KT의 지난 4분기 성적표가 암울하다.KT는 4분기 영업이익이 지난 해 동기 대비 76.6% 감소한 510억원이었으며, 순이익은 54.8% 줄어든 936억원을 기록했다고 1일 밝혔다.유선 매출 하락과 계절성 인건비, 주파수 이용료 등 일시적 비용 증가의 영향과 함께 LTE서비스에 대한 투자 확대가 비용을 증가시킨 주요 원인으로 꼽히고 있다.지난 해 KT의 LTE 투자비용은 1조 5000억원으로 총 투자비용인 3조 7106억원의 절반 가까이 차지한다.이에 대해 박종수 한화투자증권 애널리스트는 “올해 흐름은 LTE를 놓고 보면 경쟁사 대비 늦게 시작했고 시장점유율도 낮기 때문에 상반기까지는 LTE 가입자로 LG유플러스를 역전 하려고 할 것”이라며 “상반기까지는 LTE 마케팅을 하며 실적은 안 좋을 것”이라고 말했다.하지만 “하반기부터 실적이 개선되는 모습이 확연히 나온다”고 덧붙였다.또, 황성진 HMC 투자증권 연구원은 “올해 1분기 같은 경우는 영업정지가 있으니 숫자가 나쁘지는 않을

South Korean stocks ended 0.21 percent lower on Friday as investors stepped to the sidelines amid lingering concerns over economic uncertainties and ahead of the release of U.S. jobs data over the weekend, analysts said Friday.The local currency fell against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) dipped 4.15 points to 1,957.79. Trading volume was moderate at 378.1 million share worth 4 trillion (US$3.7 billion), with decliners dwarfing gainers 534 to 273."There w

South Korean stocks traded 0.68 percent lower late Friday morning as investors took to the sidelines ahead of a U.S. jobs data release this weekend, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 13.25 points to 1,948.69 as of 11:20 a.m.Large caps were mixed. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics lost 1.31 percent but auto-parts maker Hyundai Mobis gained 1.4 percent.Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction sank 6.98 percent on rumors about a rights issue.The local curr

South Korean stocks shifted to negative territory after opening higher as investors took to the sidelines ahead of the expected release of U.S. jobs data this weekend, analysts said Friday.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 3.62 points, or 0.18 percent, to 1,958.32 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Market bellwether Samsung Electronics slipped 0.14 percent and top oil refiner SK Innovation fell 1.46 percent.In contrast, autos outperformed the KOSPI, with auto-parts mak

Syria threatened Thursday to retaliate for an Israeli airstrike and its ally Iran said the Jewish state will regret the attack.Syria sent a letter to the U.N. Secretary-General stressing the country's ``right to defend itself, its territory and sovereignty'' and holding Israel and its supporters accountable.  ``Israel and those who protect it at the Security Council are fully responsible for the repercussions of this aggression,'' the letter from Syria's Foreign Ministry said.U.S. officials said

The fourth-quarter operating profit of KT, the country’s second-largest mobile carrier, tumbled as much as 76 percent compared to the same period in the previous year due to increased facility spending and slower sales in fixed-line services.The company said that it recorded 51 billion won ($46.5 million) in operating profit and 93.6 billion won in net profit in the October-December 2012 period -- down nearly 55 percent from the final quarter of 2011. Quarterly sales, however, edged up by 3.6 pe

South Korea's trade balance made a positive turnaround from a year earlier last month as the growth of its exports outpaced that of imports, the government said Friday.The country's exports surged 11.8 percent from the same period last year to US$46.08 billion in January, according to the Ministry of Knowledge Economy. Imports grew 3.9 percent on-year to $45.21 billion, leaving a $874 million trade surplus.Last month's trade surplus compares with a $2.3 billion deficit posted in the same month l

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won was sentenced to fours years in prison on Thursday for embezzling a massive amount of company funds for personal stock investments.The 53-year-old disgraced tycoon was imprisoned immediately after the Seoul Central District Court handed down the ruling.Chey was found guilty of embezzling 49.7 billion won (US$44.5million) from two SK Group affiliates and funneling the funds into a firm headed by a former executive at SK's telecommunications unit for investments in s

South Korean stocks ended 0.13 percent lower on Thursday mainly due to losses in banks and insurers. The local currency fell against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 2.49 points to 1,961.94. Trading volume was moderate at 394.3 million shares worth 4.4 trillion won (US$4 billion), with decliners outnumbering gainers 445 to 370."Basically, we didn't have much good news from abroad. There were concerns over U.S. growth as well as the Italian stock market

힐러리 클린턴 미국 국무장관은 29일(현지시간) 북한의 핵실험 위협에 대해 "북한 정권이 이런 길을 가지 않도록 하는 방법이 있을 것이라는 희망을 여전히 품고 있다"고 말했다.클린턴 장관은 이날 워싱턴DC에서 열린 한 행사에서 북한이 핵실험을 강행했을 경우 대응 방안에 대해 "어떤 조치가 있을지를 미리 말하고 싶지 않다"면서 이같이 강조했다.그는 특히 "(북한 핵실험은) 우리 모두에게 위협이기 때문에 일본, 한국, 러시아, 중국과 오랜 대화를 했다"면서 "북한 정권의 행동을 바꾸기 위해 우리는 함께 긴밀하게 노력해야 할 것"이라고 말했다.이는 북한이 최근 유엔 안전보장이사회 제재에 반발하며 미국을 겨냥한 핵실험 의지를 거듭 밝힌 데 대해 제재와 함께 6자 회담의 틀을 활용한 외교적 노력도 병행할 수 있음을 내비친 것으로 해석된다.이어 클린턴 장관은 "우리는 새로운 젊은 지도자가 뭔가 다를 것으로 예상했기 때문에 실망스럽다"고 김정은 북한 국방위원회 제1위원장에 대한 실망감을 밝혔다.