World Business Quick Take

■ South Korea
Exports rise 33 percent
South Korea's exports rose last month at their fastest pace in four years on sur-ging demand for semicon-ductors, computers, ships and other products from the US and China. Exports last month rose 33 percent to US$19.07 billion, the biggest increase since February 2000, and imports gained 11 percent to US$16.13 billion, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy said in a statement. The country posted a surplus of US$2.95 billion for the month, the largest since December 1998, the ministry said. "Exports rose even though there were fewer working days in January this year because of the five-day Lunar New Year holiday," the ministry said in the statement. "Overseas shipments will likely continue to show strong growth helped by economic recoveries in the US and other countries."

■ Iraq
Electricity contracts signed
Iraq Saturday hired two foreign companies to pro-vide electricity to its power-starved state-owned cement factories, which are essen-tial to the reconstruction of the country, an interim industry ministry spokes-man said. The ministry signed contracts with Tur-key's Vapa company to install power generation systems to supply 34 mega-watts of electricity to the Kufa Cement Factory, in central Iraq, the spokesman said. It also signed a contract with the Iraqi-owned, British-registered Hancock Overseas Corp to supply 35 megawatts to the Muthana Cement company, in southern Iraq, he said. The power generation systems are to be set up in June and the cement companies will buy electricity at an average price of US$0.0315 per kikowatt/hour, he said. The contracts are expected to last until the cement plants can be supplied by Iraq's national electricity grid, which might take five years, he said.

■ Publishing
Toppan expands in China
Toppan Printing Co, Japan's second-biggest printing company, plans to expand in China to try and take advantage of growing demand there for books and other publications, the Nihon Keizai newspaper reported, without saying where it got the informa-tion. The company will start by licensing the printing of magazines and books to local companies, including a state-run venture in Shang-hai, the paper said. Toppan eventually plans to print Chinese-language publica-tions sold by Japanese publishers, Nikkei reported. Toppan established a printing company in Guang-dong Province in 1993. Sales of books and other publica-tions in Japan fell 3.6 percent to ?2.22 trillion (US$21 billion) last year, declining for the seventh year in a row, while demand in China, now worth about ?1 trillion, may surpass that in Japan within four years, according to Nikkei.

■ India
Cellphone charges rise
Cellular-phone in India rose yesterday as companies recoup addi-tional payments they must make to state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, the Times of India reported, without saying where it obtained the information. India's telecommunications regulator last year proposed new charges on phone companies to compensate rivals that are required to provide below-cost services in rural areas. Telephone rates for distances in excess of 200km offered by companies that use GSM technology rose, the report said.