LG Uplus, Google team up for new TV service
Korean mobile carrier LG Uplus Corp. and U.S. tech giant Google Inc. said Tuesday they plan to launch a new program incorporating the two companies’ television services. The program, called “u+tv G,” will combine the No. 3 mobile carrier’s existing Internet Protocol (IPTV) service with the Android giant’s “Google TV” service, the two companies said […]
USFK mail used as drug supply line
The U.S. military postal system is being used as a supply channel for new kinds of drugs entering Korea, according to an opposition lawmaker Monday. To put the brakes on the runaway rise in drugs sent here, it is crucial the Korea Customs Service (KCS) steps up surveillance and inspections Rep. Kim Hyun-mee of the […]
‘Testosterone is the problem’
If it was called Lehman Sisters, there would have been no global financial crisis in 2008 and the U.S. investment firm would still be around, says Korea International Finance Institute CEO Kim Sang-kyung. Kim, regarded as godmother of women in the financial industry, resorts to the theory of balance to back up her assertion rather […]
Sense and sensitivity
Does it matter that Kim called Japanese crown prince royal instead of imperial? TOKYO – World Bank President Jim Yong Kim arrived in Tokyo to share ideas with policymakers on how to lift the global economy out of the gutter. However, the Korean-American physician, who took the helm of the bank in April, generated as […]
IMF calls for cooperation in Northeast Asia
TOKYO ― International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde expressed concerns Thursday that the political wrangling between Korea, Japan and China is posing a further threat to the world’s already fragile financial health. “We would hope at the IMF meetings that longstanding differences concerning territorial matters can be resolved smoothly so that economic co-operation […]
NH hits globalization path
Chairman plans to open more overseas branches, beef up project financing NH Nonghyup Financial Group Chairman Shin Dong-kyu said Thursday the group will start actively taking part in overseas project financing and opening branches overseas. “Nonghyup initially didn’t even think of eyeing the global financial business after a previous loss of some 1 trillion won, […]
Dokdo row hurts biz with Japan
A growing number of retailers, travel agencies and other businesses catering to Japanese tourists or selling goods in Japan have begun feeling the pinch of deteriorating diplomatic relations with the world’s third largest economy. Since President Lee Myung-bak made an unprecedented visit to Dokdo in August, bilateral ties between the two neighbors have hit rock […]
Samsung, Hyundai take up half of top 30 firms’ income
Korea has seen a growing gap between a few leading performers and the rest of the pack amid the prolonged global economic slump. Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors are projected to account for over half of net profits generated this year by the country’s top 30 listed firms according to analysts Tuesday. They […]
CEOs suspected of dodging audit
Questions are being asked about the recent swooping foreign trips of bosses of Korean conglomerates, for what their aides say is “business purposes.” It is particularly curious that such trips are taking place at a time when the nation-wide parliamentary audit of institutions is in progress. There is suspicion that these trips are smokescreens to […]
Singapore magnet for K-food business
All roads lead to Singapore. This is a maxim for many Korean food companies seeking successful overseas expansion. The country’s two leading bakery brands — CJ Foodville and SPC — have opened flagship stores in the city-state, testing their strength before moving on to its neighbors that include China, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines and Indonesia. […]