SEOUL, April 5 (Korea Bizwire) — In the aftermath of the Constitutional Court’s historic ruling to remove President Yoon Suk Yeol from office, small business owners across South Korea expressed cautious optimism that the political turmoil that gripped the country for the past four months might finally ease—though few expect an immediate turnaround in the [...]
SEOUL, April 4 (Korea Bizwire) — The Constitutional Court’s ruling on Friday to remove President Yoon Suk Yeol from office has created the first presidential leadership vacuum in South Korea in eight years, casting fresh uncertainty over the country’s already fragile economy. While the decision resolves months of political limbo that began with the declaration of [...]
SEOUL, April 4 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of South Korean companies filing for court-led restructuring has surged in early 2025, reflecting mounting pressure from the prolonged economic slowdown. According to new court data, 196 companies applied for corporate rehabilitation during January and February — a 26% increase from the same period last year. The [...]
BRUSSELS, April 3 (Korea Bizwire) — The top diplomats of South Korea, the United States and Japan met for talks in Brussels on Thursday, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced sweeping global tariffs. The talks between Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Marco Rubio and Takeshi Iwaya, respectively, took [...]
SEOUL, April 3 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s economy will likely face headwinds as the U.S. administration’s plan to impose “reciprocal” tariffs is expected to deal a severe blow to the country’s shipments to the United States, while seriously disrupting the global market that may again adversely affect South Korean exports, local experts said. They [...]
SEOUL, April 3 (Korea Bizwire) — Nearly half of all debts held by individuals and businesses in South Korea are real estate market-related loans, which may stymie economic growth and undermine financial stability, the central bank said Thursday. The country’s total real estate credit amounted to 1,932.5 trillion won (US$1.32 trillion) as of end-2024, accounting [...]
SEOUL, April 3 (Korea Bizwire) — U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement on “reciprocal” tariffs Wednesday appears to have put South Korea deeper into a soul-searching mode over its growing reliance on the United States for trade, as the protectionist move further jeopardized the fate of a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA). Trump announced a 10 [...]
SEOUL, April 3 (Korea Bizwire) — A decade-long analysis by the Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI) has revealed that low-income households in South Korea have borne a disproportionately heavier burden from rising prices, primarily due to steep increases in food and housing costs. The study, released Wednesday, examined consumer-perceived inflation across income brackets from 2014 [...]
SEOUL, April 1 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s household loans extended by major banks slowed in March following a sharp increase the previous month, industry data showed Tuesday. Outstanding household loans extended by five major commercial banks, including KB Kookmin Bank, Shinhan Bank and Hana Bank, stood at 738.55 trillion won(US$502 billion) at the end [...]
WASHINGTON, March 31 1(Korea Bizwire) — The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on Monday released an annual report on foreign trade barriers that listed South Korea’s “offset” defense trade policy, emission-related regulations on imported cars and pricing policies for pharmaceuticals to name a few. The Office of the USTR issued the 2025 National Trade Estimate Report [...]