South Korean stocks traded almost flat late Tuesday morning as investors continued to sit on the sidelines to await the results of the Federal Open Market Committee meeting scheduled this week, analysts said.   The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) edged down 0.23 points, or 0.01 percent, to 1,882.87 as of 11:20 a.m.   Logistics firms lost ground, with Hyundai Glovis decreasing 1.08 percent and Hyundai Merchant Marine falling 2.37 percent. Top air carrier Korean Air plunged 1.

South Korean stocks opened almost flat Tuesday as investors took to the sidelines ahead of the U.S.Federal Open Market Committee meeting slated this week, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) moved down 1.53 points, or 0.08 percent, to 1,881.57 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Mobile carriers lost ground, with leading SK Telecom falling 1.14 percent and KT losing 0.92 percent. LG Uplus, the smallest player, shed 1.16 percent.In contrast, tech blue chips traded

South Korea’s top 30 conglomerates saw their employees grow 24.9 percent in 2012 from four years earlier excluding gains from merger and acquisition deals, data showed Monday.The combined number of employees at the country’s top 30 business groups came to 1.12 million last year, rising 209,899 from 842,156 tallied in 2008, according to the data by a financial information provider Chaebul.com.CJ Group, a local food and entertainment conglomerate, saw the number of its employees reach 46,271 in 20

The ability of South Korean listed companies to pay back their debts improved in the first quarter of this year due mainly to an increase in operating profits, data showed Monday.The average interest coverage ratio of 569 firms listed on the main bourse came to 4.45 in the January-March period, compared to 3.83 tallied a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Korea Exchange.The ratio, or a firm’s operating profit divided by its interest costs, measures the company’s ability to pay i

South Korean stocks fell 0.32 percent Monday as investors took a wait-and-see approach on the United States Federal Open Market Committee meeting slated for this week, analysts said. The local currency gained against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 6.14 points to close at 1,883.10. Trading volume was low at 258.6 million shares worth 3.19 trillion won ($2.83 billion) with losers outpacing gainers 594 to 221.On Thursday, the index fell below the 1,900-point ma

South Korean stocks fell 0.32 percent Monday as investors took a wait-and-see approach on the United States Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting slated for this week, analysts said. The local currency gained against the U.S. dollar.   The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed 6.14 points to close at 1,883.10. Trading volume was low at 258.6million shares worth 3.19 trillion won (US$2.83 billion) with losers outpacing gainers 594 to 221.   On Thursday, the index fell be

South Korean stocks traded almost flat late Monday morning as investors took a wait-and-see approach on the Federal Open Market Committee meeting scheduled this week, analysts said.   The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) gained 0.36 points, or 0.02 percent, to 1,889.60 as of 11:20 a.m.    Builders traded bearish, with Hyundai Engineering & Construction falling 0.83 percent and Daewoo Engineering & Construction losing 0.77 percent. Daelim Industrial moved down 1.61 percent.   I

South Korean stocks opened higher Monday fueled by gains in blue chip exporters, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) moved up 7.54 points, or 0.4 percent, to 1,896.78 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Tech shares gathered ground, with market behemoth Samsung Electronics adding 0.51 percent and its smaller rival LG Electronics gaining 0.27 percent. Top steelmaker POSCO gained 0.32 percent.Carmakers also traded bullish, with No. 1 player Hyundai Motor rising 0.51

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South Korean commercial banks will kick off their debt restructuring programs for the so-called “house poor,” who are unable to pay off their debts, including mortgages, starting on Monday. Under the plan named “pre-workout,” the banks will extend the repayment period for borrowers with fewer than 90 days of delinquency to up to 35 years, industry sources said Sunday. However, borrowers whose properties are under legal dispute can not apply for the program. Borrowers who filed for a personal fin

South Korea’s financial watchdog is considering a special audit of GS Engineering & Construction Co., the fourth-largest builder, over an accounting fraud allegation, an industry official said Sunday. “We are reviewing whether the special audit on GS is needed or not as a petition for an audit on GS by a civic group has been accepted,” the official at The Financial Supervisory Service said on condition of anonymity. “After confirming the details related to the allegation of GS’s accounting fraud

Lotte Shopping Co., South Korea’s top department store chain operator, said Sunday that it has ranked third among global department stores on Forbes’ annual Global 2000 list of the biggest publicly traded companies, up one notch from last year. France’s PPR SA ranks as the world’s biggest department store, followed by Macy’s of the United States.However, Lotte took the top ranking among Asian department stores. The U.S. economic magazine announced the list in terms of assets, sales, net profit a

South Korea’s stock market is expected to rebound this week as concerns over a possible tapering-off of credit easing measures by the U.S. and other major economies relax, analysts said.The country’s key stock index, the KOSPI, lost 34.61 points, or 1.8 percent, this week to close at 1,889.24. Foreign investors dumped a net 2.4 trillion won ($2.1 billion) worth of local shares this week on concerns that the U.S. Federal Reserve may scale back its quantitative easing.In the past few sessions the