South Korea's Hyundai Motor's has emerged as the best-selling car brand in Chile, outpacing Chevrolet, local data showed Sunday.Hyundai sold a total of 31,398 automobiles last year, more than the 28,886 recorded by the US carmaker, according to the data from Chile's auto association ANAC. An image of cars made by Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors (Yonhap)Hyundai's sales marked a 22.2 percent surge from the 25,700 posted in 2015.The performance was spurred by the local debut of new models, such as the

South Korean shares are likely to remain in a tight range this week as the US dollar is showing signs of continued strength against the Korean won, analysts said Saturday.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index closed at 2.049.12 points on Friday, up 1.2 percent from a week ago. Foreign investors remained net buyers of local stocks for an eighth consecutive session.The country‘s foreign exchange market saw increase in volatility this week, after the minutes of the Federal Reserve’s Decem

Samsung Electronics Co. showcased a Bluetooth speaker and mobile printer at an annual technology fair in Las Vegas, saying they would provide an easier way to stay connected with smartphones. The "Level Box Slim" Bluetooth speaker and the "Image Stamp" mobile printer "add new levels of convenience and fun to users' smartphone interactions, making it easier to enjoy a favorite song, moment or memory with those they care about," Samsung said in a statement.  Level Box Slim (Samsung)The two mobile

South Korea‘s major discount store chains have again raised the prices of eggs as the nation is struggling to contain its worst outbreak of bird flu, according to company officials on Saturday. Eggs have been in short supply after the country culled a record 30 million poultry following the first confirmation on Nov. 18 last year. Starting Saturday, Homeplus raised the retail price of 30 eggs by 9.6 percent to 7,990 won ($6.67) at its 142 stores. Homeplus has increased the egg prices five times

Brokerages have cut their price targets on shares of Korean Air after the airline announced its plan to sell new shares worth 450 billion won ($376.1 million). Korean Air said this week that the new stocks will be sold at 20,450 won each. After the stock offering, the amount of stocks traded on the local stock market will rise to 95.95 million from the current 73.95 million, it said. Analysts said the debt-to-equity ratio of Korean Air would jump on losses related to foreign exchange rates, desp

The youngest son of Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn was arrested on Saturday for assaulting bar employees while under the influence of alcohol.A Seoul court earlier issued a warrant for the police to arrest Kim Dong-seon, 27, the youngest of Chairman Kim’s three sons.  Kim Dong-seon, the third son of Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn, is interrogated at Gangnam Police Station in Seoul on Jan. 5, 2017, after allegedly assaulting two bar employees and destroying a patrol car while being es

Foreign companies operating in South Korea accounted for nearly 14 percent of the country‘s overall corporate tax income in 2015, the national tax agency said Sunday.Multinational firms, reaching only 1.5 percent of the country’s 673,374 companies at the end of 2015, earned a combined 664 trillion won ($555 billion) and paid a total of 5.3 trillion won in corporate tax that year, data from the National Tax Service showed.  In this photo taken on Oct. 17, 2016, jobseekers are in consultations wit

South Korea's single-earner families suffered declines in their income for the first three quarters of last year as companies cut wages and jobs amid a prolonged economic slowdown, government data showed Sunday. Single-income families earned an average of 3.71 million won ($3,100) in the third quarter ended Sept. 30, down 1.6 percent from 3.77 million won a year earlier. In the first and second quarter, their on-year income fell 2.6 percent and 0.1 percent, respectively, according to data from S

In an all-out effort to overcome the ongoing political ramifications affecting the entire business arena and survive economic uncertainty, heads of South Korean conglomerates set a new vision Monday, calling for change and innovation.In the face of unprecedented political turmoil that raised questions to businesses’ alleged clandestine dealings with President Park Geun-hye and her aides, the business leaders emphasized the need to restore customer trust by improving corporate social responsibili

BEIJING (AP) -- China on Tuesday handed back to the United States an underwater drone it had seized last week in an incident that raised tensions in a relationship that has been tested by President-elect Donald Trump's signals of a tougher policy toward Beijing.Trump has riled the Chinese leadership by saying he might reconsider US policy toward Taiwan, the self-ruled island the mainland claims as its territory. The Chinese navy vessel that seized the drone returned it near where it was seized,

A 40-year-old man enters a hall full of graffiti and loud music. People in vibrant tracksuits throw curious glances at him. He strolls past and opens a door to his left -- where his crew awaits. When he greets them, they immediately stop and bow -- he is their boss.This is not a scene from a gangster flick. They belong to a financial company in Seoul, and they gather every weekend for a month each year to learn to dance, all in the name of team spirit. More Koreans have begun to learn entertainm

The Seoul Western District Court on Wednesday dismissed a libel suit filed by the son of late President Roh Moo-hyun against a Hongik University law professor on charges of insulting the late president in his class.The professor, identified by his surname Lyou, had included in his U.S. contract law class exam last year a question which included the sentence: “Roh was 17 years old and his IQ was 69. He suffered brain defects caused by his jumping from the Owl Rock at age six.” Roh Gun-ho (Yonhap)

The number of people seeking domestic violence counseling in South Korea soared by 1.7 times since 2012, data showed Wednesday.According to the Women’s Human Rights Commission of Korea, domestic violence accounted for 58 percent or 159,081 out of 274,226 cases of emergency phone counseling last year. The corresponding figure was 42.6 percent or 94,985 cases in 2012.  (123rf)A majority of the calls involved physical abuse, with 127,565 cases, or 80.2 percent of the total, and was followed by emot

Former Interior Minister Chong Jong-sup, who announced his candidacy for the April parliamentary elections, came under fire Wednesday for having resumed his position at Seoul National University Law School. Faced by criticism that this may infringe upon students‘ rights, however, he immediately announced his resignation.  Chong Jong-sup announces his bid to run in Donggu of Daegu for the April parliamentary election on Jan. 25. (Yonhap)Chong, who had taken a leave of absence upon taking his mini

President Park Geun-hye refused to accept orchids sent by the main opposition party’s interim leader Kim Jong-in to celebrate her 64th birthday on Tuesday, an icy gesture to the former architect of her economic policy.The Minjoo Party of Korea said that it tried to send the flower to Cheong Wa Dae around 9 a.m., but received a call some 50 minutes later from the presidential office that she will “respectfully decline.” Two more attempts to send the orchids were also turned down. The flowers that

Professor Seo Kyoung-duk said Tuesday that he distributed an animated advertisement on Facebook that criticized Japanese leader Shinzo Abe for his recent remarks denying forceful nature of the country’s sexual slavery of Korean women during World War II.“Abe has restarted a distortion of history. Alerting the whole world of such an attempt, and pressuring Abe via public opinion, is important in preventing (Abe) from twisting history,” said Seo, a local professor. An excerpt from Seo’s advertisem

Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung on Tuesday denied allegations that he instructed city government officials to conduct an illegal election campaign before the official campaigning period via social media. The local election is slated to be held in 2018.Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung (Yonhap)The National Election committee Monday said it had requested police in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, to investigate Lee on a tip-off from a civil group last August. Investigators said they have yet to specify charges a

The president of state-run English language broadcaster Arirang TV has offered to resign, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Tuesday.According to the ministry, Arirang TV chief Bang Suk-ho offered his resignation to Park Min-gwon, the first vice minister of culture, the night before. Bang is embroiled in a scandal over alleged misuse of public funds during his business trip to the United States last September. Rep. Choi Min-hee of the main opposition The Minjoo Party of Korea claim

Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday that it appointed Kim Dong-jo, senior officer at the Foreign Ministry’s department of policy planning and coordination, as its new spokesperson for foreign press.“The new spokesperson joined the office as of today,” said an official connected to the senior presidential secretary for public affairs.Having passed the state Foreign Service Examination in 1998, Kim worked in the ministry’s multilateral trade cooperation department and the protocol affairs department, as

Two Chinese nationals were arrested Wednesday under charges of violating South Korea‘s immigration control law. They were apprehended for illegally entering the country through Incheon International Airport last week.The married couple was caught on Jan. 25 in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. They had gotten past four different stages of security at Korea’s largest airport on Jan. 21.The Justice Ministry’s Immigration Service said that the two individuals, who are both of Korean descent and