Samsung Card Co. on Tuesday reported its third-quarter net income of 128.1 billion won ($113.4 million), up 41.1 percent from a year earlier. The company said in a regulatory filing that it posted 173.4 billion won in operating profit for the quarter, compared with 120.1 billion won a year ago. Sales fell 10.4 percent to 772.1 billion won. The operating profit was 22.2 percent higher than the average estimate, according to the survey by Yonhap Infomax, the financial data firm of Yonhap News Ag

Credit card loans in South Korea soared more than 34 percent in September as cash-strapped people scrambled to borrow from card firms amid a protracted coronavirus outbreak, industry data showed Tuesday. New loans extended by seven credit card firms -- Shinhan, KB Kookmin, Woori, Hana, Samsung, Hyundai and Lotte -- reached 4.2 trillion won ($3.7 billion) last month, up 34.3 percent from a year earlier. September represents the second-consecutive month of an on-year increase following an 11.7 p

South Korea's economy returned to modest growth in the third quarter, marking the first quarterly expansion since the coronavirus pandemic began, as exports showed signs of improvement, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said Tuesday. In the July-September period, the nation's real gross domestic product (GDP) grew 1.9 percent from the previous quarter, when it shrank 3.2 percent, according to the BOK data. The third-quarter reading marked the fastest expansion since the first quarter of 2010. Compare

South Korea's exports are expected to decrease 3.12 percent on-year in October after enjoying a brief rebound the previous month, due mainly to the resurgence of new coronavirus cases around the globe.   The country's outbound shipments are estimated to reach $45.1 billion this month, according to the poll by Yonhap Infomax, the financial news arm of Yonhap News Agency. The survey was conducted on seven local brokerage houses.   Imports were estimated to reach $41.3 billion

Ministry gestures at legislation notice within week

Amid a prolonged economic contraction and shrinking employment rate, South Koreans in their 20s have increasingly become debt-ridden, depending on bank overdrafts and credit card loans, data showed.  The outstanding balance of bank overdrafts and card loans extended to 20-somethings totaled 2.14 trillion won ($1.91 billion) as of end-June, up sharply from 1.97 trillion won and 2.07 trillion in 2018 and 2019, respectively, said Rep. Jeon Jae-su of the ruling Democratic Party, quoting data

Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. on Monday posted lackluster third-quarter earnings results due to hefty provisions for recalls and quality management. For the three months that ended in September, Hyundai swung to a net loss of 188.8 billion won ($167 million) from a net profit of 460.5 billion won a year ago. Kia's net profit plunged 59 percent to 133.68 billion won from 325.80 billion won during the same period, the companies said in separate statements. Hyundai and Kia

Hyundai Rotem Co. on Monday reported its third-quarter net profit of 4.6 billion won ($4.1 million), swinging from a loss of 117.5 billion won a year earlier. Operating income for the July-September period was 31.1 billion, compared with a loss of 96.6 billion won a year ago, the company said in a regulatory filing. Revenue rose 8.8 percent to 693.2 billion won. The operating profit was 70.2 percent higher than the average estimate, according to the survey by Yonhap Infomax, the financial data

SsangYong Motor Co., the South Korean unit of Indian carmaker Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., said Monday its third-quarter net losses narrowed from a year earlier, helped by reduced costs. Net losses for the three months that ended in September narrowed to 102.44 billion won ($90 million) from 107.9 billion won in the same period of last year, the company said in a statement. "The company's drastic cost-cutting efforts in wages and welfare benefits for employees helped narrow the quarterl

South Korea said Monday it has inked an agreement with the United Nations Development Programme to provide 6 billion won ($5.3 million) in aid to build sustainable infrastructure in farms in Southeast Asia. The fund, set to be provided over the next three years, will be spent to install solar facilities at farms in Myanmar and Cambodia, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. It marked the first time for the agricultural ministry to officially join forces with the UND

SEJONG -- South Korea's finance ministry said Monday it has approved $200 million in health care aid for three Asian nations to better combat the coronavirus pandemic. The approval is part of the nation's plans to provide more than $400 million in loans and grants to developing nations this year to help them push for health projects against the novel coronavirus. The three nations are the Philippines, Cambodia and Bangladesh. The fund is expected to help developing nations build testing and

Sales of imported commercial vehicles in South Korea jumped 26 percent last month from a year earlier on robust sales of Scania and Iveco trucks, an industry association said Monday. The number of newly registered imported commercial vehicles rose to 383 units in September from 304 a year ago, the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association (KAIDA) said in a statement. "Increased sales of Scania and Iveco trucks helped offset decreased sales of MAN and Mercedes-Benz trucks la

Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., a major electronics components maker in South Korea, on Monday reported robust third-quarter earnings on firm demand amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. The Samsung Group affiliate chalked up a net profit of 240 billion won ($212.5 million), up 119.4 percent from a year earlier. The company said in a regulatory filing that it posted 302.5 billion won in operating profit for the July-September period, up 59.9 percent from a year ago. Sales rose 3.3 percent on-ye

South Korea's major instant noodle makers are estimated to have posted solid earnings in the third quarter, as demand from stay-at-home consumers rose amid the pandemic and sales in overseas markets remained robust, a survey showed Monday. The combined operating profit of Nongshim Co., Samyang Foods Co. and Ottogi Co. is projected to have reached 107.1 billion won ($94.9 million) in the July-September period, up 31.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the survey by Yonhap Infomax, the fi

Shares in Samsung Group's key affiliates closed higher Monday on expectations that they may increase dividend payouts to help the late Samsung chief's scions secure funds to pay record high inheritance taxes and they may overhaul their governance structures. Samsung Group chief Lee Kun-hee died Sunday at age 78, more than six years after being hospitalized for a heart attack. Shares in three Samsung affiliates held by the late group chief spiked in the morning session as investors bet that th