SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — Over 34 percent of South Koreans were paid subscribers to over-the-top (OTT) media, or video streaming services, a survey showed Thursday. Paid subscribers to OTTs stood at 34.8 percent last year, up 20.4 percentage points from the previous year, according to a survey of 6,834 people over the age [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean investors’ holdings of foreign securities touched a new all-time high in 2021 on an overseas investment boom, data showed Thursday. Local investors had held overseas stocks and bonds worth US$100.59 billion as of end-2021, up 39.3 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of fake South Korean banknotes touched a record low in 2021 due largely to the coronavirus pandemic, the central bank said Wednesday. The number of counterfeit banknotes found in Asia’s fourth-largest economy stood at 176 last year, down 96 from a year earlier, according to the Bank [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s state pension fund lowered its exposure to large cap and other domestic shares in 2021 in an apparent bid to boost returns and diversify its portfolio, a corporate tracker said Wednesday. The National Pension Service (NPS) held stakes of 5 percent or more in 265 companies listed [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — Lottery sales in South Korea rose 10.3 percent on-year to reach an all-time high last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, data showed Tuesday. Sales of lottery tickets stood at 5.98 trillion won (US$5.02 billion) in 2021, compared with 5.42 trillion won the previous year, according to the data from [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — The South Korean market of instant meals jumped more than 145 pct in 2020 from four years earlier on the increased number of convenience stores and the coronavirus pandemic, data showed Tuesday. Shipments of ready-to-eat items, known as home meal replacement (HMR) products in South Korea, came to 2.01 [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s auto exports rose 8.6 percent on-year in 2021 on the back of the growing popularity of local brands in the global market and solid demand for eco-friendly vehicles, the industry ministry said Tuesday. Outbound shipment of vehicles reached 2.05 million units last year, compared with 1.89 million [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 16 (Korea Bizwire) — Four out of 10 self-employed people in South Korea are considering closing their businesses due to sluggish sales amid the long-enforced strict social distancing rules during the coronavirus pandemic, a survey showed Sunday. According to the survey of 500 people operating restaurants, retail and other service businesses by the [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of elementary and secondary school students in South Korea is expected to drop below 5 million for the first time in 2026, the government said Thursday, citing an ongoing decline of the school-age population. According to the Ministry of Education, the number of elementary, middle and high [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — Foreign investors’ net purchase of South Korean securities was the biggest in 12 years last year due largely to their buying spree of local bonds, central bank data showed Thursday. Foreigners bought a net US$38.71 billion worth of Korean securities last year, sharply up from $3.47 billion the previous [...]