South Korea's exports grew 12.4 percent from a year earlier in the first 10 days of this month on strong shipments of chips, data showed Wednesday. Outbound shipments reached $17.6 billion in the December 1-10 period, compared with $15.6 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Imports gained 11.6 percent on-year to $19.1 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of $1.55 billion. Adjusted for the number of working days, daily average exports increas

The Asian Development Bank has lowered its 2025 growth outlook for the South Korean economy to 2 percent, Seoul's finance ministry said Wednesday. The latest figure marks a 0.3 percentage-point fall from its earlier projection presented in September, the ministry said, citing the latest report by the Manila-based bank. The projection is on par with the forecasts by the International Monetary Fund and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, both of which have projected 2 p

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has reaffirmed the strong alliance between South Korea and the United States during talks with her South Korean counterpart, the finance ministry said Wednesday. Yellen and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok held a video conference on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing unrest and evaluate economic and financial market conditions following President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed attempt to impose martial law last week. Yellen expressed her "appreciation" to Choi

Trade Minister Cheong In-kyo vowed efforts to maintain a stable economic environment for foreign companies operating in the country while meeting with representatives from a US business lobby group in South Korea on Wednesday amid lingering political turmoil. Cheong's meeting with officials from the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) came about a week after President Yoon Suk Yeol's controversial martial law declaration, which caused significant uncertainties in the local b

Seoul shares opened slightly higher Wednesday as a widespread investigation into President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief martial law declaration by various law enforcement agencies gained traction. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 6.44 points, or 0.27 percent, to 2,424.28 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The president faces a criminal investigation in connection with insurrection and other charges related to his short-lived martial law order last week. Earlier in the day, he

Korean Air Co. plans to finalize its acquisition of a controlling stake in rival Asiana Airlines Inc. on Wednesday, completing the merger deal between South Korea's leading carriers that has been sought over the past four years, according to company officials. Korean Air plans to invest 1.5 trillion won ($1.07 billion) in a third-party share issuance by Asiana Airlines later in the day to acquire 131.57 million new shares, or a 63.9 percent stake, in the rival carrier. The move is the final

South Korea added more than 120,000 jobs in November, showing a slight uptick from the previous month but remaining in the 100,000 range, data showed Wednesday. The number of employed people aged 15 years and older came to 28.82 million as of the end of last month, up 123,000 from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. While job growth remained in the 200,000-300,000 range earlier in 2024, it sharply fell to 80,000 in May, marking the slowest on-year growth in over t

The National Assembly on Tuesday approved next year's national budget of 673.3 trillion won ($470.5 billion), reduced from the government's original proposal under pressure from the majority-held main opposition bloc. The final package is a 2.5 percent gain from that of this year's but about 4.1 trillion won less than the government’s proposal. The bill passed 183-94 with 1 abstention in an assembly where the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea holds a majority of 170

Hana Financial Group on Tuesday announced bolstered engagement with foreign investors and regulators, as market volatility intensifies amid South Korea's ongoing political turmoil. The group said that it sent letters to overseas investors on Monday, assuring them of the implementation of value-enhancement measures based on its commitment to improving shareholder rights and reinforcing its strong fundamentals. In October, the finance giant unveiled a corporate value-up plan, outlining target

Doosan Group’s business restructuring plan has fallen apart once again, after Korea’s martial law turmoil delivered a heavy blow to the stock market. Doosan Enerbility on Tuesday announced that it decided not to hold a temporary shareholders meeting on Friday this week after it held a board of directors meeting earlier in the day, indicating that the attempt to split off Doosan Bobcat, a subsidiary of Doosan Enerbility, and merge it with Doosan Robotics had to be scrapped. “Due

LG Electronics on Tuesday unveiled its revamped wireless audio brand LG Xboom, in collaboration with US rapper and producer will.i.am as “experiential architect.” The brand’s wireless speakers come with a new sound identity and user-centric designs, including an AI-powered radio app for personalized content. Its Xboom Buds earphones, formerly LG Tone Free, have also been upgraded for their official debut at the upcoming CES tech show in Las Vegas in January. (LG Electronics)

Private equity firm MBK Partners suggested a stock split for Korea Zinc as part of its initiatives to enhance the shareholder value of the troubled zinc smelter, which has been embroiled in a heated power struggle. While the MBK-Young Poong coalition and the current management of Korea Zinc, headed by Chairman Choi Yun-beom, continue a prolonged quarrel over the right to control the zinc smelter, the private equity house unveiled a set of initiatives to boost its shareholder value, including a s

Amid the rapidly expanding global virtual asset market, South Korea has decided to push back cryptocurrency trading taxation until 2027. On Tuesday, the National Assembly passed a revised Income Tax Act, which includes a two-year delay on taxing income from virtual asset trading, initially planned for implementation next month. The original plan proposed a 22 percent tax on annual crypto income exceeding 2.5 million won ($1,750) starting in January 2022 but has been delayed three times due to po

A sharp rise in the won-dollar exchange rate is deepening concerns among the nation’s top two chipmakers -- Samsung Electronics and SK hynix -- as they face snowballing financial burdens in their massive facility investments in the US. The Korean won has suffered price fluctuations following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived martial law declaration on Dec. 3. On Monday, the won soared to a two-year high of 1438.8 against the greenback. As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, the won-dollar rate re

South Korea’s top economic policymakers said the volatility in the finance and currency markets is excessive, calling on institutional investors to play a responsible role in the fluctuating market as they seek to cushion the blow of political strife incurred by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law. “Attendees of the meeting agreed that although volatility in the financial and currency markets has been increasing recently, the volatility is somewhat excessive co

South Korea’s major conglomerates are bracing to navigate the economic and political shock waves unleashed by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s fleeting attempt at martial law last week, balancing containing the fallout and preparing for their business strategies for the coming year. The big four chaebol groups, including Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor and LG, are set to hold strategy meetings later this month to finalize their plans for 2024. These meetings, typically held after annual leader

South Korean aircraft maker Korea Aerospace Industries said Tuesday that it has extended its contract with Boeing to produce empennage parts for the US aerospace giant’s 737 Max model. The extension will add 1.12 trillion won ($789 million) in sales to the existing contract. The Boeing 737 Max – the manufacturer's newest narrow-body model for short and medium-haul passenger flights – carries up to 230 passengers. KAI has provided vertical and horizontal stabilizers for the

South Korean logistics company Hanjin Logistics said Tuesday that it has hosted its “Unboxing Day” event, aimed at sharing marketing strategies and insights to help e-commerce sellers enter the global market. The event, which attracted around 390 attendees, featured an awards ceremony, panel discussions and networking opportunities. Following last year's inaugural event, Hanjin continued to honor key clients with awards. In the “Heritage” category, four clients were

Hyundai Motor Group announced its annual executive appointments Tuesday, highlighting the global auto conglomerate’s focus on a generational shift to strengthen its pillars for future growth. Of the 239 promoted executives, 41 percent are in their 40s -- an almost twofold jump from the executive promotions in 2020. Hyundai Motor noted that it continued its performance-based approach for the appointments to reflect the efforts of key individuals and capitalize on record-breaking business

On the day of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived martial law declaration, the number of South Koreans installing Telegram surged dramatically, according to data released Tuesday. Telegram reached 47.09 percent of all messenger app downloads here on Dec. 3 — totaling 40,576 — nearly four times higher than the 9,016 recorded a day before, data from mobile big data platform IGAWorks showed. Yoon declared emergency martial law on the night of Dec. 3, only to reverse it the next