SEOUL, June 13 (Korea Bizwire) — Foreign investment in South Korean securities recorded the largest net inflow in nearly two years in May, supported by easing domestic political uncertainties and reduced concerns over the United States’ trade policy, the central bank said Friday. Offshore investors purchased a net US$9.29 billion worth of local stocks and [...]
SEOUL, June 13 (Korea Bizwire) — Roughly eight out of ten South Koreans believe public hospitals are essential, particularly in times of medical crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic and recent government-doctor disputes. Yet despite broad public recognition of their importance, actual usage of public hospitals remains relatively low, according to a new government-funded study. [...]
SEOUL, June 12 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s tobacco market is undergoing a seismic shift, with traditional cigarettes giving way to e-cigarettes and flavored tobacco products that promise less smoke and odor — but are raising fresh public health concerns. A government-commissioned report released Thursday by the Korean Society for Smoking Cessation, titled “2024 In-Depth [...]
SEOUL, June 12 (Korea Bizwire) — A growing number of South Korean office workers in their 20s and 30s say that no paycheck is worth compromising on workplace ethics, fairness, and alignment with personal values — a shift reshaping the country’s job market and corporate culture. According to a survey released Wednesday by JobKorea’s Content [...]
SEOUL, June 12 (Korea Bizwire) — The proportion of South Korean companies unable to cover their interest expenses with operating profits reached an all-time high in 2024, underscoring persistent financial stress among smaller firms despite improved overall corporate earnings. According to the Bank of Korea’s annual corporate management analysis released Wednesday, 40.9% of non-financial, for-profit companies [...]
CHEONGJU, June 11 (Korea Bizwire) — Amid rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns driven by climate change, South Korea’s disease control agency has unveiled a comprehensive five-year plan to strengthen the nation’s defenses against vector-borne diseases such as Japanese encephalitis, malaria, and tick-borne infections. At a briefing held Wednesday at its Osong headquarters, the Korea [...]
SEOUL, June 11 (Korea Bizwire) – Household loans extended by South Korean banks rose sharply in May, central bank data showed Wednesday, driven by an increase in housing transactions. Banks’ outstanding household loans stood at 1,155.3 trillion won (US$845.07 billion) as of end-May, up 5.2 trillion won from a month earlier, according to the data [...]
SEOUL, June 11 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s exports went up 5.4 percent from a year earlier in the first 10 days of this month driven by robust demand for semiconductors and automobiles, data showed Wednesday. Outbound shipments reached US$15.47 billion in the June 1-10 period, compared with $14.68 billion tallied a year earlier, according [...]
SEOUL, June 11 (Korea Bizwire) — Only six percent of 171 listed companies on South Korea’s main stock exchange have adopted cumulative voting, a system aimed at enhancing shareholder rights, according to a report released Wednesday by a local research institute. Happy ESG, a corporate governance research group, analyzed the governance structures of 171 companies [...]
SEOUL, June 11 (Korea Bizwire) – As the craze for early English education intensifies in South Korea, tuition at so-called “English kindergartens” — private institutions offering immersive language instruction for preschoolers — has surged significantly over the past year, according to a new report. Data compiled by lawmaker Kang Kyung-sook of the Innovation Party and [...]