Seoul/ AP Kia Motors Corp., South Korea’s second-largest automaker, posted a solid first-quarter net profit on Wednesday on the back of a weaker Korean won and strong demand for its SUVs and motorhomes. Net profit stood at 944.6 billion won ($822.7 million) during the January-March period, up 4.6 percent from a year earlier, the company said in a regulatory ...

  Seoul / AFP An extended export slump and weakening domestic consumption saw South Korea’s economic growth slow in the first quarter, despite record low interest rates, the central Bank of Korea said. Asia’s fourth largest economy expanded 0.4 percent in the January-March period from the previous quarter, and 2.7 percent compared to a year earlier.On-quarter growth in the final ...

  THE HAGUE / AP Royal Philips says an international arbitration panel has ordered Japanese company Funai Electric Co. to pay the Dutch electronics firm $152 million compensation over a breach of contract. Philips launched the arbitration proceedings in 2013 after terminating a $200 million deal to transfer to Funai its audio, video and media accessories unit and license the ...