Tax revenue falls 8.8 tr won through July on weak corporate earnings

South Korea's tax revenue fell 8.8 trillion won ($6.59 billion) from a year earlier over the first seven months of 2024, due to the lackluster corporate earnings, data showed Friday. The government collected 208.8 trillion won of taxes over the January-July period, down 4 percent from the same period last year, according to the data from the Ministry of Economy and Finance. In July alone, however, the country's total tax revenue increased 1.2 trillion won from a year earlier, reaching

EconomyAug. 30, 2024

Seoul shares open higher on bargain hunting

South Korean shares opened higher Friday as investors picked up tech, auto and other blue chip bargains following losses the previous session. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) gained 13.53 points, or 0.51 percent, to 2,675.81 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, US stocks ended mixed after experiencing rollercoaster-like volatility amid differing views on Nvidia's earnings, with some expressing disappointment while others saw the results as alleviating uncer

MarketAug. 30, 2024

Industrial output falls 0.4% in July on weak demand for chips, cars

South Korea's industrial output fell for the third consecutive month in July due to sluggish production in the semiconductor and automobile sectors, data showed Friday. Industrial output decreased 0.4 percent on-month in July, following a 0.1 percent drop the previous month, according to data compiled by Statistics Korea. Compared with a year earlier, however, industrial output increased 2.7 percent in July, the data showed. "While industrial output has decreased for three consecutive

EconomyAug. 30, 2024

Combined net loss of savings banks widens in H1

Savings banks in South Korea saw their combined net loss widen in the first half from a year earlier, due largely to a sharp increase in loan-loss reserves set aside for real estate project financing (PF) loans, data showed Friday. The banks posted a combined net loss of 380.4 billion ($284.5 million) in the January-June period, sharply up from a net loss of 96.5 billion won over the same period last year, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service. Their interest income came t

EconomyAug. 30, 2024

LG to buy 500 billion won worth of shares in 2 affiliates

LG said Thursday it will buy a combined 500 billion won ($375.9 million) worth of stake in its home appliances and chemical units from November as part of efforts to increase their corporate value. LG plans to purchase 200 billion won worth of shares in LG Electronics and 300 billion won worth of shares in LG Chem on two occasions, the company said in a regulatory filing. If the purchase is completed, LG's stake in LG Electronics will increase to 31.59 percent from 30.47 percent, and inte

CompaniesAug. 29, 2024

Samsung, labor union likely to resume wage talks in early October

Samsung Electronics and its labor union are likely to resume their talks over a wage increase and others in early October at the earliest, industry sources said Thursday. Early this month, members of the National Samsung Electronics Union, the largest labor union of the South Korean tech giant, returned to work as they have held several rounds of talks since January but have been unable to narrow their differences over the wage increase rate, vacation system and bonuses. The NSEU, representing

CompaniesAug. 29, 2024

Doosan scraps controversial Robotics-Bobcat merger plan

Doosan Group has officially scrapped its merger plan between Doosan Robotics and Doosan Bobcat, following shareholder opposition and regulatory pressure. However, the group still intends to move forward with its broader strategy to integrate Bobcat under Robotics in a bid to achieve synergy across its business operations. On Thursday, the boards of Doosan Bobcat and Doosan Robotics each convened and decided to cancel the comprehensive share exchange agreement initially designed to streamline the

CompaniesAug. 29, 2024

LG Display starts production of advanced OLED displays for gaming

LG Display said Thursday it has kicked off mass production of its 27-inch 480Hz Quad HD gaming OLED panel that boasts the industry’s highest refresh rate and fastest response time, targeting the high-end gaming market. The new panel is made to show the best performance in key criteria for gaming displays, which are refresh rate, images displayed per second and response time in displaying graphic card signals, LG said. “We will create differentiated customer value and secure leadershi

PoliticsAug. 29, 2024

Seoul shares decline over 1%, led by chipmakers after Nvidia's earnings

South Korean shares retreated more than 1 percent Thursday, led by chipmakers after an underwhelming earnings result by global artificial intelligence chip giant Nvidia. The local currency rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index slipped 27.55 points, or 1.02 percent, to close at 2,662.28. Trade volume was moderate at 284.7 million shares worth 11.3 trillion won ($8.47 billion), with losers outnumbering winners 590 to 280. Institutions and foreign investors sol

MarketAug. 29, 2024

MG Community Credit Cooperatives upgrades HR system

South Korean mutual financial institution MG Community Credit Cooperatives said Thursday it has made efforts to improve its organizational culture by offering consulting services on labor and employment matters to its employees since last year. In the project, called MG Blue Wave, MG aims to examine and consult on the personnel management of its 560 branches until the end of this year. As of this month, some 394 branches have undergone such evaluation program since the beginning of last year. Th

IndustryAug. 29, 2024

Korean minister, AmCham head hope to deepen economic ties

Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun called the US “the most important ally and rival” to South Korea on Thursday while introducing the government's key initiatives to bolster US-Korea trade and investment at a conference hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea. “Korea is establishing a stable investment environment by implementing various regulations, such as the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement, and expanding our global network,” Ahn stated, noting the country&#

IndustryAug. 29, 2024

Posco unveils lightweight steel pad for vertiports

Posco said Thursday that it has introduced a lightweight steel takeoff and landing pad, specifically designed for vertiports on buildings. This new vertiport landing pad is constructed from a foam deck formed by thinly shaped steel plates, making it over 60 percent lighter than traditional landing pads while still offering superior rigidity, corrosion resistance and usability, according to the company. In June, Posco's landing pad underwent rigorous testing during Lotte E&C's urban

CompaniesAug. 29, 2024

Korea Exchange raises guard against biopharma shares

The Korea Exchange, the country's sole bourse operator, has recently voiced alarm about excessive and speculative trading of biopharmaceutical stocks tied to the resurgence of COVID-19 and the spread of mpox. Retail investors' interests in pharmaceutical and biotech stocks have soared in recent weeks amid the country’s heightened caution against infectious diseases. Buoyed by short-term speculations, stock prices of some biopharmaceutical companies have experienced a sharp gain r

MarketAug. 29, 2024

SK hynix develops world's first 10-nm DRAM chip

SK hynix, the world's second-largest memory chip-maker, said Thursday it has developed the industry’s first 16-gigabyte DDR5 chip using its 1c node, the sixth generation of the 10-nanometer process technology. The success marks the beginning of the extreme scaling to the level closer to 10 nanometers in the memory process technology, according to SK hynix. SK hynix has become the first in the industry to overcome technological limitations by raising the level of completion in design,

TechnologyAug. 29, 2024

Posco International receives first credit rating from S&P, Moody's

Posco International, the trading arm of Posco Group, announced Thursday that it received its first credit rating from global credit rating agencies Standard & Poor's and Moody's on Tuesday. Posco International was assigned a rating of BBB+ by S&P and Baa2 by Moody's, with both agencies providing a stable outlook for the company's credit rating. An S&P rating of BBB- or higher is generally considered investment grade. Posco International's BBB+ rating is on pa

IndustryAug. 29, 2024

CEOs at top banks face mixed outlooks on reappointment

The terms of the CEOs at South Korea's five major commercial banks all end on Dec. 31, and speculation is mounting over their reappointments. Strong earnings across the sector, driven by high revenue and profits, may boost some CEOs' chances for an extension. However, others face uncertainty due to ongoing financial scandals and management issues, prompting regulators to call for tighter oversight. Additionally, CEOs' relationships with their respective holding group will also be

IndustryAug. 29, 2024

Hanwha Ocean scores Korea’s 1st US warship maintenance deal

Hanwha Ocean has secured Korea’s first warship maintenance project from the United States Navy, pioneering the market for the country’s maritime defense industry. According to Hanwha Ocean on Thursday, the company landed a depot maintenance contract for the US Navy’s 40,000-ton-class auxiliary ship. The company explained that the project was only open to those who had signed a master ship repair agreement (MSRA) with the US Naval Supply Systems Command. Hanwha Ocean announced i

CompaniesAug. 29, 2024

Hyundai, Kia secure financial edge with 'triple A' credit ratings

Hyundai Motor Company and Kia have paved the way for their future investment plans as they recently received triple 'A credit' ratings from the leading credit rating agencies in the world. Hyundai and Kia -- Hyundai Motor Group's two automakers -- stand as one of the only four auto brands worldwide to have all A credit ratings from Fitch, Moody's and Standard & Poor's along with Toyota, Honda and Mercedes-Benz. The Korean automakers said they plan to speed up the pus

CompaniesAug. 29, 2024

GS Group establishes cultural foundation to boost art

South Korean energy, retail and construction conglomerate GS Group announced Thursday that it has officially launched the GS Cultural Foundation, a move aimed at enriching the nation's cultural and artistic landscape. Chaired by GS Group Chairman Huh Tae-soo, the board comprises prominent figures including Kang Sue-jin, artistic director of the Korean National Ballet, Eugene H J Bang, former head of DBS Bank Korea, Rha Wan-bae, former vice chairman of GS Energy, and Lee Joon-myung, an attor

IndustryAug. 29, 2024

LG Chem opens CS center in Ohio

LG Chem, South Korea’s leading chemicals company, announced on Thursday the official opening of its new Customer Solution Center in Ravenna, Ohio, as part of its strategy to expand its presence in North America. The 8,300-square-meter, three-story facility is designed to provide comprehensive technical support to customers across the region, including product development, quality enhancement and productivity enhancement for LG Chem’s customers and suppliers. The center, which began c

IndustryAug. 29, 2024