SEOUL, Feb. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — About one out of four South Koreans raised pet animals, and they spent 150,000 won (US$123) per month on average last year, a survey showed Thursday. According to the survey of 5,000 South Koreans aged between 20 and 64, a total of 1,272 people, or 25.4 percent, said they [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — Retail sales in South Korea rose 9.2 percent on-year in 2022 on the back of growing outdoor activities on eased social distancing rules amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the industry ministry said Thursday. The combined sales of local offline retailers rose 8.9 percent on-year from the previous year, and [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 1 (Korea Bizwire) — Online shopping in South Korea reached a new record in 2022 following firm demand for travel services amid eased concerns over the pandemic, data showed Wednesday. The value of online shopping transactions stood at 206.4 trillion won (US$167.3 billion) in 2022, up 10.4 percent from the previous year, according [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 1 (Korea Bizwire) — The greenhouse gas emissions of South Korean large companies have increased by nearly 6 percent in recent years, going against the country’s carbon neutrality goal, a corporate tracker said Wednesday. The volume of greenhouse gases emitted by 50 big businesses in Asia’s fourth-largest economy reached 272.8 million tons in [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 31 (Korea Bizwire) — Sales of cigarettes in South Korea edged up 1.1 percent in 2022 from a year earlier, the finance ministry said Tuesday, despite the government’s anti-smoking campaign. South Korean smokers purchased 3.63 billion 20-cigarette packs in 2022, slightly up from 3.59 billion packs tallied a year earlier, according to the [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 31 (Korea Bizwire) — Card use in South Korea exceeded 1,000 trillion won (US$811.4 billion) for the first time ever in 2022 as eased coronavirus curbs bolstered consumption, data showed Tuesday. According to the data provided by the Credit Finance Association, credit and debit card use amounted to 1,097.7 trillion won last year, [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 31 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s imports of coffee beans hit a new record in 2022, data showed Tuesday, in the latest sign of the drink’s growing popularity in Asia’s fourth-largest economy. Imports of coffee beans, including both raw and roasted products, reached US$1.3 billion last year, soaring 42.4 percent from $920 million [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 30 (Korea Bizwire) – Seven out of 10 South Koreans see the need for Seoul to independently pursue its own nuclear weapons development program, a survey showed Monday, amid concerns over escalating military threats from Pyongyang and a lack of trust in denuclearization negotiations with North Korea. According to the Gallup Korea poll [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 30 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s auto exports jumped 16.4 percent on-year in 2022 to a record high on the back of the popularity of local brands in the global market and growing demand for eco-friendly vehicles, the industry ministry said Monday. The value of exported vehicles came to US$54.1 billion last year, [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 30 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s exports of passenger cars rose 15 percent on-year in 2022 to reach a record high, data showed Monday, on the back of robust shipments of eco-friendly models. Carmakers shipped passenger cars worth a combined US$49 billion in 2022, up from $42.6 billion tallied a year earlier, according [...]