SEOUL, Dec. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — South Koreans are reporting their highest levels of satisfaction with leisure life in nearly a decade, reflecting a shift toward more meaningful and self-directed use of free time, according to a government survey released on Friday. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Culture & Tourism [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 24 (Korea Bizwire) — More than seven in 10 foreign nationals running small businesses in South Korea are Chinese, highlighting the growing role of Chinese entrepreneurs in the country’s local service economy, according to a new report released Tuesday. An analysis by the Korea Immigration Policy Institute found that Chinese nationals accounted for 72.5 [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 24 (Korea Bizwire) — Samsung Electronics has stepped up its push into new growth sectors with its second billion-euro acquisition of the year, signaling a renewed appetite for large-scale dealmaking as it expands beyond its traditional strongholds. The company said Tuesday that it had acquired the advanced driver-assistance systems business of Germany’s ZF Friedrichshafen [...]
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. 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. 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. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — Most South Koreans want to remain in their homes or local communities as they age or face illness, but many say the country’s local care systems are not prepared to support that preference, according to a new nationwide survey released Tuesday. The survey of 1,500 adults, conducted earlier this month [...]
BUSAN, Dec. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea has begun real-world testing of a new solar-generating window film designed to turn high-rise buildings into power producers, marking a potential breakthrough for urban renewable energy. Korea Southern Power (KOSPO) said Tuesday it has launched a demonstration project with the Korea Institute of Materials Science to evaluate [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 16 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s national space agency said Tuesday it is exploring the use of SpaceX’s next-generation Starship rocket to launch the country’s first Mars payload as early as 2030, part of a broader strategy to accelerate its participation in international deep-space exploration. At a briefing in Seoul, the Korea Aerospace Administration [...]