SEOUL, June 26 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s financial investment in the United States surged to an all-time high in 2024, as domestic investors increasingly turned to U.S. stocks and production facilities amid a shifting global economic landscape, data from the Bank of Korea showed Thursday. According to the central bank’s provisional international investment balance sheet, [...]
SEOUL, June 25 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s monthly births exceeded 20,000 for the first time in three years this April, driven by a rise in marriages and an increase in women in their early 30s, marking the sharpest April growth in birth rate in over three decades. According to Statistics Korea’s latest population data [...]
SEOUL, June 24 (Korea Bizwire) — While global consumers continue to favor monochromatic car colors, South Korean buyers are increasingly opting for vibrant, expressive hues, according to a new report by global coatings manufacturer Axalta. The report, released on June 22, shows that in 2024, 24% of cars sold in South Korea featured chromatic (non-neutral) [...]
SEJONG, June 20 (Korea Bizwire) – More than 60 percent of South Korean couples in their 30s and 40s now live in dual-income households, reflecting shifting work-life dynamics as economic pressures and evolving gender roles reshape family life. Meanwhile, single-person households continue to surge, surpassing 8 million for the first time, according to new government [...]
SEJONG, June 20 (Korea Bizwire) — The administration of President Lee Jae-myung is accelerating plans for a nationwide renewable energy infrastructure overhaul, with a transformative “Energy Highway” at the center of its strategy to upgrade Korea’s industrial base and compete in the global clean energy transition. In a briefing to the National Planning Commission on [...]
SEOUL, June 19 (Korea Bizwire) — Contrary to persistent public concerns that foreign nationals are draining South Korea’s national health insurance system, new data reveal a dramatically different reality: foreign enrollees have delivered a growing budget surplus for eight consecutive years, reaching an all-time high in 2024. According to figures released Wednesday by the National [...]
SEOUL, June 18 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea is experiencing a widening deficit in high-skilled labor as more top-tier professionals, particularly in fields like artificial intelligence, continue to leave the country, prompting renewed calls for structural reforms to retain and attract global talent. In a report released Tuesday, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s [...]
SEOUL, June 16 (Korea Bizwire) — A growing number of South Korean workers believe the legal minimum wage should be extended to cover gig workers, freelancers, and those in special employment arrangements, reflecting mounting concern over the widening protections gap in the evolving labor market. According to a survey released Sunday by the labor rights group [...]
SEOUL, June 15 (Korea Bizwire) — As summer temperatures begin to climb, South Korea’s major retailers are seeing a sharp uptick in sales of sliced and mini watermelons, reflecting a growing consumer preference for convenience and smaller servings—especially among the nation’s increasing number of one- and two-person households. Traditionally seen as a “the bigger, the [...]
SEOUL, June 13 (Korea Bizwire) — A major hacking incident that has paralyzed South Korea’s largest online bookstore, Yes24, for more than four days has reignited public debate over the vulnerability and ownership of digital content—particularly e-books. The service disruption, caused by a ransomware attack disclosed on June 9, has left more than 20 million [...]