SEOUL, Apr. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — The finance ministry said Friday the government will lower tariffs levied on seven farm products and other food imports, including cabbages and grapes, starting May to curb still-high inflation. The planned move through the tariff-rate quota is part of the country’s flexible tariff system, where the government temporarily adjusts [...]
SEOUL, Apr. 24 (Korea Bizwire) –As high inflation persists, a majority of South Korean consumers are scouring various channels for information and prioritizing value-for-money products before making purchases, according to a survey conducted by the Korea Consumer Agency. The agency announced on April 24 the findings from an online survey conducted last month examining consumer [...]
SEOUL, Apr. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s central bank froze its key rate for the 10th straight session Friday, saying that its current restrictive stance will be maintained for a sufficient period of time amid woes over high inflation and household debt. In a widely expected decision, the monetary policy board of the Bank [...]
SEOUL, March 25 (Korea Bizwire) – Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok said Monday that the government will devise measures to boost the competitiveness of the farming industry and revamp its logistics structure as surging prices of fruits and fresh food items have pushed up inflation. Choi announced the plan during a visit to a major discount [...]
SEOUL, Mar. 19 (Korea Bizwire) – As stubbornly high inflation persists, South Korean households are tightening their purse strings even on private education expenses, long considered the last bastion of family budgets, according to data released on March 18. BC Card, a major credit card company, reported a staggering 24 percent year-over-year plunge in education-related spending [...]
SEOUL, Mar. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok on Monday called for extra effort by government officials to bring inflation under control amid weak private consumption, his office said. Choi made the call during a meeting with officials of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, where he also instructed them to come up [...]
SEOUL, Mar. 9 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea experienced its darkest winter in ten years from December to February, with sunlight levels plummeting, signaling potential difficulties for this year’s greenhouse crop yields. Concerns are rising that the poor condition of crops such as cucumbers, strawberries, watermelons, melons, and oriental melons could lead to reduced production [...]
SEOUL, Mar. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s inflation ticked up to over 3 percent in a month in February on high prices of fresh food items and energy, data showed Wednesday. Consumer prices, a key gauge of inflation, rose 3.1 percent on-year last month, compared with a 2.8 percent increase a month earlier, according [...]
SEOUL, Mar. 6 (Korea Bizwire) – Despite the significant increase in fruit and vegetable prices, government interventions to regulate import quantities as a means to manage inflation are not feasible for apples, which have seen substantial price hikes, earning them the nickname “golden apples.” The stringent quarantine system is the primary barrier. According to the Korea [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 29 (Korea Bizwire) — Inflation could rise over 3 percent in South Korea in February on high prices of global oil and fresh food items, the finance ministry said Thursday, vowing all-out efforts to curb inflation. In January, consumer prices, a key gauge of inflation, rose 2.8 percent on-year, marking the first fall [...]