SEOUL, April 24 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s domestic consumption has entered a prolonged downward trend, driven not by short-term disruptions like COVID-19 or inflation, but by deep-rooted structural issues such as demographic aging, employment patterns, and industrial shifts, according to a new report released on April 23, 2025, by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and [...]
SEOUL, April 24 (Korea Bizwire) — The South Korean economy posted negative growth for the first time in about a year in the first quarter of 2025, central bank data showed Thursday, amid a domestic political crisis and uncertainties stemming from the Donald Trump administration’s sweeping tariff scheme. The country’s real gross domestic product (GDP) [...]
SEOUL, April 22 (Korea Bizwire) — The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday sharply downgraded its growth forecast for South Korea’s economy to 1 percent for 2025, citing heightened global economic uncertainty stemming from newly imposed U.S. tariff measures. In its latest World Economic Outlook report, the IMF cut its projection for Asia’s fourth-largest economy [...]
SEJONG, April 20 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s national debt without available payment resources is projected to near 900 trillion won (US$634 billion) this year, the government said Sunday. The country’s national debt is expected to reach 885.4 trillion won in 2025, up 11.8 percent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Economy [...]
SEOUL, April 13 (Korea Bizwire) — Volatility in South Korea’s foreign exchange market surged to its highest level last week since the country extended trading hours for the won–U.S. dollar market, data showed Sunday. The weekly fluctuation in the won–dollar exchange rate reached 67.6 won during the second week of April, which marked the highest [...]
SEOUL, April 11 (Korea Bizwire) — The Finance Ministry said Friday that the government will extend the tariff-rate quota system on pork and egg product imports in an effort to stabilize food prices. Starting May 1, emergency tariff quotas will be applied to 10,000 tons of raw pork for processed foods and 4,000 tons of [...]
SEOUL, April 8 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea logged a current account surplus for the 22nd consecutive month in February on rising exports, central bank data showed Tuesday. The country’s current account surplus reached US$7.18 billion in February, following a $2.94 billion surplus the previous month, according to the data compiled by the Bank of [...]
SEOUL, April 7 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s economy is facing “mounting” downside risks due to sluggish production and heightened trade uncertainties sparked by U.S. tariffs, a state-run economic think tank said Monday. “Recently, the Korean economy is facing mounting downward pressure as weakened growth in domestic and external demand has weighed on production and [...]
SEOUL, April 7 (Korea Bizwire) — The South Korean market could face heightened volatility for a longer-than-expected period due to the Donald Trump administration’s sweeping tariff policy, the central bank said Monday, calling for prompt implementation of market stabilization measures when necessary. Bank of Korea (BOK) Deputy Gov. Ryoo Sang-dai made the assessment during an [...]
SEOUL, April 6 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea ranked 29th out of 37 major economies in terms of economic growth during the fourth quarter of 2024, as weak domestic demand and heightened political uncertainty weighed on the nation’s performance, a central bank report showed Sunday. Asia’s fourth-largest economy posted real gross domestic product (GDP) growth [...]