South Korean stocks got off to a strong start Monday buoyed by gains in tech and auto companies, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shot up 9.38 points, or 0.47 percent, to 1,992.73 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Top market cap Samsung Electronics gained 0.63 percent, and industry leader Hyundai Motor climbed 1.56 percent.The local currency was trading at 1,061.61 won against the U.S. dollar as of 9:15 a.m., up 0.4 won from Friday's close. (Yonhap News)

President Park Geun-hye's approval rating has dipped under 50 percent for the first time since April, a new Gallup Korea poll showed Friday.The poll showed that 48 percent of South Koreans approved of the job the president was doing, while 41 percent disapproved and 11 percent did not express an opinion.Park's all-time low approval rating was 41 percent between late March and early April. Her all-time high job approval was 67 percent in September.The latest dip came amid a controversy over the g

Former President Lee Myung-bak did not play any role in the alleged Internet smear campaign by state agencies during last year's presidential election, his ex-press secretary said Friday, rejecting long-standing accusations made against the previous head of state.The denial comes after state bodies like the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and the military's cyber warfare unit were found to have conducted extensive online smear campaigns against the main opposition candidate ahead of the Dece

The U.S. Federal Reserve's decision to taper its quantitative easing (QE) stimulus program is expected to hurt South Korea's exports to emerging economies, a report by a local think tank said Friday.The Institute for International Trade, the research arm of the Korea International Trade Association, said the fall in outbound shipments will be felt the most in emerging markets that are more vulnerable to the Fed's decision to reduce its monthly bond purchases by US$10 billion to $75 billion start

South Korean stocks closed 0.39 percent higher Friday, extending the rally for a second day as the U.S. Federal Reserve's plan to reduce stimulus subdued prolonged market uncertainties, analysts said. The local currency edged down against the U.S. dollar.  The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) advanced 7.70 points to finish at 1,973.12. Trading volume was light at 237.4 million shares worth 3.11 trillion won ($2.92 billion) with gainers outpacing decliners 430 to 357. Analysts

The aunt of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appeared to have returned to Pyongyang last month after receiving treatment abroad for heart disease, a diplomatic source with knowledge in the matter said Friday. The whereabouts of Kim Kyong-hui, a younger sister of late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, the father of the current leader, have been a focus of media attention following last week's stunning purge and execution of her husband, Jang Song-thaek.  "To my knowledge, Kim Kyong-hui had been rec

In a continuing procession of loyalty pledges, more North Korean officials and ordinary people have sworn loyalty to their leader Kim Jong-un, Pyongyang's state-run radio reported Friday, in what could be the North's latest attempt to drum up support for the young leader following the bloody purge of his uncle.The North Koreans said they will faithfully "follow the ideology and leadership of the Marshall of Paektu bloodline" in a series of allegiance letters addressed to the leader, according to

General managers in the top domestic baseball league are considering abolishing the salary cap imposed on foreign players, a senior league official said Friday, after a series of offseason transactions raised questions about the rule's effectiveness.According to Yang Hae-young, secretary general of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), general managers of the 10 clubs agreed "in principle" to get rid of the current cap of $300,000 during their meeting this week. Yang insisted, however, that no

Actress Kim Youn-ju Thursday denied reports that her marriage had been called off.“The wedding was not canceled, it was just postponed for a bit,” said an official from her agency, S&L company. “I don’t know why these reports keep popping up. And without any evidence, either.”Earlier in the day, a news outlet reported that Kim had broken off her wedding, which was to take place on Dec. 6. It said the 33-year-old canceled the ceremony for “personal reasons,” but did not specify what they were.Kim

South Korean stocks traded 0.15 percent higher late Friday morning, led by gains in machineries and financial firms, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 2.97 points to 1,978.62 as of 11:20 a.m.Doosan Infracore, a leading construction equipment maker, shot up 3 percent and No. 3 lender Hana Financial Group advanced more than 2 percent. But shares of textile and IT service companies lost ground. Major apparel firm LG Fashion dipped 2.5 percent, with NC Soft,