Grand Hyatt Seoul is preparing New Year’s Eve fireworks for lovers and families who want to count down the final moments of 2011 and welcome 2012 in a special way. The event will start off at 6 p.m. on Dec. 13 at the hotel’s famous ice rink, with guests enjoying free outdoor skating. With a snack buffet, skating demonstrations by the Junior Korean National Skating team, dance performances, a variety of games and lucky draw events, the event will continue through 1 a.m., with the final moments of

The buffet restaurant The Square at Novotel Ambassador Gangnam presents a special promotion for guests born in the Year of Dragon. From Jan. 1 through the end of the month, the restaurant will offer a complimentary buffet for guests born in 1952, while a 50 percent discount will be offered to all guests born in the Year of Dragon ― limited to one guest per table with four or more guests.The Square brings the finest collection of cuisines from around the world with high quality ingredients. Its o

MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search for a New Best Friend, By Rachel Bertsche (Ballantine Books)Making friends shouldn’t be complicated. We’ve been doing it since we were kids, right?But for many of us, as a new book points out, “friend-making is not the natural process it used to be.” Chicago transplant and journalist Rachel Bertsche discovers this the hard way when she finds herself without close friends to speak of, two years after moving. She comes up with a game plan to change her situation

RUNGIS, France (AFP) ― Plump turkeys adorned with red ribbons, proud capons trussed up in tinsel ― the finest poultry is again the star of the show as French cooks shop for Christmas in Paris’ biggest market.While the French capital sleeps, a vast fleet of trucks and delivery vans perform a ballet in the freezing mist, shipping vast quantities of meat, cheese, vegetables and delicacies to the city’s shops and restaurants.Rungis market is almost a city in its own right, spread over 234 hectares,

Hanjin Shipping said Friday it sold off its entire stake in Hanjin Group’s de facto holding company Jungseok Enterprise Ltd., raising speculation over the shipping firm’s possible separation from the conglomerate.Hanjin Shipping has been selling its shares in major affiliates of Hanjin Group such as Hanjin Travel, which holds a 22.26-percent stake in Jungseok Enterprise.After selling a 14-percent stake in Hanjin Travel for 12 billion won earlier this month, Hanjin Shipping sold a 2.22-percent st

South Korea should reduce currency market volatility and expand trade-related financing in order to help local exporters better cope with toughening overseas business conditions, the Finance Ministry and the central bank said Friday.The view was shared at a monthly meeting between the ministry and the Bank of Korea on the nation’s macroeconomic policy direction. They have held the monthly meetings since July.“We shared the view that policy authorities need to work to improve export conditions fo

Korea’s foreign exchange market is expected to undergo a tough first quarter in 2012 as the Korean won is likely to weaken amid lingering eurozone woes and a current account deficit, market watchers said Friday.Global uncertainties stemming from Europe’s debt crisis and a U.S. economic slowdown weighed on the local currency this year.After strengthening to a yearly high of 1,050 won to the U.S. dollar on July 27, the won depreciated 12.2 percent to a yearly low of 1,196 won on Sept. 26.Experts s

HONG KONG (Yonhap News) -- Orion Corp., South Korea‘s second-largest confectionery company, will expand its production facilities in China to meet growing demand there, company officials said Friday.China now accounts for more than 80 percent of the company’s overseas sales, thanks to the robust growth of confectionery sales in the world‘s No. 2 economy.The company, best-known for its hallmark “Choco Pie,” will increase its production lines in China from the current 46 to 150 by 2015. Of that 15

Korea’s financial regulator said Friday it has given the green light to the establishment of the country’s first 12 homegrown hedge funds, a move designed to nurture the sector.A total of nine local asset managers, including Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. and Shinhan BNP Paribas Asset Management Co., will manage funds worth around 150 billion won ($130 million), according to the Financial Services Commission.Five securities firms, including top-tier players Daewoo Securities Co. and Samsung

HONG KONG (Yonhap News) ― Global credit appraiser Moody’s Investors Service said Thursday that the outlook for South Korea’s credit rating remains stable despite the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. Kim ruled the communist nation for 17 years after inheriting power from his father and died of a heart attack on Saturday. He ruled with an iron fist and pursued nuclear weapons programs during his regime.Moody’s released a report on South Korea saying geopolitical risks will not constrain t