The appointment of Saudi Arabia as the host for the 2034 FIFA World Cup has elicited a backlash from multiple human rights groups over the nation's contentious rights record, coming just weeks before the final decision on its bid for the World Expo 2030. FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed the host as the only bidder last Tuesday after Australia withdrew its bid hours before the Tuesday deadline. Critics are primarily concerned about the potential exploitation of migrant workers who w

Korean businesses increasingly investing in Southeast Asia's largest economy

Hana Bank is set to roll out a comprehensive financial support scheme worth 100 billion won ($75.6 million) to support small and medium-sized businesses, amid a prolonged economic slowdown and high interest rates. The program aims to offer cashback on interest payments, subsidies on utility and telecommunication bills as well as consulting services to a total of 308,500 individual business owners, according to the bank Sunday. It will be implemented in phases starting next month, alongside its

The South Korean government will set up a task force to focus on price controls for key food items, such as milk and coffee, in response to the recent spike in food prices, officials said Sunday. Under the TF, government officials will be responsible for monitoring the prices of each of the seven price-sensitive food items to keep a close eye on their prices, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The items comprise instant noodles, bread, snacks, coffee, ice cream, su

South Korean stocks advanced for the third consecutive session Friday amid hope that the US rate-hike cycle has come to an end. The local currency sharply rose against the greenback. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shot up 25.22 points, or 1.08 percent, to close at 2,368.34. Trading volume was moderate at 567 million shares worth 7.86 trillion won ($5.94 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 717 to 159. Foreigners dumped a net 134.8 billion won worth of local shares, and ind

Woori Bank, one of South Korea’s top four commercial banks, announced Friday that it has opened a new regional headquarters in Bangladesh that will be in charge of managing six other branches in the country. The Korean bank said it has turned the Dhaka branch into the country's main headquarters on Tuesday, with the purpose of serving as a control tower of financial management, internal control and risk management, marketing, and consulting service for Korean companies seeking to expa

South Korean stocks opened higher Friday tracking overnight gains on Wall Street amid expectations that the Federal Reserve's monetary tightening mode has passed. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shot up 20.62 points, or 0.88 percent, to 2,363.74 in the first 15 minutes of trading. US stocks closed higher overnight, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average advancing 1.7 percent and the Nasdaq Composite rising 1.78 percent. The Fed has kept its benchmark lending rate steady at a

Asiana Airlines Inc., South Korea's second-largest air carrier, said Thursday its board approved a plan to sell the company's cargo business, in a decision that could help Korean Air Co. win antitrust approval from European Union regulators for its takeover of the rival. In a regulatory filing, Asiana announced the board's decision, noting it as a part of remedial measures for Korean Air to be submitted to the European Commission to win approval for the merger. The decision came t

Uncertainties linger, with Korea-US interest rate gap hitting all-time high

South Korean stocks soared nearly 2 percent Thursday after the US Federal Reserve held its key rate steady as widely expected overnight. The local currency sharply rose against the greenback. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shot up 41.56 points, or 1.81 percent, to close at 2,343.12 Trading volume was moderate at 370 million shares worth 7.57 trillion won ($5.63 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 693 to 207. Foreigners dumped a net 141.3 billion won worth of local shares,

South Korea's industry ministry said Thursday it held a meeting with relevant authorities to check supplies of oil and gas as concerns grow over price volatility due to the widening Israel-Hamas war. "There have been concerns over prices in the early stages of the conflict, but no disruptions have been reported so far," Yoo Beop-min, director general of the ministry's resources policy, told the meeting. Prices of gasoline and diesel currently remain "relatively stable,&q

South Korea's inflation grew at a faster pace in October, staying above 3 percent for the third consecutive month, due to higher prices of energy and farm goods, data showed Thursday. Consumer prices, a key gauge of inflation, rose 3.8 percent last month from a year earlier, compared with a 3.7 percent on-year increase the previous month, according to the report from Statistics Korea. It is the third month in a row that the annual price growth has picked up pace, though inflation has genera

South Korean stocks kicked off higher on Thursday after the US Federal Reserve held its key rate steady as widely expected. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shot up 37.01 points, or 1.61 percent, to 2,338.57 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Fed held its benchmark lending rate steady at a 22-year high for a second consecutive time as it keeps striving to bring down inflation to its 2 percent target. US stocks closed higher, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average ad

The US Federal Reserve held its benchmark lending rate steady at a 22-year high for a second consecutive time during a monetary policy meeting on Wednesday, as it keeps striving to bring down inflation to its 2-percent target. After the two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting, the central bank announced the decision to keep the rate between 5.25 and 5.50 percent. But it left open the possibility of a rate change later to achieve "maximum" employment and its inflation target. In t

South Korea's exports are showing signs of recovery, as the country’s outbound shipments in October rose on-year for the first time in 13 months. The country’s exports in October stood at $55.09 billion, a 5.1 percent increase from the same month last year. Imports declined by 9.7 percent to $53.5 billion, resulting in a trade surplus, according to preliminary data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and Korea Customs Service. Daily trade volume, taking into c