South Korea's finance ministry said Friday the country's domestic consumption has been showing a steady recovery, but the economy has continued to slow due to sluggish exports and facility investment. "Recently, inflation has been slowing in South Korea, with the domestic consumption also posting a rebound," the Ministry of Economy and Finance said in a report. In April, the country's inflation ...

South Korea's finance ministry said Friday the government will issue a set of coupons for local accommodations and tour packages in line with efforts to boost domestic consumption. The move came a day after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared an end to almost all COVID-19 restrictions in the latest step to return to pre-pandemic normalcy. Under the measure, the government plans to offer 30,000-won...

Seoul shares opened lower Friday as investors remain concerned about the US Federal Reserve taking further tightening steps. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 11.57 points, or 0.46 percent, to 2,479.43 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Institutions and foreigners sold a combined 115 billion won ($86 million) worth of stocks, offsetting individuals' stock purchases valued at...

Seoul shares ended lower to extend their losing streak to a third day Thursday as investors remain watchful on whether the US Federal Reserve will put its policy rate on hold next month following improved US inflation data. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 5.51 points, or 0.22 percent, to 2,491.00. Trading volume was moderate at 635...

South Korean information technology company NHN Corp. on Thursday said its first-quarter operating profit rose 23.1 percent on-year to 19.1 billion won ($14.5 million) mainly owing to steady growth in the revenue of its gaming and payment services. Net income came to 25.6 billion won ($19.3 million), turning from a loss of 4.5 billion won during the first quarter of 2022, according to the compan...

The Korea Development Institute, a South Korean state-run think tank, lowered the nation’s growth rate for 2023 to 1.5 percent from 1.8 percent in its previous outlook due to weak exports. The KDI projected Korea's economy will grow by 0.9 percent in the first half of 2023. It is expected to see 2.1 percent growth in the latter half of the year provided that the Chinese economy picks up and the ...

South Korea's exports fell 10.1 percent on-year in the first 10 days of May, data showed Thursday, amid the prolonged downcycle of the global semiconductor industry. The country's outbound shipments stood at $14.5 billion in the May 1-10 period, compared with $16.1 billion a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Imports shed 5.7 percent on-year to $18.7 billion dur...

Seoul shares opened higher Thursday as investors expect the Federal Reserve to put its rate hike march on hold following eased US consumer inflation data. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 10.36 points, or 0.4 percent, to 2,506.87 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Individuals bought a net 22.2 billion won ($17 million) worth of stocks, offsetting institutions and foreigners...

Mirae Asset Securities announced Wednesday that its Singapore branch has officially become the 28th securities trading member of the Singapore Exchange. It is the first Korean financial investment company to do so. As a member, Mirae Asset can now trade various financial products within the Singapore Exchange on behalf of its customers. Other notable members include Credit Suisse Securities, Gol...

Starbucks Korea, Korea’s top specialty coffee chain, now accepts Apple Pay, Apple’s mobile payment service, as of Tuesday. Starbucks Korea is the second retailer under Korean retail giant Shinsegae Group to implement the near-field communication system for Apple Pay following E-mart24, Shinsegae’s local convenience store. Apple Pay landed in Korea on March 21 with local partner Hyundai Card. “...

South Korean stocks finished a tad lower Wednesday due to rising uncertainties over the upcoming US. inflation data and worries about the US debt ceiling. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index went down 13.55 points, or 0.54 percent, to 2,496.51. Trading volume was moderate at 623.6 million shares worth 8.76 trillion won ($6.61 billion), with decliners outnumbering gainers 475 to 388....

South Korea’s current account balance in the first three months of 2023 posted a deficit for the first time in 11 years due to sluggish exports, Bank of Korea data showed Wednesday. Though the country posted a current account surplus in March, the first quarter recorded a deficit of $4.46 billion due to a record-high deficit of $4.21 billion in January, followed by $520 million in February. It ...

South Korean stocks opened slightly lower Wednesday as investors took a cautious approach ahead of US inflation data. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index declined 3.34 points, or 0.13 percent, to 2,506.72 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 0.2 percent, and the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.6 percent. In Seoul, big-cap shares made a...

SEJONG -- South Korea's job additions slowed in April after a brief rebound a month earlier, data showed Wednesday, amid higher borrowing costs and an economic slowdown, with most new positions taken by seniors. The number of employed people came to 29.23 million in April, up around 354,000 from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. In April 2022, the country added ...

South Korea logged a current account surplus in March as a goods account deficit and dividend payments overseas narrowed amid an extended slump in exports, central bank data showed Wednesday. The country's current account surplus reached $270 million in March, swinging from a shortfall of $520 million, according to the preliminary data from the Bank of Korea. In January, the country also suffere...