SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — More than half of South Korea’s midsize listed companies saw profits fall in the first half of 2025, as global economic uncertainty and weakening demand weighed on key sectors, new data show. Combined operating profit for 500 midsize firms came to 6.34 trillion won ($4.55 billion) in the [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — SK On, the battery-making unit of South Korea’s SK Group, said Wednesday its 50:50 joint venture with Ford Motor Co. has begun commercial production of electric vehicle (EV) batteries at its first Kentucky plant. SK On and Ford established BlueOval SK in July 2022 with plans to invest 16 [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — Nongshim, South Korea’s leading instant noodle maker, is teaming up with one of Netflix’s latest global sensations to give its iconic snacks a new look. The company announced Wednesday that its flagship Shin Ramyun and Shrimp Crackers will debut in limited-edition packaging later this month featuring characters from KPop [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — The government and the ruling Democratic Party (DP) agreed Wednesday to ramp up their policy efforts to infuse private firms, the public sector as well as all sectors of society with artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Under the so-called AI Transformation initiative, the government and the DP plan to promote [...]
SEJONG, Aug. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s greenhouse gas emissions dropped below 700 million tons last year for the first time in nearly 15 years, driven by a shift from coal to nuclear and renewable energy. The Ministry of Environment’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Research Center reported Wednesday that national emissions reached 691.6 million [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s embattled petrochemical industry has agreed to slash its core production capacity by as much as a quarter, in a government-backed effort to stave off collapse and reposition for higher-value growth. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Wednesday that 10 companies operating naphtha cracking centers (NCCs) [...]
WELLINGTON, New Zealand, Aug. 20, 2025 (Korea Bizwire) – The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) believes that as Australia’s tobacco control strategy descends into chaos with over 125 fire bombings, a thriving A$6.3 billion illicit market, and smoking rates stagnating at 11%, leading tobacco harm reduction advocates are calling for an [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Korea Bizwire) – More than half of South Korean consumers who unknowingly purchase counterfeit goods online do not seek refunds, citing complicated procedures and small amounts of money at stake, according to a survey released Tuesday by the Korea Consumer Agency. The survey, conducted among 1,000 consumers across eight major platforms — [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — The South Korean government is considering a major overhaul of how it grants pension credits for childbirth and military service, moving from a system of post-retirement adjustments to upfront support — a change that could save nearly 88 trillion won ($65 billion) in state finances over the long term, [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — A significant share of South Korean investors’ holdings in overseas-listed exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are concentrated in high-risk leveraged products, raising concerns about potential losses and the need for regulatory overhaul, according to a new report by the Korea Capital Market Institute. As of June 2025, South Korean investors held [...]