BRAND

• Samsung Biologics 2021 net profit up 63.3 pct to 393.6 bln won

  BRAND

  SEOUL, Jan. 24 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Biologics Co. on Monday reported its 2021 net profit of 393.6 billion won (US$329.1 million), up 63.3 percent from a year earlier.The company said in a regulatory filing that operating income for the year rose 83.5
• Samsung Biologics Q4 net income down 17.6 pct to 79.3 bln won

  BRAND

  SEOUL, Jan. 24 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Biologics Co. on Monday reported its fourth-quarter net income of 79.3 billion won (US$66.3 million), down 17.6 percent from a year earlier.The company said in a regulatory filing that operating income for the Octob
• 

  BRAND

  PM implores people to refrain from traveling during Lunar New Year over omicron

  SEOUL, Jan. 24 (Yonhap) -- Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum on Monday asked people to refrain from traveling during the Lunar New Year holiday, as the highly transmissible omicron variant is beginning to tighten its grip on South Korea. Millions of people
• 

  BRAND

  BOK successfully completes 1st phase of mock test of digital currency

  SEOUL, Jan. 24 (Yonhap) -- The Bank of Korea (BOK) said Monday it has successfully completed its first phase of a two-step mock test of the feasibility of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) as it is reviewing whether to introduce the potential ne
• 

  BRAND

  Jeju Air to adopt cargo plane for 1st time among budget airlines

  SEOUL, Jan. 24 (Yonhap) -- Jeju Air Co., South Korea's biggest low-cost carrier, said Monday it will adopt a cargo plane for the first time among local LCCs to ride out the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. Jeju Air plans to begin operating a cargo pl
• 

  BRAND

  (LEAD) Public firms to hire over 26,000 new regular workers this year: gov't

  (ATTN: REWRITES quote in para 4; ADDS more details in para 8)SEOUL, Jan. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's public institutions plan to hire more than 26,000 new regular workers this year in an effort to help buttress job creation, the finance minster
• 

  BRAND

  Biz hour curbs cause largest drop in in-person spending among all measures: BOK report

  By Koh Byung-joonSEOUL, Jan. 24 (Yonhap) -- Curbs on business operation hours have resulted in the biggest shrinkage in the "consumption of in-person services" among various antivirus measures introduced to combat the coronavirus pandemic
• 

  BRAND

  Listed firms' rights issues nearly double in 2021

  SEOUL, Jan. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korean listed companies' rights issues nearly doubled in 2021 from a year earlier, data showed Monday.Companies listed on the country's main and other stock markets raised a combined 50.6 trillion won (US$42.4
• 

  BRAND

  Public firms to hire over 26,000 new regular workers this year: gov't

  SEOUL, Jan. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's public institutions plan to hire more than 26,000 new regular workers this year in an effort to help buttress job creation, the finance minster said Monday.The move is aimed at meeting growing demand in th
• Doosan Heavy wins 160 bln-won plant order in Germany

  BRAND

  SEOUL, Jan. 24 (Yonhap) -- Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Co., a South Korean plant builder, said Monday its German subsidiary has received a 160 billion-won (US$134 million) order for a waste processing plant in Germany. Doosan Lentjes obtai
• 

  BRAND

  Kia aims to sell 25,000 Niros in S. Korea this year

  SEOUL, Jan. 24 (Yonhap) -- Kia Corp., South Korea's second-biggest carmaker, said Monday it aims to sell 25,000 units of the all-new Niro SUV model in the domestic market this year. Last week, Kia received nearly 18,000 preorders for the environm
• 

  BRAND

  Air Busan opens Busan-Saipan route amid pandemic

  SEOUL, Jan. 24 (Yonhap) -- Air Busan Co., a budget carrier unit of Asiana Airlines Inc., said Monday it has opened the Busan-Saipan route following a travel bubble agreement. On Sunday, Air Busan began to offer one flight per week on the Saipan route
• 

  BRAND

  Beer imports hit 5-year low in 2021

  SEOUL, Jan. 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korean imports of beer hit a five-year low in 2021 in the wake of a nationwide boycott of Japanese products, data showed Monday.The value of beer imports came to US$223.1 million last year, down 1.7 percent from a yea
• 

  BRAND

  Number of discouraged workers hits new high in 2021

  SEJONG, Jan. 24 (Yonhap) -- The number of discouraged workers in South Korea touched a fresh all-time high in 2021 due to a weak job market amid the prolonged coronavirus pandemic, government data showed Monday.Asia's fourth-largest economy had 6
• S. Korea decides to offer US$250 mln in low-interest loans for Egypt's railway project

  BRAND

  SEOUL, Jan. 23 (Yonhap) -- The state-run Export-Import Bank of Korea said Sunday it has decided to offer US$250 million in low-interest loans to support Egypt's national railway modernization project.The loans from the Economic Development Cooper
• 

  BRAND

  Air traffic up 11 pct last year but still below pre-pandemic level: data

  SEOUL, Jan. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's air traffic rose nearly 11 percent last year on increased domestic flights but international travel continued to falter amid the pandemic, data showed Sunday.Over 465,000 domestic and international flights
• 

  BRAND

  Exports of red pepper paste surge 63 pct in 4 years on K-pop popularity

  SEOUL, Jan. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korean exports of red pepper paste soared nearly 63 percent in the past four years thanks to the global popularity of Korean pop culture, data showed Sunday.Overseas shipments of red pepper paste, called "gochuj
• 

  BRAND

  Exports in free trade zones hit all-time high last year: data

  SEOUL, Jan. 23 (Yonhap) -- Exports by companies in South Korea's free trade zones grew 89.6 percent on-year to hit an all-time high last year, the industry ministry said Sunday.Outbound shipments came to US$10.94 billion, surpassing the $10 billi
• 

  BRAND

  (LEAD) Lotte acquires Ministop's S. Korean operations

  (ATTN: UPDATES with details in 4th para)SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- Lotte Corp., the holding company of South Korean retail giant Lotte Group, said Friday it has acquired an entire stake of Ministop Korea Co. for 313.37 billion won (US$263 million). U
• 

  BRAND

  Lotte acquires Ministop's S. Korean operations

  SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- Lotte Corp., the holding company of South Korean retail giant Lotte Group, said Friday it has acquired an entire stake of Ministop Korea Co. for 313.37 billion won (US$263 million). Under the deal, Lotte will take over 2,60