Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy

Minister Sung gives congratulatory remarks to smart medical device makers

Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Sung Yun-mo (right) gave congratulatory remarks at the inauguration ceremony of the “Korea Smart Medical Device Industrial Promotion Foundation” held in Seongnam on January 30.During his speech, Minister Sung emphasized the importance of cooperation between hospitals and medical device makers for the further development of the industry as well as for creating demand in both domestic and foreign markets. He added that the Korean government will supp date2019-01-30

Korean retail sales post year-on-year growth rate of 6.8 percent in 2018

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on January 30 that Korea’s retail sales in 2018 rose 6.8 percent compared to the previous year.More specifically, online retail sales improved by 15.9 percent, and brick-and-mortar sales inched up 1.9 percent. While both online sales and offline sales posted growth, consumers’ preference towards online shopping was greater due to its convenience that was enhanced by new technologies and bettered delivery services.The Ministry relea date2019-01-30

Minister Sung shares government’s industrial policy plans with biotech leaders

Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Sung Yun-mo shared the Korean government’s industrial policy plans with the country’s biotech leaders at a New Year’s meeting in Seoul on January 25.Expressing his gratitude for the development in the biotech sector, Minister Sung laid out four policy directions that would accelerate innovation and promote growth in the industry: improving regulations, creating an innovation ecosystem, building a core infrastructure, and developing new export date2019-01-25

Minister Sung attends inauguration ceremony of tripartite forum for auto industry

Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Sung Yun-mo (fourth from the left), together with Employment and Labor Minister Lee Jae-kap (fourth from the right), attended the inauguration ceremony of the labor-management-government forum for the Korean auto industry that was held in Seoul on January 24.During the meeting, Minister Sung said that the establishment of this tripartite forum will allow future-oriented discussions to take place between the participants based on mutual trust, providing opportu date2019-01-24

Vice Minister Cheong attends 2019 Drone Show Korea in Busan

Trade, Industry and Energy Vice Minister Cheong Seung-il (center) and Science Vice Minister Mun Mi-ock (fourth from the right) gave welcoming remarks at the opening ceremony of 2019 Drone Show Korea held in Busan on January 24.During his speech, Vice Minister Cheong introduced the Korean government’s support plans for the drone sector, adding that the competitiveness of the drone industry would require business skills as well as the technology the market wants. He also visited the exhibiti date2019-01-24

Minister Sung appreciates machine industry for its contribution to exports

Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Sung Yun-mo expressed appreciation to the Korean machine industry for its contribution to exports last year during his speech at a New Year’s meeting in Seoul on January 23.Minister Sung emphasized that the Korean government will bolster its support for the machine sector as it underpins the nation’s industrial competitiveness. He added that the government will also push ahead with projects that involve developing smart construction machines and sm date2019-01-24

Korea’s auto exports, production grow at double-digit rates in December 2018

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on January 18 that Korea's automobile exports and production in December 2018 grew at double-digit rates compared to a year earlier.Automobile exports last month increased 22.6 percent year-on-year to 219,313 vehicles due to newly introduced models, a base effect, and higher demand for eco-friendly cars. The number of green cars shipped overseas jumped 70.8 percent to 22,933 vehicles.The number of domestic vehicles produced by Korea's seven ma date2019-01-18

Minister Sung meets with steel industry leaders to share policy directions for 2019

Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Sung Yun-mo (center) met with steel industry leaders to share the Korean government’s 2019 policy directions at a new year’s gathering in Seoul on January 10.During his congratulatory remarks at the meeting, Minister Sung praised their efforts in achieving steel exports of $600 billion last year amid rising global protectionism and other uncertainties.To overcome the challenges posed by internal and external factors this year, Minister Sung asked f date2019-01-10

Minister Sung shares policy directions for 2019 with petrochemical industry leaders

Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Sung Yunmo (fourth from the right) shared the Korean government’s policy directions for 2019 with petrochemical industry leaders at a new year’s meeting in Seoul on January 8.During his congratulatory remarks, Minister Sung said that the Korean petrochemical exports that surpassed the $50 billion mark last year made a great contribution to the country’s economic growth. He attributed this achievement to active investment activities and increa date2019-01-08

Online retail sales register double-digit growth in November

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on December 31 that Korea’s online retail sales in November registered a double-digit growth rate of 12.7 percent compared to a year earlier. With offline retail sales declining 0.5 percent, the overall retail sales saw an improvement of 4.6 percent.Despite growth in convenience stores and super supermarkets (SSMs), brick-and-mortar stores experienced a decrease in sales because hypermarkets slowed down.The growth of the online sales mai date2018-12-31