JEONJU -- South Korean football coach Shin Tae-yong said Wednesday staying in the same hotel with the team's group stage opponents ahead of the FIFA U-20 World Cup will not pose a big problem.The U-20 World Cup kicks off Saturday and will run until June 11 in six local cities -- Cheonan, Daejeon, Incheon, Jeonju, Suwon and Jeju. The young Taeguk Warriors are in Group A with Guinea, Argentina and England at the 24-team tournament, and all four teams landed in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, on Mon

South Korean stocks traded 0.14 percent lower late Wednesday morning, led by losses in brokerage and utility firms, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index slipped 3.25 points to 2,292.08 as of 11:20 a.m. NH Investment & Securities, a leading brokerage house here, dropped 1.8 percent, with state-run utility firm Korea Electric Power Corp. falling 1.7 percent.But large-cap tech and auto companies edged up. Top-cap Samsung Electronics added about 0.08 percent and leading

The labor ministry said it ordered Samsung Heavy Industries Co. to partially suspend operations after a fire broke out at its shipyard in the southeastern port city of Geoje on Wednesday. (Yonhap)The blaze, which began from a cooling installation at 10:07 a.m. was extinguished around 10:30 a.m., according to firefighters.No casualties were reported. The Ministry of Employment and Labor ordered Samsung Heavy to partially suspend operations near the site where the fire took place. The shipbuilder

South Korea's exports of information and communications technology products rose at the fastest clip in nearly seven years in April on brisk global demand for semiconductors and displays, government data showed Wednesday.A total of $15.55 billion worth of Korean-made ICT products were shipped overseas last month, up 24.2 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. (Yonhap)It marked the highest on-year growth since August 2010 when mo

Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp., South Korea's two biggest carmakers, said Wednesday they have sold more plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in overseas markets this year due to good consumer demand for the latest green cars.In the January-April period, Hyundai and its sister company Kia exported a combined 2,090 PHEVs mainly to advanced markets where ctomers' environmental awareness is relatively high compared with less developed countries, according to the companies' data.  A model poses w

Two former South Korean football stars said Wednesday they hoped the youth national team will go deep into the upcoming FIFA tournament at home -- even beyond where they'd gone more than three decades ago.Shin Yon-ho and Kim Jong-boo were pivotal in South Korea's joining the final four at the 1983 FIFA World Youth Championship -- now known as the FIFA U-20 World Cup -- in Mexico. South Korea met Uruguay in the quarterfinals of the 1983 tournament and were tied 1-1 after regulation play. Shin the

Cash-strapped Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., a major shipyard here, is set to receive 500 billion won ($448 million) in fresh loans from its creditors later this month, industry sources said Wednesday.The financial aid, part of the second bailout fund drawn up by its creditors, will be spent on payments to subcontractors and to employees, they said.In March, the creditors led by the KDB announced a fresh rescue package for the ailing shipbuilder that has been suffering from severe

Samsung Electronics Co. is set to release the flagship Galaxy S8 in China this month, industry sources said Wednesday, amid hope that the device will help revitalize its brand reputation tainted by the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 in Asia's No. 1 smartphone market.Industry watchers said the South Korean tech giant will hold an event to showcase the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus in China on Thursday. The official release is presumed to be slated for May 25. (Yonhap)The flagship devices already went

Samsung Electronics Co. may emerge as the world's No. 1 player in the chip industry by beating its archrival Intel Corp. in the second quarter, industry watchers said Wednesday.The rise of the South Korean tech giant is significant as the US firm has been the leading player in the chip industry since 1991.  (Yonhap)According to industry tracker IC Insights, Samsung may post sales of $14.9 billion in the second quarter, up 7.5 percent on-year. The figure would hover above the estimated $14.4 bill

South Korea's credit card spending jumped nearly 14 percent in March from a year ago on higher oil prices and a rise in the number of outbound travelers, data showed Wednesday.Credit card purchases totaled 66.4 trillion won ($59.5 billion) in March, up 13.7 percent from the same month a year earlier, according to the data from the Credit Finance Association. The surge was attributed largely to increased consumer prices, including oil costs, and higher demand for South Koreans' overseas trips.&qu

South Korea's export prices hit a record eight year high in April due to strong demand for electric and electronic products as well as petrochemicals, central bank data showed Wednesday.In local currency terms, export prices rose 8.7 percent on year last month, according to preliminary data provided by the Bank of Korea. The dollar came to an average of 1,132.73 won in April, down 0.2 percent from a month earlier the latest findings showed.For exporters, the won's gain means decreased income as

Foreign investors remained net buyers of South Korean stocks for the fifth consecutive month in April, government data showed Wednesday. Offshore investors bought a net 1.26 trillion won ($1.12 billion) worth of South Korean stocks last month, according to the data by the Financial Supervisory Service.   Boosted by foreign buying and healthier corporate earnings, South Korea's main stock index has rallied in recent sessions. In comparison, foreign investors bought a net 3.29 trillion w

South Korean stocks opened lower Wednesday, driven by a fall in major steelmakers and insurance companies, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index was down 6.01 points, or 0.26 percent, to trade at 2,289.32 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Top steelmaker Posco slipped 1.3 percent and No. 1 insurer Samsung Life Insurance lost 1.7 percent. But shares of tech blue-chips moved upward. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics added 0.17 percent, with smaller rival LG Elect

Attendees at this week's ceremony to mark a pro-democracy uprising in 1980 will be allowed to sing a controversial protest song in unison for the first time in nine years, the war veterans' ministry said Wednesday.President Moon Jae-in last week ordered the song "March for the Beloved" to be officially sung by all participants at an annual ceremony to mark the May 18 pro-democracy movement.(Yonhap)In 1997, the government designated the day as a national memorial day to mark the pro-democracy upr

The FIFA U-20 World Cup will kick off on Saturday, with South Korea eyeing to deliver their best performance to date at home.Under the slogan "Trigger the Fever," the U-20 World Cup will be played until June 11 in six local cities -- Cheonan, Daejeon, Incheon, Jeonju, Suwon and Jeju. South Korea was named the host of the 2017 U-20 World Cup in 2013 after edging out Azerbaijan in a vote during a FIFA Executive Committee meeting.Members of South Korea's squad for the FIFA U-20 World Cup pose for a

North Korea has "ample technical reason" to carry out yet another nuclear test as the regime seeks to develop a reliable intercontinental ballistic missile that can deliver nuclear weapons, a US nuclear scientist said.Siegfried Hecker, a Stanford University professor known for having a first-hand look at North Korea's uranium-enrichment facility during his 2010 visit, also said in an interview with the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists that it's imperative for President Donald Trump and South Ko

Former US National Security Advisor San Rice said Tuesday the US should foc on increasing pressure on North Korea, accing President Donald Trump of "vacillating" between threatening to e military force against the North and praising its leader."We can't allow Twitter wars to become shooting wars," Rice said during a speech at the Center for American Progress's "Ideas Conference." "So, instead of vacillating between reckless saber-rattling and dubbing Kim Jong-Un a 'smart cookie,' we should stead

INCHEON -- Former Dutch Olympic speed skating champion Bob de Jong arrived in South Korea on Tuesday to begin his tenure as an assistant coach of the national team here.The 40-year-old was appointed to the post by the Korea Skating Union on April 26. He will be tasked with working with the skaters for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, the first Winter Games to be held in South Korea.In this EPA file photo taken on Nov. 22, 2014, Bob de Jong of the Netherlands reacts after winning the men's 1

Hyundai Merchant Marine Co., a major shipping firm here, will be able to achieve a turnaround during the second half of next year given its improving financial status and business conditions, its chief said Tuesday."Our business is quickly getting back on track helped by improving business and financial conditions," Hyundai Merchant chief executive Yoo Chang-keun said in a meeting with junior-level employees. (Yonhap)On Monday, Hyundai Merchant reported that its operating loss narrowed to 131 bi

India has slapped anti-dumping duties on South Korean steel products for five years to better protect its homegrown industry, the country's trade promotion agency said Tuesday. "India has aggressively expanded its steel plants to meet growing local demand and increase exports. Steel imports from countries like South Korea, China and Japan have also jumped in recent years due to global oversupply," said a spokesman at the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency. "The Indian government began to ta