South Korean shares ended higher Thursday as foreigners went on a buying spree of market heavyweights, such as top cap Samsung Electronics. The local currency rose against the US dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added16.65 points, or 0.81 percent, to 2,083.59. Trade volume came to254.64 million shares worth 4.26 trillion won ($3.67 billion), with advancers outnumbering decliners 560 to 255.Foreigner investors bought a net 348.21 billion won worth of local stocks, wh

South Korea said Thursday that it will consider importing more US products this year as part of its efforts to adjust its trade schemes to new trade policies by the Donald Trump administration.The government unveiled the 2017 overseas economic policy plans at a minister-level meeting in Seoul chaired by Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho, focusing on increasing policy resilience against rising uncertainties and trade protectionism.A container ship carrying import goods is anchored in Seattle in the Unit

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon decided not to run in the presidential election after the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea fixed its rule to pick its presidential candidate Thursday.Park has been cited as one of the potential candidates for the next presidential election. "Although I am withdrawing my candidacy, I will give my all for the change of government to reflect the people's desire as a member of the Democratic Party," Park said in a statement. Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon"I will focus o

LG Display Co., a flat panel maker, said Tuesday that it swung to the black in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, largely thanks to a rise in panel prices and a diversified product portfolio.Its net profit reached 825 billion won ($706 million) in the October-December period, compared with a loss of 13.5 billion won a year earlier, it said in a regulatory filing.Operating income shot up to 904 billion won in the fourth quarter from 60.6 billion won a year earlier, and sales increased 5.9 pe

Samsung Electronics Co. said Tuesday its operating profit for the fourth quarter of 2016 jumped 50.11 percent on year, thanks to rising prices of semiconductors and display panels. Operating profit, which excludes income from subsidiaries, stood at 9.2 trillion won ($7.89 billion) for the October-December period last year, compared with 6.14 trillion won for the same quarter in 2015, Samsung said in a regulatory filing.  (Yonhap)Compared with a quarter earlier, fourth-quarter operating profit su

한 회 결방 끝에 돌아온 tvN 금토드라마 '쓸쓸하고 찬란한 神-도깨비'의 시청률이 치솟았다. tvN은 20일 방송된 '도깨비' 14회가 평균 17.5%(이하 닐슨코리아 유료가구 기준 ), 순간 최고 20.2%의 시청률을 각각 기록했다고 21일 밝혔다. 지난 13일 15.5%를 기록한 '도깨비'는 한 주 결방에 따른 시청자의 목마름으로 전회보다 무려 2%포인트 뛰어오른 성적을 내며 자체 최고 시청률 경신  행진을 이어갔다.  이날 '도깨비'는 전회에서 가슴에 꽂힌 검을 뽑아내며 '무'(無)로 돌아간  도깨 비 김신(공유 분)이 이승과 저승 사이에서 9년간 '고난의 행군' 끝 돌아온 이야기를 보여줬다.돌아온 김신은 자신에 대한 기억이 사라진 '도깨비 신부' 지은탁(김고은)의  주변을 맴돌며 애틋한 마음을 표현했다. '도깨비'는 20일 밤 마지막 15~16회를 방송하며 막을 내린다. 역대 케이블 프로그램 최고 시청률을 기록한 tvN '응답하라 1988'이 세운 최고 시청률 기록 19.6

South Koreans braved biting cold on Saturday to take to the streets to demand scandal-tainted President Park Geun-hye resign.It was the 12th consecutive Saturday rally, which has been organized over an influence-peddling scandal centered on Park and her long-time friend Choi Soon-sil.Despite cold weather, protesters participate in the anti-Park Geun-hye rally in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, on Saturday evening. (Yonhap)With some 1,500 civic groups involved, the new year's second rally at Seoul's

A special counsel team investigating the influence-peddling scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her confidante Choi Soon-sil is expected to seek an arrest warrant for Samsung Group heir Lee Jae-yong and his top aides, according to news reports on Jan 13.Samsung Vice Chairman Lee was quizzed by the investigators overnight on bribery charges.“He has denied all the key allegations. The investigation team does not have to summon him again at the moment,” said an official from the independe

Lee Jae-yong, Samsung Group's de facto leader, has claimed that President Park Geun-hye forced his company to provide billions of won to various organizations linked to her confidante at the center of a corruption scandal, an official said Friday.Lee, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics Co., made the claim to a special probe team investigating the widening scandal involving Park and her friend Choi Soon-sil, the official close to the team said. His latest statement does not match what he said a

  NEW YORK (AP) -- Federal prosecutors in New York have charged two relatives of former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with plotting to bribe a Middle East official to influence the $800 million sale of a building complex in Vietnam. The relatives were named in an indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court Tuesday. One of those charged was identified as Manhattan commercial real estate broker Joo-hyun Bahn, Ban's nephew. He also is known as Dennis Bahn and was released on $250,000 bail. Ko

South Korea expressed "strong regret" over steps taken by Japan on Friday, including recalling its ambassador, in protest against a statue recently set up in front of its consulate office to shed light on its wartime atrocities of forcing women into sexual slavery. "We express our strong regret over the action taken by Japan with regard to the statue," the foreign ministry said in a comment issued in the name of its spokesman. "The government wants to make it clear again that both countries shou

Samsung Electronics Co. predicted Friday that its fourth-quarter operating profit last year may have jumped about 50 percent on-year, beating market expectations as strong sales of chips and displays appeared to help offset losses from a global recall of the Galaxy Note 7 smartphones.Operating profit is estimated at 9.2 trillion won ($7.72 billion) in the October-December period last year, up 49.84 percent from the same quarter of 2015, Samsung said in a statement.  (Yonhap)Compared with a quart

 North Korea's development of banned long-range missiles is in ``final stages,'' the country's leader Kim Jong-un was quoted as saying in his New Year's message. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un delivers a New Year message on Sunday. (Yonhap) Kim also threatened to boost his country's military capability unless the US ends war games with rival South Korea, according to Seoul's Yonhap news agency, which monitored Kim's address on Sunday.  Under Kim, who rose to power following his father's death i

  HONOLULU (AP) -- In a sweeping response to election hacking and other bad behavior, President Barack Obama on Thursday sanctioned Russian intelligence services and their top officials, kicked out 35 Russian officials and shuttered two Russian-owned compounds in the US. It was the strongest action the Obama administration has taken to date to retaliate for a cyberattack. ``All Americans should be alarmed by Russia's actions,'' Obama said, adding, ``Such activities have consequences.''  A file p

Special prosecutors took South Korea's state-run pension fund chief into emergency detention early Wednesday over suspicions he pressured the fund to back a major merger deal between Samsung subsidiaries when he was health minister last year.Moon Hyung-pyo, chief of the National Pension Service (NPS), was put into custody after appearing before the special investigation team for questioning earlier in the day.Investigators said they decided to put him under arrest over concern he could try to de