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 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

Real estate remains most attractive potential investment for the rich

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

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

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

South Korea's exports rose 11.1 percent on-year in the first 20 days of April on surging global demand for semiconductors, data showed Monday. Outbound shipments reached $35.82 billion in the April 1-20 period, compared with $32.25 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Per-day exports also advanced 11.1 percent on-year to $2.31 billion. Imports grew 6.1 percent on-year to $38.5 billion during the first 20 days of April, resulting in a trade de

Won loses over 7 percent of its value against dollar this year

The trading volume of gold in South Korea has jumped sharply this month amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, data showed Saturday. The daily trading volume of gold in the country came to 16.9 billion won ($12.25 million) as of Friday, according to the data from the Korea Exchange, the country's bourse operator. The reading marks a sharp increase from a daily average of 6.86 billion won for March. Such an increase follows tensions in the Middle East, prompted by Iran's drone and

South Korean finance minister is officially invited to this year's G7 meeting

The Bank of Korea said Friday that an economics professor and a former BOK official have been recommended to replace two outgoing monetary policymakers of the central bank. Lee Soo-hyung, a professor at Seoul National University, and Kim Jong-hwa, a former BOK deputy governor, were named to sit on the BOK's seven-member rate-setting board. If appointed by President Yoon Suk Yeol, Lee and Kim will start their four-year terms by replacing Suh Young-kyung and Cho Yoon-je, respectively. Lee and

Exchange rate volatility does not present 'significant" economic challenges to South Korea, an official at the International Monetary Fund said Thursday, advising policymakers in Seoul not to "overly" focus on what moves the US Federal Reserve will take. During a press briefing, Krishna Srinivasan, director of the IMF's Asia and Pacific Department, made the remarks as concerns deepened over the recent depreciation of the Korean won at a time when Asia's fourth large