GS Group chairman Huh Chang-soo was tapped on Thursday to head the Federation of Korean Industries, the country’s largest business organization. The FKI said its executive board and advisers unanimously nominated him as new chairman during their meeting on the day.The 62-year-old chief of the nation’s seventh largest business group had already accepted the offer, it added.  Huh Chang-sooHe will su

The bid for Brazil’s planned $20 billion bullet train venture slated for April is shaping up to be a three-way race between South Korea, Japan and Europe, a Seoul official said Thursday.The head of the Latin American country’s transport regulator ANTT Bernardo Figueiredo said this week that at least three consortia will be competing for the right to build and run a high-speed railway in country. C

Chairman SaKong calls for need to foster services industry, FTAsThe Korea International Trade Association will boost support for small and medium exporters and the services sector to help the country achieve $1 trillion trade this year, its chairman SaKong Il said Thursday.“The Korean trade industry achieved a notable result last year despite the sluggish global economy. We have become the world’s

Hyundai Heavy Industries won awards at the 2011 Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany, the world’s largest shipbuilding firm said Wednesday.The winning products were two types of HiMSEN medium speed marine diesel engine and ship monitoring system ACONIS-DS (advanced control & integration system), the firm said.The HiMSEN engine is an environmentally friendly model which boasts higher out

Incheon Airport was selected the Best Airport Worldwide for the sixth consecutive year. (Yonhap News)Incheon International Airport was selected the Best Airport Worldwide in Airport Service Quality in 2010 for the sixth consecutive year, beating rivals Changyi Airport of Singapore and Hong Kong International Airport, The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said Tuesday. It is the firs

Policymakers plan to expand financial benefits for tenants and further ease regulations to control surging housing rent prices in the country, the Ministry of Land, Transportation and Maritime Affairs said Friday.The latest set of measures is particularly targeted at reducing the deposits for “jeonse,” a Korean rent system under which tenants pay a lump-sum deposit to rent a house for a certain te

SK Innovation Co. CEO Koo Ja-young said Thursday that the firm will speed up the technology revolution and investments in new growth engines with a sales target of 5 trillion won ($4.4 billion) by 2015.The firm, parent of the nation’s biggest oil refiner SK Energy, spun-off of its petroleum and petrochemical operations on Jan. 1. Koo saw the future of the firm in world-leading technologies such as

New Minister of Knowledge Economy Choi Joong-kyung Thursday reaffirmed the government’s intent to intervene in the local refining market to contain the recent petrol price hike.“The profit margins of local oil companies are 3 percent, even after giving out salaries. Considering that they do not have many other costs, the figure is not at all small compared to those of other manufacture industries,

Policymakers, refiners argue over whether the cause is tax or profit marginsThe average price of regular unleaded gasoline in Seoul broke through the 2,000-won level for the first time in more than 30 months on Wednesday, despite the government’s recent efforts to control the country’s rising fuel prices.According to state-run Korea National Oil Corp., the price of regular unleaded gasoline on Tue

The central government plans to tighten its grip on the management of water resources nationwide in a move apparently aimed at expediting its controversial river renovation projects. The work to clean up and develop Han, Nakdong, Geum and Yeongsan rivers has been delayed by the recalcitrant provincial governments in charge of them. The Ministry of Land, Transportation and Maritime Affairs said Tue

British American Tobacco Korea said Monday it has launched Kent Boost, which offers two levels of menthol in one cigarette.The product is first of this kind in the country, according to the tobacco producer. It gives consumers an extra burst of menthol when they press the capsule in the filter, the firm said. “Kent is the second-largest premium brand globally (outside of U.S. and China) sold in ov

Korea Ginseng Corp. said Monday it will establish 11 new branches outside Korea this year as it aims to more than double its overseas sales.The firm is well-known for its 6-year-old red ginseng brand Cheong Kwan Jang, which has been increasing in popularity overseas, particularly in China, over the past few years.The firm said it will establish new branches in China, Japan, North America, Singapor

Foreign firms operating in Korea spent an average of three times more on client entertainment than local firms in 2009, while their donations to good causes were just 30 percent of the latter, a report by the national tax watchdog showed on Sunday.According to the National Tax Service report, 1,406 foreign companies in Korea spent a total of over 62 billion won ($51 million) on entertainment expen

Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co., Korea’s largest builder, said Tuesday that it has posted record high sales last year of over 10 trillion won ($ 8.6 billion), up 7.8 percent from 2009, on strong overseas orders.Earnings rose 19 percent on-year to 544.8 billion won in 2010, the firm said, thanks to gains from equity investments. Operating profit surged 39.5 percent to 584.3 billion won.“Hyun

An international consortium led by Korea Resources Corp. recently submitted a bid to develop a coal mine lot in Mongolia, the state-run resources developer said Monday.The consortium of nine Korean, two Russian and four Japanese companies seeks to obtain the right to develop the Tavan Tolgoi mine. The region has one of the world’s largest untapped deposits of coal for making steel with around 1.2

The government is looking to China and other cash-rich emerging countries to invest in Korea’s fast-growing energy, technology and service sectors.The Ministry of Knowledge Economy said Monday that Korea aims to draw more than $15 billion in foreign direct investment this year. It marks a 15 percent increase from a record-high $13 billion that arrived last year.To achieve the goal, the government

S-Oil Corp., Korea’s third-largest oil refiner, established a scholarship foundation Monday to support science studies and research, the firm said. The S-Oil Science Prodigy and Culture Foundation will offer scholarships to outstanding science or engineering university students and fund research institutes’ projects. The firm will invest 2.1 billion won ($1.8 million) in the foundation this year,

The South Korean men's doubles badminton team of Lee Yong-dae and Jung Jae-sung defended their Korea Open title on Sunday.Lee and Jung defeated Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen of Denmark in straight sets in a matter of just 33 minutes. The South Koreans took home US$94,800 with the victory.After easily taking the first set 21-6, Lee and Jung fell behind 8-5 in the second set. But they pulled even

South Korea's flag carrier Korean Air said Sunday it has altered schedules for its flights to Egypt amid raging anti-government protests there.Currently, Korean Air flies to Cairo via Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, landing in the Egyptian capital at night. But it has adjusted the schedule so that the flight will arrive at Cairo in the morning to avoid curfew there."The fl

Government and industry in dispute over whether to cut margins or fuel taxesThe government and oil refiners are at loggerheads over how to stabilize fuel prices as the nation is fighting an uphill battle to curb inflation driven by international commodities prices.Oil companies have been the key target of the government’s campaign against inflation since early January. Officials have been calling