[THE INVESTOR]  Korea Electric Power Corp.’s ratio of operating profit to sales hovered above Samsung Electronics in the first half of 2016, an opposition lawmaker said on Oct. 10.According to the data compiled by Rep. You Dong-soo of the Minjoo Party of Korea, KEPCO’s ratio of operating profits to sales in the January-June period came to 37.48 percent, hovering far above 24 percent posted by Samsung and 9 percent posted by US tech giant Apple.Industry watchers said KEPCO’s strong profit is attr

[THE INVESTOR] KOSPI closed higher at 2,056.82, up 3.02 points (0.15%) from the previous trading day, on Oct. 10. 　

[THE INVESTOR] KOSDAQ closed lower at 674.74, down 1.16 points(0.17%) from the previous trading day, on Oct. 10. 　

[THE INVESTOR]  Hyundai Motor has agreed to compensate repair costs of about 885,000 Sonata sedans in the United States that would resolve a class action lawsuit over the sedans’ alleged engine failure. The affected vehicles included Sonata sedans from the 2011 and 2014 models equipped with Theta II 2-liter or 2.4-liter gasoline engine.Hyundai also agreed to extend the engine warranty for 10 years or 120,000 miles for the Sonata owners.The lawsuit was filed with a California federal court in Apr

[THE INVESTOR] KOSDAQ opened higher at 676.02, up 0.12 points(0.02%) from the previous trading day, on Oct. 10. 　

[THE INVESTOR] KOSPI opened lower at 2,047.19, down 6.61 points (0.32%) from the previous trading day, on Oct. 10. 　

[THE INVESTOR] GM Korea is recalling certain model years of the Spark electric vehicle sold here for issues related to the air bag control software, the Transport Ministry said on Oct. 7.The recall affects 376 Spark electric vehicles produced between July 5, 2013 and July 26, 2016.Due to a defect in the control unit’s software, the front air bags may fail to deploy while the car’s seat belt pretensioner may also fail to work properly, the ministry said in a press release.Free repair services are

[THE INVESTOR] KOSDAQ opened higher at 685.96, up 1.63 points(0.24%) on Oct. 7. 　

[THE INVESTOR] KOSPI opened higher at 2,065.95, up 0.65 points (0.03%) on Oct. 7. 　

[THE INVESTOR] South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics predicted on Oct. 7 that it's third-quarter earnings in 2016 may reach 7.8 trillion won (US$6.98 billion). It is a 5.55 percent rise on year amid the still ongoing global recall of the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone with a faulty battery. Compared with the previous quarter, the July-September period profit is estimated to fall 4.18 percent. Sales are estimated to fall 5.19 percent on year to 49 trillion won(theinvestor@heraldcorp.com) 　

[THE INVESTOR] KOSDAQ closed lower at 684.33, down 1.11 points(0.16%) on Oct. 6. 　

[THE INVESTOR] KOSPI closed higher at 2,065.30, up 12.30 points (0.60%) on Oct. 6. 　

[THE INVESTOR] A group of South Korean scientists have found a whole-genome sequencing of a Korean individual, raising hopes for plotting a new course to develop drugs that cater to the genetic architecture of Koreans. The new research by Seoul National University’s Genomic Medicine Institute and biotech venture firm Macrogen was published by the scientific journal Nature on Thursday.Titled “De Novo Assembly and Phasing of a Korean Human Genome,” the research team said its findings “represent th

[THE INVESTOR] South Korean firms sharply scaled down equity and bond sales in August, confronted with unrelenting uncertainties at home and abroad, government data showed on Oct. 6.They raised 7.87 trillion won (US$7 billion) by selling stocks and bonds last month, down 27.6 percent from a month earlier, according to the Financial Supervisory Service.Equity and debt issues fell by 19 percent and 28.1 percent, respectively. The issuance of ordinary corporate bonds plunged 75.6 percent to 340 bil

[THE INVESTOR] South Korea’s foreign exchange reserves rose slightly from a month earlier in September, central bank data showed on Oct. 6. As of the end of September, the country’s forex reserves came to US$377.77 billion, up $2.31 billion from the previous month, the Bank of Korea said in a statement.Forex reserves consist of securities and deposits denominated in overseas currencies, as well as International Monetary Fund reserve positions, special drawing rights and gold bullion.The country’

[THE INVESTOR] KOSPI opened higher at 2,069.30, up 16.30 points (0.79%) on Oct. 6. 　Samsung Electronics gained 4.76% percent following news reports that  US hedge fund Elliott urged business restructuring at the Korean tech giant in a letter to the board on Oct. 5. (theinvestor@heraldcorp.com)

[THE INVESTOR] KOSPI opened higher at 2,069.30, up 16.30 points (0.79%) on Oct. 6. 　

[THE INVESTOR] KOSDAQ opened higher at 686.69, up 1.25 points(0.18%) on Oct. 6. 　

[THE INVESTOR]  Prosecutors said on Oct. 5 they will seek the criminal extradition of a former head of Oxy Reckitt Benckiser amid an ongoing probe of the firm’s deadly products that claimed many lives here.Under the plan, the prosecutors will seek to bring Gaurav Jain, an Indian national residing in Singapore who currently works for Britain-based Reckitt Benckiser, to South Korea to further the investigation.Prosecutors said they will provide translated investigation records as well as an arrest

[THE INVESTOR] KOSPI closed lower  at 2,053.00, down 1.86 points(0.09%) on Oct. 5.