SEOUL, Dec. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — The rapid adoption of foldable smartphones is reshaping the global smartphone market, driving a structural shift toward higher prices and more premium specifications, industry analysts say. Foldable devices, once the domain of early adopters, are gaining traction among mainstream consumers as demand grows for larger screens and multitasking capabilities. That [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — The South Korean government on Tuesday laid out a five-year strategy aimed at overhauling the country’s chemical industry, betting that a shift toward high-value and environmentally friendly products will help it fend off mounting competition and chronic oversupply from China. Under the plan, announced by the Ministry of Trade, [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — As weight-loss drugs gain popularity in South Korea, gyms that once thrived on New Year’s diet resolutions are beginning to feel the strain. Fitness centers across Seoul report a noticeable shift in consumer behavior as more people turn to prescription obesity treatments such as Wegovy and Mounjaro instead of exercise [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s National Assembly took a major step toward expanding climate protections on Thursday, approving a bill that formally defines “climate-vulnerable populations” and requires the government to prioritize their safety in national climate policy. The Special Committee on the Climate Crisis passed a bipartisan amendment to the country’s Carbon Neutrality [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of foreign workers in South Korea surpassed 1.1 million in 2025 to reach a record high, with the proportion of employed international students also sharply up, a survey showed Thursday. As of May, there were 1.69 million foreigners aged 15 or older residing in Korea, up 8.4 [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea plans to provide artificial intelligence (AI) job-training to more than one million people by 2030, the government announced Thursday, outlining an expansive workforce initiative aimed at preparing the labor market for rapid technological change. The Ministry of Employment and Labor unveiled the plan — titled the “AI+ Competency-Up [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea plans to expand its national heritage–based industries into a ₩100 trillion ($75 billion) market over the next five years, positioning cultural legacy as a core driver of the country’s global soft power, the Korea Heritage Service (KHS) said Wednesday in its 2026 policy blueprint. The initiative comes amid [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — Foreign visitors to South Korea are increasingly favoring “value-for-money” shopping aligned with personal tastes, signaling a shift away from the high-end, big-ticket purchases that once dominated tourist consumption, according to new data released by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO). An analysis of foreign credit card transactions from 2018 through September [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s newly created media regulator said Friday it will open a transparency center next year to confront the spread of online disinformation, signaling an aggressive shift in how the government intends to police digital content. The announcement came as the Korea Media Communications Commission (KMCC) delivered its first [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s newlywed population slipped below the one-million mark for the second year in a row in 2024, a symbolic threshold for a country already preoccupied with its demographic future. Government data released Friday show just 952,000 couples had been married for five years or less last year—a 2.3 [...]