Business Brief: South Korea | International Business News ...

Conversis? business briefs are a series that give you a quick summary of the social, political, economic and cultural news that you need to be aware of if you?re doing business in a foreign country.

Here?s a snapshot of the information you get in a business brief.

Is South Korea a good country to do business in now?

While there are good investment opportunities in South Korea, the current political stand-off with North Korea makes it a risky venture.

Here?s why.

In May 2010 an international investigation found North Korea guilty of torpedoing a South Korean navy vessel, which resulted in the deaths of 46 sailors. Tensions rose quickly following the announcement of the finding and all trade and co-operation between the neighbouring states ceased. Following almost a decade of friendlier relations between the two states, North Korea?s reluctance to deal with President Lee Myung-bak has seen a deterioration of inter-Korean relations since the president?s inauguration in 2008. A series of North Korean missile tests in 2009 were seen as hostile by South Korea and its nuclear ambitions remain a concern to both South Korea and the international community. With the death of the North Korean President Kim Jong-il there is huge uncertainty about what is to come from and therefore now would not be the best time to do business there.

South Korea is Asia?s third largest and the world?s 13^th largest economy and excels in technology and manufacturing. However, it has high level of foreign debt held by the country?s banks have left them exposed to the fallout from the global credit crisis.

Fast Facts:

Population: 48.8 million

Language/s: Korean

Religion/s: None (49%) Christian (26%) Buddhist (23%)

Land area: 99,720 square km

Currency: South Korean won (KRW)

Capital: Seoul

Internet domain: .kr

International dialing code: +82

Innovation ranking: 11 (out of 82 countries)

Economic indicators:Real GDP growth: 4.5 GDP per capital (US$): $16,866

Economy

It achieved one of the strongest recoveries among OECD countries following the global credit crunch of 2008-09, despite concerns about its banks? high level of debt, but growth slowed in 2010. According to the OECD, however, growth has picked up in 2011 owing to a recovery in world trade. Inflation has increased significantly, partly owing to higher oil and commodity prices. Output growth is expected to moderate in 2011 and 2012 and will help bring inflation back into the central bank?s target range of 2 per cent to 4 per cent. The South Korean economy?s long term challenges include a rapidly aging population, inflexible labor market, and heavy reliance on exports ? which comprise half of GDP.

Politics

South Korea is a flourishing, multi-party democracy. After gaining its independence from Japan following World War II, South Korea was ruled by the military until 1987, when a multi-party system was implemented. In 1993, Kim Young-sam became the country?s first civilian leader, and the current president, Lee Myung-bak, is the first former businessman to rule South Korea. He took office in February 2008 following an historic victory margin and his Grand National Party took control of parliament after elections in April 2008.

Doing business

When conducting business in South Korea, remember the following few guidelines:

• Personal relationships are important. First meetings will be strictly personal. You will get to know each other before any business is conducted. Several meetings may take place before business begins.
• Have many cards printed in English and Korean. Cards are exchanged with two hands. Comment on the card before putting it away.
• You should always take gifts from your home country, but do not make them extravagant or overly expensive.
• A slight bow or a handshake is common courtesy on meeting. Always support your right forearm with your left hand when shaking hands. Western women should offer their hand first.
• Social harmony is very important in Korea. Respect must always be shown and loss of face avoided at all times. Watch out for non-verbal cues to communicate disagreement.
• Punctuality is essential, but expect your Korean counterparts to be a few minutes late.
• Korean names begin with a family name, followed by a two-part given name. Always address people with Mr, Mrs or Miss and their family name.

Read more:

Read Business briefs: South Korea plus 16 other business briefs here

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Source: http://internationalbusinessblog.conversisglobal.com/2012/02/03/business-brief-south-korea/

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Pop Up Spam Blocker | ato-wsu.com - Mcleodsang315's blog

Published by witter | February 1, 2012 | | 8

When you navigate online, there are many pop up windows that open suddenly, interrupting your activity. There are good and bad pop ups, and a pop up spam blocker needs to be able to correspond to this variation. For instance, most large pictures that you may try to access online, open in the form of pop up windows. If you are well familiar with the pop up spam blocker, the choice of settings with the optimal protection level should not be a problem.

There are detailed instructions for the usage of the pop up spam blocker, and they should help you set the functions at a good level of blockage. The main goal of the software consists of preventing the opening of advertisements. Some pop ups are vital for web navigation while others become a real pest you can?t get rid of. And here is where the difficulty of designing a generally valid pop up spam blocker comes from.

Can the software distinguish between bad and good pop-ups? Hard to tell and almost impossible to achieve in terms of present-day technology.

A good idea is to get a tool that can learn while you navigate online. The web surfer closes pop up windows that he/she does not want to view, by the set features of the pop up spam blocker. As you select the pop-ups to be blocked, the tool creates a list that will be used in further Internet applications. The blocking options are possible by choosing a limit on the number of open windows, a block list with keywords or by selecting an 100% pop up blocking mode. Moreover, some pop up spam blocker programs incorporate privacy protection technologies that don?t allow for home page resetting while also protecting your proxy settings.

It is advisable to get a pop up spam blocker that works for both automatic and manual settings.

In order to control the closing or opening of certain programs, you may unlock the setting or access the tool menu to set the new feature. Pop-up ads are also blocked by using Google and Yahoo toolbars. As long as the features are active and you use the web browser in question, you get protection.

Tip: Visit Daniel?s blog now and discover how an email spam blocker can help you avoid just about all spam in your Inbox.

Source: http://www.1directory.net/internet-and-businesses-online/pop-up-spam-blocker-1874.html

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Tags: optimal protection, Pop, pop ups

Source: http://ato-wsu.com/82/pop-up-spam-blocker/

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Source: http://mcleodsang315.typepad.com/blog/2012/02/pop-up-spam-blocker-ato-wsucom.html

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Rapper vs. Romney: Change your tune

Music video by K'NAAN performing Wavin' Flag. (C) 2010 OctoScope Music, LLC

By now, we?re all publicly aware of Mitt Romney?s interest in music, but there?s one artist who won?t be getting his support. Canadian-based rapper K?naan recently tweeted: ?Yo @mittromney I am K?naan Warsame and I do not endorse this message,? following Romney?s use of ?Wavin? Flag? during his Florida primary victory speech.
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And if a public shaming on Twitter isn?t enough, K?naan told MTV News yesterday that even if Romney?s campaign asked for permission to use the song, he ?would certainly not have granted it.? K?naan added that he would give the Obama campaign permission if they wanted to use his music.
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Mitt Romney isn?t the only presidential candidate this season feeling the music industry?s heat: Rude Music Inc., which is owned by Frank M. Sullivan III of Survivor, filed a lawsuit on Monday against Newt Gingrich for using Survivor?s ?Eye of the Tiger? during campaign appearances dating back to 2009. Michele Bachmann was met with opposition from Katrina and the Waves for using ?Walking on Sunshine,? as well as a lawsuit from Tom Petty for using ?American Girl? at an event. In the past, Petty also sent a cease-and-desist order to George W. Bush for using ?I Won?t Back Down? at rallies.
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The Republican party seems to have a history of butting heads with recording artists. In 2010, Talking Head?s David Byrne filed a $1 million lawsuit against Florida Governor Charlie Crist who used the band?s single ?Road to Nowhere? during his re-election campaign without permission. As part of the settlement, Crist was forced to write, film and publish a public apology to Byrne.
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During the 2008 presidential election, Jackson Browne sued John McCain for using ?Running on Empty,? and John Mellencamp asked the McCain campaign to stop using his song ?Our Country.? The McCain-Palin camp was also confronted by ABBA, John Hall, Heart, Van Halen and the Foo Fighters.

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It wasn?t just McCain during 2008 that rumbled with the music industry. Sam Moore of the R&B duo Sam & Dave issued a cease-and-desist letter to Barack Obama for using ?Hold On, I?m Comin?? during his campaign.

Not that it hurt the now-president. Shortly after Obama stopped using Moore?s song, Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am and dozens of celebrities recorded ?Yes We Can? in support of Obama. The video was viewed millions of times leading up to the election and became an anthem for the Obama campaign.

Hollywood clearly isn?t adverse to tangoing with politics. The Vote for the Change tour in 2004 featured Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews and the Dixie Chicks, gave proceeds from the tour to support Democratic nominee John Kerry, and other big Hollywood fundraisers in the past have supported Bill Clinton and Al Gore.

Why do politicians use songs on the campaign trail anyway? Would the ?right? song help them better connect with the voters? And what would make a politician not ask for permission to use a song, given the tentative-at-best relationship between artist?s work and political affiliation? Isn?t it good for the artist either way to gain exposure?

Source: http://mojoe.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/02/10301454-canadian-rapper-to-romney-i-do-not-endorse-this-message

there will be blood

Photo of Nigerian Widows Receiving Micro-Finance Assistance ...

Praise God for providing aid to these widows! These Nigerian women lost their husbands due to the violence of radical Muslims. Thankfully, ICC is providing them with micro-finance assistance and training so they may start up small businesses and earn a sustainable income. Thank you all for your support and donations to help these faithful women!

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Click here for the full story.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 at 1:00 pm and is filed under Updates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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Source: http://www.persecution.org/2012/02/01/photo-of-nigerian-widows-receiving-micro-finance-assistance/

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How the major stock indexes fared on Tuesday (AP)

Stocks closed slightly lower for the day, but it was the best January performance for the Dow Jones industrial average and the S&P 500 since 1997. Yields for ultra-safe U.S. government debt fell to their lowest level in four months as investors around the world waited for Greece to nail down a deal to reduce its crushing debt.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 20.81 points, or 0.16 percent, to close at 12,632.91.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 0.6 point, or 0.05 percent, to 1,312.41.

The Nasdaq composite gained 1.9 points, or 0.07 percent, to 2,813.84.

For the week:

The Dow is down 27.55 points, or 0.22 percent.

The S&P 500 is down 3.92 points, or 0.3 percent.

The Nasdaq fell 2.71 points, or 0.1 percent.

For the year so far:

The Dow is up 415.35 points, or 3.4 percent.

The S&P 500 is up 54.81 points, or 4.4 percent.

The Nasdaq is up 208.69 points, or 8 percent.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/stocks/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120131/ap_on_bi_ge/us_wall_street_box

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Paul: Immigration not solved by barbed wire, guns (AP)

LAS VEGAS ? Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul outlined his views on immigration Wednesday, saying he favors a compassionate policy that doesn't rely on "barbed-wire fences and guns on our border."

Paul spoke to several dozen people organized by Hispanics in Politics, Nevada's oldest Hispanic community group. The Texas congressman has scheduled several days of campaigning in Nevada before the state's caucuses Saturday.

Paul went into much greater detail on immigration policy than he has at most of his campaign stops. He typically steers clear of discussing rights for specific groups of people, insisting that his libertarian-leaning views apply to everyone as individuals.

But in Nevada, which is 26 percent Hispanic, Paul outlined an immigration policy far outside the Republican mainstream.

Paul blasted politicians who blame immigrants for causing the country's economic problems. He compared the situation to Nazi Germany's targeting of Jews in the 1930s.

"When things go badly, individuals look for scapegoats," Paul said. "Hispanics, the immigrants who have come in, are being used as scapegoats."

Paul said he doesn't support illegal immigration and said people who break the law should be punished. But he said he opposes any effort to round people up and ship them away.

"If an individual is found to be breaking the law, serious consideration should be given for them to return. But I would think 99 percent of people who come here come because they believe in the American dream," Paul said to applause.

Paul decried a punitive border policy, which said offended his belief in individual liberty.

"The one thing I have resisted and condemned: I do not believe that barbed-wire fences and guns on our border will solve any of our problems," he said.

Paul also said he was against laws that require immigrants to carry proof of legal status. He says he doesn't want to live in a country where people are required to carry identity papers.

"You say, `Well, this is only for illegals.' That's a bunch of baloney," Paul said. "How do you sort out illegals from legals? Unless you put papers and identification on everybody."

Hispanics in Nevada have favored Democrats over Republicans in recent election years ? a full 74 percent of Hispanics supported President Barack Obama in 2008 over GOP rival John McCain.

But Fernando Cortes, Paul's director of Hispanic outreach in Nevada, said many Hispanic voters had shown interest in Paul's message.

"They're always pandered to by the left and ignored by the right," Cortes said of Hispanic voters. "They're very motivated by the wanting of freedom back and a sound economy."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120201/ap_on_el_pr/us_paul

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US Steel 4Q loss narrows, revenue rises 12 percent

PITTSBURGH (AP) ? U.S. Steel says its fourth-quarter loss narrowed, as strong demand for its pipes from the oil industry boosted its sales.

The company also says it expects first-quarter results to be improved from fourth-quarter levels.

U.S. Steel says it had a net loss of $226 million, or $1.57 per share, in the last three months of 2011, compared with a loss of $249 million, or $1.74 per share, in the same quarter in 2010.

Excluding charges including $51 million in losses tied to foreign currencies, the company says its adjusted loss is $164 million, or $1.14 per share. Analysts polled by FactSet expected a narrower loss of 85 cents per share.

Revenue is up 12 percent to $4.82 billion from $4.3 billion, while analysts expected $4.74 billion.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-01-31-Earns-US%20Steel/id-ce504bf2562248a6a18030fcd4febd25

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