By Nam Kwang-sik
SEOUL, Feb. 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Hanwha Chemical Co. said Wednesday that

SEOUL, Feb. 17 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's only sister appears
to be assuming increasingly strong political power in the North's regime, Seoul's

SEOUL, Feb. 17 (Yonhap) -- The United States and South Korea will hold their
annual joint military exercise next month, officials said Wednesday.

(ATTN: ADDS more remarks in para 3, 8-10)
SEOUL, Feb. 17 (Yonhap) -- An interest rate hike by the South Korean central bank

SEOUL, Feb. 17 (Yonhap) -- SKC Solmics Co., a subsidiary of leading South Korean
film company SKC Ltd., said Wednesday it will invest 32.7 billion won (US$28.60

SEOUL, Feb. 17 (Yonhap) -- LG Electronics Inc., the world's second-largest TV
maker, said Wednesday it has released a plasma-display projection (PDP) TV with a

SEOUL, Feb. 17 (Yonhap) -- The government said Wednesday it plans to assist in
the localization of vegetable seed production to improve South Korea's
agriculture competitiveness.

SEOUL, Feb. 17 (Yonhap) -- Kumho Industrial Co., a construction unit of the
ailing Kumho Asiana Group, said Wednesday it aims to win overseas orders worth

SEOUL, Feb. 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's Humax Co. said Wednesday it has started
selling a set-top box that allows viewers in Britain to see high-definition
digital TV programs.

SEOUL, Feb. 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's finance ministry said Wednesday it has
launched a mobile dictionary application for Apple's iPhone to help users better