[Photo News] Foreign reserves fall

Two employees sort out dollars at Hana Bank's Counterfeit Notes Response Center in central Seoul on Monday. Korea's foreign reserves stood at $415.7 billion as of end-January, down $4.39 billion from the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea. It was the first time in three months for the figure to fall. The US greenback has been strengthening as the market has lowered its expectation of an early pivot in the Federal Reserve's monetary policy. Korea was the world's ni

Feb. 5, 2024

FSS officials to visit Hong Kong in short selling probe

South Korean financial regulators are set to collaborate with their counterparts in Hong Kong as part of its ongoing investigation into illegal short selling involving Hong Kong-based companies. The Financial Supervisory Service on Monday announced plans to dispatch working-level officials to Hong Kong in early February to facilitate this cooperation. FSS Chief Lee Bok-hyun disclosed this initiative during a meeting with local journalists at the agency's headquarters in Seoul, where he outl

Feb. 5, 2024

Inflation loses steam in Korea, falls to 2% range

Korea's inflation grew at slower pace in January, coming down to the 2 percent range for the first time in six months, data showed Friday. The government warned on the possibility of prices resurging in the months ahead. Consumer prices rose 2.8 percent on-year last month, according to data from Statistics Korea. The figure shows inflationary pressure easing significantly, following rises of 3.2 percent in December and 3.3 percent in November. It is also the smallest increase seen since 2.3 perc

Feb. 2, 2024

[Photo News] Digital transformation in finance

Shinhan Financial Group Chairman Jin Ok-dong (center) attends a discussion session with employees to talk about the group’s efforts for digital transformation at the headquarters in central Seoul on Wednesday. Top executives and working-level engineers specialized in artificial intelligence and data analysis joined the event to share the latest digital trends in the financial market and Shinhan’s future strategy. “Each of you should become a ‘business designer’ to

Feb. 1, 2024

GS Engineering ordered to halt operations for 8 months over parking garage collapse

The government on Thursday imposed an eight-month business suspension on GS Engineering & Construction Corp. over the collapse of a parking garage at an apartment construction site in Incheon last year. The land ministry said GS Engineering, along with four smaller consortium partner builders, will be subject to business suspensions over the underground parking garage collapse at the apartment complex site in Geomdan-dong in Incheon, west of Seoul, in April 2023. GS Engineering and its partn

Feb. 1, 2024

BOK chief voices need to keep restrictive monetary policy for long time

Bank of Korea Gov. Rhee Chang-yong said Thursday that monetary policy needs to stay restrictive for a long time, reaffirming the central bank's commitment to bringing inflation down. Rhee said the BOK's "tightening stance needs to be maintained for a sufficiently long time, checking the monetary policy, inflation and financial stability data of major countries." In a forum hosted by a business lobby for employers, Rhee said a "half-baked" rate cut may provide stimulus to sent

Feb. 1, 2024

Exports rise for 4th month in January on semiconductor recovery

South Korea's exports moved up for the fourth consecutive month in January as exports of chips rose at the sharpest rate in around six years, data showed Thursday. Outbound shipments advanced 18 percent on-year to $54.6 billion last month, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Imports fell 7.8 percent on-year to $54.3 billion last month, resulting in a trade surplus of $300 million. South Korea has been maintaining a monthly trade surplus since June 2

Feb. 1, 2024

Korea sees W50tr tax shortfall

The Korean government saw its tax revenue fall by more than 50 trillion won ($37.5 billion) in 2023 compared with a year earlier due to a slowdown in the chip industry and a contraction in the property market, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday. Korea’s tax revenue totaled 344.1 trillion won for 2023, down 13.1 percent or 51.9 trillion won, from the previous year's 395.9 trillion won, according to preliminary figures suggested by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. It was the first

Jan. 31, 2024

S. Korea's export-import cargo gains 1% in 2023 on exports recovery

Cargo processed at South Korean seaports for exports and imports rose 1 percent on-year in 2023 amid signs of a recovery in the country's exports, the oceans ministry said Monday. Export-import cargo handled at the ports nationwide came to 1.32 billion tons last year, compared with 1.31 billion tons a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. The overall cargo handled at the domestic ports, however, inched down 0.04 percent on-year to 1.55 billion tons in 2023. Of the

Jan. 29, 2024

South Korean exports to China plunge to three-decade low

China’s imports of Korean goods plunged to the lowest level in three decades last year, amid the escalating Washington-Beijing rivalry and Seoul’s strategic pivot. According to data from the Korea International Trade Association on Sunday, South Korea accounted for 6.3 percent of China’s imports last year, down from 7.4 percent a year earlier. In 2022, Korea ranked second on China’s top importer list, following Taiwan. Last year, the country was outpaced by Taiwan and the

Jan. 28, 2024

BOK extends open market operations to non-banking entities

The South Korean central bank on Thursday said it will start to buy or sell securities with non-banking finance institutions in open markets, expanding the scope of entities subject to its key monetary policy instrument to control the money supply in the economy. With the latest change in the Bank of Korea's open market operations, local asset management firms, mutual savings banks and credit unions will now be eligible to engage in repurchase agreements (repos) for securities transaction

Jan. 26, 2024

Eximbank launches Saudi desk to bolster support in Middle East

The state-run Export-Import Bank of Korea said Thursday that it has launched a Saudi Arabia desk to ramp up support for local firms expanding their businesses in the Middle East. According to the bank, the new desk will take charge of coordinating and supporting the private sector, not just within Saudi Arabia, but in the Middle East overall. While the team will be based in Seoul, an employee will be dispatched to Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, and will collaborate closely to discover new

Jan. 25, 2024

Korean tech is what world needs: Banga

World Bank President Ajay Banga stressed that South Korea can play a pivotal role in leading other developing countries with its experience in growth and development, during a media briefing Thursday as part of his visit to Seoul. "What Korea did in 30 years -- to go from being an underdeveloped, challenged country, to having come through a crisis to come out like this -- was quite remarkable,” he said at the Global Knowledge Exchange & Development Center in northern Seoul. &ldquo

Jan. 25, 2024

W4tr of damaged notes, coins destroyed in 2023

The total face value of damaged bills and coins discarded by the Bank of Korea reached nearly 4 trillion won ($2.98 billion) last year, marking a sharp rise from previous years as more in-person business transactions occurred with the end of the pandemic, the central bank said Wednesday. A total of 483.85 million damaged bills and coins were pulled out of circulation by the central bank due to damage in 2023, up 71.17 million from 412.68 million tallied a year earlier. The face value of the de

Jan. 24, 2024

Korea to expand tax benefits for advanced chips, OLED

The Korean government plans to expand tax incentives for the nation’s strategic technologies such as advanced chips and displays as part of a tax revision that takes effect next month. The Finance Ministry on Tuesday unveiled a set of tax reform plans, including tax cuts worth up to 950 billion won ($711 million) per year, in a bid to attract more investment into new growth drivers and boost the local economy. The chip and display sectors have already been protected as strategic industries

Jan. 23, 2024

Producer prices rise 0.1% in December on higher agriculture goods, gas costs

South Korea's producer prices moved up 0.1% on-month in December due to the higher cost of agricultural products and gas, the central bank said Tuesday. The producer price index, a major barometer of consumer inflation, came to 121.19 last month, up from 121.02 tallied in November, according to the data from the Bank of Korea. It marked the first rebound in three months, as the index fell 0.1 percent and 0.4 percent on-month in October and November, respectively. From a year earlier, it gai

Jan. 23, 2024

S. Korea to abolish mandated holiday breaks for large supermarkets

The South Korean government said on Monday that it has decided to abolish a policy mandating twice-a-month breaks for large discount stores, citing the change as one intended for the convenience of the people. The Office for Government Policy Coordination held a civic-government discussion in Dongdaemun-gu in Seoul, where it narrowed down a number of potential changes to be made. These included allowing large supermarkets to take their two monthly obligatory breaks on weekdays and allowing them

Jan. 22, 2024

One in 10 Korean nationals work in large companies

More people work at large companies in South Korea, with the number of people employed by conglomerates reaching a record high last year. According to recent data from the Korean Statistical Information Service, the number of people working at companies with over 300 employees reached an all-time high of 3,087,000 last year. This is the first time that the figure reached the 3 million milestone since the statistics agency started compiling such data in 2004. The ratio of people working at large

Jan. 22, 2024

Exports fall 1% in Jan. 1-20 due to fewer working days

South Korea's exports fell 1 percent on-year in the first 20 days of January due to a smaller number of working days, data showed Monday. Outbound shipments reached $33.3 billion in the Jan. 1-20 period, compared with $33.6 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Imports fell 18.2 percent on-year to $35.9 billion during the period, resulting in a trade deficit of $2.6 billion. The number of working days came to 15.5 over the period, compared wit

Jan. 22, 2024

3 carmakers to recall over 104,000 vehicles for faulty parts

Renault Korea Motors and two other carmakers will recall more than 104,000 vehicles due to faulty components, the government said Thursday. The three companies, including Kia Corp. and domestic electric van manufacturer Jeis Mobility, are voluntarily recalling a total of 104,120 units of three different models, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement. The problems that prompted the recall include a faulty component in the anti-lock braking system module in over 83,

Jan. 18, 2024