South Korean shares traded higher late Wednesday morning on positive economic data from the United States.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 13.19 points, or 0.57 percent, to 2,347.41 as of 11:20 a.m.Large caps traded mixed, with market kingpin Samsung Electronics adding 2.8 percent and global chipmaker SK hynix up 2.61 percent.Hyundai Motor, the No. 1 automaker here, rose 0.35 percent, and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors traded 1.12 percent lower.POSCO, the No. 1 steelmaker,

Hankook Tire Co. has obtained its first ratings from two of the world's three major credit ratings agencies due to its solid profitability, the company said Wednesday. Moody's Investors Service has assigned a first-time Baa2 rating to the country's biggest tiremaker by sales, with a stable outlook, the ratings firm said in a statement. "Hankook Tire's Baa2 rating primarily reflects its high operating efficiency, as evidenced by its robust profitability, low financial leverage, as well as its lea

Some South Korean-owned commuter buses left at the now suspended inter-Korean industrial complex in the North Korean border city of Kaesong were confirmed to have disappeared from their parking places, Voice of America reported Wednesday.The US broadcaster said its analysis of a satellite photo taken June 16 by Digital Globe Inc., a US imagery and information company, shows at least 15 commuter buses were missing from the complex's parking lot, as 33 buses have been moved but 18 others showed up

President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday told his prime minister to personally manage the developing issue of insecticide detected in some eggs sold here that is causing a health scare, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said.President Moon noted the current management of the crisis may add confusion as the agriculture ministry and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety were both handling the issue. (Yonhap)"President Moon ordered the prime minister to comprehensively oversee the issue, thoroughly in

South Korean football club Suwon Samsung Bluewings' Brazilian striker Johnathan Aparecido da Silva is expected to be sidelined for at least two months due to an ankle injury, a club official said Wednesday.The official said Johnathan, currently the leading scorer in the top-flight K League Classic with 19 goals, was diagnosed with a fracture in his right ankle from the club's designated hospital, and he requires at least two months of treatment."Johnathan needs to wear a cast for a month and nee

Major South Korean pharmaceutical companies expanded their spending on research and development during the first half this year, with Hanmi Pharmaceutical Co. allocating the most, industry data showed Wednesday.According to their semi-annual business reports, 10 out of the 15 drug companies spent more on R&D during the January-June period, compared to the same period a year earlier. The 15 companies raked in more than 100 billion won ($87 million) in revenue each in the first half of the year.Th

Veteran South Korean attacker Lee Keun-ho said Wednesday he is eager to beat Iran in the upcoming World Cup qualifying match later this month.Lee is one of the 26 players selected by new men's national football team head coach Shin Tae-yong for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers against Iran and Uzbekistan. South Korea will host Iran on Aug. 31 and will take on Uzbekistan five days later on the road.In the final Asian qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, South Korea are currently

The South Korean government said Wednesday that eggs from four more farms in the country have been found to be contaminated with harmful pesticides, escalating the health scare over tainted egg products here.Some eggs at a farm with 55,000 hens in Cheorwon, 80 kilometers north of Seoul, were found to contain the pesticide fipronil, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said. Fipronil, often used to kill fleas or mites, is banned from being used on chickens in South Korea.Eggs from

CAIRO -- A group of South Korean residents on Tuesday gathered at a historic venue where a declaration calling for Korea's independence from Japan was issued, to celebrate the 72nd anniversary of Korea's liberation. The resident association, along with South Korean Ambassador to Egypt Yoon Soon-gu and other people from the South Korean Embassy, held a ceremony marking the anniversary at the Mena House Hotel in Giza just outside Cairo, where the Great Pyramid is located. A group of South Korean r

The ruling Democratic Party and government agreed Wednesday to recall and destroy all egg products from local farms contaminated with any insecticide amid escalating food safety concerns here, party officials said.The agreement came two days after some eggs at a farm with 80,000 hens in Namyangju, east of Seoul, were found to contain the insecticide fipronil, triggering the inspection of all egg farms across the country.After a party-government policy coordination meeting, Prime Minister Lee Nak

South Korean companies spent more on labor costs last year than two years ago despite a fall in their sales, with export industries bearing a heavier burden in salary payments, industry data showed Wednesday.CEO Score, which follows business performances of major corporations, analyzed 334 firms whose data were available for 2014 and 2016 for comparisons. Results showed that their total sales came to 1,607 trillion won ($1.4 trillion) last year, of which 94.2 trillion won was spent on paying sal

The ratio of long-term unemployed people to the total jobless in South Korea reached an 18-year high in July, data showed Wednesday, as companies were reluctant to offer quality jobs amid uncertainties over their future.The long-term unemployed numbered 180,000 in July, accounting for 18.7 percent of the total jobless and marking the highest figure since 19.7 percent for September 1999, shortly after the country's foreign exchange crisis, according to the data from Statistics Korea.Long-term une

South Korean shares opened higher Wednesday as a bitter verbal war between the United States and North Korea seems to have eased. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 19.03 points, or 0.82 percent, to 2,353.25 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Most large caps traded mixed with market kingpin Samsung Electronics adding 2.8 percent.Top automaker Hyundai Motor fell 0.35 percent, and top steelmaker POSCO declined 1.23 percent.The local currency was trading at 1,134.55 won against th

Veteran football coach Kim Hak-bum was appointed as the new leader of the last-place club in the top South Korean football league Wednesday.Gwangju FC in the K League Classic announced Kim will be their new head coach, though they didn't disclose details of the contract. Kim will succeed Nam Ki-il, who offered to resign Monday in the midst of the club's poor season.Gwangju are dead last in the 12-team league with 19 points, four back of Incheon United, with four wins, 14 losses and seven draws.

The South Korean men's handball team defeated Iran Tuesday to win an international competition in Seoul, and Tunisia took second place. South Korea scored a victory of 33-22 over Iran in the last match of the 12th Seoul Cup Handball at SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in the capital city. (Yonhap)In the three-day competition in which three countries -- South Korea, Tunisia and Iran -- participated, South Korea tied with Tunisia with one win and one tie but went four points ahead in score. Iran fini