SEOUL, March 5 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s economy grew 2 percent last year, matching an earlier estimate, amid slowing export growth, sagging domestic demand and a political crisis, central bank data showed Wednesday. The country’s real gross domestic product (GDP) — a key measure of economic growth — increased 2 percent last year, in [...]
TOKYO, Feb. 13 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea, China and Japan are close to finalizing the arrangements to hold a trilateral meeting of their top diplomats late next month, a report said Thursday. The meeting, set to be held in Tokyo, is most likely to take place March 22, Japan’s Asahi Shimbun daily reported, citing [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — The Bank of Korea (BOK) said Monday its outlook for South Korea’s economic growth this year may be lowered to as low as 1.6 percent due to a political crisis sparked by suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol and weak domestic demand. The BOK had presented 1.9 percent growth outlook [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s credit default swap (CDS) premium, a key indicator of national credit risk, has started to decline after spiking due to political turbulence. The downturn signals a slight recovery in investor confidence following heightened concerns over political uncertainty. On January 17, the five-year CDS premium for South Korea [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 14 (Korea Bizwire) – North Korea ranked as the 34th strongest in military firepower globally, while South Korea came in fifth, a global firepower index showed Tuesday. The numbers were released in the 2025 Military Strength Ranking, compiled by Global Firepower (GFP), which assesses the “potential war-making capability” of 145 nations by conventional [...]
SEJONG, Jan. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s export landscape with China has undergone a significant transformation over the past decade, with traditional intermediate goods exports such as displays, computers, auto parts, steel sheets, and petroleum products sharply declining. Conversely, South Korea’s imports of Chinese intermediate goods, particularly battery materials, batteries, and auto parts, have [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — Global investment banks are increasingly sounding alarm bells over South Korea’s unprecedented low growth trajectory amid continuing political instability, with attention turning to a potential interest rate cut in January. JP Morgan has issued the most pessimistic outlook, projecting just 1.3% growth for the country in 2025, as domestic economic [...]
OXFORD, Jan. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — In 2006, renowned British demographer David Coleman, now 78 and an emeritus professor at Oxford University, made a stark prediction at a UN population forum: South Korea could become the first nation to face population extinction. Meeting at his Oxford home on December 28, Coleman reflected on his earlier warning, [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — Kim Jin-ha, a 78-year-old small clothing shop owner in Seoul’s Yeomni-dong, begins his day arranging clothing displays and preparing his store for the day’s customers. Despite his dedication of 25 years to the store, Kim says he has seen his profits steadily decline, as sluggish consumer spending has made [...]
SEJONG, Dec. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — The government is set to swiftly deploy additional market stabilization measures, including the injection of the second phase of value-up funds worth 300 billion won (US$207 million) into the country’s stock market, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok said Monday. Choi made the remarks during an emergency meeting with top economic and financial [...]