Economic recovery momentum constrained by external uncertainty: KDI

South Korea's economic recovery momentum has been losing steam in the face of deteriorating external conditions, such as Russia's war with Ukraine and monetary tightening modes in major economies, a state-run think tank said Thursday. Led by in-person services, domestic demand improved as outdoor activities have increased on the back of the lifting of COVID-19 virus curbs, the Korea Development Institute (KDI) said in a monthly economic assessment report. "However, as manufacturin

July 7, 2022

S. Korea logs current account surplus in May, turnaround from April deficit

South Korea posted a current account surplus in May, turning around from the previous month's deficit, but its surplus was still much smaller than a year earlier as import bills remained high amid soaring energy and commodity prices, central bank data showed Thursday. The country's current account surplus amounted to $3.86 billion in May, according to the preliminary data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). It marked a reversal from the previous month when South Korea registered a current ac

July 7, 2022

Ruling party leaders call on Yoon to prioritize people’s living conditions

SEJONG -- Political heavyweights from the ruling People Power Party said they would not spare any effort to overcome a variety of economic challenges during a meeting with senior government officials and presidential aides in Seoul on Wednesday. Their meeting comes as the nation’s inflation -- 6 percent in June -- hit its highest point in more than two decades. The country is also grappling with rising interest rates, which are posing a heavy burden on households. Some noteworthy re

July 6, 2022

Industry chief calls for export growth, nuclear energy use over 'multiple crises'

Industry Minister Lee Chang-yang has vowed measures to strengthen export competitiveness and maximize nuclear energy in the face of major economic challenges over surging inflation and fuel costs. "We are now facing multiple crises, as high inflation and surging energy prices have given a shock to our economy. As we are highly dependent on imports for our energy needs, we are fully feeling the pains," Lee told reporters Tuesday. In June, the country's consumer prices soared 6 percent o

July 6, 2022

Yoon nullifies nuclear energy phaseout

SEJONG -- The Cabinet on Tuesday approved the administration’s energy policy direction, which is aimed at raising the share of nuclear energy out of the nation’s total power generation from the current level of 27.4 percent. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the administration has set the goal of raising the share of nuclear power generation to 30 percent or more by 2030. The Yoon Suk-yeol administration’s energy policy direction invalidates that of the

July 5, 2022

BOK eyes bumper rate hike as inflation hits 24-year high

The Bank of Korea is emboldened to raise its benchmark rate by 50 basis points for the first time next week, as consumer prices in June increased 6 percent from a year earlier, the highest level since November 1998, when they jumped 6.8 percent on-year amid the Asian financial crisis. Data from Statistics Korea released Tuesday found the June consumer price index topped the 5.4 percent marked in May, in line with the central bank chief’s earlier warning that prices would rise faster in Ju

July 5, 2022

Foreign reserves see sharpest fall since financial crisis

South Korea’s central bank said Tuesday that foreign reserves in June saw the sharpest decline since November 2008, when the country was dealing with the global financial crisis, feeding concerns of the weakening value of the Korean won against the US dollar. “Korea’s official foreign reserves as of end of June 2022 amounted to $438.3 billion,” the BOK said in a statement. It was down $9.43 billion on-month, data tied to the statement showed. Foreign reserves include

July 5, 2022

Exports of agro-fisheries products jump 14.6% in H1

South Korea's exports of farm and fisheries products grew 14.6 percent in the first half of this year on solid demand for Korean food, data showed Tuesday. Outbound shipments of agricultural and fisheries goods came to $6.21 billion in the January-June period, up from $5.42 billion from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The figure represents the largest-ever tally for the first half of any year. Of the amount, sales of agricultural products ca

July 5, 2022

S. Korea's inflation at 24-year high in June; sharp rate hike in offing

South Korea's consumer prices rose at the fastest clip in nearly 24 years in June due mainly to soaring energy costs, data showed Tuesday, fanning expectations of a sharp rate hike this month. Consumer prices soared 6 percent last month from a year earlier, accelerating from a 5.4 percent on-year spike in May, according to the data from Statistics Korea. It marked the sharpest inflation rate since a 6.8 percent jump in November 1998, when South Korea was in the midst of the 1997-98 Asian fi

July 5, 2022

[News Focus] Will Korea have authority of independent financial sanctions?

SEJONG -- The Yoon Suk-yeol administration is considering revising the law on foreign exchange transactions for the first time since it was legislated 23 years ago, officials said Monday, drawing market eyes to whether the government would be granted the authority to impose financial sanctions on overseas traders “independently.” Under the current law, the Korean government is only entitled to apply sanctions in accordance with the international community’s joint moves toward

July 4, 2022

Policymakers to check for signs of recession ahead of rate hike

The Finance Ministry said Monday that the government would respond to any signs of economic weakness before it turns into a crisis by closely tracking indicators pointing to a worsening outlook, like inflation or recession, ahead of the Bank of Korea’s rate hike next week. The country’s five economic chiefs -- the finance minister, President Yoon Suk-yeol’s economic adviser and three separate chiefs from the central bank, top financial policymaker and financial watchdog -

July 4, 2022

S. Korean icebreaker begins 13th Arctic mission

South Korea's sole icebreaker kicked off its 13th Arctic mission Monday to conduct research on clues about climate change in the North Pole, a local polar research institute said. The Araon left the western port of Incheon for a 92-day mission to study the causes of abnormal weather conditions there and the impact of global warming on its ecosystem, the Korea Polar Research Institute said. It is the Araon's first Arctic mission in three years, which had been delayed in the wake of the

July 4, 2022

S. Korea's power demand hits new high in June amid hot weather

South Korea's electricity demand touched a fresh all-time high in June as the country was struck by an early heat wave, data showed Monday. The country's maximum power demand averaged 71,805 megawatts (MW) last month, up 4.3 percent from a year earlier and marking the highest tally for any June, according to the data from the Korea Power Exchange. June also represented the first time the figure has surpassed the 70,000-MW level for the month. The power exchange said unusually hot weath

July 4, 2022

Seoul-Tokyo summit needed to restore ties, resolve pending issues: biz leaders

Business leaders of South Korea and Japan called Monday for the leaders of the two countries to hold a summit at an early date to address pending bilateral issues and help restore economic ties. The Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) and the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren -- major business lobbies in the two countries -- made the joint call during their annual meeting that was resumed after a nearly three-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. "We must upgrade the declara

July 4, 2022

Preemptive measures in store to tackle risks from rising rates: chief policymakers

South Korea's finance minister, the central bank chief and financial regulators said Monday they will step up policy coordination to minimize fallout from rising interest rates at home and abroad. In a meeting presided over by Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho, they discussed economic and financial situations amid heightened external economic uncertainty from the prolonged war between Russia and Ukraine, and the Federal Reserve's aggressive monetary policy tightening. The meeting brought

July 4, 2022

Fiscal chief vows extra W40tr to help exporters

Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho said Sunday that he would help Korean companies sell more goods overseas by offering more loans at a time when Korea’s exports snapped 15 months of double-digit growth in June, stocking recession worries. The trade deficit in January-June this year reached $10.3 billion, the highest level ever recorded in the first six months of a year, despite record-high exports in the same period, as soaring energy prices offset the export gains. “I am not quite su

July 3, 2022

Financial regulator to take measures to ease volatility in stock markets

Financial authorities said Friday they will take a series of measures from next week to ease volatility in stock markets, as the nation's benchmark stock index sank to a 20-month low due to fears of an economic recession.    From next Monday, brokerage firms will be exempted from an obligation to hold at least 140 percent of the value of each stock purchase, to provide credit to their customers, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) said in a statement.    The exemption

July 1, 2022

Korea suffers all-time high trade deficit in 1st half

SEJONG -- South Korea posted a record-high trade deficit during the first half of 2022 in the wake of a spike in import prices of raw materials, state data showed Friday. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the nation’s exports recorded $350.3 billion during the January-June period, up 15.6 percent compared to the corresponding period of 2021. Imports increased by 26.2 percent on-year to post $360.6 billion. This brought about a trade deficit of $10.3 billion, which

July 1, 2022

Slowdown to bite harder next year: experts

The US slowdown is set to cause economic headwinds for South Korea over the next year, though analysts said it would have less impact than the 2007-2008 financial crisis. Fei Xue, an Asia analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit, told The Korea Herald that the US and EU represent “two major export markets” for Korea and the deceleration expected to take place there soon would lead to waning demand for chips, cars and other export items. For now, such exports alongside stronger do

June 30, 2022

14 public firms warned over financial status

SEJONG -- Economic policymakers on Thursday designated 14 state-run companies as a group targeted for special control, citing their “risky” financial status. The companies included the Korea Electric Power Corp., the Korea Railroad Corp., the Korea National Oil Corp. and the Korea Land & Housing Corp., according the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Among the 14 state-run firms, nine showed worsened profitability to a certain extent, while five were weak in terms of financial so

June 30, 2022