Economy

Southeast Asian leaders attend a virtual RCEP meeting in November 2020.
Trade

Japan exports will rise 5.5% due to RCEP membership: UNCTAD

China and South Korea also seen gaining, but Southeast Asia could be hit

15 December 2021
Xi Jinping will have to wait several years longer before the Chinese economy overtakes the U.S.'s, partly thanks to a big spending package Joe Biden shepherded through Congress. (Nikkei montage/AP)
Economy

China's overtaking of U.S. economy delayed to 2033, report says

South Koreans and Taiwanese to earn more than Japanese starting in 2027: JCER

15 December 2021
SK Hynix's chip fabrication facility. South Korea's semiconductor sector, like other key export industries, relies on imported materials. (Photo courtesy of SK Hynix)
Supply Chain

South Korea fights supply-chain risks with economic security team

Seoul seeks to diversify suppliers of chip and battery materials

15 December 2021
Pyeongtaek port in Pyeongtaek. "South Korea will initiate relevant procedures ... to push for the membership at the CPTPP," minister Hong Nam-ki says.
Trade

South Korea takes step to join CPTPP, following China and Taiwan

Seoul to discuss membership in Asia-Pacific trade pact with public stakeholders

13 December 2021
A container terminal at Incheon port in Incheon. South Korea had been hesitant about joining a trade pact initially pushed by the U.S., partly due to concerns about damaging relations with Beijing.
Trade

South Korea to apply for CPTPP as China bid eases fears

Seoul's concern of angering big trade partner fades; timing remains undecided

13 December 2021
A truck drives between shipping containers at a container terminal at Incheon port in South Korea.
7 December 2021
Moon Jae-in speaks during an online New Year news conference on Jan. 18: South Korean President expressed the country's interest in joining the CPTPP but progress has stalled since.
Opinion

Why South Korea should join the CPTPP

With the window closing on Seoul's leverage, time is of the essence

30 November 2021
South Korea's latest rate hike comes as Asia's fourth-largest economy faces rising prices led by global supply chain bottlenecks, stronger oil markets and growing consumer demand. 
Economy

South Korea hikes key rate to 1% as inflation hits 10-year high

BOK Gov. Lee hints at further increases next year

25 November 2021
Lee Jae-myung, left, of the ruling Democratic Party says he has given up on plans to seek another round of universal relief payments. Youn Seok-yeol, a former prosecutor representing the conservative main opposition People Power Party, had lambasted the plan as "cash-spraying populism." (Source photos by Reuters and Kyodo)
Economy

South Korea presidential candidates clash over COVID relief plans

Lee Jae-myung reversal on universal relief comes after Youn Seok-yeol lambasts plan

19 November 2021
Trucks wait in a line to get urea at a service area in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on Nov. 4. (Photo by Yonhap via Reuters) 
Economy

Urea shortage threatens to paralyze South Korea's economy

Dearth of industrial material betrays nation's dependence on commodity imports

17 November 2021
Should Lee Jae-myung, the ruling Democratic Party's pick, come from behind to win the presidency in March, South Korea could become the first major economy to adopt a universal basic income program.
Asia Insight

Cash for all: Lee Jae-myung's radical plan to reshape South Korea

Presidential hopeful wants universal basic income to ease economic disparities

16 November 2021
Netflix claims that "Squid Game" has generated $900 million.
Opinion

'Squid Game' shows hard economics of South Korea's soft power

Success of cultural exports shows how the country's cultural wave is spreading

29 October 2021
South Korea's growth in the third quarter was slowed by weak domestic demand and construction and facility investments.
Economy

South Korea's Q3 GDP grew at slower pace of 0.3%

Robust exports were offset by weak domestic demand

26 October 2021
Women stand in front of a currency exchange office in Istanbul. The Turkish lira depreciated by 8% since the end of August.
Currencies

From Turkey to South Korea, strong dollar squeezes the energy-poor

Higher U.S. interest rates drive investors to greenback

14 October 2021
The Bank of Korea held rates on Tuesday, but is considering intervention in the foreign exchange market as South Korea's won depreciates against the dollar.
Economy

Bank of Korea weighs FX intervention to stem won's slide

Gov. Lee hints at November hike with economy growing and inflation accelerating

12 October 2021
Stream article image
Datawatch

To raise Japan's tepid birthrate, get men off the couch

Fathers doing less housework translates to sub-replacement fertility, study shows

7 October 2021
Moon Jae-in should pivot immediately to take on monopolistic behavior.
Opinion

The world should cheer South Korea's battle against Big Tech

Seoul's Google smackdown draws ironic road map for the global economy

16 September 2021
The logo of the Bank of Korea is seen on the top of its building in Seoul.
Economy

BOK becomes 1st major Asia central bank to hike rates in pandemic

Bank of Korea lifts benchmark by 25 basis points to 0.75%

26 August 2021
The economic themes of the film "Sinkhole" are playing out in real life. A study by the land ministry found that the rate of home ownership in South Korea fell last year for the first time since 2014. (Screenshot from Showbox's website) 
Economy

'Sinkhole' movie resonates with Koreans who can't afford homes

Price-to-income ratio of houses in Seoul rose to an all-time high last year

21 August 2021
Lee Jae-yong arrives at the Seoul High Court to attend a sentencing hearing on Jan. 18: South Koreans have seen this movie before.
Opinion

Freeing Samsung's billionaire leader bodes ill for South Korea

Seoul is stuck in a cycle where it serves tycoons more than ordinary people

12 August 2021
A street in Seoul during a coronavirus resurgence in July. Consumption drove the economy in the second quarter but could slow in the third.
Economy

South Korea logs fastest GDP growth in decade at 5.9% for Q2

Private consumption leads way but spending seen slowing amid COVID fight

27 July 2021
BOK Gov. Lee Ju-yeol, pitured in June 2015: Lee is trying something neither the BOJ nor the Fed has been willing to do.
Opinion

Bank of Korea's rate hike warning is both wise and instructive

Capping the froth is more about encouraging badly needed economic reforms

19 July 2021
Bank of Korea Gov. Lee Ju-yeol: He has warned that keeping interest rates too low for too long would risk side effects.
Economy

Bank of Korea chief signals rate hike coming despite COVID surge

Central bank holds benchmark at 0.5% but warns of side effects

15 July 2021
A monitor at the headquarters of Upbit, South Korea's largest cryptocurrency exchange, in Seoul shows prices of various cryptocurrencies. (Photo by Sotaro Suzuki)
Cryptocurrencies

South Korea's 'kimchi coins' feel heat as crypto rules tighten

Cryptocurrency exchanges shed altcoins to prepare for stricter regulations

30 June 2021
The decades Japan spent experimenting with massive government borrowing and spending offer the world a cautionary tale.
The Big Story

The money pushers: The world is embracing Japan-style economics

While central bankers watch for inflation, the real danger in many countries may be stagnation

23 June 2021