South Korean stocks traded lower late Wednesday morning as institutions offloaded large-cap stocks in an apparent move to lock in profits, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 5.26 points, or 0.22 percent, to 2,069.44 as of 11:20 a.m.The Seoul index had opened higher on Wall Street gains. On Tuesday (local time), the S&P 500 increased 2.45 percent to finish at a record-high and the Dow Jones industrial average was up 0.44 percent. The Nasdaq Composite Index also

South Korean exports of information and communication technology  products increased for the seventh month in a row in May on brisk overseas sales of semiconductors and displays, government data showed Wednesday.A total of $15.4 billion in Korean-made ICT products were shipped overseas last month, up 17.4 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning.(Yonhap)May's overseas shipments of ICT products posted a double-digit on-year in

The European Commission has decided not to impose extra duties on purified terephthalic acid products sold by South Korean manufacturers following a months-long probe into dumping allegations, the foreign ministry said Wednesday.The European Union's executive body launched the investigation into South Korean PTA products, mostly used in making polyester, in August 2016 amid allegations raised by European rivals that they were being sold at lower-than-market prices.  The commission recently

South Korea will host the 2018 World Firefighters Games, a major international sporting event for firefighters, in the central city of Chungju in September next year, government officials said Wednesday.The Sept. 10-18 games, also known as the "mini-Olympics for firefighters," are expected to bring together about 6,000 full-time, volunteers, industrial, military fire service personnel and their families from 50 countries worldwide. This file photo shows firefighters taking part in the 2010 World

Six builders newly made the list of South Korea's top 500 companies by sales in 2016 on the robust real estate market, with Samsung Electronics Co. retaining its No. 1 spot, a corporate tracker said Wednesday.A total of 32 companies, or 6.4 percent of the total, were newly included on or excluded from the list last year, with the building and construction materials industry becoming the biggest gainer with six new entrants, according to CEO Score.(Yonhap)The car and auto parts industry posted th

Automakers in South Korea are expected to vie fiercely for a bigger slice of the market for subcompact sport utility vehicles following Hyundai Motor Co.'s entry into the fast-growing segment, analysts said Wednesday.In an extravagant rollout in Seoul, South Korea's leading automaker Hyundai unveiled its first subcompact SUV Kona in an effort to bolster its SUV lineup amid growing demand for recreational vehicles.  Hyundai's move comes amid surging sales of subcompact SUVs in the country, led by

Foreign investors remained net buyers of South Korean stocks for the sixth straight month in May, with their holdings of local stocks hitting a new high, data showed Wednesday. Offshore investors were also net buyers of South Korean bonds in the past five months, according to the data by the Financial Supervisory Service.  Foreign investors snapped up a net 2.1 trillion won ($1.8 billion) worth of South Korean stocks last month. Foreigners held a total of 581.2 trillion won worth of South K

Former National Basketball Association Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins will visit South Korea next month, officials here said Wednesday.Sportswear manufacturer Adidas will bring Wiggins, who is with the Minnesota Timberwolves, to South Korea from July 21 to 24.Adidas said the Canadian basketball star's visit is solely designated for South Korean fans as he will not make a stop in other Asian cities.  (Yonhap TV)"It's meaningful that Wiggins will visit only for South Korean fans, and it's not j

A seemingly endless series of North Korean military provocations and escalating war threats notwithstanding, hopes remain high for better days ahead for sports exchanges on the divided Korean Peninsula.And an upcoming cross-border visit by North Korean taekwondo athletes is expected to further fuel optimism.On June 23, the North Korea-led International Taekwondo Federation  will bring a demonstration team to South Korea, via Beijing, for the World Taekwondo Federation World Taekwondo Championshi

The National Assembly is set to hold confirmation hearings for three minister nominees Wednesday, amid political friction over President Moon Jae-in's controversial personnel choices.The separate hearings for Democratic Party Reps. Kim Boo-kyum, Kim Young-choon and Do Jong-hwan -- the nominees for the interior, maritime and culture ministers, respectively -- are expected to be another political battleground as opposition lawmakers vowed tough vetting.(Yonhap)Their appointments do not require par

South Korea has suffered their worst defeat against Qatar as they failed to end an away drought in the final World Cup qualifying stage.South Korea fell 3-2 to Qatar in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2018 World Cup at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha on Tuesday (local time). With only two matches remaining in the final round, South Korea maintained second place in Group A, the last spot for automatic qualification, with 13 points from four wins, a draw and three losses, but failed to e

DOHA -- South Korea suffered a stunning 3-2 loss to Qatar in their World Cup qualifying match here on Tuesday, as their hopes of advancing to the quadrennial tournament remained in limbo.Hassan Al Haydos scored twice and set up another at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, where South Korea submitted yet another listless effort at both ends.Ki Sung-yueng and Hwang Hee-chan got a goal apiece for South Korea in the second half to erase a 2-0 deficit before Al Haydos broke the tie in the 74th.South Korea ar

By losing to underdogs Qatar 3-2 in their latest World Cup qualifier in Doha Tuesday (local time), South Korea squandered a precious chance to take a step closer to football's showpiece event.Once again hurt by shoddy defense and aimless offense, South Korea went down 2-0 before an hour was up. They rallied with two straight goals, scored eight minutes apart in the second half, before Qatar got the go-ahead goal in the 74th to stun the visitors at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. South Korea head coach

South Korea's jobless rate dropped slightly in May as Asia's fourth-largest economy shows some signs of recovery, government data showed Wednesday.The unemployment rate stood at 3.6 percent last month, down 0.1 percentage point from the same month last year, according to the report compiled by Statistics Korea. From a month earlier, it fell 0.6 percentage point. The number of employed people reached a record 26.82 million in May, up 375,000 from a year earlier.The unemployment rate for young peo

South Korea national football coach Uli Stielike said Wednesday his future on the bench is "not in my hands" after a stunning defeat to Qatar in the FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, hinting at his tenuous job status.South Korea fell 3-2 to Qatar in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2018 World Cup at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha on Tuesday. With only two matches remaining in the final round, South Korea did maintain second place in Group A, the last spot for automatic qualification,

DOHA -- Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean attacker Son Heung-min suffered a broken right forearm during a FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Doha on Tuesday, a major setback for a team in a dogfight for survival.Son injured his arm against Qatar at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, where South Korea lost 3-2.With South Korea trailing 1-0, Son got up in the air to battle defender Mohammed Musa for the ball in the 30th minute but landed awkwardly on his right arm. He stayed down on the pitch for a few minu

WASHINGTON -- The United States issued a cyber security alert Tuesday against North Korean hacking attacks, calling Pyongyang's malicious cyber activities "Hidden Cobra."The joint alert from the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation also provided technical details on the tools and infrastructure used by the North to target the media, aerospace, financial and critical infrastructure sectors in the United States and globally.(Yonhap)"If users or administrators det

WASHINGTON -- The American college student just freed from a long detention in North Korea is in a coma, his parents were quoted as saying Tuesday, a surprise that could further complicate the already tense relations between the two countries.Otto Warmbier, a 22-year-old University of Virginia student, was released after 17 months of detention in the communist nation. His parents later told the Washington Post that their son was being transported on a US military plane in a coma. The parents wer

Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., a troubled shipbuilder here, said Tuesday that it plans to sell 793 billion won ($702 million) worth of new stocks in a bid to strengthen its financial status.In a regulatory filing, Daewoo Shipbuilding said the new stocks will be sold at 40,350 won apiece to the state-run Korea Development Bank and others, including Woori Bank.(Yonhap)The trading of Daewoo Shipbuilding stocks has been suspended since July last year, due to its impaired capital base.

South Korean stocks rebounded on Tuesday as institutional buyers scooped up tech shares such as market kingpin Samsung Electronics and panel maker LG Display, despite overnight Wall Street losses due to a slide in tech shares, analysts said. The Korean won fell against the US dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index advanced 16.83 points, or 0.71 percent, to close at 2,347.38. Trade volume was moderate at 316 million shares worth 5.56 trillion won ($5.1 billion), with gainers far o