Korea’s inheritance tax is too high compared to G7 countries, leading to the Korea discount (the undervaluation of the Korean stock market) and discouraging investment, according to a proposal to adjust it to a reasonable level in this year’s tax law revision.“Over the past 30 years, G7 countries ha
As the polarization of wages between employees of large and small companies has become a big social issue amid concerns about low growth, attention has been focused on the wages of those at large companies rising rapidly every year.The Korea Enterprises Federation (KEF) has sent out recommendation l
According to sources in the shipping industry on March 28, Gemini Cooperation, a shipping business alliance between the world’s No. 2 shipping company Maersk and No. 5 Hapag-Lloyd to go live in February next year has proposed a plan to exclude Busan Port of South Korea and ports of Japan, Vietnam, a
South Korea and Malaysia have agreed to resume negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA).The Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy announced on March 26 that Jung In-gyo, chief trade negotiator of the Ministry, met with Tengku Zafrul Aziz, the Minister of Investment, Trade, and Industry of Mal
A recovery in the influx of Chinese group tours into South Korea is becoming noticeable. Chinese tourists to South Korea have passed the pre-COVID-19 level and are getting closer to the level where they peaked in the past. New momentum in China’s recovering economy is also something that can help se
Korea’s trade surplus with the United States, which peaked in 2023, is likely to gradually shrink in the future, according to a new report.The Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade (KIET) released a report on a structural analysis of the causes of Korea’s surplus in trade with the United
Korea’s government, National Assembly and courts are pushing to raise the level of punishments for technology leakage as key personnel of companies involved in Korea’s national high-tech strategic industries are frequently leaking out along with their technology. National high-tech strategic industr
The Korea National Railway announced that it has successfully hosted the “Korea-Vietnam High-speed Railway Technology Exchange” on March 19, with the visit of the Vietnam Ministry of Transport Technical Survey Team to its Daejeon headquarters.The Korea-Vietnam High-Speed Railway Technology Exchange
Twenty years ago, the wage level of workers in South Korea was not even half of that in Japan, but now it has surpassed Japan. The wage gap between large, medium, and small-sized enterprises has further widened due to the cumulative wage increases in large companies.On March 17, the Korea Enterprise
Big South Korean companies are exiting China one after another. Business uncertainties are being fueled by fiercer competition and declining profitability in the Chinese market coupled with the U.S. government’s checks on China and policy changes by Chinese government authorities.Lotte Chemical sold
On March 13, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to ban TikTok, a Chinese video platform, from being downloaded in the United States due to security concerns. The bill was approved with an overwhelming majority of 352 votes in favor and 65 against. Europe is also engulfed in national sec
Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun met with Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a close confidant of former President Trump.According to industry reports on March 12, Chung met with Sanders during her visit to Korea and discussed possible cooperation between the two sides. He was accom
The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced on March 12 that it appointed Vice Chairman Cho Hyun-sang of Hyosung as the new chairman of the Korea-Vietnam Economic Cooperation Committee on March 11.The Korea-Vietnam Economic Cooperation Committee was jointly established by the Korea Chamber
Korea and ASEAN member countries are meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, on March 12 to assess the implementation of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and discuss measures for upgrading the agreement.The Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy announced that it will host the Korea-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement
The number of properties purchased by foreigners exceeded 15,000 in Korea in 2023, marking a new high of foreigner real estate buyers on record.According to the latest data on buyers applying for registrations of ownership transfer after purchases and sale on the court registration information plaza
The Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) announced on March 10 that they held the Korea-UAE Future Technology Partnership Plaza in Dubai of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for two days from March 6 to 8.The event was held to sho
It has been revealed that the hourly wages of domestic helpers in South Korea are more than four times higher than in neighboring countries such as Hong Kong and Taiwan. In an effort to alleviate the burden of caregiving services, which is considered one of the causes of low birth rates, the Bank of
The government has increased the budget for cash support for foreign investment from 50 billion won (US$37.64 million) last year to 200 billion won this year, marking a fourfold increase.The Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE) announced that it held the 114th meeting of Foreign Investmen
Only 14 percent of South Koreans work in large companies, versus 58 percent of Americans.Koh Young-sun, a senior research fellow at the Korea Development Institute (KDI), presented this statistic in a report titled “A Need for More Large-Company Jobs” released on Feb. 27, emphasizing the need to exp
Since taking office in early July 2022, Ongjin County Mayor Moon Kyung-bok has been busy listening to the voices of his residents. This has been producing remarkable positive results.In 2023, Ongjin County paved the way for a new leap forward, including finalizing a plan for the construction of Baek