Economy

Delivery drivers protest in a central Seoul park against long working hours on Wednesday. (Photo by Steven Borowiec)
Economy

Deal reached after South Korean delivery drivers protest overwork

Couriers tell of 90-hour work weeks and fend off customer complaints

17 June 2021
The recent plunge in the value of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has hurt many new investors in South Korea.
Cryptocurrencies

Crypto crash dashes dreams of South Korea's lost generation

Young adults turn to virtual currencies as only chance for 'happiness'

31 May 2021
South Korea's central bank sees the economy growing at its fastest clip since 2010 thanks in part to brisk exports.
Economy

South Korea upgrades GDP growth forecast to 4%, fastest in decade

Central bank holds key rate at 0.5% but vows 'not to be late' on normalizing

27 May 2021
Containers are loaded onto a ship at Tien Sa port in Da Nang city, Vietnam.
Trade

US says Vietnam tires are subsidized by undervalued currency

Commerce Department also accuses South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand of dumping

25 May 2021
South Korean President Moon Jae-in speaks in Seoul on Monday to mark four years since he took office.
Economy

Moon Jae-in targets 4% growth in South Korea this year

Entering final year in office, president vows to bolster nation's chip industry

10 May 2021
Repatriated overseas Filipino workers arrive back in Manila in May 2020.
Economy

Asia's migrants face uneven road back from COVID: ADB-led report

Pandemic continues to depress labor demand in major destination countries

27 April 2021
People walk near a cherry blossom street, closed to avoid the spread of COVID-19 in Seoul on April 1.
Economy

South Korea's economy recovers to pre-pandemic levels

GDP beats forecasts to grow 1.6% in Q1 on strong corporate investment

27 April 2021
A public housing estate under construction in Singapore. The government has warned of the risks of taking on too much property debt.
Property

Seoul, Shanghai and Singapore show house-buying fever

Governments mull action to head off bubbles as residential prices soar

13 April 2021
South Korea's second city of Busan is traditionally a conservative area, and has inched further to the right in recent years in apparent frustration with the ruling party's failure to revive the regional economy.
Asia Insight

Moon promises the sky in Busan but faces electoral crash landing

Polls tip conservatives to win back mayorships of South Korea's two biggest cities

6 April 2021
China State Shipbuilding Corp. operates a shipyard in the northern port city of Dalian. (Photo by Shin Watanabe)
Transportation

China shipbuilder sails to global lead on Beijing's tailwind

Commercial vessel maker CSSC also benefits from nation's naval binge

28 March 2021
The satellite image shows the cargo ship MV Ever Given stuck in the Suez Canal near Suez, Egypt, on March 25.
Transportation

Owner of stranded Suez Canal ship aims to free vessel on Saturday

Companies weigh alternative routes, including the Arctic

26 March 2021
Former Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, left, will run on the conservative People Power Party ticket against the Democratic Party's Park Young-sun in the city's mayoral election April 7. (Park photo by Kyodo)
Politics

South Korea's opposition forges united front in Seoul mayoral race

Conservatives turn up the heat as support for Moon sinks to record lows

24 March 2021
A newborn is taken care of in a hospital in Wuhan, China, in March 2020. Many couples in East Asia are putting off having children amid the pandemic.
Comment

East Asia faces population drop 10 years earlier than anticipated

China, South Korea and Taiwan follow Japan into low birthrate economic woes

13 March 2021
The Bank of Korea building in Seoul. (Photo by Takaki Kashiwabara) 
Economy

Bank of Korea vows to buy bonds as Seoul plans to issue more debt

South Korean central bank to buy $4.5bn-$6.2bn of government bonds

26 February 2021
South Korea announces its 2022 birth data. The country's total fertility rate was the lowest among 38 OECD members in 2019.
Society

South Korea population drops for first time

Birth and fertility rates fall to record lows as country faces full-scale decline

24 February 2021
South Korea's massive corporations are exporting their way out of the COVID-19 pandemic, while small businesses are still struggling as people remain reluctant to spend. (Illustration by Hiroko Oshima)
Asia Insight

Pandemic widens gap between South Korea's haves and have-nots

Chaebols rebound on export growth, while small domestic businesses suffer

23 February 2021
Lunar New Year decorations at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore: Asian countries are forecast to lead the global economic recovery in 2021.
Economy

Asia's allure for global investors in 2021 tempered by ESG risks

Region's opportunities go hand in hand with environmental and human rights challenges

22 February 2021
South Korean President Moon Jae-in, in a Feb. 5 speech, says South Korea’s unemployment crisis is the worst since the 1997 financial crunch.
Economy

South Korea facing worst labor market crisis since 1997

As dreams fade for young, Moon calls for 900,000 publicly funded jobs by Q1

21 February 2021
A nickel smelter in Indonesia: The mineral-rich Southeast Asian nation is attracting Chinese investment.
Economy

Indonesia's investment race shaken up by China as Japan fades

South Korea also gains, with EV batteries seen as next FDI magnet

16 February 2021
Hyun Bin during a press conference of tvN drama "Crashing Landing On You," pictured in December 2019: the drama series set off a tempest in the psyche of Filipinos.
Opinion

How South Korea's 'CLOY' can help Filipinos create a better future

The Philippines has turned itself into nation of followers, not pioneers

12 February 2021
A homeless man rests at an underground shopping district in Seoul in 2016.
Economy

South Korea unemployment rate soars to 21-year high

January figure jumps to 5.4%, highest since 1999

10 February 2021
A South Korean-flagged tanker that was seized by Iran is seen in the Persian Gulf off the Iranian coast on Jan. 4.
Iran tensions

South Korea and Iran remain split over tanker seizure issue

Seoul caught between pressures from Washington and Tehran

6 February 2021
An empty storefront in Seoul. (Photo by Sotaro Suzuki) 
Coronavirus

Cash aid for South Korean businesses gains currency after GDP shock

First contraction in 22 years and key elections pressure government to take action

27 January 2021
South Korea's December exports surged 12.6% from a year earlier, the sharpest expansion in 26 months.
Economy

South Korea GDP grows 1.1% in 4Q last year

Surging exports points to robust recovery in 2021

26 January 2021
Moon Jae-in appears to be avoiding disrupting the status quo out of fear of how it might play politically.
Opinion

Samsung offers South Korea a 'Succession' drama few are enjoying

President Moon must act to finally take the chaebol down a few pegs

25 January 2021