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Category Archives: Samsung

Developed Market status and other recent business stories

21-Sep-08

Developed Market status and other recent business stories

In a week when the most developed market in the world has not particularly covered itself in glory, after years in the waiting room it was announced this week that Korea would be admitted into the FTSE club of developed markets. According to the FT (South Korea wins developed-country status, 18 Sept 2008), this could result in a net inflow of $25bn into the Korean stock market as funds which track the global developed market index rebalance their portfolios (while those that track the emerging market index sell out). The Korea Exchange has a slightly more conservative figure – $16bn (Source: Forbes.com). In the same week, it was announced that HSBC no longer wants to buy KEB - at least not at ...
Also filed in Business, In the news, KEB | | Comments (0) »

Deadly Elves and other recent tabloid stories

28-Aug-07

Deadly Elves and other recent tabloid stories

It's a while since I did a round-up of celebrity news, which means that I've almost forgotten all the things I was going to mention, and lost most of the links that I was going to use. So before things get completely out of hand, here's one of my not-so-regular posts shamelessly plundering the celebrity blogs. 1 Bada After my recent post defending Bada against the assaults of Popseoul I exchanged a few emails with the Popseoulites. They don't have an issue with her singing ability, just her sense of style. I'm coming round to their way of thinking, based on one of their more recent posts. A weird vision. And the singing ability? Well, I've now listened to Made ...
Also filed in Bada, Beauty, Celebs, Honey Lee, Jang Dong-gun, Jeon Do-yeon, Jeon Ji-hyun, Kim Yun-jin, Lee Hyolee, Rain, SG Wannabe, Super Junior, Uhm Jung-hwa, VoDs | Tagged , | Comments (0) »

Round-up of recent business stories

10-Jul-07
Some recent stories I don't want to lose. Mercer's annual cost of living survey for expats has recently been published. Seoul, last year's number 2, has been pushed to number 3 by London. Moscow stays top of the list. Tokyo is fourth. Korea is also slipping in the GDP rankings. Bank of Korea data shows that in 2005 Brazil overtook Korea in notional GDP terms, while earlier this year it was reported that Russia and India had also overtaken Korea. Latest World Bank statistics are here. As if to rub salt in the wounds, Deutsche Borse has launched the DAX Emerging 11 Index, to track the so-called "Next-11" group of emerging market countries, who, after the BRIC countries of Brazil, Russia, India and ...
Also filed in Business, Hanwha, In the news, Statistics | | Comments (0) »

An answer to Samsung’s profit woes

19-Apr-07
Samsung recently reported lower than anticipated profits for the first quarter of 2007. "While operating profit came in slightly below market consensus, this shortfall was limited to weaker than expected performance in the semiconductor business," said Lee Keonhyok of Samsung's investor relations department in a telephone conference call. "While not making any excuses, it's fair to say weak performance of semiconductors was reflected by a marketwide decline in DRAM and NAND prices." Reading through the business-speak, Samsung's lower profits are due to their being exposed to a commodity business. Where the profits are is in the value-added business. Like red laptops. I seem to be spending more and more time on my little hobby. And I can't do all my daily posts at work, ...
Also filed in Business | | Comments (2) »

The London Korean Links Awards 2006

31-Dec-06

The London Korean Links Awards 2006

In the year-end spirit of reviewing the highlights and lowlights of 2006, here are the winners of the first LKL Awards - a personal and unscientific selection. The awards are in the following categories: Man of the Year Woman of the Year Best cultural promotion: Briton in Korea Best cultural promotion: Korean in Britain Best cultural promotion: Non-Korean in Britain Best photo Best album Best book Best film London event of the year Headline of the year and some miscellaneous awards... Man of the Year I don't think there's any competition. Rain, Rain, Rain. Time's most influential entertainer, Seoul's tourism goodwill ambassador, a starring role in Park Chan-wook's latest film, a sell-out concert in New York, a Christmas eve gig in Las Vegas, a good selling album (below). What have I missed? He hasn't ...
Also filed in 2006 year-end posts, Bong Joon-ho, Business, Celebs, General book news, Humming Urban Stereo, Music: K-pop, Performance arts, Pictures, Rain, Sport | Tagged , | Comments (6) »

Samsung chief visits his favourite football club

06-Oct-06
The boss was over from Korea, so there was a Samsung management team outing to see Chelsea draw 1-1 with Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge last Saturday, according to the JoongAng Daily. Lee Kun-hee used the occasion to compare a successful business with a successful football club. "The premier league is where the best athletes in the world play and is the competition stage for creative players. Companies should also apply creative management styles," he said. "Above all, it is important to acquire and cultivate excellent talent." Careful not to mention the backhanders which are allegedly an integral part of the player acquisition process in the premier league ((and which, according to Transparency International, are a feature, albeit declining, in the Korean business ...
Also filed in Business, Sport | | Comments (0) »

Celeb news digest

01-Oct-06
By way of a Sunday colour supplement, here's a quick catch-up on some of the celeb news. In a sure sign that her modeling career is coming to an end, Lee Sabi (left) is now doing diet videos, which are selling like hot cakes in Japan. Cashing in on the success of Dae Jang Geum, another period costume drama is being made, featuring Ha Ji-won (right) as the kisaeng Hwang Jin-i. Ha finds the heavy wigs a pain in the neck. To keep up her strength, she is eating eels, which are believed to be good for stamina. Zhang Ziyi (left) has made a commercial for what appears to be Korean mineral water. She didn't need to learn many lines for it. You ...
Also filed in Celebs, Ha Ji-won, Jeon Ji-hyun, Lee Eon-jeong, Rain, VoDs | | Comments (0) »

Samsung’s $800 million apology

18-Aug-06
A recent editorial in the Chosun talked about the donation of 800 billion won by the Samsung Group, in penance for past avoidance of inheritance tax, and makes for an interesting read. Here's an extract: After the Samsung Group in May handed the Education Ministry a W800-billion (US$1=W965) scholarship fund, the foundation's entire board resigned over the weekend. That again puts into limbo the unprecedented donation announced by its chairman Lee Kun-hee to give weight to apologies over attempts to dodge inheritance and gift tax in handing control of the conglomerate to Lee's only son. "The name, project purposes and management formula of the foundation to be revised by the Education Ministry," Samsung said. Chang Sea-jin, in his 2003 book Financial Crisis ...
Also filed in Business | | Comments (1) »

Hyolee on Men’s Health cover

01-Aug-06

Hyolee on Men’s Health cover

Last week someone accused this site of being professional and serious. I know it was probably meant as a compliment, but I realise I haven't posted anything about Lee Hyolee recently. I spotted this in the Chosun recently, and I'm hoping my friend Hye-sook has taken the hint and will bring me back a copy from Korea. While trying to find the article again I came across a rather fun tabloid website covering Asian gossip, Asianbite, which has a section dedicated to Korean celebs. The post on Hyolee contains an image gallery (sample to the right), but unfortunately not the Maldives snaps from Men's Health. Following some links I came across a more dubious site. Because of the title of the ...
Also filed in Celebs, Jeon Ji-hyun, Lee Hyolee, VoDs | | Comments (0) »

Samsung - am I missing something?

16-May-06
I'm puzzled by this item on the KBS site today Samsung to Pay W1 Tln in Inheritance Tax The Samsung Group will follow the example of the Shinsegae Group in paying a trillion won in inheritance tax. A Samsung source said Tuesday that Samsung will pay at an appropriate time around a trillion won in inheritance tax associated with the transfer of the group's managerial rights to the chairman's son, Lee Jae-yong. Dismissing civic groups that said the group illegally transferred the rights, the source said no inheritance procedures have been carried out yet. The People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy said the transfer of shares and the inheritance of managerial rights are separate issues from paying taxes under law. My past experience with KBS is that ...
Also filed in Business | | Comments (0) »

Saying Sorry with cash

22-Apr-06
I haven't been following the Hyundai Slush Fund story, but Hyundai hopes to have drawn a line under it with a $1bn charitable donation. Samsung apparently adopted a similar approach to the tune of $840mn last year. Lone Star, meanwhile, is making a $100mn donation as a goodwill gesture in relation to its KEB purchase and sale. As Aidan Foster-Carter points out, Lone Star getting the cheque book out sets a grim precedent for other foreign businesses. The Herald Tribune has a good article, while the related comment in the FT (Guy de Jonquieres) has the headline: "Kow-tows in Korea do not buy public trust". Elsewhere in the FT, Anna Fifield put things in a slightly more cheerful light: "S ...
Also filed in Business, Hyundai, KEB | | Comments (0) »