SEOUL, Jan. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — Foreign investors’ presence in South Korea’s stock market climbed to its highest level in nearly six years in December, buoyed by a sharp rally in equities and growing optimism about the country’s semiconductor industry. Foreign ownership reached 32.9 percent of total market capitalization, the highest since April 2020, after overseas [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 31 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of high-skilled workers in South Korea grew for the fourth consecutive year in 2024, with such jobs in the semiconductor sector increasing by the most, government data showed Wednesday. The total number of industrial technology workers stood at 1.74 million as of end-2024, up 1.1 percent from [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — Free cash flow at South Korea’s 500 largest listed companies rose sharply over the past year, lifted by a rebound in the semiconductor market that strengthened liquidity at major chipmakers, according to industry data released Wednesday. The companies — excluding financial institutions — generated a combined 69.6 trillion won ($47.3 [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s five major automakers reported another month of declining global sales in November, underscoring continued weakness in both domestic demand and overseas markets amid a broader economic slowdown. Hyundai Motor, Kia, GM Korea, Renault Korea and KG Mobility sold a combined 668,991 vehicles worldwide last month, down 3.9 percent [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s largest companies have expanded their executive ranks more than three times faster than their employee headcounts over the past five years, widening internal hierarchies even as some industries shed staff, a new analysis shows. According to data released Nov. 25 by corporate research firm Leaders Index, 331 major [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 16 (Korea Bizwire) – Sales of mini cars by South Korea’s five automakers are expected to remain below 100,000 units for a second consecutive year in 2025, industry data showed Sunday, amid a lack of new models and shifting consumer preferences. From January to October, the five carmakers — Hyundai Motor Co., Kia [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 14 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s venture investment market showed clear signs of recovery this year, with both venture investments and fund formation rising by double digits through the third quarter, government data showed Thursday. According to the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, total venture investment reached 9.8 trillion won (US$7.1 billion) between January [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s five largest business groups now make up more than half of the country’s total stock market capitalization, reflecting the scale of their influence amid a sharp rally in equities this year. The combined market value of listed affiliates under Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor, LG and HD Hyundai accounted [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 10 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korean companies’ operating profitability relative to their assets has nearly halved over the past two decades, a report showed Monday. According to the report by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), the operating return on assets (OROA) of the country’s top 1,000 companies by sales fell [...]
SEJONG, Nov. 3 (Korea Bizwire) – Online shopping sales in South Korea increased 13.3 percent from a year earlier to a record high for any September, driven by strong sales of Tesla vehicles and rising demand for food services, data showed Monday. The value of online shopping transactions stood at 23.79 trillion won (US$16.61 billion) [...]