Experts are anticipating that the economic growth rate for South Korea will reach 2.2 percent this year. This aligns with the forecasts presented by the government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), both indicating a 2.2 percent growth. It slightly surpasses the Bank of Korea’s projection of
Local customs officials have apprehended executives of a distribution company involved in the smuggling of U.S.-made semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) chips, classified as strategic items, into China after importing them for domestic use. This marks the first instance of customs discovering the
Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI and a key figure in the global spread of generative AI sparked by ChatGPT, is visiting South Korea on Jan. 26. This visit follows his recent proposal to shake up the industry with the establishment of a global AI semiconductor production network.According to the semicon
South Korea’s economy continued to grow slowly throughout the year of 2023 with an annualized growth rate in the low 1 percent range. Exports are expecting it to continue to improve, but a strong rebound is unlikely this year as domestic demand remains weak.The Bank of Korea (BOK) released prelimina
The Korean steel industry is preparing to file an anti-dumping case against cheap Chinese and Japanese hot-rolled steel products.The Korean steel industry led by POSCO is preparing to file an anti-dumping complaint against Chinese and Japanese steel products, according to sources in the steel indust
Com2us will launch three new games for the global game market in different genres in the first half of the year. “Our goal is to see all three new games reach top 10 in sales in the global market,” said Han Ji-hoon, head of the game industry division at Com2us.Com2us revealed the details of the thre
Starting from April of this year, foreigners and overseas Koreans must reside in the country for at least six months to be eligible for health insurance as dependent beneficiaries.According to the National Health Insurance Service on Jan. 24, a revision to the Health Insurance Act will take effect f
Korean shipbuilders have won all the orders for very large ammonia carriers (VLACs) ordered this year. The analysis suggests that Korean shipbuilders are in a strong position to win orders due to their technological prowess.A total of 15 VLACs have been ordered globally so far this year, all of whic
Since the beginning of this year, a shipbuilding battle has been heating up between seventh-ranked Hanwha Group and ninth-ranked HD Hyundai Group. After Hanwha acquired Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (now Hanwha Ocean) last year, the two groups emerged as new rivals in the shipbuilding ind
Pernod Ricard Korea, the Korean affiliate of the global liquor company Pernod Ricard Group, announced the release of its ‘Drink More Water Staff Challenge’ video on the official LinkedIn channel of Pernod Ricard, targeting the festive season of End-of-Year, New Year’s Day, and Lunar New Year, when m
Hyundai Wia announced on Jan. 24 that it signed contracts to supply a total of 1.450 trillion won (US$1.086 billion) worth of constant velocity joints with European and North American automakers in 2023.Constant velocity joints are core parts of automobiles that transmit power generated by motors or
HMM held a naming ceremony for the HMM Garnet, a 13,000 TEU container ship, on Jan. 24.The HMM Garnet, built to enhance HMM’s eco-friendly competitiveness and diversify its fleet, is the first delivered vessel of the 12 13,000 TEU container ships in contracts signed with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries
Representatives of foreign chambers in South Korea, including those from the United States, Europe, and Japan, have proposed plans for improvement to boost investment in South Korea.The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) held the “2024 Foreign Chamber Day: Meeting with Foreign Chambers in
The Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE) has announced plans to achieve a US$700 billion export target this year. To attain this goal, the ministry will tailor export strategies per market by dividing them into key, strategic and emerging categories such as the United States, China, the E
Lotte Wellfood (formerly known as Lotte Confectionery) announced on Jan. 23 that it has begun to expand its exports to Mexico and Canada by entering and selling Zero and Crispy Rolls to Costco in Mexico and Pepero to Costco in Canada.Costco is a global distribution channel that operates 872 stores w
Hyundai Motor Group running Hyundai Motor and Kia Corp. is expected to have set a new sales record in 2023. It is also expected to claim the No. 3 global position for the second consecutive year.Hyundai Motor and Kia Corp. are expected to have logged record annual operating profits of 15 trillion wo
The first round of official negotiations to improve the Korea-U.K. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) are being held in Seoul.The Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) announced on Jan. 23 that more than 50 delegates from both countries are participating in the negotiations, led by Ahn Chang
NEOPIN, a decentralized crypto banking service, announced today that it has signed a strategic business agreement (MOU) with Catalyze Research (Catalyze), a web3 and blockchain consulting firm, and Futureverse, a metaverse, artificial intelligence (AI), and infrastructure development company, to exp
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at jaemin.ahn@nhqv.com -- Ed.Mobile Device Distribution Improvement Act abolished 10 years after implementationOn Jan 22, the Korean government announced its decision to abolish three regulations closely related to public liv
The Korean automobile industry including Hyundai Motor Group and the Korean battery industry have submitted a letter of opinion in order to ask the U.S. government to allow the use of key minerals for electric vehicle (EV) batteries produced in China for a limited period of time.Hyundai Motor Group