In the first half of this year South Korea’s steel imports showed an increase of over 10% compared to last year. This significant rise in imports is attributed to fluctuations in the exchange rates of major importing countries like China and Japan coupled with a domestic industrial boom leading to a
Korea’s coffee imports have shrunken this year, according to the Korea Customs Service. The decline is attributed to a drought that impeded global coffee production.According to the Korea Customs Service’s trade statistics on Jan. 21, the volume of Korea’s coffee imports from January to July this ye
Following a ban on overseas transfers of rare earth permanent magnet manufacturing technology at the end of 2022, China has decided to control the export of gallium and germanium emerging as next-generation semiconductor materials, starting from August. The Russian-Ukrainian war, which has been goin
Chinese companies that have been exporting solar cells and modules to the United States through Southeast Asia are facing a “tariff bomb” from the U.S. Department of Commerce. Hanwha Q CELLS, the solar division of Hanwha Solutions, based in Malaysia, stands to benefit from these tariffs.On Aug. 18,
South Korea, once the largest exporter to China, fell to fifth place among exporters to China in the first half of this year. This is because exports of intermediate goods to China, which account for more than 80 percent of South Korea’s exports to China, have been on a sharp decline. On the other h
The Mexican government’s surprise move to raise tariffs on steel imports by up to 25 percent from countries with which it has not signed trade agreements is expected to deal a blow to South Korea only, not touching the United States or Japan.The USTR announced on its website on Aug. 18 (local time)
With the rise in interest rates and an increase in the sales of high-priced vehicles, the import car industry is experiencing a significant boost in profits from automotive installment financing.According to industry sources on Aug. 16, Mercedes-Benz Financial Services Korea, an affiliate of domesti
For two consecutive months Japan has surpassed China to rank second in South Korea’s trade deficit rankings, following a narrowing deficit with China.According to the “July 2023 Export and Import Trends” report released by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy on Aug. 13, the trade deficit wit
Hyundai Motor Group has initiated the development of electric vehicle motors that do not utilize “rare earth elements,” which are heavily dependent on China.According to industry sources on Aug. 13, Hyundai Motor Group is currently developing a propulsion motor at its Namyang Research Center in Hwas
A total of approximately 14,000 vehicles across 8 different brands and 21 models, including Kia and Mercedes-Benz, have been identified for a recall.The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has revealed that a total of 14,057 vehicles from 21 different models, produced or imported and sold
The number of new imported passenger car registrations in July was 21,038, down 1.3 percent from a year earlier, according to the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association on Aug. 3. The figure was down 21.0 percent from the previous month. The cumulative total from January through July
China’s decision to impose export controls on gallium and germanium beginning on Aug. 1 in response to U.S. export restrictions has Korean semiconductor, display, and battery industries on edge.According to industry sources on July 31, the Korean semiconductor, display, and secondary battery industr
The trend of collaborations between domestic and foreign enterprises of various sizes to achieve success in new drug development is on the rise. Such collaborations are viewed within the industry as a potential model for “Korean-style Open Innovation” in the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors.Accord
The Net International Investment Position (NIIP) as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which indicates Korea’s ability to make international payments, stood at 46.3 percent last year, showing an increase of nearly 10 percentage points in just one year. This growth was driven by the expans
In the first half of this year, Korea’s automobile exports surged 46.6 percent year on year to US$35.7 billion, a record high. Including auto parts, the figure reached US$47.3 billion.According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) on July 17, Korean automakers exported more than 241
Imports of Japanese beer have surged while imports of Japanese fish and seafood have plummeted, creating a mixed picture of Japanese imports in the Korean market.Korea imported 1,910 tons of fish and seafood in June, down 34.7 percent from a year earlier, according to trade statistics from the Korea
The South Korean government and private companies are plunging into Ukraine's reconstruction project, which is estimated to be worth more than 1,500 trillion won in total. The government, in partnership with Poland, Ukraine's neighboring country and the largest Ukrainian supporter within Eur
Korea’s steel industry will need to produce more than 10 million tons of steel through a hydrogen reduction ironmaking method by 2040 at the latest if it wants to meet its greenhouse gas reduction target of limiting a global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees C or less, a study has found.Nonprofit thin
Hanwha Ocean has successfully localized key equipment that enhances the survivability of submarines.On July 12, Hanwha Ocean announced the completion of the localization of acoustic equipment such as sonar depth gauges, sonar beacons, and launchable underwater environment measuring devices, which im
India has previously been heavily dependent on Russian arms. But now the nation has emerged as a new export destination for the Korean defense industry.According to industry sources on July 4, Hanwha Aerospace plans to participate in the Indian Army’s Future Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV) Project. T