South Korea's terms of trade worsened for the 14th straight month in May due to fast-rising import prices of oil and other key commodities, central bank data showed Wednesday. The nation's net terms-of-trade index for goods -- a gauge of overall trade terms -- stood at 85.33 last month, down 10.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the preliminary data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). The figure, however, was up 1.3 percent from a month earlier, the first on-month rise in four month

Business leaders of South Korea and Japan will hold their annual meeting early next week, the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) said Wednesday, after a nearly three-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Korea-Japan Business Council, co-hosted by the FKI and the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, will take place in Seoul at the FKI headquarters Monday, the FKI said in a release. More than 20 top business leaders, including the chiefs of the FKI and Keidanren -- Huh Chang-soo

Demand for an unprecedented "big-step" rate hike among policymakers of the Bank of Korea (BOK) will likely intensify ahead of an upcoming rate-setting meeting should the country's consumer prices in June rise 6 percent or higher, a high-ranking central bank official has said. The outlook comes amid growing speculation the BOK could lean more toward the possibility of an unprecedented 0.5 percentage-point hike in borrowing costs when monetary policy board members gather on July 13 in th

Inflation expectations in South Korea hit the highest level in about 10 years in June amid worries that prices are fast increasing due to high energy and commodity costs, a central bank report showed Wednesday. Ordinary people expected consumer prices to rise 3.9 percent over the next year, the fastest pace since April 2012, according to the report from the Bank of Korea (BOK). The June figure was also higher than a 3.3 percent rise predicted the previous month. Data on expected inflation is clo

South Korean stocks opened sharply lower Wednesday, tracking an overnight Wall Street plunge amid growing fears of economic recession. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 32.67 points, or 1.35 percent, to trade at 2,389.42 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, Wall Street tumbled amid bleaker-than-expected economic indicators that added to investor jitters over a possible recession. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 1.56 percent, while tech-heavy Nasdaq co

Seoul shares ended higher Tuesday to extend their winning streak to a third day as auto and technology stocks advanced on bargain hunting, with investors keeping an eye on upcoming U.S. economic data and Federal Reserve policy. The local currency rose against the US dollar. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 20.17 points, or 0.84 percent, to close at 2,422.09. Trading volume was moderate at 555.34 million shares worth 7.03 trillion won ($5.4 billion), with gainers outpacing decli

A diner is seen eating alone at a university cafeteria in Seoul on Tuesday. The cost of eating out at a restaurant for a four-person household in the first quarter of this year jumped 17 percent from the previous year, while the sharp rise in the cost of dining out has driven a 3.8 percent surge in the Consumer Price Index on-year, according to recent data by Statistics Korea.

In meeting with employers, Choo warns ‘excessive’ pay raises aggravate inflation

Seoul shares opened higher Tuesday, bucking overnight losses on Wall Street, with investors remaining concerned about higher interest rates and a slowdown in the global economy. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 6.04 points, or 0.25 percent, to 2,407.96 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.2 percent to 31,438.26 points and the tech-heavy Nasdaq shed 0.7 percent to 11,524.55 points. Auto, airline and refiner stocks were lead gaine

Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho asked companies Tuesday to refrain from excessively raising wages for employees as the move could further accelerate inflation. Choo made the request during a meeting with members of the Korea Enterprises Federation (KEF), including Sohn Kyung-shik, federation chief and CJ Group chairman, and Rhee In-yong, president of Samsung Electronics Co. "We're concerned that some IT companies and large conglomerates have recently jacked up wages, and such a trend ha

Seoul shares ended higher for the second straight session Monday, as investors speculate the pace of the Federal Reserve's rate hikes could be slower than expected amid global recession woes. The local currency sharply rose against the US dollar. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 35.32 points, or 1.49 percent, to close at 2,401.92. On Friday, the KOSPI rebounded 2.3 percent to 2,366.60 after marking a 19-month low a session earlier. Trading volume was moderate at 501.09 mil

The official commemorative coins issued by the Qatar Central Bank to celebrate the 2022 Qatar World Cup were showcased in Seoul on the sidelines of a ceremony held to launch limited edition medals to commemorate the Korea-Japan World Cup held 20 years ago. A set of 24 gold and silver legal tender coins were released by the Middle Eastern country last month as part of FIFA‘s Official Host Country Coin Program, in collaboration with MDM Deutsche Muenzhandelsgesellschaft, FIFA’s officia

Risks stemming from South Korea’s investor debt binge is a key reason behind the local benchmark stock index’s recent lackluster performance, analysts said Monday. This fueled concerns of a possible market crash as the US Federal Reserve’s aggressive rate hikes have been increasing debt burden on retail investors. “Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Korea saw a sharp gain in household and corporate debt,” Heo Jae-hwan, an analyst at Eugene Investment

Special limited edition medals and banknotes to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by South Korea and Japan, went on sale Monday. Korea Minting, Security Printing & ID Card Operating Corporation (KOMSCO) said the commemorative items were made to wish the South Korean national football team good luck on the upcoming 2022 Qatar World Cup, while serving as a reminder of the national unity Korea experienced during the 2002 tournament. The “FIFA World

About 4 out of 10 companies in South Korea saw their raw material prices jump 20 percent or more this year amid fast-rising oil and commodity bills, a central bank survey showed Monday. According to the survey by the Bank of Korea on 570 firms, 40.3 percent said so, with 8.1 percent saying that the prices jumped 50 percent or higher compared with a year earlier. With the raw material price increase, 69 percent of those surveyed raised the prices of their products or services. Of them, 43.1 perce