4 percent as of Monday against the greenback since end-June, hovering far above 4.9 percent tallied by the British pound and 3.5 percent posted by the euro over the cited period, market data showed.Taiwan and Singapore also saw their currencies appreciate 1.6 percent and 1.2 percent, respectiv

South Korean stocks closed 0.46 percent higher Thursday, with its growth being limited by the rising woes over the U.S. debt ceiling, analysts said. The local currency gained against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) gained 9.26 points to finish at 2,007.32. Trading volume was low at 247.9 million shares worth 3.89 trillion won (US$3.62 billion) with gainers outpacing losers 530 to 272.Analysts said Seoul shares posted a limited growth as U.S. President Bara

South Korean stocks opened lower Thursday as an impasse in U.S. budget and debt-ceiling issues dented investors' sentiment, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 4.05 points, or 0.2 percent, to 1,994.01 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Shares lost ground across the board, with market behemoth Samsung Electronics falling 0.29 percent and No. 1 carmaker Hyundai Motor losing 0.2 percent. Top auto parts maker Hyundai Mobis shed 0.34 percent.Logistics also lost

South Korea's top central banker said Thursday that structural reforms are essential for Asian countries to emerge from their lackluster growth amid highly uncertain economic situations."A fundamental cause of the weakening of growth momentum in Asia seems to lie in a lack of proper structural reforms for productivity enhancement, rebalancing between internal and external demands and inclusive growth," Bank of Korea (BOK) Gov. Kim Choong-soo said in welcoming remarks for the conference on Asia's

The number of executives who have only high school diplomas soared at the four major local financial groups in September from a year ago despite a fall in the total number of the groups’ executives, data showed Wednesday. According to the data by research company CEO Score, the number of executives with only a high school education rose 80 percent from five to nine during the above-cited period at 44 subsidiaries under the wings of the four financial groups ― KB, Shinhan, Woori and Hana. The pro

The tax revenue collected by company audits has been on the rise for the past three years, the National Tax Agency said in a report on Wednesday. Last year, the NTS collected an extra 7 trillion won (6.3 billion) through tax crackdowns, which takes up about 3.6 percent of the country’s total tax revenue, according to the report to ruling Saenuri Party lawmaker Kim Tae-ho. The report revealed that the majority 70.4 percent of this extra tax, or 4.9 trillion won, came from auditing companies. The

The Bank of Korea said Wednesday it has requested a local court to review whether Hana Financial Group Inc. paid a proper price when it acquired the central bank’s stake in another bank. The BOK’s legal action filed on Sept. 12 came as the central bank is incurring losses in book value after it sold its 6.12 percent stake in Korea Exchange Bank to Hana Financial at a price seen as being too low.The BOK, which was previously the second-largest shareholder in KEB, in April exercised its right to r

South Korean stocks closed 0.45 percent lower Wednesday as investors sat on the sidelines over uncertainties stemming from the financial policies of the United States and Japan, analysts said. The local currency fell against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 9.04 points to finish at 1,988.06. Trading volume was low at 285.6 million shares worth 4.24 trillion won (US$3.94 billion) with losers outpacing gainers 417 to 387.Analysts said Seoul shares closed

South Korean stocks traded 0.57 percent lower late Wednesday morning due to losses in techs and financial shares, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 11.45 points to 1,995.65 as of 11:20 a.m.Tech shares continued to traded lower, with top player Samsung Electronics falling 0.87 percent and leading chipmaker SK hynix losing 2.3 percent. LG Electronics, a local handset maker, shed 0.82 percent.Financial firms also lost ground, with Samsung Life Insurance decr

South Korean stocks opened lower Wednesday as wariness over U.S. budget plans and debt-ceiling issues continued to weigh on investor sentiment, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 4.76 points, or 0.24 percent, to 2,002.34 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Tech shares traded lower, with top player Samsung Electronics falling 0.29 percent and leading chipmaker SK hynix losing 1.64 percent. LG Electronics, a local handset maker, shed 0.41 percent.Carmkers als

The government plans to nurture some 200,000 professionals in the fields of offshore plants, embedded software, “ppuri” manufacturing and fashion for the development of new growth engines.In an economy-related meeting presided over by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Hyun Oh-seok on Tuesday, officials from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said that the plan to increase the number of specialists in “strategic” sectors by 2017 would create more than 65,000 jobs.“Ppuri” refers t