President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged that Korea will contribute to building cooperative supply chains in the Indo-Pacific region through “partnership and solidarity” during an event held by the Asian Development Bank in Songdo, Incheon, on Wednesday. "The pandemic has pushed the global economy into tremendous hardship,” Yoon said in his congratulatory address for the ADB’s 56th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors, citing Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the frag

South Korea and the Asian Development Bank announced Wednesday that they would launch a joint organization to facilitate climate change talks and networking. Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho and ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa signed an agreement to set up the organization called ADB-Korea Climate Technology Hub, or K-Hub, in Seoul next year. The deal was made during the 56th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank, taking place in Incheon’s Songdo district. Ac

INCHEON -- Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho called for Japan to put South Korea back on its "white list" of trusted trading partners in a swift manner and expand cultural and educational exchange between the two countries during his meeting with his Japanese counterpart, Shunichi Suzuki. The two met on the sidelines of the 56th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank which kicked off Tuesday for a four-day run in Incheon’s Songdo district. On April 24

Top economic policymakers of Korea, Japan set to hold first meeting in 7 years

Debt among those in their 20s and 30s jumped more than 27 percent over the past three years since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, indicating they suffered financial difficulties due to rising home prices and an economic slowdown, central bank data showed Sunday. In the fourth quarter of 2022, overall loans extended to those in the age bracket soared 27.4 percent to 514.5 trillion won ($383.96 billion) from 404 trillion won in the fourth quarter of 2019, according to a report submitted by the Bank of

The Bank of Korea has refuted reports claiming that the amount in Korea's foreign reserves has fallen to the level below what the International Monetary Fund suggests as “adequate.” "The amount of Korea's foreign reserves stands at $426.07 billion, the ninth-largest in the world," the central bank said through a press release Wednesday, referring to the figure drawn up at the end of March. "The IMF also assessed the reserve shows an adequate response to ext

By Kim Tae-ho National Tax Service vice commissioner In March, the National Tax Service held an official gathering with the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea for the first time in 12 years. This event, along with a similar engagement with the American Chamber of Commerce last year, highlights our commitment to improving communication with foreign investors and building mutual trust. Trust between the revenue agency and the taxpayer promotes voluntary and honest tax filing and payment, whil

South Korea's terms of trade worsened for the 24th straight month in March as export prices fell faster than import prices, central bank data showed Wednesday. The country's net terms-of-trade index for goods fell 5.1 percent from a year earlier, according to the preliminary data from the Bank of Korea. The index is calculated by dividing the index for export prices by that for import prices. It shows the amount of imports a country can buy for each unit of exports, with a lower figure

BOK expects declining growth amid weak exports

South Korea's customs agency Korea Customs Service said Tuesday that it will host an international conference in Seoul starting from Wednesday, under the theme of global cooperation and digital customs. Taking place between Wednesday to Friday, Korea Customs Week 2023 will be the first large-scale international customs conference held by the agency. The event will be attended by customs authorities from 75 countries, with 600 domestic and overseas entrepreneurs and officials, including the

Japan's decision on putting Korea back on its preferred trade partner list expected to take another two months

South Korea's whisky imports shot up nearly 80 percent in the first quarter of this year on the liquor's surging popularity among young Koreans amid the coronavirus pandemic, data showed Monday. The volume of imported whisky came to 8,443 tons in the January-March period, up 78.2 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. It marks the highest first-quarter tally since 2000, when data tracking began. It is also the largest quarterly figure after 8

South Korea's exports fell 11 percent on-year in the first 20 days of April, data showed Friday, amid the prolonged slump in the global chip industry. The country's outbound shipments stood at $32.4 billion in the April 1-20 period, compared with $36.3 billion a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Imports shed 11.8 percent on-year to $36.5 billion during the cited period, resulting in a trade deficit of $4.13 billion. In March, outbound shipments fell 13

Hana Financial Group on Thursday held an award ceremony for the winners of its art contest for supporting and celebrating artists with developmental disorders. The ceremony of the contest dubbed “Hana Artverse” took place in commemoration of Korea’s 43rd National Day of People with Disabilities on Thursday. This is the second time the group hosted the multi-platform art contest to allow artists with developmental disabilities to showcase their talents and improve social awarene

SEJONG-- South Korea's finance ministry said Thursday it has reduced the staff of state-run companies by more than 10,000 workers through voluntary retirement and sold assets to tighten its belt amid economic uncertainties. Around 290 state-run businesses let go of a combined 10,721 workers over the January-March period, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Additionally, local state-run firms sold unnecessary assets worth 1.4 trillion won ($1 billion) over the same period. Th