SOUTH KOREA

Hyundai to Pay Disputed Tax: The Hyundai conglomerate bowed to government pressure in a tax dispute and agreed to pay a record $180 million, but still will seek reversal of the penalty in court, a spokesman said. The company’s decision was made after an emergency meeting of top executives presided over by founder and honorary Chairman Chung Ju-yong, said the spokesman who asked for anonymity. Hyundai originally had refused to pay. The company’s sudden turnaround was seen as an attempt to avert a growing dispute with the government, which some analysts said could endanger the future of the nation’s second largest conglomerate and affect the national economy.