Amid growing concerns about expanding trade risks in big election years in 76 countries around the world holding elections, the Korean government has decided to actively manage risk factors through a strategy meeting among industry, academia, and research centers.The Ministry of Trade, Industry and
Government officials from Korea, the United States, and Japan have met and agreed to strengthen trilateral cooperation to respond to the changing global environment, including supply chain instability and export controls.The Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) announced on Feb. 22
The Monetary Policy Board of the Bank of Korea (BOK) has decided to maintain the key interest rate at the existing level of 3.50 percent. Despite the domestic inflation rate falling to the 2 percent range, it is deemed difficult to consider it as having reached a stable level, especially considering
South Korea’s exports to China are expected to surge in 2024 due to a recovery of the IT market in China. However, South Korea is unlikely to record a large trade balance surplus as in the past due to an increase in imports of Chinese batteries and the declining competitiveness of Korean products.“I
For the first time in 25 years since the foreign exchange crisis, South Korea’s economic growth rate last year fell behind Japan. However, projections indicate South Korea is expected to outpace Japan again this year. Due to prolonged low growth, Japan’s economic size has slipped to the place of fou
The Korea Development Institute (KDI) has maintained its economic growth forecast for South Korea at 2.2 percent for this year. However, it has slightly lowered its forecast for private consumption, citing prolonged high interest rates as a contributing factor.According to the “Economic Outlook” rel
It has been revealed that the dividend payouts of major domestic companies increased by nearly 10 percent last year. Particularly noteworthy is the recent announcement by the government regarding the introduction of the “Corporate Value-Up Program” aimed at addressing the “Korea Discount,” which ref
President Yoon Suk-yeol reiterated the importance of adopting a global standard to address the “Korea Discount,” which indicates the undervaluation of the domestic stock market, during his televised speech on Feb. 7. This has sparked increased interest in low price-to-book ratio (PBR) stocks among i
The Korea Development Institute (KDI) recently evaluated the state of the South Korean economy, noting a recovery in exports but a slowdown in domestic consumption. This marks the third consecutive month that the KDI has assessed a “slowdown in domestic consumption.”On Feb. 7, the KDI assessed the e
Korea’s current account surplus reached US$35.5 billion in 2023. This was mainly because the volume of goods exports reaching a yearly high at the end of 2023.The current account surplus stood at US$7.41 billion in December, according to a December 2023 provisional balance of payments data released
Due to the strength of the U.S. dollar, the foreign exchange reserves decreased last month for the first time in three months.According to the statistics of the “Foreign Reserves as of the End of January 2024” publication released by the Bank of Korea (BOK) on Feb. 5, South Korea’s foreign reserves
The government has decided to announce measures in February to address the risk of foreign investors’ failure to settle foreign exchange payments as part of the structural improvements in South Korea’s foreign exchange market, which are set to begin in earnest in July.The plan is to manage the risks
Nine out of 10 Korean manufacturers believe that overseas carbon neutrality policies such as those in the United States and Europe affect their business operations, a survey found.According to the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), which recently surveyed 300 Korean manufacturing compani
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has raised its global economic growth forecast for this year, but lowered its economic growth forecast for South Korea. While the organization said that global trade markets such as markets of semiconductors and information technology
South Korea’s exports posted double-digit growth in January, led by a recovery in semiconductor exports.Korea’s exports totaled US$54.69 billion in January, while Korea’s imports totaled US$54.39 billion, according to the Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE).Exports increased 18 per
Last year, South Korea’s online shopping transactions nearly reached 230 trillion won (US$172.67 billion), setting a new all-time record. The surge was attributed to a sharp increase in travel demand and the unprecedented milestone of overseas direct purchases surpassing 6 trillion won for the first
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) has set a target of US$700 billion for South Korea’s exports next year, with a plan to attract US$35 billion in foreign direct investment in Korea and US$150 trillion in private investment.MOTIE Minister Ahn Duk-geun said in a briefing at the Sejong
In response to a warning from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that the Korean government’s proposed Platform Fair Competition Promotion Act (Platform Act) could violate trade agreements, the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) said that it will prick up its ears for stakeholders’ opinions.“We would like
The government aims to prevent the manipulation of treasury stocks for the enhancement of controlling stakes without additional investments. To achieve this, it has prohibited the issuance of new shares for treasury stocks during corporate spinoffs and strengthened disclosure regulations, including
The Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) announced that Trade Minister Cheong In-kyo held the 8th Multilateral Trade Strategy Meeting with the MOTIE and related ministries on Jan. 29.In preparation for the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC-13) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to