Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy

Sales Trends by Major Retailers in April 2015

  □ Sales by major retailers, including those of department stores and convenience stores, rose from a year earlier, while those of hypermarkets and super supermarkets had no change or fell marginally, respectively in April 2015.   □By product group, the sales of food rose while those of miscellaneous goods and clothing fell.   date2015-05-30

Automobile Industry Trends for April 2015

    □ The volume of South Korean automobile production and exports decreased by 2.2 percent and 6.0 percent, respectively, while domestic sales increased by 3.4%. This was attributed to economic recession in emerging markets and strong sales of multi-purpose vehicles in the domestic market.   □ : Production decreased by 2.2 percent from a year earlier to 424,402 units. This fall was mainly attributable to economic recession in emerging markets such as Russia, Latin America, and Middle East. Also, weakened competitive edge due to Yen and Euro depreciation contributed as well.   □ : Domestic sales increased by 3.4 percent from a year earlier to 152,834 units. This was attributable to new model launches such as Tucson and Tivoli as well as increase in demand in multi-purpose vehicles.   - Sales of imported cars increased by 14.7 percent from a year earlier to 20,831 units.   □ : Exports decreased by 6.0 percent from a year earlier to 282,019 units. This was attributable to weakened competitive edge due to Yen and Euro depreciation, demand contraction in emerging markets such as Russia, Latin America, and Middle East.   date2015-05-30

International standards to be applied on domestic nanodevices

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and Korea Agency for Technology and Standards announced on May 26 that they plan to support the commercialization of a nanodevice developed by the Korean medium-sized business HCT by applying international standards on it.     The core technology of the nanoparticle generator is to assess the toxicity of the nanoparticles absorbed and evenly distribute the nanoparticles.     The toxicity index evaluation equipment is used to test the "inhalation toxicity" that affects the respiratory system when nanoparticles are inhaled through the nose.     There are already international standards for the nanoparticle generation and monitoring methods.     HTC is currently performing well both in the domestic and overseas markets through a series of international standardization activities, as it expects to achieve 17 billion won ($15 million)  in domestic sales and 3 billion won in exports.     Devices that are developed in Korea but conform to international standards can help boost the domestic market by replacing imported devices that are 2.5 to 3 times more expensive than the domestic counterpart. Furthermore, Korean companies can export more once made-in-Korea products gain global recognition.     The Korean Agency for Technology and Standards plans to support the international standardization of technologies developed by Korean SME's such as HTC.     * Short version date2015-05-26

MOTIE Hosts Korea Eureka Day 2015

    The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) is hosting the Korea Eureka Day 2015 ( from May 20 to May 22 in Seoul with the Swiss EUREKA Chairmanship.   The 6th annual event, organised by the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT), attracted about 200 technology professionals from 22 member nations of EUREKA and 400 from local institutions.   Founded in 1985, EUREKA is an intergovernmental organisation for market-driven industrial research and development (R&D), which integrates over 40 European economies across Europe, but also includes Israel, South Korea, and Canada.   To find more about EUREKA, please visit its website at date2015-05-21

Alibaba to Launch Korea Pavilion on Tmall

        Chinese eCommerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd announced yesterday the launch of a Korea Pavillion ((, China's largest web retailer.   The Korea Pavillion is the first official online country pavilion that will help Chinese consumers shop for Korean products as well as get travel and cultural information.   's Korea Pavilion, in partnership with the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), offers Korean merchants a dedicated online platform to tap into the Chinese market.   For more details, please check out the press release by the Alibaba: date2015-05-20

Electricity Sales and Retail Sales Trends in March 2015

  □ In March, the volume of South Korea's electricity sales for industrial use decreased from a year earlier despite an increase of a day operated. It is because of fall in steel and textile. The total volume of electricity sales also increased from the previous year due to the rise in heating load and the days operated.   □ Regarding sales by major retailers reported in March, the sales of hypermarkets, department stores, and super supermarkets decreased, because of fewer days operated and drop in clothing sales.   ㅇIn the first quarter of 2015, the sales of hypermarkets, department stores, and super supermarkets decreased, while the sales of convenience stores increased.   date2015-04-30

Automobile Industry Trends for March 2015

  □ The volume of South Korean automobile production and exports decreased by 2.6 percent, while domestic sales increased by 8.8%. This was attributed to recession in overseas markets such as Russia and strong sales of sedans and SUVs in the domestic market.   □ : Production decreased by 2.6 percent from a year earlier to 414,352 units, despite a rise in production for the domestic market. This fall was mainly attributable to reduced production volume due to demand contraction in emerging markets.   □ : Domestic sales decreased by 4.6 percent from a year earlier to 128,103 units. This was attributable to new car models such as Sonata and Tivoli and high demand in multi-purpose vehicles.   - Sales of imported cars increased by 41.3 percent from a year earlier to 23,220 units.   □ : Exports decreased by 2.6 percent from a year earlier to 277,874 units. This was mainly attributable to demand contraction in emerging markets such as Russia, Middle East, and Central America, and intensified competition with Japanese motor companies due to Yen depreciation.   date2015-04-30

MOTIE holds 2015 Display Touch Technology Idea Contest to create new markets using touch screen technology

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) announced on April 20 that it is hosting the "2015 Display Touch Technology Idea Contest" with Korea Display Industry Association in order to create new markets using touch screen technology, where ideas are accepted for two different areas: creative convergence and applied product.     Ideas for creative convergence can encompass the areas of IT, fashion, furniture, construction and transportation where display technology can be used, while practical product ideas must be something that can be used by relevant businesses for short or long-term commercialization of products as well as other commercial ideas.     Applications are accepted from April 27 to June 26, 2015.     It will be a team competition where the grand prize winner will receive 5 million won ($ 4,500) and the MOTIE Award, while the second and third place winners will receive 2 million won and the Korea Display Industry Association Award and 1 million won and the Korea Display Industry Association Award, respectively.     * Short version date2015-04-20

Electricity and Major Retailers Sales Trends in February 2015, and Business Service Index (BSI) for 2Q

  □ In February, the volume of South Korea's electricity sales for industrial use increased from a year earlier. This was primarily attributable to an increase in the volume of electricity used and a rise in contract demand. The total volume of electricity sales also increased from the previous year due mainly to the rise in heating load.   □ Regarding sales by major retailers reported in February, the sales of hypermarkets, department stores, convenience stores, and super supermarkets increased, behind the Lunar New Year's holiday. ㅇBy product, the sales of food items grew substantially from a year earlier at all retailers, due to the Lunar New Year's holiday.   □ ㅇ Companies performed poorly at the beginning of 2015, with the Business Survey Index (BSI) on business conditions standing at 85 in the first quarter of the year.   date2015-03-30

Automobile Industry Trends for February 2015

  □ The volume of South Korean automobile production, domestic sales, and exports decreased by 12.0 percent, 0.8 percent, and 13.7 percent, respectively. This was attributed to fewer operating days due to Lunar New Year’s day, continuing economic recession in emerging markets such as Russia, less demand in oil producing countries, and Yen depreciation.   □ : Production decreased by 12.0 percent from a year earlier to 317,746 units, despite a rise in consignment production at Renault Samsung. This fall was mainly attributable to fewer operating days and failing to control production volume.   □ : Domestic sales decreased by 0.8 percent from a year earlier to 120,812 units. This was attributable to fewer operating days and rising domestic market share of imported cars.   - Sales of imported cars increased by 24.9 percent from a year earlier to 17,332 units.   □ : Exports decreased by 13.7 percent from a year earlier to 211,596 units. This was mainly attributable to fewer operating days, less demand in oil producing countries such as Russia and Middle East, and intensified competition with Japanese motor companies due to Yen depreciation.   date2015-03-30