The South Korean government is strongly committed to attracting foreign investment to make Foodpolis, Asia’s first food cluster, a success, officials said Friday. “The government will step up its efforts to strengthen the global competitiveness of the nation’s food industry and to encourage foreign investment in Foodpolis,” Lee Ju-myeung, head of the Agriculture Ministry’s Food Industry Policy Bureau, told international media and embassies at a briefing. The nation plans to invest 553 billion wo

The value of mergers and acquisitions in South Korea amounted to 11.2 trillion won ($10.5 billion) in the first six months of this year on the back of mega deals like Daum Kakao Corp., the financial watchdog said Thursday.There were 82 mergers, spinoffs and business sales in the January-June period, compared with 133 cases worth 11.11 trillion won in the second half of 2013, according to the Financial Supervisory Service.Over the cited period, M&As in the global market soared 72.8 percent on-yea

In a widely expected move, South Korea’s central bank stood pat on its 2 percent base rate Thursday as it gauges the policy impact of two rate cuts earlier this year.The rate freeze came after the Bank of Korea lowered the policy rate by a quarter percentage point in August and October as part of efforts to bolster growth in Asia’s fourth-largest economy.Slowing growth momentum has been a major headache for policymakers as domestic demand has lagged and property transactions have failed to reviv

The South Korean government voiced concerns about the economy Tuesday, saying that growth was losing momentum due to mounting uncertainties in the domestic and global markets.“Despite the rise in employment, low prices continue and the economic recovery has failed to gather momentum due to factors such as strikes in the auto industry,” the Finance Ministry said in its economic trend report. “Amid the uncertainties rising from the quantitative easing in the U.S. and the weak yen, Korea’s economic

Korea’s central bank is expected to keep its benchmark interest rate at 2 percent this month amid growing concerns over household debt and foreign capital outflows. The Bank of Korea cut its key rate twice this year ― in August and October ― to a record low of 2 percent. Industry watchers are concerned that another cut may increase the level of Korea’s household debt. South Korea’s household debt has reached 1 quadrillion won ($940 billion) last year, which is threatening the economic health of

The South Korean government said Friday that it would open a won-yuan direct trading market in December. The Finance Ministry said it plans to raise the portion of yuan as a trade settlement currency with China from the current 1.2 percent to 20 percent over the long term. Currently, over 95 percent of the both nations’ trade is done in U.S. dollars. To boost won-yuan direct trading, the government will adopt a market maker system considering the nascent stage of the market. Market makers, which