In 2023, about 20 percent of the 1.43 million resident foreigners in Korea obtained Korean language proficiency test ratings. The biggest share was taken by international students studying in Korea among them. The largest number of them earned a Level 4 rating.According to the results of the 2023 Im
The collective net worth of Korea’s 50 Richest on the 2024 Forbes list rose slightly to US$115 billion from $106 billion, amid the country’s global chipmaking ambitions. The complete list can be found at www.forbes.com/korea, as well as in the April/May issue of Forbes Asia and the May issue of Forb
A forecast suggests that the proportion of foreigners in the domestic population will reach 5.7%, based on median estimates, in 20 years. With a rapid decline anticipated in the native population, it is projected that one out of every ten working-age individuals will be a foreigner.On April 11, Stat
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Governor Kim Jin-tae addressed the plenary session of the 325th Extraordinary Session of the Gangwon State Council on the 14th, delivering a New Year's speech. He expressed, "The recently discussed 4-day workweek will be a significant opportunity for the state," and asserted his determination to "th
The number of employment insurance holders rebounded for the first time in seven months in January. However, one third or more of the increase was among foreign workers.The figure also shrank in the manufacturing industry with the exclusion of foreigners. It had been on the wane for four months sinc
A report has emerged stating that the level of maternity and childcare leave provided by domestic companies in South Korea ranks fifth among 38 countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). However, despite the increase in the number of individuals taking childcare l
The number of babies born in October this year has dropped by over 8% compared to the previous year, setting a new record low. With this trend, there are concerns that the total fertility rate for the current fourth quarter from October to December may fall to the 0.6 range.According to population t
The Supreme Court’s ruling that it is not illegal to have employees work more than 52 hours in a week, regardless of the number of hours worked per day, is expected to allow small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to make their working hours more flexible and cut labor costs.On Dec. 25, the Suprem
The number of foreign residents in South Korea exceeded 1.4 million for the first time as the number of foreigners with E-9 visas working in non-professional jobs and international students increased due to the COVID-19 endemic. If including naturalized immigrants who have acquired South Korean citi
According to an analysis, up to 96,000 new foreigners will enter Korea every year for the next 50 years. Under these circumstances, if a worst-case low-fertility scenario is realized, one in three people of working ages in Korea will be foreign by 2072.According to the results of the 2022 Population
A luncheon meeting of labor, management and government representatives was held at a Korean restaurant in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, on Dec. 14, according to the Ministry of Labor and Employment and Economic, Social and Labor Affairs Committee, a presidential social dialogue body. This marked the first tim
The number of single-person households living alone in homes across the nation has reached a record high of 7,502,000, accounting for 34.5 percent of all households. This percentage surpasses that of two-person households, three-person households, and households with four or more members, making sin