Foreign direct investment (FDI) pledges to South Korea rose 18.2 percent on-year during the first nine months of this year on the solid growth in investment in such advanced sectors as chips and batteries, the industry ministry said Wednesday. The country received $21.52 billion worth of FDI commitments during the January-September period, compared with $18.21 billion logged a year earlier, acco...

South Korea's exports are expected to worsen in the fourth quarter of the year amid a global economic slowdown, a trade body said Wednesday. The Korea International Trade Association (KITA) said its export business survey index stood at 84.4 for the October-December period, down from 94.4 three months earlier and staying below par for three consecutive quarters. The index came to 96.1 in the se...

South Korea's consumer prices grew at a slower pace on-year for the second consecutive month in September on the back of slowed growth in prices of oil and agricultural products, data showed Wednesday, in yet another sign that inflation may have peaked. Consumer prices, a key gauge of inflation, rose 5.6 percent last month from a year earlier, slowing from a 5.7 percent rise in August, according...

Countries with high income inequality and national debt have reported more COVID-related deaths in the first year of the pandemic, a report showed Tuesday. Of the 38 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development member nations, those with a high Gini coefficient -- a gauge of economic inequality such as levels of income -- and high national debt saw the most deaths from COVID-19 in 2020,...

Financial authorities plan to launch a stock market stabilization fund as part of efforts to counter downswings amid growing worries over global financial tightening and slowing economic growth, industry sources said Tuesday. Consultations are ongoing among relevant agencies with an aim to complete preparations for the launch of the around 10 trillion-won ($7 billion) fund within this month, acc...

One-person households increasingly tightening belts, setting average retirement savings goal of W770m

Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho elected chair of 2023 ADB meeting in Songdo

President Yoon Suk-yeol said Friday the government will take necessary and timely steps to protect the people against increasing financial volatility. Yoon made the remark while presiding over a macrofinancial meeting with government and business officials, citing an "unprecedentedly strong dollar" and the US Federal Open Market Committee's decision last week to raise the interest rate. "The le...

Combined assets held by 100 individuals worth W2.52tr, or 206 homes each

South Korea's tax revenue increased 41 trillion won ($28.8 billion) in the first eight months of this year compared with a year earlier as the collection of corporate and income taxes rose, the finance ministry said Thursday. Tax revenue amounted to 289.3 trillion won in the January-August period, compared with 248.2 trillion won the previous year, according to the ministry. In August alone, th...

The European Chamber of Commerce in Korea (ECCK) on Wednesday called for South Korea to consider revising regulations on electric vehicles and several other key sectors to provide more procedural clarity and flexibility in line with international standards. The ECCK made the recommendations to the South Korean government in its latest annual white paper for this year, which contains a total of 9...

South Korea's global ranking in terms of digital technology competitiveness climbed to No. 8 this year, the science ministry said Wednesday, citing the International Institute for Management Development (IMD). According to the ministry, South Korea climbed four notches from last year's 12th spot in the 2022 IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking report. The country ranked 19th in 2017 and lat...

Sales of South Korea's top 500 firms have soared nearly 40 percent over the past 10 years with the information technology and electronics sector taking up the biggest share, a corporate tracker said Wednesday. The combined top line of the leading businesses stood at 3,286 trillion won ($2.3 trillion) in 2021, up 39 percent from a decade earlier, according to CEO Score. The IT, electronics and e...

South Korea's inflation expectations declined for a second straight month in September amid falling oil prices, a central bank survey showed Monday. Ordinary people expected consumer prices will grow 4.2 percent over the next year, down 0.1 percentage point from 4.3 percent of the previous month, according to the poll conducted by the Bank of Korea (BOK). The inflation expectations index has sh...

SEJONG -- The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development forecast Monday that South Korea will rank 12th among members of the Group of 20 for 2022 gross domestic product growth, hinting that the nation will see weakened momentum for economic growth. In its Interim Economic Outlook, the France-based OECD predicted that Korea will post a 2.8 percent growth this year. This is lower than...