South Korean stocks closed higher Friday as investors purchased tech and financial blue chips despite overnight losses on Wall Street. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 27.71 points, or 1.05 percent, to 2,656.33. Trade volume was moderate at 443 million shares worth 9.93 trillion won ($7.21 billion). Winners outpaced losers 460 to 405. Institutions and foreign investors combined bought a net 537 billion won, while retail investors unl

Analysts say that while the recent feud between Hybe Entertainment and its sublabel Ador could result in short-term fluctuations in Hybe's stock prices, any long-term effects on Hybe's performance will be limited due to Ador's limited contribution to Hybe's overall performance. On Friday, shares of Hybe started at 206,000 won ($149) per share, a 11.7 percent drop compared to when the main bourse, Kospi, opened Monday, when they were 233,500 won per share, before the Hybe-Ador

South Korean stocks opened higher Friday as investors purchased techs and financials despite overnight losses on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 20.16 points, or 0.77 percent, to 2,648.78 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, Wall Street lost ground as Meta and other big tech companies retreated as the US economy expanded at a sharply slower-than-expected pace in the first quarter. The S&P 500 dropped 0.5 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq shed 0.6

South Korean stocks plummeted more than 1.7 percent Thursday as investors sought profits following the previous session's sharp rise amid mixed overnight results on Wall Street. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index slumped 47.13 points, or 1.76 percent, to 2,628.62. Trade volume was slim at 304 million shares worth 8.72 trillion won ($ 6.35 billion), with losers outpacing winners 487 to 360. Institutions and foreign investors combined so

South Korea’s economy expanded at the fastest clip in more than two years in the first quarter as private spending and exports picked up, the central bank said Thursday. The country's real gross domestic product grew 1.3 percent on-quarter in the January-March period, accelerating from a 0.6 percent expansion in the fourth quarter last year, according to an advance estimate from the Bank of Korea. The latest GDP figure is a significant improvement from the past eight quarters, during

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South Korean stocks opened weaker Thursday as investors sought profits following the previous session's sharp rise amid mixed overnight results on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 26.04 points, or 0.97 percent, to 2,649.71 in the first 15 minutes of trading. On Wednesday, the main index spiked nearly 2 percent, backed by chipmakers and batterymakers. Overnight, Wall Street closed mixed as a disappointing earnings report from Meta Platforms put investors on e

South Korean stocks soared 2 percent Wednesday as tech, secondary battery and other market heavyweights rallied following overnight gains on Wall Street. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index climbed 52.73 points, or 2.01 percent, to 2,675.75. Trade volume was moderate at 319 million shares worth 10.06 trillion won ($7.34 billion). Winners outpaced losers 610 to 270. Institutions and foreign investors combined bought a net 855.3 billion won, w

Securing logistics infrastructure, bases on US East Coast becomes crucial to mitigate supply chain risks

Among newly hired employees in Korea in 2023, 50.5 percent were college graduates. Of the 28.41 million people newly hired across the country, 14.36 million had a higher education degree, according to the Korean Statistical Information Service run by Statistics Korea. The figure includes graduates from two-year college courses and those with postgraduate degrees. The number of new employees with tertiary education degrees rose by 1.2 percent compared to the year before. The figure rose from 30.2

Four major conglomerates saw their combined operating profit plunge 65 percent last year, hit by sluggish sales amid an economic slowdown, a report showed Wednesday. Some 306 affiliates of four conglomerates -- Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor and LG -- posted a combined operating profit of 24.51 trillion won ($17.9 billion) in 2023, down from 71.91 trillion won a year earlier, according to the report by the Korea CXO Institute, a corporate data firm. Samsung Group, the country's biggest conglome

Montenegrin lawyers of disgraced South Korean crypto entrepreneur Do Kwon are struggling to have him extradited to his home country, not the United States, according to local news reports. Kwon's legal representatives in Montenegro appealed against the Podgorica High Court's recent ruling that found the conditions for his extradition to both South Korea and the US were met, local daily Vijesti reported on Tuesday. In their appeal, the lawyers said that the high court's April 8 dec

South Korean stocks opened stronger Wednesday as investors snapped up blue chips across the board following overnight gains on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index climbed up 46.43 points, or 1.77 percent, to 2,669.45 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight on Wall Street, the S&P 500 rose 1.2 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq jumped 1.59 percent, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.69 percent, as tech heavyweights lifted the broader US stock market.

South Korean stocks finished slightly lower Tuesday as foreign investors took profit despite overnight gains on Wall Street. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 6.42 points, or 0.24 percent, to 2,623.02. Trade volume was moderate at 316 million shares worth 9.43 trillion won ($6.84 billion). Winners, however, outpaced losers 671 to 403. Foreign investors sold a net 288.8 billion won, while institutions and individuals combined bought a

Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok met with experts of economic and international affairs Tuesday and discussed responses to growing uncertainties in the Middle East, the finance ministry said. During a meeting of the international economic advisory panel in Seoul, experts called on the government to "check developments and assess potential impacts thoroughly as the conflict between Israel and Iran, coupled with the Israel-Hamas war, has seriously boosted uncertainties in the global economy,&qu