Nearly two-thirds of South Korean manufacturers perceive the country's current carbon neutrality policy as a regulatory burden, a poll showed Thursday, underscoring the need for a shift toward a more incentive-based approach. According to the recent survey conducted by the Federation of Korean Industries on the country's leading 1,000 manufacturing companies, 64.2 percent of the 120 firms that offered responses said they consider the current carbon neutrality policy as a constraint. Of the respo

South Korean stocks extended their winning streak to a third day Wednesday as the Washington-Beijing trade deal boosted investor appetite for risky assets. The local currency fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 32.15 points, or 1.23 percent, to close at 2,640.57, following a 1.17 percent jump and 0.04 percent gain on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. Trade volume was moderate at 386.7 million shares worth 8.76 trillion won ($6.17 billion), with gaine

The government on Wednesday announced a set of additional support measures for small and medium-sized domestic exporters expected to be impacted by new US tariffs, citing continued uncertainty in the global trade environment. "Despite yesterday's tariff agreement between the United States and China, global trade conditions are still marked by considerable uncertainty," acting Finance Minister Kim Beom-suk said during a meeting with economy-related ministers. The announcement follows high-level n

South Korean chip giant SK hynix Inc. has been ranked the top company in terms of investment and business performance among the country's 268 major companies, a market tracker said Wednesday. SK hynix, the world's second-largest memory chipmaker, received 622.9 points out of the full 800 in a business evaluation that assessed eight categories, including global competitiveness, job creation and social contributions, according to CEO Score. Last year, Hyundai Motor Co. topped the list, while SK hy

South Korea added nearly 200,000 jobs in April, but employment in the manufacturing sector, considered the backbone of the economy, posted its steepest on-year decline in over six years, data showed Wednesday. The number of employed people reached 28.89 million last month, up 194,000 from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. April's data highlight a continued upward trend in employment following a brief contraction at the end of 2024, when the country saw a net los

South Korean food company CJ Cheiljedang Corp. said Tuesday its first-quarter net profit plunged 62.9 percent from a year earlier due to weak domestic demand. Net profit for the three months ended March fell to 57.4 billion won ($40.5 million), down from 154.6 billion won in the same period last year, the company said in a regulatory filing. "A prolonged slump in the domestic food market and relatively lower sales of high-end amino acid for livestock compared with the first quarter of last year

The Indonesian Muslim Women Entrepreneurs Association commemorated its 10th anniversary from May 4 to 6 in Jakarta, Indonesia, showcasing a vision for future cooperation between women, technology and businesses across borders. The event gathered over 700 attendees, including IPEMI President Ingrid Kansil and senior Indonesian government officials. The gathering served as a platform to recognize the organization’s achievements over the past decade and to outline a roadmap for the next 10 years. N

By Raymond Cheng The global economy is still embroiled in the US-led tariff stalemate, although market volatility has eased on hopes that President Trump would soften his stance and strike deals with trade partners. This market relief, while temporary, could be useful — investors have an opportunity to use the relative calm to add portfolio bulwarks, including gold and developed market investment-grade government bonds, as well as to diversify currency exposure to mitigate the risk of a prolonge

South Korea’s exports plunged nearly 24 percent in the first 10 days of May, signaling that the US Trump administration's tariffs are beginning to take a toll on the trade-dependent economy. Outbound shipments totaled $12.8 billion during the May 1-10 period, down 23.8 percent from a year earlier, according to preliminary data from the Korea Customs Service released Monday. Factoring in fewer workdays — five days during the period this year compared to 6.5 days in 2024 — average daily exports fe

South Korean stocks kicked off higher Monday as the United States and China wrapped up their first high-level tariff negotiations, boosting hopes the two countries may reach a trade deal. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 14.93 points, or 0.58 percent, to 2,592.20 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Washington and Beijing held a two-day trade dialogue in Geneva from Saturday to discuss tariff and other trade issues. Both sides have yet to issue an official statement on the re

South Korea’s economy was the worst-performing among 19 major countries with available data, held back by its demographic challenges, according to data released Sunday by the Bank of Korea. Data from the central bank’s Economic Statistics System, based on figures from the OECD, showed that the country’s real gross domestic product — a key indicator of economic growth — contracted by 0.246 percent in the January-March period. This 0.246 percent contraction was the poorest economic performance amo

South Korean stocks fell slightly to end a three-session winning streak Friday as investors hunted for profits by dumping battery and bank shares despite eased tariff woes on a US-Britain trade deal. The local currency fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 2.21 points, or 0.09 percent, to close at 2,577.27. The index had risen for three consecutive sessions since Friday. The local financial market was closed Monday and Tuesday for the Children's Day and

South Korea and Saudi Arabia hosted a joint business forum Friday in Seoul to promote the expansion of the countries' bilateral cooperation in advanced industries, Seoul's industry ministry said. From Riyadh, 20 major companies attended the forum, including the country's biggest wireless carrier STC Group, state-run defense company Saudi Arabian Military Industries and Saudi's first electric vehicle manufacturer Ceer, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. From Seoul, 100 compa

South Korean stocks opened higher Friday following a trade agreement between the United States and Britain, which could give a glimpse of upcoming trade deals with other countries. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 7.28 points, or 0.28 percent, to 2,586.76 in the first 15 minutes of trading. On Wall Street, major stock indices finished higher on improved sentiment for trade talks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.62 percent, and the Nasdaq Composite advanced 1.07 perce

South Korea logged a current account surplus for the 23rd consecutive month in March on rising exports, central bank data showed Friday. The country's current account surplus reached $9.14 billion in March, following a $7.18 billion surplus the previous month, according to the preliminary data compiled by the Bank of Korea. The country has reported a current account surplus every month since May 2023. The goods account logged an $8.49 billion surplus in March as exports climbed 2.2 percent from