Korea's household debt burden ranks No. 2 globally

Korea’s household debt is rising at an alarming pace, coming in second in terms of size and growth rate among major economies, data showed Monday. According to a report issued by the Bank of International Settlements, a financial institution based in Basel, Switzerland, the debt service ratio for households in Korea stood at 13.6 percent last year, the second highest among 17 major countries in the world, just behind Australia at 14.7 percent. The DSR gauges how much a borrower has to pay

July 17, 2023

BOK unlikely to cut rates this year: Gov. Rhee

The Bank of Korea is unlikely to cut interest rates this year because of uncertainty in the inflation outlook and massive household debt, central bank Gov. Rhee Chang-yong said Friday. "It is difficult to say that we will lower the interest rates for the time being, so don't expect too much that there will be a drop in the interest rates," he said during the 45th Jeju Forum hosted by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry at Jeju Haevichi Hotel Resort. "We will look at

July 14, 2023

Economy's downward pressure eased as exports show recovery signs

South Korea's economy is experiencing eased downward pressures on the back of improving exports, the finance ministry said Friday, although the country still faces an ongoing economic slowdown. "(The economy's) downward pressures are easing on the back of partial recovery of the sluggish exports, sound domestic consumption, improved economic sentiment and robust employments," the Ministry of Economy and Finance said in a report. The ministry nevertheless mentioned an economic

July 14, 2023

BOK extends rate pause amid cooler inflation

The Bank of Korea kept the base rate unchanged at 3.5 percent Thursday, going for a fourth consecutive freeze as inflation has shown signs of cooling down significantly. The six-member monetary policy board unanimously voted for a rate freeze, while agreeing to keep the terminal rate at 3.75 percent, BOK Gov. Rhee Chang-yong said at a press conference held shortly after the rate-setting meeting. The central bank was able to maintain the rate, as inflation has been giving firmer signs of easing

July 13, 2023

BOK holds key rate steady at 3.5%

The Bank of Korea kept its key interest rate unchanged for the fourth consecutive time as inflation seems to be on the wane. The central bank decided to hold the rate at 3.5 percent at its rate-setting meeting on Thursday, keeping the base rate steady since February. The BOK’s decision falls in line with the market projection which assumed the central bank would maintain the rate as the consumer prices growth in June fell to the 2 percent range for the first time in 21 months. Korea’

July 13, 2023

S. Korea's fiscal deficit narrows on-year through May

South Korea's fiscal deficit narrowed in the first five months of 2023 from a year earlier as the country cut spending on pandemic-related expenditures, data showed Thursday. The managed fiscal balance, a key gauge of fiscal health calculated on a stricter term, posted a deficit of 52.5 trillion won ($40.9 billion) in the January-May period, compared with a shortfall of 71.2 trillion won tallied a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. South Korea's tax revenue

July 13, 2023

Import prices hit 18-month low in June on strong won, stable oil prices

Import prices fell to the lowest in 18 months in June to extend their on-month decline for the second straight month on the back of the strengthening Korean won and stable oil prices, central bank data showed Thursday. The import price index for June stood at 130.49, down 3.4 percent from May, according to the data compiled by the Bank of Korea. The June reading marks the lowest since December 2021. The index also fell 15.7 percent compared with a year earlier, marking the sharpest decline since

July 13, 2023

W8.6b returned to people who sent money to wrong accounts

A total of 8.6 billion won ($6.7 million) was returned to 7,015 people who wired money to the wrong accounts since July 2021, the Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation said on Wednesday. The Misdirected Wire Transfers Recovery Support System, implemented in July 2021, is a system that returns money that was sent by mistake, which applies to those who wired amounts between 50,000 won and 50 million won. Requests for return need to be filed within a year of the date transfer was made. The average am

July 12, 2023

Korea looks to lure more foreign workers

The Korean government plans to ease the visa quota for foreign workers to resolve growing labor shortage issues. “We will resolve the imbalance in the labor market by improving the working environment and using foreign human resources,” Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho said at a meeting Wednesday. Choo said the government will lift the quota for the E-7-4 visa for skilled workers from 5,000 to 35,000 within the year and ease the standard on minimum annual income, which currently stands

July 12, 2023

Hyundai workers to hold strike in protest against 'anti-union' government

Unionized workers at Hyundai Motor Co. will hold a partial strike Wednesday in the South Korean carmaker's domestic plants in protest against the "anti-union" Yoon Suk Yeol government, the union said. Hyundai's day-shift and night-shift workers will hold a two-hour strike Wednesday, respectively, under the guidelines of the Korean Metal Workers' Union, a union spokesman said over the phone. The KMWU has been calling on the Yoon government to stop union repression and for

July 12, 2023

S. Korean banks' net income from overseas businesses down in 2022

South Korean banks' net income from overseas businesses decreased in 2022 from a year earlier on increased bad debt expenses, data showed Wednesday. The net income of domestic banks' overseas businesses sank to $991 million from $1.17 billion on-year, according to the Financial Supervisory Service. The FSS attributed the decrease to a rise in banks' bad debt expenses intended to prepare for bad loans amid global rate hikes. The banks' interest income rose 13.7 percent on-year

July 12, 2023

Better-than-expected job additions continue in June on strong senior workforce

South Korea's job additions remained stronger than expected in June on the back of the senior workforce, data showed Wednesday, although the on-year growth slowed for the third consecutive month. The number of employed people came to 28.81 million in June, up around 333,000 from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. South Korea's on-year job additions slowed for nine consecutive months through February before rebounding in March, when they rose 469,000 on-

July 12, 2023

S. Korea to host intl. statistics congress in 2027

South Korea's statistics agency said Tuesday the country has been selected as the host of an international statistics event scheduled for 2027, which will bring together experts and government officials from around the world to share knowledge in the field of statistics. South Korea will host the World Statistics Congress of the International Statistical Institute in 2027 in the southeastern port city of Busan, marking the second time for the country to host the biennial event, following it

July 11, 2023

Exports down 14.8% during first 10 days of July

South Korea's exports fell 14.8 percent on-year in the first 10 days of July due to sluggish shipments of chips, data showed Tuesday. The country's outbound shipments reached $13.3 billion in the July 1-10 period, compared with $15.5 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Imports fell 26.9 percent on-year to $15.5 billion during the period, resulting in a trade deficit of $2.27 billion. In June, South Korea's outbound shipments fell 6

July 11, 2023

M&A activity plummets 40% in H1

The total transaction volume of cross-border mergersand acquisitions involving Korean companies decreased by more than 40 percent in the first half of this year compared to the previous year, according to a major business lobby group, which called for the government support for deals with overseas tech companies. According to a report released by the Sustainable Growth Initiative, a think tank under the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Monday, the volume of transactions in domestic

July 10, 2023

BOK likely to hold key rate steady as inflation eases

The Bank of Korea is expected to keep its key interest rate unchanged this week as recent economic indicators show signs of waning inflation. If the central bank maintains the policy rate at 3.5 percent at its rate-setting meeting scheduled to take place on Thursday, it would be its fourth consecutive freeze since February. Signs of inflation cooling have created room for the BOK to keep the rate at the same level. Korea’s consumer prices, a key gauge of inflation, rose by 2.7 percent in

July 10, 2023

S. Korea's current account returns to black in May

South Korea's current account returned to the black in May on the back of a trade surplus and increased dividend payments from overseas, central bank data showed Friday. The country's current account surplus reached $1.93 billion in May, swinging from a deficit of $790 million a month earlier, according to the preliminary data from the Bank of Korea. May's surplus came as the country logged a trade surplus and the service account deficit narrowed. The primary income account, which

July 7, 2023

S. Korea removes tariffs on naphtha imports

South Korea has removed tariffs on imports of naphtha and crude oil used to produce the material, the finance ministry said Thursday, in line with efforts to support the local petrochemical industry. Under the measure, the tariffs on all naphtha imports will be lowered to zero through the end of 2023 immediately, compared with the current 0.5 percent, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Those on crude oil used to produce naphtha will also be lowered to zero for the amount not excee

July 6, 2023

S. Korea's overseas plant orders jump 40.2% in H1

Overseas orders for industrial plants won by South Korean builders spiked more than 40 percent on-year in the first half of 2023 on brisk demand from the Middle East and Africa, data showed Thursday. Local builders clinched $13.05 billion worth of plant orders from abroad in the January-June period, up 40.2 percent from a year earlier, according to the commerce ministry data. The first-half jump came as orders from Middle Eastern and African countries shot up from a year earlier. Plant orders fr

July 6, 2023

[Photo News] Foreign reserves up in June

An official sorts dollar bundles at a Hana Bank branch in Seoul, Wednesday. As the US dollar weakens, Korea's foreign reserves amounted to $421.45 billion as of end-June, up $470 million from the previous month. The dollar's fall boosted the converted value of holdings denominated in other currencies such as the euro and pound. Financial institutions' foreign currency holdings also went up, the Bank of Korea explained.

July 5, 2023