Seoul City will confer honorary citizen certificates to 16 people from a dozen countries for their contribution in developing the capital and promoting Korea’s culture around the world, officials said Thursday.Among the beneficiaries is Benjamin Hughes, 46, an international arbitrations expert and Christopher Vaia, 65, a soldier-turned-“Bridgebuilder.”A retired Sergeant Major for the U.S. Forces Korea, Vaia has been an important figure in bridging the gap between the U.S. and Korean communities

Park expected to halt civil engineering projectsSigning off on a plan to finance free lunches for all elementary school students starting next month was the first thing new Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon did as he began his job Thursday.With his signing, the free school meal program, currently offered to first through fourth graders, will be extended to fifth and sixth graders, two months after ex-mayor Oh Se-hoon resigned over his failure to thwart the free meal expansion plan pushed by the oppositi

Merck Patent GmbH, the intellectual property arm of the chemicals and pharmaceutical group, said Thursday it has filed a lawsuit in Korea against CQV Co. and Sungmin Chemicals, claiming the two local firms infringed upon its patents for pigment technology.The Darmstadt, Germany-based company had attempted to resolve the patent issue with CQV after claiming that the Korean firm’s pearl luster pigments used to create unique gold color effects for cosmetics copied its products. Sungmin distributes

POSCO will set up a 260 billion won ($230 million) fund to support shared-growth between large and small companies.The plans were announced at the company’s Idea Marketplace event in Seoul on Thursday.Of the 260 billion won, 160 billion won will be used for profit sharing and 50 billion won will be operated by the Large and Small Business Cooperation Foundation. The fund will also include 30 billion won for supporting establishment of venture companies and 20 billion won to help companies with d

The number of holding companies in South Korea grew over the past year as businesses continued efforts to streamline their corporate governance structure, the corporate watchdog said Thursday.The number of holding firms in South Korea stood at 105 as of end-September, up 9 from the same period a year earlier, according to a report by the Fair Trade Commission. Over the period, 24 firms were added to the list, while 15 were taken off. Of the total, 13 are financial holding companies, while the re

Fluctuating foreign exchange rates and Europe’s financial instability dampened Korean firms’ performances in the third quarter.According to the financial information provider Fn Guide, 62 percent of listed companies that have posted net profits for the period by Wednesday, saw their net profits fall or move into the red.As of Wednesday, 91 listed firms posted third-quarter figures, of which 79 disclosed their net figures.Of the 79, seven companies including Korea Air, LG Display and LG Electroni

South Korean stocks rose 1.46 percent on Thursday as investors were buoyed by a set of bailout measures agreed on by European policymakers and financialinstitutions. The local currency shot up against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index soared 27.73 points to a near three-month high of 1,922.04. Trading volume was heavy at 410.4 million shares worth 7.82 trillion won ($7.02 billion), with gainers far outnumbering decliners 594 to 234.“Market watchers are split on the

GS Caltex Co., South Korea’s second-largest refiner, said Thursday that it has completed a polymer compound plant in eastern China that will help the company further tap into the world’s second-largest economy.The plant, located in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, has begun commercial operations with an annual output of 37,000 tons of polymer compounds, the company said. Polymer compounds are functional plastics widely used for making cars and home appliances.GS Caltex said that global manufacturing fi

Moody’s Investors Service reaffirmed its “A1” sovereign rating with stable outlook for Korea, citing the nation’s strong fiscal status and ample foreign exchange reserves, a Finance Ministry official said Thursday. The rating agency is said to have assessed the strength of the economy by sending a delegation to the Finance Ministry and Financial Supervisory Services earlier this year, where it decided to maintain its fifth-highest rating for Asia’s fourth largest economy.“In accordance to its re

The government announced Thursday that it will build the country’s first meister high school specializing in software and create a software bank as part of its efforts to boost the nation’s competitiveness in the software industry.In a meeting chaired by President Lee Myung-bak, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy unveiled its plan, divided into 11 policy tasks, to establish an ecosystem for the software industry.The announcement takes place after global players like Apple and Google Inc. have bee

Thailand’s flood crisis deepened this week as floodwaters advanced into Bangkok, forcing authorities to shut down the capital city’s second-largest airport, but its impact on Korean travelers will likely remain limited, airline officials said Thursday.Major Korean carriers have not seen delays or cancellations of flights due to floods and have not experienced noticeable drops in occupancy rates, officials said, although they have been closely following the Southeast Asian country’s worst natural

Hyundai Motor Co., the world’s fifth-largest carmaker by sales, posted a 21 percent jump in net profit in the third quarter Thursday.The figure was in line with the market consensus on continued popularity of its sedans and SUVs in China, the U.S. and Europe. The company reported 1.92 trillion won ($1.7 billion) of net income for the June-September period, up from 1.59 trillion won a year earlier.The result is expected to cap the company’s most profitable year and beat sales of its rival firm To