Economy

South Korean electric battery manufacturers LG Energy Solution and SK Innovation reported depressed earnings for the second quarter.
Supply Chain

Tesla battery supplier LG Energy, South Korean peers take hit from material costs

Investments in higher capacity also weigh on sector's earnings

5 August 2022
High school students cheer for seniors taking college entrance examinations. South Korea's focus on educational credentials makes having children a costly proposition.
Society

South Korea struggles to spend its way to more births

High costs and conservative views on women leave young people feeling trapped

28 July 2022
Electric cars, such as this concept vehicle from Tata Motors, lie at the heart of India's push for greener transport.
Automobiles

Indian electric car makers charge up to head off overseas rivals

Global auto giants have been speeding into nation's fledgling EV sector

25 July 2022
Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited Kyiv last month shortly before a trip to Moscow.
International relations

Indonesia's Jokowi set to visit Japan this month

China and South Korea trips also in the works as Ukraine conflict hangs over G-20

14 July 2022
Bank of Korea Gov. Rhee Chang-yong: Like many others, the central bank is battling high inflation.
Inflation

Bank of Korea hikes key rate by half a point to fight inflation

Recession fears build as central bank focuses on prices while growth slows

13 July 2022
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, second from left, tours Doosan Enerbility in June. (Photo courtesy of the Office of the President of South Korea)
Energy

Yoon reboots South Korea's nuclear export ambitions

Delegation touts reactors in Czech Republic and Poland

12 July 2022
China's strict COVID-19 countermeasures are one factor seen weighing on Asian growth this year.
Economy

China lockdowns, Ukraine, inflation dent ASEAN+3 growth forecast

International monitor AMRO cuts 2022 projection to 4.3%

5 July 2022
A worker cuts meat at a restaurant in Seoul. The Bank of Korea will determine whether an interest rate hike in July will help tame inflation.
Inflation

South Korea inflation hit nearly 24-year high in June

CPI climbed 6%, heaping pressure on President Yoon and big manufacturers

5 July 2022
The Thai baht's plunge on July 2, 1997, touched off the Asian financial crisis. Twenty-five years later, the region's resilience is being put to the test.
Economy

COVID, inflation stress-test Asia 25 years after financial crisis

Risks simmer in smaller economies as debt burden swells

2 July 2022
A convenience store in Seoul. The minimum wage has risen dramatically in South Korea over the last decade. (Photo by Ahn Seong-bok)
Inflation

South Korea hikes minimum wage 5% to $7.40, on par with U.S., Tokyo

Rapid inflation and runaway property prices squeeze workers

30 June 2022
A Samsung chipmaking plant. Adopting homegrown materials would require suspending production lines. (Photo courtesy of Samsung Electronics)
Semiconductors

South Korea struggles to decouple from Japan in key chipmaking materials

Three years after Tokyo imposed export controls, reliance continues

28 June 2022
As of June 22, MSCI AC Asia ex-Japan index -- a gauge of the region's most-tracked stocks outside of Japan -- had dropped around 18% this year compared to the last six months of 2021 -- the biggest half-year decline since late 2011.
Market Spotlight

Inflation, supply chain disruptions dampen Asian stocks

Interest hikes in emerging markets create uncertainties this year

27 June 2022
A woman walks past an electronic board showing Nikkei Sock Average in Tokyo on June 17: The benchmark index was down nearly 2.7% at one point. (Photo by Yo Inoue)
Markets

Tokyo shares slide ahead of Bank of Japan's policy decision

Monetary tightening by central banks in Europe triggers recession concerns

17 June 2022
Seoul: South Korea seeks to prop up the economy by lowering the corporate tax rate. 
Economy

South Korea vows cut in top corporate tax rate to 22%

Yoon's new government slashes growth forecast, plans to reduce financial levies

16 June 2022
Sources say Samsung has told suppliers that the company needs to closely review its inventory levels of both components and final products. 
Supply Chain

Samsung temporarily reduces procurement amid inventory pressure

South Korean tech titan asks component makers and others to delay shipments

16 June 2022
Trucks are parked next to containers at the Inland Container Depot in Uiwang, South Korea on Monday. A trucker strike is in its eighth day, and is hurting the nation's economy.
Inflation

Inflation, trucker strike pose first test for South Korea's Yoon

Nation's CPI hit 14-year high of 5.4% in May; BOK set to hike rates further

14 June 2022
An electronic board displays Japan's Nikkei index outside a brokerage in Tokyo on June 14. (Photo by Yo Inoue)
Markets

Asian markets slide as investors fear U.S. interest rate hike

Soaring inflation forces benchmark indexes across the region to retreat

14 June 2022
Unionized truckers chant slogans during a rally at the Uiwang inland container depot, in Uiwang, South Korea, on June 7.
Supply Chain

South Korea truck driver strike hits Hyundai, Posco

Amount of cargo handled at port of Incheon drops to about 20% of normal

10 June 2022
Hyudai's vehicles are assembled at a plant in South Korea. (Photo by Kotaro Hosokawa)
Automobiles

South Korea's auto production sinks to 17-year low of 3.46m

Hyundai pledges domestic expansion while smaller rivals seek rebound

31 May 2022
The logo of Terra on a smartphone screen: The borderless nature of cryptocurrency markets is likely to challenge regulators.
Opinion

Regulators are slowly waking up to blockchain's unfulfilled promise

Revolutionary potential remains unrealized despite three boom and bust cycles

29 May 2022
South Korea's new central bank governor, Rhee Chang-yong, attends his inauguration ceremony in Seoul on April 21.
Economy

Bank of Korea warns inflation bigger risk than slowing growth

In debut, Gov. Rhee's board raises benchmark quarter point to 1.75%

26 May 2022
U.S. President Joe Biden gestures as he leaves the Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea on May 22. 
Biden's Asia policy

Biden arrives in Japan; Australia election winner Albanese to join

Prime minister-designate will fly to Tokyo hours after being sworn in

22 May 2022
The slump across Asia came after lackluster earnings results from major U.S. retailers stoked concerns that rising consumer prices would cool the economy. (Photo by Tetsuya Kitayama)
Markets

Asian markets tumble as investors fear stagflation

Stocks in Japan and China follow lead from decline in U.S. retailers

19 May 2022
Like the Trump administration before it, the Biden administration takes the position that unfettered trade liberalization hurts American workers. (Source photo by Reuters) 
Biden's Asia policy

Indo-Pacific Economic Framework is not an FTA: 5 things to know

Tailored pact seeks to counter China's clout while protecting U.S. workers

19 May 2022
South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol has to stave off accelerating inflation and deal with North Korea's escalation of missile launches. (Source photos by AP, Reuters and AFP/Jiji) 
Politics

South Korea's new president faces threats from North and inflation

First diplomatic test for Yoon Suk-yeol will be visit of Joe Biden

9 May 2022