The number of working days lost due to labor strikes dropped to the lowest point last year since 2000, data from the Employment and Labor Ministry showed last week.A total of 402,000 days were lost last year, down 27.2 percent from 2018. The figure was calculated based on the total number of workers participating in strikes, the duration of the strikes, and businesses that have suffered from strikes for at least eight hours per day. The ministry attributed the decline to the deal reached between

Incumbent as well as titular leaders of South Korea’s major conglomerates saw changes in their stock assets over the past several years, according to data released by corporate tracker Korea CXO Institute.While the asset value of stocks held by ailing Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee has doubled since 2011, it has reduced by half for Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo.The stock assets were tracked between August 2011 to Jan. 2. The stock assets of late LG Group Chairman Ko

Doosan Group Chairman Park Jeong-won looks at a cooperative robot being showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show 2020 in Las Vegas on Wednesday. It is the first time the infrastructure giant has taken part in the event. Park told reporters that the group was making efforts to take the lead in advanced technologies in its business areas. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

According to local corporate tracker CEOScore, members of the owner families of the nation’s conglomerates joined their groups at the age of 29 and became executives at 33.6 on average. The survey was carried out on 40 groups, in which both parents and their children participate in the management, among the nation’s top 59 groups that are defined as chaebol by the Fair Trade Commission. The survey showed the young chaebol scions were promoted to executives after 4.1 years after joini

The US missile strike that killed Iranian Quds Force leader Qassem Soleimani was a stunning escalation of the conflict between the United States and Iran -- an act of open war in a struggle that has been carried out in the shadows for decades.Yet President Donald Trump and his aides oddly called the airstrike a “de-escalation,” as if it were a step toward peace.“We took action last night to stop a war. We did not take action to start a war,” the president told supporters

As we head into the new year and the kickoff to the Roaring ‘20s 2.0 (and they will roar), policymakers will be faced with some incredibly important decisions. Several issues will take center stage, ones with the potential to significantly shape our future, from immigration reform to college loan debt.Certainly one of the biggest will be the Senate impeachment trial of US President Trump. Although the outcome is nearly certain -- there aren’t enough votes to remove the president from

According to a report by Greenpeace last week, South Koreans used in total 23.5 billion plastic bags, 4.9 billion plastic bottles and 3.3 billion plastic cups in 2017.The amount of used plastic bags would cover 70 percent of the Korean Peninsula, the report said.The organization, however, noted that 62 percent of disposed plastic waste is recycled in Korea, compared to 40 percent in the European Union. But simply comparing the figures is not realistic, Greenpeace noted, explaining that the EU fi

Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia Motors said they have seen their combined electric vehicle exports more than double last year.In 2019, the two carmakers exported 63,414 EVs, up from 27,798 units a year earlier.Their other eco-friendly vehicles including plug-in hybrid and fuel cell EV models also increased 16 percent to 226,581 units last year.Hyundai’s all-electric models include the Ioniq and the Kona Electric. Kia sells the Niro Electric and Soul electric boxcar in global markets. H

Throughout 2019, customer satisfaction in overall industries improved to reach an all-time high despite economic hardships, according to an annual survey by the Korea Productivity Center.The KPC’s National Customer Satisfaction Index, or NCSI, for 2019 stood at 76.7 points, up 0.2 points from 2018 and the highest since the survey began in 1998. This means that despite grim economic conditions throughout last year, Korean businesses worked to enhance customer satisfaction. The survey was co