Most Popular
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Russia sent more than 165,000 barrels of refined petroleum to N. Korea in March: White House
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Key suspects grilled over alleged abuse of power in Marine death inquiry
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Seoul alerts overseas missions to NK terror threats
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[Graphic News] Number of coffee franchises in S. Korea rises 13%
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S. Korean children, teens grow taller, mature faster than before: study
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Some junior doctors are returning: Health Ministry
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Public backlash against division of Gyeonggi Province under 'corny' name
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Army takes group action against Hybe for neglecting BTS
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[Robert J. Fouser] AI changes rationale for learning languages
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[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids go gold in US with ‘Maniac’
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Samsung top tablet vendor in Europe, Middle East, Africa in Q4: report
Samsung Electronics Co. was the top vendor in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) tablet market in the fourth quarter of 2020, a report showed Tuesday, amid the pandemic-induced stay-at-home trend. Samsung shipped 4 million tablets in the EMEA market in the October-December period for a 28.1 percent market share, according to industry researcher International Data Corp. (IDC). The figures were up from a year ago when the South Korean tech giant shipped 3.2 million tablets for a 24.8 perc
Feb. 16, 2021
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Restructuring inevitable for Renault Samsung for survival: chief
The chief of Renault Samsung Motors Corp. said Tuesday restructuring will be "inevitable" for the company's survival amid the prolonged coronavirus pandemic and lower demand for its models. In a message to employees, Renault Samsung Chief Executive Dominique Signora made the comments as the company struggles with lower vehicle sales and high labor and manufacturing costs. "There is an urgent need to cut costs (through restructuring) to ride out this crisis as the company's overa
Feb. 16, 2021
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Imprisoned Samsung heir allowed to meet execs after 4-week virus isolation
Lee Jae-yong, the de-facto leader of Samsung Group, has ended his mandatory isolation in a correctional facility and is allowed to meet group executives, industry insiders said Tuesday, raising speculation that South Korea's top conglomerate may speed up its decision-making for potential investments. Lee, the group's heir, was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison by the Seoul High Court on Jan. 18 in a retrial of a bribery case involving former President Park Geun-hye and was put behind bars agai
Feb. 16, 2021
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S. Korea's power generation falls for 2nd year in 2020 amid pandemic
South Korea's electricity generation fell for the second consecutive year in 2020 as demand dipped amid the coronavirus pandemic, data showed Tuesday. The amount of electricity generated by the nation's power plants came to 552,165 gigawatt hours (GWh) last year, down 1.9 percent from the previous year, according to the data from state-run Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco). It marked the second time generation dropped in two consecutive years, since the 4.1 percent decrease in 1998, whe
Feb. 16, 2021
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[Graphic News] S. Korea’s electric car exports shoot up 66% in 2020: KITA
South Korea’s exports of electric vehicles advanced nearly 66 percent on-year in 2020, data showed, despite the overall slump in the automobile industry amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Outbound shipments of electric vehicles came to $3.9 billion in 2020, the first time the figure surpassed that for hybrid cars, whose exports came to $2.5 billion last year, according to the data compiled by the Korea International Trade Association. Electric vehicles accounted for more than half of the
Feb. 16, 2021
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Seoul stocks open higher on tech, auto gains
South Korean stocks opened higher Tuesday on strong advances by tech and auto stocks. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 16.27 points, or 0.52 percent, to 3,163.27 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Top cap Samsung Electronics gained 1.07 percent, and No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix advanced 0.38 percent. Leading chemical firm LG Chem moved down 0.51 percent, and rechargeable battery maker Samsung SDI slipped 0.12 percent. Giant internet portal operator Naver jumped 4.02 p
Feb. 16, 2021
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Samsung remains 2nd in Indian smartphone market in 2020: report
Samsung Electronics Co. was the second-largest smartphone vendor in India last year, a report showed Tuesday, as its offline sales declined amid the pandemic. The South Korean tech giant shipped 29.7 million smartphones in India in 2020, down 4 percent from a year earlier, for a 20 percent market share, according to market researcher International Data Corp. (IDC). "Samsung remained in its second spot in the 2020 ranking, with its online-heavy portfolio driven by the Galaxy M series and t
Feb. 16, 2021
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Hospitality industry's headcount dips on coronavirus impact
South Korea's hospitality industry has cut nearly 370,000 jobs over the past year in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, data showed Tuesday. Local accommodations and restaurants had a combined workforce of 1.965 million as of January, down 367,000 from a year earlier, according to the data from Statistics Korea. January marked the first time since February 2020 that the country's hospitality sector had fewer than 2 million workers. The tumble comes as South Korea has been gripped by the no
Feb. 16, 2021
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Bond yields gather pace on hopes of economic recovery
Bond yields in South Korea are climbing at a fast pace on hopes of an economic recovery and more stimulus measures in major economies, analysts said Tuesday. The final offer rate on 10-year Treasurys came to an annual 1.871 percent on the local bond market Monday, the highest return in 21 months. The yield was close to levels months before the outbreak of the new coronavirus in South Korea in January last year. Rising bond yields means falling prices, which reflect investors' weaker appetite
Feb. 16, 2021
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S. Korea's export prices up for 2nd month in January
South Korea's export prices rose in January, marking the second straight monthly gain, supported by a modest recovery in exports and a slight decline in the Korean currency's value against the US dollar, central bank data showed Tuesday. The country's export price index, in terms of the local currency, gained 1.8 percent in January from the previous month, according to the preliminary data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). The reading marked the second consecutive month of on-month rise. In Decemb
Feb. 16, 2021
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Netflix's subscriber numbers surge in Korea due mainly to pandemic
Global streaming giant Netflix saw its subscriber numbers soar in South Korea last year due to changes in people's media usage patterns caused by the coronavirus pandemic, a report said Monday. According to the report by market research firm Nielsen Korea, the monthly unique visitors to Netflix in South Korea in November last year surged 64.2 percent, compared with January of the same year. Netflix also ranked second after YouTube in the ranking of mobile video operators. The US-based company
Feb. 15, 2021
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Hyundai-Tesla battle looms in EV market
Tension is escalating in the fast-growing all-electric vehicle market this year, as Hyundai Motor unveiled Monday the interior design of its Ioniq 5 model. Market eyes were especially fixed on the South Korean automaker’s pricing strategy as the teaser release came in the wake of US competitor Tesla’s recent product launch and apparent penetration price policy to meet the government’s subsidy requirements. With the Ioniq 5 model set to be unveiled in full via an online wor
Feb. 15, 2021
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Local research team develops human cochlea-like acoustic sensor
South Korean researchers have developed an artificial intelligence-based acoustic sensor that resembles the human cochlea, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology said Monday. The research team, led by KAIST professors Lee Keon-jae and Wang Hee-seung, said they used an ultrathin piezoelectric membrane to mimic the basilar membrane in the cochlea, which acts as an analyzer to translate frequency of sounds. Equipped with machine learning-based speaker recognition, the new acoust
Feb. 15, 2021
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Hyperconnect deal hints another record year for Korean VCs
Korea’s venture capital firms are expected to see another strong year, following a record performance in 2020, amid a rise in the valuations of domestic startups and increased options for an investment exit. Hyperconnect, the operator of the video chatting app Azar, last week signed a deal to sell to Match Group, a US tech company that owns a slew of dating apps including Tinder and OkCupid. The deal valued at $1.7 billion will bestow handsome returns to domestic venture capital firms li
Feb. 15, 2021
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Local stock brokers’ profits rise thanks to 2020 bull run
Local brokerage firms benefited from recent stock market rallies after a March plunge in 2020 as the companies’ profits jumped sharply, data showed Monday. The combined operating profit of South Korea’s 20 local stock brokers, including Mirae Asset Daewoo and Korea Investment & Securities came in at 7.85 trillion won ($7.1 billion) last year, up 36.7 percent from 5.74 trillion won posted in the previous year, according to data compiled by state regulator Financial Supervisory S
Feb. 15, 2021
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Civic group suggests cutting down old trees to tackle climate change
Preserving trees isn’t always the answer to climate change, a local environmental group said Monday. South Korea needs to cut down old trees and plant new ones to help maintain local forests’ carbon-absorbing capacity, the Seoul-based Climate Change Center said. It cited a report written by the Gyeonggi Research Institute that said old forests can’t properly absorb carbon. “South Korea successfully turned barren mountains into forests by planting trees after the Kor
Feb. 15, 2021
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Seoul stocks jump 1.5% on tech gains
South Korean stocks jumped 1.5 percent Monday on strong advances by tech stocks. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 46.42 points to close at 3,147.0 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 1.6 billion shares worth some 16.6 trillion won ($15.1 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 569 to 278. Foreigners bought a net 728 billion won, while retail investors sold a net 347 billion won. Institutions offloaded a net 421
Feb. 15, 2021
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Foldable phone market starts to take shape
Expectations are high on the foldable smartphone market’s growth as multiple new models are scheduled to be rolled out this year from some of tech‘s biggest names -- including Apple. According to industry sources on Monday, the world’s three biggest smartphone vendors – Samsung Electronics, Apple and Huawei – are preparing to debut new foldable gadgets that feature advancements from initial foldable devices. Huawei will unveil its third foldable smartphone, the
Feb. 15, 2021
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Celltrion’s Humira biosimilar gains European sales approval
Celltrion’s Yuflyma, an adalimumab biosimilar for autoimmune diseases, has been given the green light by the European Commission on Feb. 11, allowing for it to be sold in the European market, Celltrion announced Monday. Yuflyma is the world’s first Humira biosimilar that is high-concentrate and citrate-free, just the way the original drug was updated and where the rest of the market is headed, Celltrion said. The removal of citrate reduces the pain experienced by patients immediate
Feb. 15, 2021
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Xinjiang polysilicon boycott opens window for OCI
Following reports that polysilicon produced in the Chinese region of Xinjiang is linked with forced labor of detained Muslim minorities, solar companies in the US and Europe are seeking to exclude the region from their supply chains, opening a window of opportunity for South Korean firms to gain foothold in the market. A recent report by the consultancy Horizon Advisory suggests that Xinjiang’s production of polysilicon -- an essential raw material used in manufacturing most solar pane
Feb. 15, 2021