SEOUL, Apr. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s producer prices rose for the fourth consecutive month in March, driven in part by soaring prices of agricultural goods and industrial goods, central bank data showed Tuesday. The producer price index, a major barometer of consumer inflation, increased 0.2 percent in March from a month earlier, following [...]
SEOUL, Apr. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s exports rose 11.1 percent on-year in the first 20 days of April on surging global demand for semiconductors, data showed Monday. Outbound shipments reached US$35.82 billion in the April 1-20 period, compared with $32.25 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs [...]
SEOUL, April 21 (Korea Bizwire) – Corporate direct financing in South Korea shrank more than 22 percent from a month earlier in March due to a sharp decline in corporate bond issuances, data showed Sunday. Local firms raised a combined 20.5 trillion won (US$14.86 billion) by selling stocks and bonds last month, down 22.5 percent [...]
WASHINGTON, April 19 (Korea Bizwire) – The won-dollar exchange rate may move toward stabilization if tensions in the Middle East do not escalate further, the chief of South Korea’s central bank forecast Friday, noting “many uncertainties” stemming from developments in the region. Bank of Korea (BOK) Gov. Rhee Chang-yong made the prediction as concerns over [...]
WASHINGTON, Apr. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — Exchange rate volatility does not present ‘significant” economic challenges to South Korea, an official at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Thursday, advising policymakers in Seoul not to “overly” focus on what moves the U.S. Federal Reserve will take. During a press briefing, Krishna Srinivasan, director of the IMF’s [...]
SEOUL, Apr. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea will create venture capital funds of 23 trillion won (US$16.57 billion) in the clean energy fields to promote investment in green growth, the top economic policymaker has said. Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok announced the plan during a meeting of finance ministers and central bank deputies of the [...]
SEOUL, Apr. 17 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korean and Japanese finance ministers have voiced serious concerns over the sharp weakening of their currencies against the U.S. dollar and said they can take steps to curb market volatility amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, Seoul’s finance ministry said Wednesday. The verbal intervention by South Korea’s [...]
SEOUL, Apr. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — The South Korean economy has largely been on a recovery track on the back of robust growth of exports and manufacturing production, but domestic demand remains weak and uncertainties have grown over global prices of raw materials, the finance ministry said Friday. “Our economy has seen an economic recovery [...]
SEOUL, Apr. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s central bank froze its key rate for the 10th straight session Friday, saying that its current restrictive stance will be maintained for a sufficient period of time amid woes over high inflation and household debt. In a widely expected decision, the monetary policy board of the Bank [...]
SEOUL, Apr. 9 (Korea Bizwire) – A recent survey conducted by real estate consulting firm Budongsan R114 has shed light on the priorities of South Korean homebuyers, revealing that nearly one-third of adults consider the ‘education environment’ to be the most crucial factor when purchasing a home. The survey, which polled 5,046 adults nationwide from March [...]