SEOUL, Jan. 24 (Korea Bizwire) — The Bank of Korea (BOK) again cut its growth forecast for the 2019 economy to 2.6 percent Thursday, following a 0.1 percentage point slash in October, in a clear sign of gloomy growth prospects going forward. The number is 0.3 percentage point lower than the central bank’s original forecast [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — More than half of South Koreans think this year’s minimum wage hike will have a negative effect on the economy, a survey showed Friday. The poll of 1,002 adults nationwide by Gallup Korea found 52 percent of people predict negative economic effects from the latest minimum wage increase. Only [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — South Koreans in their forties and fifties were hit hardest by the tougher job market last year stemming from protracted corporate restructuring and an economic downturn, government data showed Sunday. The country’s employment rate — the portion of hired people to the working-age population — reached 60.7 percent in [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — The total amount of debt sold in South Korea rose last year on the back of a surge in corporate bonds and bank debentures, data showed Friday. The combined bonds issued in 2018 totaled 630.3 trillion won (US$564.53 billion), up 2.8 percent from the previous year, according to the [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — The economic gap between North and South Korea has become even more significant this year. According to Statistics Korea, South Korea’s income per capita in 2017 was 23 times larger than that of North Korea. Considering the fact that the gap was 22 times in 2016, the gap grew [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — The South Korean economy has one of the highest portions of individuals running their own stores and shops, and they are getting pushed to the brink by a slumping economy and policy missteps, market watchers said Monday. Data from Statistics Korea put the number of self-employed people at some [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s per capita income is likely to surpass US$30,000 this year, though the economy is forecast to record its lowest growth rate in six years, observers said Sunday. Gross national income (GNI) is expected to reach $31,243 in 2018, up from last year’s $29,745, according to market observers, [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — Individuals between the ages of 30 and 54, typically known as the principal breadwinners in South Korean society, are participating less in economic activities. This trend raises concerns that this disruption to the labor market could develop into a serious social issue which may negatively impact South Korea’s overall [...]
PORT MORESBY, Nov. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — President Moon Jae-in on Sunday proposed the creation of an Asia-Pacific fund for digital economy to help promote regional cooperation and build capacity in developing countries. In an address to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Papua New Guinea, Moon also presented his economic and social [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 15 (Korea Bizwire) — The turnover rate of deposits in South Korea hit a near 32-year low in September, central bank data showed Thursday, indicating that money circulation is clogged in Asia’s fourth-largest economy. The turnover rate of demand deposits came to 16.4 times for September, the lowest since January 1987, when the [...]