THE JAPANESE AND KOREAN STOCK MARKET ROSE BY 2% AFTER SK HERCULES' PERFORMANCE

ON 29 JULY, KOREA ' S KOSPI INDEX OPENINGS ROSE BY 1.2 PER CENT, AND SK HERCULES BY 2 PER CENT, FOLLOWING THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT BUSINESS PROFITS HAD SOARED IN THE SECOND QUARTER THAT THEY HAD FALLEN SHORT OF EXPECTATIONS; AND SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS BY 3 PER CENT. THE 225-DAY LONGITUDE INDEX IS OPEN TO 0.18 PER CENT. KIM XIAN