South Korea Economy

Exports from Asia's fourth-largest economy, a bellwether for global trade, rose 93.7% from the same ‌month last year to $115.28 billion

In stocks, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 2% in early trading, with tech-heavy South Korea's KOSPI sliding 6%

Turnover has collapsed 70% from its peak in late May, foreigners are retreating at the fastest pace in Asia and local retail investors are also pulling back

The Taiex Index beat the Kospi by about 23 percentage points last quarter, the widest margin since the turn of the century

More than 100 South Korean companies, including Hyundai Motor Co. and LG Chem Ltd., have issued preferred shares, raising capital without diluting founding families' voting power

Key to sapping demand has been a series of regulatory tightening moves, most recently a rule to complete five-day simulated trading

Equity-linked securities dangling annualized coupons of 40% to 50% have attracted renewed interest from mom-and-pop traders

Fund managers worldwide are increasingly tracking South Korean equities as swings in Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix shape sentiment across global AI and semiconductor stocks

The Kospi closed down 10%, with losses extending after a 20-minute trading suspension by the Korea Exchange

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, newly minted members of the $1 trillion valuation club, have powered Korea's equity surge, lifting the Kospi's 2026 gains to more than 100% through AI memory chips

President Donald Trump said Monday he is increasing tariffs on South Korean goods because the country's national assembly has yet to approve the trade framework announced last year. Trump said on social media that import taxes would be raised on autos, lumber and pharmaceutical drugs from South Korea with the rate on other goods going from 15 per cent to 25 per cent. The US president previously imposed the tariffs by declaring an economic emergency and bypassing Congress, while South Korea needed legislative approval for the framework announced in July and affirmed during Trump's October visit to the country. "Our Trade Deals are very important to America. In each of these Deals, we have acted swiftly to reduce our TARIFFS in line with the Transaction agreed to," Trump said. "We, of course, expect our Trading Partners to do the same." The threat was a reminder that the tariff drama unleashed last year by Trump is likely to be repeated again and again this year. The global economy a

Propelled by interest in all things South Korea, Amorepacific, the cosmetics giant, is expanding its reach into the United States. But so are many of its competitors

Amid rising living costs, job scarcity and burnout, South Korea's youth are redefining ambition in the 21st century by choosing to "just rest" instead of chasing stability

The first meeting of the new working group will take place in Washington on Tuesday, just weeks after the high-profile raid on a factory construction site that drew international attention

The exodus signaled waning enthusiasm among one of Tesla's most loyal global retail bases, whose buying sprees once amplified the stock's rallies

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is in Tokyo to hold his first full summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in a visit largely aimed at showcasing friendly ties between the two Asian neighbours that now face common challenges from America, their mutual ally. Lee's visit Saturday comes in an unusual order putting Japan ahead of the United States helping him to better prepare for his crucial first summit in Washington with US President Donald Trump, mainly on trade and defence issues. His Tokyo visit before Washington is well received by Japanese officials who see it as a sign Lee is placing great importance to relations between the two neighbours whose ties have been repeatedly disrupted by historical disputes, hampering their trilateral coordination with Washington. For Ishiba, who faces pressure from rightwing rivals within his governing party to resign over its July election loss, Lee's visit and a successful summit could shore up his support. Rintaro Nishimura,

When Amrita Bhasin, 24, learned that products from South Korea might be subject to a new tax when they entered the United States, she decided to stock up on the sheet masks from Korean brands like U-Need and MediHeal she uses a few times a week. I did a recent haul to stockpile, she said. I bought 50 in bulk, which should last me a few months. South Korea is one of the countries that hopes to secure a trade deal before the Aug. 1 date President Donald Trump set for enforcing nation-specific tariffs. A not-insignificant slice of the U.S. population has skin in the game when it comes to Seoul avoiding a 25 per cent duty on its exports. Asian skin care has been a booming global business for a more than a decade, with consumers in Europe, North and South America, and increasingly the Middle East, snapping up creams, serums and balms from South Korea, Japan and China. In the United States and elsewhere, Korean cosmetics, or K-beauty for short, have dominated the trend. A craze for ...

Trump threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on South Korean exports to the United States starting August 1 unless the longtime American ally lowered what he believes are unfair trade barriers

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said that it remained unclear whether Seoul and Washington could conclude their tariff negotiations by the deadline set by President Donald Trump for next week, noting Thursday that both nations were still working to clarify their positions and identify areas of agreement. Speaking at his first news conference since taking office last month, Lee also reiterated his intentions to improve badly frayed ties with North Korea, though he acknowledged that mutual distrust between the Koreas is too deep to heal anytime soon. Trump's tariff hikes and other America First policies are major challenges for Lee's month-old government, as are North Korea's advancing nuclear programme and domestic economic woes. Lee, a liberal, came to power after winning a snap presidential election caused by the ouster of conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol over his ill-fated imposition of martial law in December. Lee calls tariff talks with US clearly not easy Lee said the

South Korea, currently subject to a blanket 10 per cent tariff with a 25 per cent country-specific duty on pause for 90 days, agreed with the US in their opening round of trade talks