Samsung Electronics Co., the country's top market cap, is still undervalued and has further room to rise down the road given its strong earnings, analysts said Sunday.But some fund managers remained cautious, projecting its earnings cycle may take a turn for the worse.Samsung, the world's largest manufacturer of smartphones, has risen 61.74 percent for the past one year, providing a floor under the country's stock market. On Friday, Samsung closed at 2,279,000 won ($2,000) on the Seoul bourse, a

Choo Shin-soo of the Texas Rangers has reached double figures in home runs for the first time in two years.Choo hit a two-run blast off Seattle Mariners reliever Dan Altavilla in the Rangers' five-run sixth inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington in Texas on Saturday (local time).Choo, who batted leadoff and played in right field, also hit a single in the second for a 2-for-5 day at the plate, helping the Rangers to a 10-4 victory.Choo is now batting .261 with 10 home runs and 32 RBIs.The 34-year

South Korean companies' earnings for the second quarter of the year are forecast to be higher than earlier expected on the back of improving business conditions, industry data showed Sunday.According to the data compiled by industry tracker FnGuide, the combined operating income of 155 major listed firms here are estimated at 41.37 trillion won ($36.5 billion) for the April-June period, up 5.7 percent from the earlier projection made three months earlier. The second-quarter operation income esti

Ryu Hyun-jin of the Los Angeles Dodgers has beaten the Cincinnati Reds in a return match for his third win of 2017.Ryu improved to 3-6 after holding the Reds to two earned runs in five innings in the Dodgers' 10-2 victory on Saturday (local time) at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.Ryu scattered eight hits while striking out seven and walking two. He lowered his ERA from 4.42 to 4.35.Six days earlier, the Reds touched Ryu for three home runs in four innings in one of the left-hander's wors

South Korea's mobile carriers are keeping a watchful eye on possible moves by the government to cut subscription costs for telecom services that will impact their earnings, indtry watchers said Sunday.The Ministry of Science, ICT, and Future Planning will hold a session with the State Affairs Planning Advisory Committee, the de facto transition team of the new government, on Monday to review President Moon Jae-in's campaign pledge to cut telecom service fees. The fees have received flak for unne

A looming US rate hike this week appears unlikely to exert a negative impact on South Korea's bond market, experts here said Tuesday.The US Federal Reserve is widely expected to raise its key rate by a quarter of a percentage point to a target range of 1 to 1.25 percent. In March, the Fed also raised its key rate by a quarter of a percentage point. Experts said the local bond market may become more sensitive to the rate change in the short-term, though the bond market is unlikely to suffer any m

South Korea's auto exports rose for four months in a row in May on an upturn in global demand, government data showed Tuesday.The total value of vehicles shipped overseas reached $3.51 billion last month, up 3.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The number has remained in positive terrain since February when it rebounded to a 5.3 percent rise from a 4.8 percent fall in the previous month.Total vehicles shipped abroad also c

LG Chem Ltd, a leading South Korean battery maker, denied a media report Tuesday that it has reached a 7 trillion-won deal to supply electric vehicle batteries to Volkswagen AG.In a regulatory filing, LG Chem, also the country's top chemical firm, said it has not signed any contracts with the German carmaker, adding that it has been conducting a slew of joint projects with global carmakers.(Yonhap)A local newspaper reported earlier in the day that LG Chem secured the mega deal, beating Chinese r

South Korea's major offline life insurers have emerged as major players in the country's online life insurance market, data showed Tuesday, as they focused marketing activities on savings-type policies, which life planners shun due to low commissions.Kyobo Lifeplanet Life Insurance Co., an Internet arm of Kyobo Life Insurance, became the largest online life insurer with the initial premium payments of 1.28 billion won ($1.1 million) during the first three months of this year, up 45 percent from

Nearly 6 out of 10 South Koreans who traveled abroad this year used foreign or budget carriers, industry data showed Tuesday, amid rising demand from budget-conscious travelers. According to the data by Hana Tour, the country's No. 1 travel agency, low-cost carriers and other foreign airlines accounted for 57 percent of all overseas tour programs sold from January to May.The departure lobby is crowded with outbound travelers at Incheon airport, west of Seoul, as many people take advantage of ext

South Korea's top carmaker Hyundai Motor Co. said Friday it is recalling nearly 600,000 cars sold in the United States for faulty parts.Hyundai Motor America plans to recall 437,400 Santa Fe SUVs and161,000 midsize Sonata and luxury Genesis sedans for problems with hood latches and parking brake warning lights, the company said, confirming the announcement by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA). (Yonhap)There have been no reported accidents or injuries related to the f

South Korea is expected to face difficulty in achieving an annual economic growth of 3 percent in the coming years as consumption is crimped by the aging population and rising household debts, a Bank of Korea board member said Friday.Cho Dong-chul also voiced worries that the country's economy could move in the direction of the long-drawn slump seen by Japan in the 1990s.The central bank has predicted that the nation's economy could grow 2.6 percent this year, compared with 2.8 percent growth re

Korean Air Lines Co.'s passenger jet made an emergency landing at an airport in southern Japan due to smoke in the cockpit, the company said Friday.There were no injuries or damage caused by the incident, the Korean flag carrier said in a statement.The B737-900 jet left the port city of Busan at 09:11 a.m. and was expected to arrive at Fukuoka on Kyushu Island at 10:31 a.m. This captured image from Japan`s largest broadcaster NHK shows fire trucks and Korean Air Line`s B737-900 jet at Fukuoka ai

Hankook Tire Manufacturing Co., the world's seventh-biggest tiremaker by sales, said Friday it has begun exclusively supplying threads for BMW's M4 GT4 racing car.BMW Motorsport has selected Hankook Tire's Ventus Race tires as original equipment (OE) for the M4 GT4 equipped with a 3.0-liter turbo engine and a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, the company said in a statement.The new BMW M4 GT4 made its debut in the ADAC Zurich 24-hour race at the Nurburgring in Germany last month, running on

SsangYong Motor Co.'s new G4 Rexton SUV displayed solid driving characteristics and comfort on the road Friday, as the carmaker expands its lineup of off-road capable passenger cars.  In a mix of urban, motorway and off-road driving that covered 120 kilometers, the G4 Rexton SUV proved itself as a capable and very stable performer helped by its sturdy body-on-frame architecture referred to as "Quad Frame" and 20-inch threads.Even at speeds hitting 140 kph on the motorway, wind and road noise lev

South Korean pharmaceutical companies are poised to release a series of important drugs in the second half of this year that could change the existing market, industry sources said Friday. Kolon Life Science's Invossa, a gene drug for osteoarthritis, will receive an approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety later this month at the earliest, according to sources. This would make it the world's first medicine for the degenerative joint disease.  This file photo taken on Aug. 23, 2016, sho

South Korea's nuclear safety commission said Friday that it has decided to permanently stop operations of an aged nuclear power plant located in the southeastern region of the country. South Korea`s Gori nuclear power plant in northern Busan (Yonhap)The closure of the Gori-1 nuclear power plant will be effective from June 19 and its disassembling process will start in earnest from 2022, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission said after a meeting.It is one of the oldest nuclear power plants i

South Korean stocks traded higher late Friday morning, setting a new record during the session.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) shot up 19.92 points, or 0.84 percent, to 2,383.49 as of 11:20 a.m.The figure reached 2,384.21 at one point, setting a new record in terms of during-session numbers.Tech shares continued to gain ground, with Samsung Electronics advancing 2.66 percent and No. 1 chipmaker SK hynix advancing 2.29 percent.Top portal operator Naver also shot up 5.73 pe

South Korean venture firms on Friday welcomed the government's plans to establish a new ministry supporting small and medium-size startups, expressing hope that the new entity will concentrate on technology and growth potential rather than sales and financial stability in rendering assistance.During the election campaign, President Moon Jae-in pledged to launch a ministry-level government entity dedicated to championing local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to help create jobs and better cop

South Korea's major hospitals are serving special meals for foreign patients as a growing number are receiving treatment in the country, observers said Friday.Kyunghee University Hospital in Gangdong, southeastern Seoul, held a gathering Friday showcasing a different variety of meals for Russian patients that featured menus for diabetic and gastrectomized patients, and meals for those who want traditional Korean food.(Yonhap)South Korea became the third most popular destination for Russians goin