The delinquency rate of South Korean banks' won-denominated loans edged up in April from a month earlier due to a slight rise in new non-performing loans, government data showed Thursday. The rate for bank loans more than 30 days overdue stood at 0.54 percent at the end of April, up from 0.51 percent at the end of March, according to the data by the Financial Supervisory Service. Compared with a year ago, however, the rate was down 0.1 percentage point, it said. "In April, newly delinquent

RAS AL KHAIMAH, United Arab Emirates -- South Korea football coach Uli Stielike on Thursday defended his choice of using experimental tactics against Iraq in a friendly match that ended with a scoreless draw.South Korea, ranked No. 43 in the latest FIFA rankings, were held to a 0-0 draw by No. 120 Iraq in a friendly match at Emirates Club Stadium in Ras Al Khaimah, the United Arab Emirates, on Wednesday. This match was a tune-up for South Korea's upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifier against Qatar i

RAS AL KHAIMAH, United Arab Emirates -- South Korea played to a scoreless draw with Iraq in a men's football friendly match here on Wednesday. South Korea tested their players and tactics against Iraq at Emirates Club Stadium in Ras Al Khaimah, the United Arab Emirates, but failed to collect a victory with no shots on target. This match was a tune-up for South Korea's upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifier against Qatar in Doha next Tuesday.South Korean forward Son Heung-min (right) takes a shot agai

South Koreans have one of the gloomiest economic views in the world, with 84 percent saying the fourth-largest Asian economy is in bad shape, a US survey showed Wednesday.South Korea had the second-most negative views, with only 15 percent saying their economy is in good condition, the Pew Research survey found. Greece had the most downbeat views, with 98 percent responding negatively about the country's economy.The survey polled 34,788 respondents in 32 countries from Feb. 16 to April 28."

Samsung Heavy Industries Co., a major shipyard here, is likely to win a $1.5 billion deal to build a total of 12 articulated tug barges, industry sources said Wednesday.According to the sources, Samsung Heavy has signed a letter of intent with SeaOne for the deal which calls for the construction of the barges that will carry compressed gas. (Yonhap)Negotiations are still underway to finalize the deal, the observer said. Details of the potential deal have not been disclosed.If the deal goes smoot

South Korea's special forces troops in the United Arab Emirates will cheer for the national football team against Iraq in a friendly match here on Wednesday.South Korea, led by head coach Uli Stielike, will take on Iraq at the 5,200-capacity Emirates Club Stadium in Ras Al Khaimah at 9 p.m. Wednesday (local time), or 2 a.m. Thursday in Seoul. This match is a tune-up for South Korea's upcoming World Cup qualifier against Qatar in Doha next Tuesday. South Korea's national football team coaching st

South Korean stocks closed lower Wednesday as investors were taking a wait-and-see approach over global events, including the general election in Britain, analysts said. The Korean won fell against the US dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 8.48 points, or 0.36 percent, to 2,360.14. Trade volume was moderate at 370 million shares worth 6 trillion won ($5.33 billion), with losers slightly outnumbering gainers 406 to 405.Analysts said the sluggish trading came as investors

Kia Motors Corp. on Wednesday unveiled rendered images of its new subcompact sport-utility vehicle "Stonic" before its launch next month.  Kia Motors, the country's second-largest carmaker by sales after Hyundai Motor Co., plans to launch the compact SUV in the domestic market in July to absorb a growing demand for small-sized recreational vehicles, the company said in a statement.   A rendered image of the front of Kia's Stonic SUV (Kia Motors)The maker of the K5, K7 and K9 sedans aims to beef

South Korea's top carmaker Hyundai Motor Co. said Wednesday it will work with Chinese technology giant Baidu, Inc. to develop a navigation system for its vehicles that will be sold in the world's biggest auto market. Hyundai and Baidu will jointly develop "Baidu MapAuto" and a voice recognition system called "Duer OS Auto" so the two systems can be incorporated in the carmaker's two new models to be launched in China later this year, the company said in a statement. In this photo taken on June 7

The organizers of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Paralympic Games on Wednesday announced the ticket prices for the multisport competition for disabled athletes, with the average price reaching 30,000 won ($26). The PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games said a total of 280,000 tickets will be on sale. The organizers expect to generate 4.2 billion won from ticket sales, with 70 percent of them sold in South Korea. (Yonhap)The POCOG said tickets for snow sport

Hyundai Asan Corp. said Wednesday it will offer a new cruise package from the southern port city of Busan starting next month. The 75,000-ton Costa Victoria, which can carry up to 3,000 people, will make the first departure from a port in Busan, some 453 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on July 27 for a five-day round trip to Japan, the tourism company said.  (Yonhap)The ship is equipped with various entertainment facilities, including an outdoor swimming pool, a duty-free shop, restaurants and a

Foreign investors purchased a net 530 billion won ($474 million) worth of stocks on South Korea's tech-heavy Kosdaq market in May, the most in 13 years, local data showed Wednesday.The amount is the third-largest monthly net buying by offshore investors in the secondary Kosdaq market after 1.01 trillion won tallied in February 2000 and 723.4 billion won in April 2004, the Korea Exchange said. Foreign investors concentrated on buying IT and semiconductor shares.  Foreign investors bought 1.0

South Korean stocks traded nearly flat late Wednesday morning as major blue chip shares traded mixed amid profit-taking.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 1.93 points, or 0.08 percent, to 2,366.69 as of 11:20 a.m.Tech giants traded mixed, with top cap Samsung Electronics falling 0.9 percent, while flat panel maker LG Display shot up 2.36 percent.Logistics shares gained ground, with Hyundai Glovis moving up 0.97 percent and flag carrier Korean Air advancing 3.05 percent.The loca

Jamie Romak, a midseason acquisition for the SK Wyverns in the Korea Baseball Organization, likes it in South Korea so much that he is hoping for a long stay here.In just 23 games after replacing Danny Worth, Romak has smacked 11 home runs and knocked in 23 runs. He's a key cog of the home run-hitting machine that is the Wyverns, who are leading the KBO with 99 home runs, a whopping 40 more than anyone else.Romak might have had a chance to join the big leagues this year, but he chose the KBO bec

A South Korean defender will visit a Japanese football club later this week to apologize for his violent actions during the Asian Football Confederation Champions League match last month, his club said Wednesday.Jeju United said Baek Dong-gyu will visit Urawa Red Diamonds to personally apologize to Yuki Abe, whom he elbowed during a melee in the AFC Champions Leagued round of 16 second leg at Saitama Stadium in Saitama, Japan, last Wednesday. (Yonhap)"Baek wanted to meet Abe in person to apologi

The growth of real income of South Koreans has risen at a slower pace than that of economic growth over the past five years, government data showed Wednesday.The average real income of local businesses with at least five employees was 3.39 million ($3,000) per month last year, up 2.8 percent from a year earlier, according to the data by the Ministry of Strategy and Finance and the Ministry of Employment and Labor. It is on par with the country's real gross domestic product growth that stood at 2

Unfair intra-affiliate transactions by business conglomerates rose by 23.1 percent last year, despite the government's efforts to clamp down on such business practices that are considered unfair ways to help such companies, industry data showed Wednesday.According to the data by corporate tracker CEO Score, the value of unfair in-house transactions by 91 affiliates of conglomerates rose by 1.4 trillion won ($1.2 billion) from two years ago to 7.9 trillion won last year. (Yonhap)The total value o

Sales of imported vehicles in South Korea fell 0.5 percent last month from a year earlier on lower demand for diesel models, industry data showed Wednesday. The number of newly registered foreign cars fell to 19,380 in May from 19,470 a year earlier, the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association said in a statement.  (Yonhap)Sales of diesel-powered vehicles fell 19 percent to 9,952 units last month from 12,238 units a year earlier, it said. "South Korean customers bought fewer dies

Kia Motors Corp.'s Soul multipurpose car has ranked as the third best vehicle for seniors among 25 models checked, a US product evaluation publication said Wednesday.The Soul trailed Subaru's Forester and Outback in the Consumer Reports' "Top 25 New Cars for Senior Drivers," which were picked after an assessment of such senior-friendly features as front-seat access, visibility, control and headlights. A file photo of Kia's Soul EV multipurpose vehicle (Yonhap)"There is more to the boxy Soul than

RAS AL KHAIMAH, United Arab Emirates -- South Korea football coach Uli Stielike will try to get a boost of confidence and find the best combination for a crucial FIFA World Cup qualifier next week when his team faces Iraq in a friendly in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.South Korea will take on Iraq at the 5,200-capacity Emirates Club Stadium in Ras Al Khaimah at 9 p.m. Wednesday (local time), or 2 a.m. Thursday in Seoul. This match is a tune-up for South Korea's upcoming World Cup qualifi