South Korean stocks opened higher Monday, taking its cue from gains in Wall Street.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 10.32 points, or 0.51 percent, to 2,026.51 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Tech shares led the gains. Market kingpin Samsung Electronics surged 2.14 percent, continuing its rally after posting robust second-quarter earnings, and chip giant SK hynix advanced 1.74 percent.Auto shares were in the positive terrain. Industry leader Hyundai Motor increased 1.14 pe

South Korea's property and real estate rental industry contracted in the second quarter for the first time in more than four years due to the sluggish market, central bank data showed Monday.According to the Bank of Korea's latest data on gross domestic product, the real estate and rental sector shrank 0.2 percent in the April-June period from three months earlier.It marks the first on-quarter decline since the fourth quarter of 2011, when the industry declined 0.6 percent from three months earl

The delinquency rate for South Korean bank loans to large companies soared in June from the previous month due mainly to a one-off factor, data showed Monday.Local banks saw the delinquency rate of their lending to big businesses stand at 2.17 percent at the end of June, up 0.81 percentage point from a month earlier, according to the data by the Financial Supervisory Service. From a year earlier, the figure was up 1.49 percentage points.Loans are considered delinquent when payment of both princi

South Korea's exports fell by more than 10 percent in July, with the rate of decline returning to double digits after single digits in May and June, the trade ministry said Monday.Outbound shipments came to $41 billion last month, down 10.2 percent from the same month last year, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.The July figure marked a record 19th straight month that exports decreased since January 2015.The double-digit fall came after on-year declines of 5.9 percent and 2

South Korea's current account surplus soared to a record high in June as an increased surplus in the goods balance helped offset a widening service account deficit, data showed Monday.The current account surplus reached $12.17 billion in June, compared with an $11.87 billion surplus from a year earlier, according to the provisional data released by the Bank of Korea.The current account is the biggest measure of cross-border trade.The June figure is the highest since 1980, when the central bank b

U.S. Secretary of the Army Eric Fanning is due in South Korea on Monday on a trip that includes a visit to the U.S. Army unit set to operate the THAAD missile defense system to be deployed by the Asian ally.Fanning's three-day trip to South Korea is part of his swing through the region that also includes stops in Hawaii, Guam, Malaysia and Japan. It is Fanning's first trip to the region since taking office as secretary in May.U.S. officials declined to provide details on Fanning's itinerary, but

국내에서 거세져 가는 메갈리아4 찬반 논란이 해외에서도 주목 받고 있다. 　　지난 29일 미국의 공영 라디오 NPR 은 넥슨 성우 김자연 씨가 “여자는 왕자님을 필요로 하지 않는다”는 문구의 메갈리아 성금 티셔츠를 입어 일자리를 잃은 사연을 보도했다.　(페이스북)　야후뉴스, 피시게임스앤 등이 유사 내용의 기사를 냈다. 　　NPR은 이러한 사태를 한국의 ‘게이머게이트’ 현상이라고 보도했다. 이는 2년 전 미국에서 불거진 비디오게임 산업과 비디오게임 저널리즘 윤리에 대한 것으로, 여러 온라인 생태계 중 특히 온라인 게임 장이 “현저히” 남성친화적이라는 연구 결과 (Pew Research Center)에 기반한 것이다.　　NPR은 메갈리아4를 ‘혐오단체’로 인지한 게임 유저들이 김 씨가 성우로 활동하는 ‘클로저스’ 게임을 보이콧 했고, 이에 게임배포사 넥슨이 “김 씨와 상호우호적으로 타협해” 성우를 교체했다는 한겨레 보도를 인용했다. 　　NPR은 “메갈리아가 극단 페미니즘을 자행해 과격한