The Korea Herald

Hyundai Steel bets on excavator parts

Jul 6, 2011

Continuous tracks. (Hyundai Steel)Hyundai Steel is upping the ante in its earth-moving equipment parts business as it seeks to meet surging demand for excavators in emerging markets.Korea’s second-largest steel mill said Wednesday it plans to pour 94.4 billion won ($88.6 million) this year alongside its suppliers into a project to establish facilities for components such as continuous tracks, trac
Twitter said to be valued at $7 billion

Jul 6, 2011

Twitter Inc. logos are displayed on computer screens. (Bloomberg)Twitter Inc., the microblogging site that lets users post 140-character messages, is raising funding that values the startup at about $7 billion, said a person with knowledge of the matter. The San Francisco-based company is in talks with investors to receive hundreds of millions of dollars, said the person, who asked not to be named
3 global firms eye E-Mart’s units in China

Jul 6, 2011

Wal-Mart, Tesco, Ren Ren Le to be likely bidders: sourceThree well-known global companies have been taking part in the bid for E-Mart’s Chinese operations, according to a U.K.-based company specializing in information on M&As.Mergermarket, an independent mergers and acquisitions intelligence service, told The Korea Herald that Wal-Mart, Tesco and Ren Ren Le are most likely in line to take over E-M
Hyundai Heavy says it will not bid for Hynix

Jul 6, 2011

Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., the world's leading shipbuilder, said Wednesday it will not bid for a stake in Hynix Semiconductor Inc., raising speculation that creditors may fail again to sell the world's second-largest computer memory chipmaker.Hyundai Heavy had been regarded as the sole potential investor for the 15 percent stake up for sale.Shares of Hyundai Heavy were trading at 478,500 won on
Incheon Airport Corp. buys 10% stake in Russian airport

Jul 5, 2011

Incheon International Airport Corp. announced Tuesday it has acquired a 10-percent stake in Khabarovsk Airport in Russia’s Far East, stepping up its charges into the development of the Russian partner.This makes the IIAC the first foreign airport operator to step into management of a Russian airport, which has been safeguarded by the government there as a national strategic industry.As the third-l
End of fuel discount raises tension among refiners

Jul 5, 2011

A banner advertising a 100-won discount per liter on fuel is seen at a gas station in Seoul on Sunday, three days before the scheduled end of the discount period. (Yonhap News)Tension among refiners is flaring up again with the government pressuring them to bring fuel prices back to normal rates in stages.Under pressure from the government, local refiners lowered the pump price of motor fuel by 10
LG Uplus on 4G fast track

Jul 5, 2011

Mobile carrier aims for 10 million subscribers to take first place by 2014LG Uplus is out to grab the No. 1 slot in the nation’s telecommunications market with its launch of fourth-generation network services early this month.“This is the new beginning. It will mark the beginning of a new world that will be completely different from yesterday’s world,” Lee Sang-chul, vice chairman and CEO of LG Up
Airlines positioned for big gains in efficiency

Jul 5, 2011

Planes are being built out of the same lightweight materials used for Formula 1 race cars. Their engines are being redesigned to squeeze more thrust out of every gallon of fuel. And governments are developing air-traffic systems that will allow airlines to fly shorter routes.Those and other advances have positioned airlines for the biggest gains in fuel efficiency since the dawn of the jet age in
SK Telecom’s union leader attempts suicide

Jul 4, 2011

The head of SK Telecom’s union on Monday attempted suicide in what appeared to be a protest of the company’s decision to spin off its platform business.The union leader, identified only by his surname Kim, was found in the office of SK Telecom’s headquarters in downtown Seoul at around 4:00 p.m. after attempting to hang himself. Kim was rushed to a nearby hospital to receive treatment. His conditi
Korea’s full-size car sales surge in H1

Jul 4, 2011

Korea’s full-size car sales surged in the first half of this year thanks to the popularity of the fifth-generation Grandeur sedan made by top automaker Hyundai Motor Co., industry data showed Monday.Domestic sales of full or large luxury sedans jumped 39.6 percent on-year to 112,927 units in the January-June period. The increase far outstrips overall car sales in the country that grew 4.1 percent
Korea aims to up EU market share to 3%

Jul 4, 2011

Korea aims to increase its market share in the European Union to 3 percent within three years by taking advantage of a bilateral free trade pact that took effect last week, Korea’s trade minister said Monday.In a radio interview, Trade Minister Kim Jong-hoon said increasing market share from 2.6 percent at present is possible since the free trade agreement gives local businesses an edge over rival
Output of Korean rice wine bounces back

Jul 4, 2011

Output of makgeolli is picking up in Korea as more people are opting to drink the traditional rice wine following a report that it contains anti-cancer compounds, government data showed Monday. Production of makgeolli rose 12.8 percent on-year to 35,114 kiloliters in April, with the number jumping 16.8 percent to 39,543 kiloliters in May, according to the data by Statistics Korea. Domestic shipmen
Cisco plans Songdo investment of $47m

Jul 4, 2011

New Songdo International City Development, the International Business District developer established as a collaborative project between POSCO E&C and the U.S. developer Gale International, on Monday signed a $47 million investment deal with Cisco Systems Inc.Under the deal, Cisco will move its Smart + Connected Communities Global Center into the Northeast Asia Trade Tower in Songdo, Incheon and es
Korean firms cut emissions via partnerships

Jul 4, 2011

Ministry: 166 firms reduced 56,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions during last 2 yearsKorea’s efforts to shrink its carbon footprint are progressing through partnerships between big and smaller companies.The Ministry of Knowledge Economy said Monday that 166 local businesses have reduced more than 56,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions over the last two years in a green collaboration program, a
KT plans Chinese app market entry

Jul 4, 2011

KT Corp., the nation’s No. 1 fixed-line service operator, on Monday said it will open its mobile application market in China Mobile’s application store as part of its application-sharing project with China and Japan. Olleh market will be launched as a “shop-in-shop” on July 9, the Seoul-based company said.China Mobile’s application store “Mobile Market” has since last year shown greater than 40-fo