The United States said Friday that it is keeping South Korea on its list of countries to be monitored for currency practices.    The US Treasury Department named 11 other countries, including China and Japan, on the monitoring list in its semiannual report to Congress.    It, however, said none of the countries were found to have purposefully intervened in currency markets for unfair gains.    "Pursuant to the 2015 Act, Treasury has also established a Monito

South Korean stocks are likely to continue to face volatility next week as investors take to the sidelines amid the spreading omicron strain of the coronavirus.    The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) closed at 2,968.33 points Friday, up 1.09 percent from 2,936.44 points a week ago.    The KOSPI plunged Monday and Tuesday in the wake of the first confirmed cases of the omicron variant of COVID-19 in South Korea and other countries, fanning concerns majo

South Korean stocks advanced for a third consecutive session Friday, backed by strong foreign buying. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) rose 23.06 points, or 0.78 percent, to close at 2,968.33 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 478 million shares worth some 10.1 trillion won ($8.6 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 807 to 95. Foreigners bought a net 157 billion won and institutions purchased 89 billion won, whi

State-run Industrial Bank of Korea CEO Yoon Jong-won recently met with corporate clients and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development officials in Europe, while inspecting potential markets the bank is eyeing to enter, the firm said Friday. The meetings and site visits took place during his weeklong business trip to Poland, the United Kingdom and France from Nov. 23-30. In Poland, Yoon visited two factories and met with corporate clients to lend an ear to the troubles they ha

Online shopping in South Korea hit a record high in October on the back of solid demand for food delivery services and electronic goods amid the COVID-19 pandemic, data showed Friday, in the latest sign that a growing number of people are using computers and mobile devices to buy things, ranging from clothes to electronic goods. The value of online shopping transactions stood at 16.9 trillion won ($14.35 billion) in October, up 21.7 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from Statis

South Korean stocks opened lower Friday as health authorities strengthened virus curbs amid spiking cases and the potential spread of the highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) had fallen 15.16 points, or 0.51 percent, to trade at 2,930.11 points as of 9:15 a.m. Stocks got off to a lackluster start, as the government has decided to limit private gatherings to six people in the capital area and eight in other regions for fou

South Korea's foreign reserves shrank for the first time in five months in November due to a decline in the dollar-converted value of assets denominated in other foreign currencies, central bank data showed Friday. The country's foreign reserves came to $463.91 billion as of end-November, down $5.3 billion from the previous month, according to the data provided by the Bank of Korea (BOK). This marked the first time in five months that the foreign reserves have shrunk. The decline stemmed part

New home permits in South Korea surged more than 24 percent in the first 10 months of the year amid high housing prices, government data showed Friday. Construction permits issued for new homes came to 405,704 units in the January-October period, up 24.4 percent from a year ago, according to the data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. New construction permits in the South Korean capital of Seoul spiked 54.7 percent to 70,578 over the cited period. New home permits issued

SEJONG -- The growth in consumer prices posted the highest in almost a decade last month with prices of daily necessities such as diesel and agricultural products surging, sparking concerns over its impact on households. Statistics Korea said Thursday that consumer prices climbed 3.7 percent on-year in November, which marked the highest increase since the 4.2 percent growth in December 2011. Consumer prices increased over 3 percent for the second consecutive month, following a 3.2 percent gro

South Korean stocks rallied for second straight session Thursday on the back of strong foreign buying. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) increased 45.55 points, or 1.57 percent, to close at 2,945.27 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 523 million shares worth some 11.8 trillion won ($10 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 756 to 139. Foreigners bought a net 886 billion won, while retail investors sold 915 billion

South Korean stocks opened lower Thursday, tracking overnight losses on Wall Street that stemmed from worries about the global outbreaks of the omicron variant of the coronavirus. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 9.42 points, or 0.32 percent, to 2,890.3 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks came off to a weak start, led by foreign and institutional sell-offs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average retreated 1.34 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite de

South Korea's consumer prices rose at the fastest pace in nearly 10 years in November due to surging energy costs and high prices of farm products, data showed Thursday, underscoring a build-up in inflationary pressure amid economic recovery. The consumer prices increased 3.7 percent in November from a year earlier, accelerating from a 3.2 percent on-year gain in October, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. Consumer inflation rose 0.4 percent in November from a month ago. It m