AmCham hosts trade minister amid Korea-US tariff talks

The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea on Thursday hosted a special luncheon meeting with Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, offering US companies a platform to engage with Korea amid ongoing bilateral tariff negotiations. The event followed a closed-door meeting held in August 2025 and brought together about 110 executives and stakeholders from major Korean and US companies. AmCham said participants exchanged views on Seoul’s trade policy direction and explored ways to deep

Feb. 12, 2026

Kakao narrows net loss for Q4 on strong platform biz sales

South Korean internet tech giant Kakao Corp. said Thursday its net loss narrowed sharply in the fourth quarter on record-breaking revenue driven by strong performance in its flagship platform business. Its net deficit totaled 39.3 billion won ($27.1 million) for the October-December period, compared with a net loss of 395.2 billion won a year ago, the company said in a regulatory filing. Operating profit surged 169.7 percent on-year to 203.4 billion won, and revenue increased 9 percent to a reco

Feb. 12, 2026

Trump says US has struck trade deals with S. Korea, Japan, others to bolster coal exports 'dramatically'

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday his administration has clinched "historic" trade agreements with South Korea, Japan, India and other countries to boost US coal exports "dramatically." Trump made the remarks during the "champion of coal" event, underlining his support for coal mining. "In just the past few months, we've made historic trade deals with Japan, Korea, India and others to increase our coal exports dramatically," he said at the White House event. "We are now exporting coal to

Feb. 12, 2026

Exports up 44.4% during first 10 days of Feb. on robust chip demand

South Korea's exports jumped 44.4 percent from a year earlier in the first 10 days of February, driven by strong demand for semiconductors, data showed Wednesday. Outbound shipments reached $21.39 billion in the Feb. 1-10 period, compared with $14.81 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Imports went up 21.1 percent on-year to $20.74 billion during the period, resulting in a trade surplus of $64 million, the data showed. The daily average volume of

Feb. 11, 2026

S. Korea adds 108,000 jobs in Jan., smallest growth in 13 months

South Korea added slightly more than 100,000 jobs in January, marking the slowest on-year growth in 13 months, data showed Wednesday. The number of employed people rose by 108,000, or 0.4 percent, from a year earlier to 27.99 million last month, according to the data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics. It marks the smallest on-year gain since losing 52,000 positions in December 2024. Last month's modest increase underscored a prolonged slump in the manufacturing and construction sectors, w

Feb. 11, 2026

S. Korea to begin preliminary review of US investment projects amid legislative process

South Korea will begin preliminary reviews of potential investment projects in the United States as the National Assembly prepares to handle legislation implementing Seoul's investment pledges to the US under a trade deal, the country's top economic policymaker said Tuesday. Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol made the remarks during an economy-related ministers' meeting, following the National Assembly's bipartisan approval of a resolution to form a committee that will oversee the legislation of a s

Feb. 10, 2026

Bithumb mistakenly sends 620,000 bitcoins to users, most of them recovered

Bithumb, one of South Korea's crypto exchanges, said Saturday it has recovered almost all of the 620,000 bitcoins mistakenly sent to users, which briefly dragged down the bitcoin price. According to Bithumb, it had mistakenly sent 620,000 bitcoins to 249 users who participated in a promotional event around 7 p.m. on Friday, which translated into an average of 2,490 bitcoins worth 244 billion won ($166 million) to a single user. The crypto exchange halted the transactions and withdrawals of the u

Feb. 7, 2026

Korean restaurants trapped by delivery apps as fees outpace profits: survey

Korean restaurants have become so reliant on food delivery platforms that many now face a lose-lose choice: absorb fees that exceed their profit threshold or raise menu prices for consumers. That tension is laid bare in a government survey released Thursday, which shows that delivery apps account for more than a third of small restaurants’ revenue while charging fees well above what owners consider sustainable. According to a joint survey by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the state-backed

Feb. 6, 2026

White House spokesperson says she has no timeline for S. Korea tariff increase

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that she does not have a timeline for US President Donald Trump's stated plan to increase "reciprocal" and other tariffs on South Korea. Leavitt made the remarks during a press briefing, responding to a reporter's question about when the Trump administration will increase those levies to 25 percent from 15 percent as Trump said last week. "I don't have a timeline for you on that, but I will make sure that our trade team here at the White Ho

Feb. 6, 2026

S. Korea logs largest annual current account surplus in 2025: BOK

South Korea posted its largest-ever annual current account surplus last year, supported by robust exports amid strong semiconductor demand, central bank data showed Friday. The country's current account surplus totaled $123.05 billion in 2025, up from $99.97 billion a year earlier, according to the data from the Bank of Korea. The figure marks the largest yearly surplus on record, surpassing the previous high of $105.1 billion set in 2015 and beating the BOK's forecast of $115 billion. In Decemb

Feb. 6, 2026

SK On in talks with US defense firm for potential battery supply deal: sources

South Korean battery maker SK On Co. is in talks with a US defense firm to supply batteries for unmanned underwater vehicles powered by artificial intelligence, industry sources said Wednesday, as part of efforts to expand its business portfolio into the defense sector. The SK Group affiliate also recently approached a European defense company, expressing interest in supplying batteries for electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles, the sources said. The series of moves comes as SK On has

Feb. 4, 2026

Consumer prices rise 2% in Jan., slowest pace in 5 months

South Korea's consumer prices rose at the slowest pace in five months in January, partly helped by the steady prices of petroleum products, government data showed Tuesday. Consumer prices, a key gauge of inflation, increased 2 percent from a year earlier last month, according to the data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics. It marks the smallest on-year increase since August, when the figure stood at 1.7 percent. Inflation had remained above the Bank of Korea's 2 percent target for four con

Feb. 3, 2026

Won's recent weakness may be driven by S. Korea's potential investment in US: report

The Korean currency's recent weakness may be affected by expectations about strong demand for US dollars linked to an investment pledge under a trade deal between Seoul and Washington, an industry report said Sunday. Song Min-ki, a researcher at the Korea Institute of Finance, said in the report that worries about a slowdown in exports amid US tariff pressures, combined with stronger demand for US dollars related to the investment package, have heightened expectations that the won will weaken fu

Feb. 1, 2026

Korea’s exports hit all-time January high on strong chips

South Korea’s exports climbed to a record in January, with shipments jumping more than 30 percent to nearly $66 billion, driven by strong semiconductor demand, government data showed Sunday. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources said the outbound shipments from Korea came to $65.85 billion in January, up 34 percent from a year ago and marking the eighth consecutive month of growth. The daily average value of exports also hit an all-time high, rising 14 percent on-year to $2.8 billion, th

Feb. 1, 2026

Exports jump 34% in Jan. thanks to robust demand for semiconductors

Exports jumped 33.9 percent from a year earlier in January to over $65 billion, driven by strong demand for semiconductors, government data showed Sunday. Outbound shipments came to $65.85 billion last month, the highest for any January, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources. Imports gained 11.7 percent on-year to $57.1 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $8.74 billion. (Yonhap)

Feb. 1, 2026