SEOUL, Dec. 16 (Korea Bizwire) — Increased liquidity is not the sole factor behind the recent surge in housing prices in the Seoul metropolitan area or the weakness of the local currency, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said Tuesday, stressing that monetary policy alone is not sufficient to fully control an increase in loans. In [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 16 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean companies’ earnings recorded a 20 percent on-year gain in 2024 on increased exports of semiconductors, government data showed Tuesday. The combined before-tax net profit of South Korean companies reached 181.9 trillion won (US$123.9 billion) last year, up 20.6 percent from 150.8 trillion won tallied in 2023, according [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 16 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea said Tuesday it will invest at least 4.5 trillion won (US$3.06 billion) to secure overseas logistics hubs as part of an effort to shore up exporters’ supply chains and reduce reliance on foreign-owned facilities. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries laid out the plan during a ministerial [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 16 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea and the United Kingdom signed an upgraded free trade agreement aimed at easing rules of origin for Korean exporters and expanding access to Britain’s high-speed rail and digital services markets, Seoul’s trade ministry said Tuesday. The deal, signed in London by Korean Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo and [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 15 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s wealthy population continued to grow last year, exceeding 476,000 individuals with more than 1 billion won (about $760,000) in financial assets, according to a new report that highlights widening asset gaps and a renewed appetite for stock investments despite a climate of economic uncertainty. The 2025 Korea Wealth [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — As demographic decline accelerates across South Korea, a new national survey suggests that a lack of appealing jobs is the single most important reason people are leaving regional areas — and choosing not to raise children there. The Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA) released the findings Thursday [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — The average amount South Koreans send as mobile wedding gifts has surpassed 100,000 won (US$68) for the first time this year, reflecting changing social norms and rising costs, according to new data from KakaoPay. In its annual “2025 Money Report” released Wednesday, KakaoPay said the average transfer made through its [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — Household borrowing from South Korean banks grew at a slower pace in November as tighter mortgage regulations began to cool the heated property market in the Seoul metropolitan area, according to new data released Wednesday by the Bank of Korea. Outstanding household loans came to 1,175.6 trillion won ($799.6 billion) [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — The government plans to devise a customized strategy to address non-tariff trade barriers faced by South Korean food exporters, while establishing a dedicated help desk for the firms to navigate shifting trade dynamics, the agriculture ministry said Tuesday. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs unveiled the plan [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — Six out of ten South Korean college seniors and recent graduates who are searching for jobs say they are doing so only passively, with little expectation of being hired, according to a nationwide survey released Monday by the Korea Employers Federation. The survey, conducted between October and November among 2,492 [...]