A Chinese state-run think tank expressed the view that South Korea’s concerns sparked by China’s recent withholding of customs clearance for urea exports from China to South Korea can be resolved through friendly negotiations.“Two years ago, during a urea shortage situation in South Korea, China urg
The new regional head of the Hyundai Motor’s labor union, the largest single union in the country, has pledged to introduce a “4-day workweek” starting next year. This commitment has reignited the debate over reduced working hours, often described as a “hot potato” in the industry.On Dec. 6, Hyundai
SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, who visited Washington, D.C., on Dec. 4 (local time) reiterated his proposal for the formation of a trilateral economic union, saying, “If South Korea and Japan develop into a single market-type economic partnership like the European Union, it will not only create tre
The government is opening up industrial research and development (R&D) to foreign institutions to discover and develop key technologies in areas vulnerable to becoming weak links in South Korea’s flagship industry value chains, such as “technology critical for leapfrogging,” “next-generation growth-
The U.S. Department of the Treasury is set to announce detailed regulations on “Foreign Entities of Concern” (FEOC), which excludes some companies from electric vehicle tax incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), on Dec. 1 (local time). The South Korean battery industry is closely monito
Last year, one out of every 10 couples who got married in Korea was found to be multicultural. While the total number of marriages is on the decline in Korea, the number of multicultural marriages is rebounding, and the proportion of multicultural couples is on the uptick.The number of multicultural
The proportion of local land and homes owned by foreigners showed an increase in the first half of this year. Chinese nationals had the highest ownership percentage of homes, while land ownership was predominantly American.According to statistics released by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and
The small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector is urging the swift passage of the “Business Succession Support Act” currently under consideration in the National Assembly, advocating for businesses to opt for continuity rather than closure. This comes as numerous companies consider closure inste
In 2024, 165,000 foreign workers will enter Korea on non-professional work visas (E-9). This will be the highest number ever. The industries they can work in will also be expanded to include restaurants, mining and forestry.The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced the decision in a meeting of
The proportion of young adults aged 19 to 34 living alone surpassed 20 percent as pf 2020, more than three times the rate 20 years ago. The unmarried rate among young adults, which stood at 54.5 percent in 2000, has skyrocketed to 81.5 percent in just two decades. Consequently, it is anticipated tha
The government has decided to extend financial market stabilization measures, currently operating at a scale of 37.4 trillion won (US$28.77 billion), until the end of next year. Additionally, flexibility measures in financial regulations, such as the banks’ liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) and the res
With Chinese authorities set to begin controlling graphite exports, a key raw material for anode materials for batteries, in December, they held an event with Korean companies only to explain how they will enforce their export control policy.This was the first time China, which has played the weapon
Prosecutors have embarked on a search and seizure operation targeting the CEO of Hyundai AutoEver and others.The Fair Trade Investigation Division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office announced that they have been conducting search and seizure operations at a total of four locations, in
As a result of President Yoon Suk-yeol’s visit to the United States for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, four American companies, including General Motors (GM) and DuPont, have decided to invest a total of US$1.16 billion in South Korea.The Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy
Prosecutors have demanded a five-year prison sentence and a 500 million won (US$386,581) fine for Lee Jae-yong, chairman of Samsung Electronics, indicted on charges of unfairly intervening in the merger of Samsung C&T and Cheil Industries to facilitate a succession of managerial power.At the final h
Koreans spent more than 104.4 billion minutes on YouTube in October, according to a survey.WiseApp-Retail Goods, a company that analyzes mobile applications and retail, announced on Nov. 15 that it surveyed Korean smartphone users on their YouTube usage time. The survey was conducted among 51.2 mill
Korea’s entrepreneurial spirit ranked among the lowest in Asia according to a report released by Amway.The 2023 Amway Global Entrepreneurship Report (AGER) reveals comprehensive data on trends around starting a business. The 2023 AGER was released on Nov. 13 in honor of the World Global Entrepreneur
The Korean government has withdrawn its controversial proposal to revise working hours to a maximum of 69 hours a week and will maintain the current 52-hour workweek while providing improvement measures for some industries and occupations.The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced the results of
SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won recently commented on his relationship with ex-wife No So-young, the director of Art Center Nabi, stating, “Our marital relationship had completely collapsed well before I met someone new. For years, we were only nominally a couple, living as strangers with nothing but
The Korean business community has been strongly opposing the Yellow Envelope Bill (an amendment to Article 2-3 of the Trade Union Act), saying it will disrupt Korea’s labor relations and industrial ecosystems. But the majority Democratic Party passed the bill in a plenary session of the National Ass