[Photo News] Boosting Korea-China ties

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won (left), who doubles as chair of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Bi Jinquan, executive vice chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, a state think tank, meet in Beijing on Monday to discuss ways to expand economic cooperation between the two countries. This meeting was held to check on the implementation status of the agenda items discussed at the fourth edition of the Korea-China High-Level Economic Dialogue, jointly hosted

April 29, 2024

Over half a million S. Koreans hold multiple jobs: data

The number of South Koreans working multiple jobs surpassed 500,000 in the first quarter of this year, with older people taking up a large proportion of such workers. A total of 552,000 people here had at least one additional job while working full time in the first quarter, according to Statistics Korea data. This marked a 22.4 percent increase compared to the 451,000 tallied in the same period in 2023. While the overwhelming majority of the working population still only has one job, the perc

April 29, 2024

SK Innovation's Q1 net loss widens on FX losses

SK Innovation Co., South Korea's leading refiner by sales, said Monday its net losses widened in the first quarter from a year earlier due mainly to foreign-exchange losses. Net losses deepened to 97.62 billion won ($71 million) in the first quarter from 51.95 billion won in the year-ago period, the company said in a statement. "A weak won, which drove up import prices of crude oil and decreased equity gains from SK On, weighed on the quarterly bottom line," a company spokesperson

April 29, 2024

Hybe-Ador feud should have limited effect on Hybe's overall performance: analysts

Analysts say that while the recent feud between Hybe Entertainment and its sublabel Ador could result in short-term fluctuations in Hybe's stock prices, any long-term effects on Hybe's performance will be limited due to Ador's limited contribution to Hybe's overall performance. On Friday, shares of Hybe started at 206,000 won ($149) per share, a 11.7 percent drop compared to when the main bourse, Kospi, opened Monday, when they were 233,500 won per share, before the Hybe-Ador

April 26, 2024

Korea enters clear growth path as Q1 growth hits 2-year high

South Korea’s economy expanded at the fastest clip in more than two years in the first quarter as private spending and exports picked up, the central bank said Thursday. The country's real gross domestic product grew 1.3 percent on-quarter in the January-March period, accelerating from a 0.6 percent expansion in the fourth quarter last year, according to an advance estimate from the Bank of Korea. The latest GDP figure is a significant improvement from the past eight quarters, during

April 25, 2024

7 out of 10 wealthy Koreans offer grim outlook for 2024

The majority of wealthy South Koreans have a negative outlook on this year's economy, with plans to maintain their current asset portfolios. However, some are considering investing in real estate if the economy improves. These findings are from the "2024 Korean Wealth Report," compiled by a think tank under Hana Bank based on a survey of around 2,600 Koreans conducted in December last year. Of the respondents, 746 with over 1 billion won ($726,000) in financial assets -- including

April 25, 2024

Seoul shares open weaker on tech, battery slump

South Korean stocks opened weaker Thursday as investors sought profits following the previous session's sharp rise amid mixed overnight results on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 26.04 points, or 0.97 percent, to 2,649.71 in the first 15 minutes of trading. On Wednesday, the main index spiked nearly 2 percent, backed by chipmakers and batterymakers. Overnight, Wall Street closed mixed as a disappointing earnings report from Meta Platforms put investors on e

April 25, 2024

Korean investment in US almost doubles from pre-pandemic: report

South Korea's investment in the US increased about 1.8 times last year compared to the pre-COVID-19 period as major conglomerates set up large-scale facilities in the eastern part of the country, a report from a business lobby group showed Wednesday. According to the report published by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the total Korean investment in the US stood at $27.7 billion last year, up 75 percent from $15.8 billion in 2019. Large conglomerates like Samsung Electronics, SK

April 24, 2024

Over half of new hires in S. Korea are college graduates: data

Among newly hired employees in Korea in 2023, 50.5 percent were college graduates. Of the 28.41 million people newly hired across the country, 14.36 million had a higher education degree, according to the Korean Statistical Information Service run by Statistics Korea. The figure includes graduates from two-year college courses and those with postgraduate degrees. The number of new employees with tertiary education degrees rose by 1.2 percent compared to the year before. The figure rose from 30.2

April 24, 2024

4 conglomerates see combined operating profit plunge 65% last year: report

Four major conglomerates saw their combined operating profit plunge 65 percent last year, hit by sluggish sales amid an economic slowdown, a report showed Wednesday. Some 306 affiliates of four conglomerates -- Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor and LG -- posted a combined operating profit of 24.51 trillion won ($17.9 billion) in 2023, down from 71.91 trillion won a year earlier, according to the report by the Korea CXO Institute, a corporate data firm. Samsung Group, the country's biggest conglome

April 24, 2024

Crypto mogul Kwon appeals against Montenegro court's extradition verdict

Montenegrin lawyers of disgraced South Korean crypto entrepreneur Do Kwon are struggling to have him extradited to his home country, not the United States, according to local news reports. Kwon's legal representatives in Montenegro appealed against the Podgorica High Court's recent ruling that found the conditions for his extradition to both South Korea and the US were met, local daily Vijesti reported on Tuesday. In their appeal, the lawyers said that the high court's April 8 dec

April 24, 2024

S. Korea vows thorough market monitoring, immediate responses to Middle East crisis

Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok met with experts of economic and international affairs Tuesday and discussed responses to growing uncertainties in the Middle East, the finance ministry said. During a meeting of the international economic advisory panel in Seoul, experts called on the government to "check developments and assess potential impacts thoroughly as the conflict between Israel and Iran, coupled with the Israel-Hamas war, has seriously boosted uncertainties in the global economy,&qu

April 23, 2024

Exports gain 11.1% from April 1-20 on robust chip sales

South Korea's exports rose 11.1 percent on-year in the first 20 days of April on surging global demand for semiconductors, data showed Monday. Outbound shipments reached $35.82 billion in the April 1-20 period, compared with $32.25 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Per-day exports also advanced 11.1 percent on-year to $2.31 billion. Imports grew 6.1 percent on-year to $38.5 billion during the first 20 days of April, resulting in a trade de

April 22, 2024

BOK chief says won will level off if Middle East conflict eases

Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang-yong, during his visit to the United States, projected the volatility of the won-dollar exchange rate would ease if the Middle East tension did not escalate further. The won-dollar exchange rate has been fluctuating heavily over the past few weeks, influenced by the strong demand for the greenback, with the anticipation that the US Federal Reserve will continue its aggressive monetary tightening due to the hotter-than-expected inflation readings. The strong safe

April 21, 2024

Gold trading volume spikes amid Mideast crisis

The trading volume of gold in South Korea has jumped sharply this month amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, data showed Saturday. The daily trading volume of gold in the country came to 16.9 billion won ($12.25 million) as of Friday, according to the data from the Korea Exchange, the country's bourse operator. The reading marks a sharp increase from a daily average of 6.86 billion won for March. Such an increase follows tensions in the Middle East, prompted by Iran's drone and

April 20, 2024

S. Korea pledges W23tr venture capital fund for green investment at G20 meeting

South Korean Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok unveiled the country's plan to bolster green investment in the private sector by establishing a venture capital fund worth 23 trillion won ($16.6 billion), the ministry said Friday. Emphasizing the importance of leveraging private capital for climate financing, Choi made the announcement during the Group of 20 finance leaders' meeting held in Washington on Wednesday and Thursday, the ministry said. During a session on sustainable finance, Cho

April 19, 2024

Economics professor, ex-BOK official named as new monetary policymakers

The Bank of Korea said Friday that an economics professor and a former BOK official have been recommended to replace two outgoing monetary policymakers of the central bank. Lee Soo-hyung, a professor at Seoul National University, and Kim Jong-hwa, a former BOK deputy governor, were named to sit on the BOK's seven-member rate-setting board. If appointed by President Yoon Suk Yeol, Lee and Kim will start their four-year terms by replacing Suh Young-kyung and Cho Yoon-je, respectively. Lee and

April 19, 2024

Exchange rate volatility does not pose 'significant' economic challenges in Korea's case: IMF official

Exchange rate volatility does not present 'significant" economic challenges to South Korea, an official at the International Monetary Fund said Thursday, advising policymakers in Seoul not to "overly" focus on what moves the US Federal Reserve will take. During a press briefing, Krishna Srinivasan, director of the IMF's Asia and Pacific Department, made the remarks as concerns deepened over the recent depreciation of the Korean won at a time when Asia's fourth large

April 19, 2024

Trilateral talks acknowledge ‘serious’ slumps of won, yen

The top finance policymakers of South Korea, the US and Japan shared their concern on the recent devaluation of the Korean won and the Japanese yen during their first trilateral talks Wednesday. Korea's Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Japan's Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki held three-way talks on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and Group of 20 finance leaders' meetings in Washington. They were the first trilateral talks to

April 18, 2024

Regulator calls for collaboration of shareholders, firms

The head of the financial regulator on Thursday stressed the need for businesses and their shareholders to work together to ensure joint development, saying the government will work to create a virtuous cycle between shareholder activities and business growth. Lee Bok-hyun, chief of the Financial Supervisory Service, noted that shareholder activism will only continue to grow, but said efforts by shareholders may end in vain unless they are sound and reasonable enough to be supported by other sha

April 18, 2024