SEOUL, May 28 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea and Indonesia have officially launched a mutual recognition agreement (MRA) in the field of information and communications technology (ICT), streamlining product certification processes and reducing costs for exporters, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced on Tuesday. The agreement, which takes effect immediately, allows testing and certification of [...]
SEOUL, May 27 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s state-run think tank on Tuesday sharply cut its growth forecast for the local economy this year to 1 percent, citing a slowdown in exports and domestic consumption. The revised projection by the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade (KIET) represents a 1.1 percentage-point drop from its [...]
SEOUL, May 27 (Korea Bizwire) — As South Korea grapples with a prolonged domestic slowdown, economists and policymakers are sounding the alarm over an increasingly potent structural threat: the country’s shrinking and aging population. Already facing stagnating consumer sentiment, high inflation, and global uncertainty, South Korea’s economy is now contending with the compounding impact of demographic [...]
SEOUL, May 26 (Korea Bizwire) — For the first time since statistics began in 2018, South Korea’s once-booming coffee shop sector has shrunk, alongside a broader pullback across key self-employment industries. The decline underscores mounting pressure on small business owners from domestic economic stagnation, market saturation, and rising operating costs. According to data released Sunday by [...]
SEOUL, May 23 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean stocks finished almost flat Friday amid a lack of investment catalysts following mixed overnight results on Wall Street. The local currency gained against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 1.58 points, or 0.06 percent, to close at 2,592.09. Trade volume was [...]
SEOUL, May 23 (Korea Bizwire) — Major coffee chains and instant coffee producers in South Korea are raising prices amid an increase in raw material costs, according to industry data Friday. Angel-in-us Coffee, operated by Lotte GRS Co., said it will increase beverage prices by 200 to 300 won (US$0.15-0.22) Thursday. CJ Foodville Corp.’s bakery [...]
SEOUL, May 23 (Korea Bizwire) — South Koreans’ overseas card spending fell by the largest margin in three years in the first quarter from three months earlier due mainly to a decline in overseas direct purchases, data showed Friday. The amount of money spent overseas by South Koreans with credit and debit cards came to [...]
SEOUL, May 22 (Korea Bizwire) – In an unusual move underscoring the strategic importance of South Korea’s digital currency initiatives, Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang-yong has personally visited the heads of the country’s major commercial banks, urging their active participation in two key central bank digital currency (CBDC) pilot projects. According to industry sources, Rhee [...]
SEOUL, May 21 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean stocks finished nearly 1 percent higher Wednesday to snap a two-day fall, as investors bolstered bio, heavy industry and other blue chips despite overnight losses on Wall Street. The local currency gained against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) gained 23.78 points, [...]
SEOUL, May 20 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea and the European Union (EU) agreed Tuesday on the need to boost cooperation in responding to growing cyberthreats worldwide, including North Korea’s cryptocurrency theft, to ensure a safe and open cyberspace order, Seoul’s foreign ministry said. The two sides shared the understanding during their bilateral policy dialogue [...]