Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy

Trade Minister meets U.S. Trade Representative

Korea's Minister for Trade Yeo Han-koo met U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on July 5 (local time) in Washington D.C. as the tariff moratorium nears its end to discuss mutually beneficial cooperation measures in the manufacturing sector and exchanged views on key agendas. date2025-07-07

Korea and China Hold 3rd Supply Chain Hotline Meeting

Director General for International Trade Relations Kim Jong-chul at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of Korea and Director General of the Department of Asian Affairs Wang Liping at the Ministry of Commerce of China led their respective delegations in the third Korea-China supply chain hotline meeting today in Seoul. date2025-07-03

FDI Arrivals to Korea Rise 2.7% in H1 2025

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) announced today that foreign direct investments (FDIs) pledged to Korea in the first half of 2025 (Jan-Jun, acc.) decreased 14.6 percent year-on-year to USD 13.1 billion, while FDIs that actually arrived in Korea over the same period rose 2.7 percent to $7.3 billion. By type, greenfield and M&A investment pledges declined 4.5 percent and 44.6 percent to $11.0 billion and $2.1 billion, respectively. In contrast, greenfield and M&A investment arrivals rose 4.4 percent and 0.2 percent to $4.5 billion and $2.8 billion, respectively, as investments expanded for service businesses like datacenters and hypermarkets. By region, FDI pledges flowing in from the EU increased 14.5 percent to $2.2 billion. Those from the U.S. rose 20.2 percent to $3.1 billion, led by the retail and service sector. Meanwhile, pledges from Japan (down 25.4 percent to $2.2 billion) and China (down 39.0 percent to $1.8 billion) dropped. By industry, FDI pledges for the manufacturing sector fell 34.5 percent to $5.3 billion as categories like electrical and electronics (down 61.6 percent to $1.4 billion) and machinery and precision medical devices (down 77.0 percent to $0.3 billion) were affected by global trade uncertainties and a reduction in domestic facility investments. The service sector saw pledges rise 10.6 percent to $7.1 billion, led by categories like retail (up 73.3 percent to $1.3 billion) and information and communications (up 9.4 percent to $1.1 billion).   date2025-07-03

Korea and China Hold 3rd Supply Chain Hotline Meeting

Director General for International Trade Relations Kim Jong-chul at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of Korea and Director General of the Department of Asian Affairs Wang Liping at the Ministry of Commerce of China led their respective delegations in the third Korea-China supply chain hotline meeting today in Seoul. Launched in 2023, the Korea-China supply chain hotline meeting is a consultative channel for cooperation between the two countries to stabilize the bilateral supply chain. In the previous hotline meetings, both sides focused on stabilizing the bilateral supply chain. In today’s third meeting, the Korean delegation requested China’s interest and cooperation in facilitating Korean businesses’ imports of critical items from China. The two sides also discussed measures to foster a predictable business environment for Korean companies, including the Chinese government’s policy briefings in the second half of this year.   date2025-07-03

Korea’s exports grow 4.3% in June

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) announced today that Korea’s exports and imports for the month of June 2025 advanced 4.3 percent and 3.3 percent year-on-year to USD 59.8 billion and $50.7 billion, respectively. The trade balance stood at a surplus of $9.1 billion. June exports and the daily average export value both hit all-time highs for the month, the latter increasing 6.8 percent to $2.9 billion when accounting for the number of working days (-0.5 compared to June 2024). By item, six out of 15 major items gained in exports. Semiconductors reached new highs at $15.0 billion (up 11.6 percent), maintaining the upward trajectory for the fourth consecutive month. Exports of computers and solid-state drives (SSDs) climbed 15.2 percent to $1.3 billion, expanding for the second straight month. Automobiles grew 2.3 percent to a fresh high of $6.3 billion for the month, as electric vehicles (EVs) enjoyed strong demand across the EU alongside robust growth of secondhand car exports (up 67.9 percent to $0.7 billion). This is the first time for Korea’s total automobile exports to enter the 6 billion thresholds for the fifth consecutive month. Bio-health hit record highs at $1.7 billion (up 36.5 percent) on the backs of biopharmaceuticals (up 54.0 percent to $1.1 billion). Ship exports surged 63.4 percent to $2.5 billion, advancing for the fourth consecutive month. Meanwhile, petroleum products (down 2.0 percent to $3.6 billion) and petrochemicals (down 15.5 percent to $3.4 billion) continued to slide in step with weak global oil prices. Aside from major items, agricultural and fishery products (up 7.7 percent to $1.0 billion), cosmetics (up 22.0 percent to $1.0 billion), and electrical equipment (up 14.8 percent to $1.6 billion) all logged unprecedented highs for the month of June. By region, exports to seven out of nine major destinations saw growth. Exports to the U.S. and China inched down 0.5 percent and 2.7 percent, respectively, to $11.2 billion and $10.4 billion. To ASEAN, exports ended the monthly decline and rose 2.1 percent to $9.8 billion, driven by semiconductors, ships, and steel products. Exports to the EU (up 14.7 percent to $5.8 billion) posted growth for the fourth consecutive month, led by automobiles, car parts, ships, and petroleum products. India-bound exports improved 2.3 percent to $1.6 billion, a record high for the month. To CIS countries, exports soared 18.5 percent to $1.1 billion, increasing for the fourth consecutive month. Exports to Latin America (up 3.3 percent to $2.4 billion), Japan (up 3.0 percent to $2.5 billion), and the Middle East (up 14.8 percent to $1.9 billion) all resumed growth. In addition, exports to Taiwan jumped 31.0 percent to $4.3 billion, setting historic highs for June. As for imports, non-energy items hiked 7.9 percent to $42.2 billion, whereas energy imports declined 14.6 percent to $8.6 billion.  Korea’s exports for the first half of 2025 remained relatively flat year-on-year at $334.7 billion (down 0.03 percent) and the daily average export value, accounting for the number of working days, gained 2.3 percent to $2.6 billion. Imports contracted 1.6 percent to $306.9 billion and the trade balance netted a surplus of $27.8 billion (up $4.8 billion year-on-year). Five out of 15 major items led the increase during the first half, namely semiconductors (up 11.4 percent to $73.3 billion), wireless communication devices (up 8.5 percent to $7.5 billion), computers (up 12.6 percent to $5.9 billion), ships (up 18.8 percent to $13.9 billion), and bio-health (up 11.0 percent to $8.2 billion). Notably, semiconductors surpassed previous first-half highs, powered by solid demand for high value-added products like DDR5s and HBMs as well as the rebound in fixed prices of key memory chips.   date2025-07-01

Trade Minister attends U.S. Chamber of Commerce Roundtable

Korea’s Minister for Trade Yeo Han-koo attended a roundtable hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington D.C. on June 27 (local time) where he gave an opening message and discussed measures to strengthen Korea-U.S. industry cooperation with Charles Freeman, senior vice president for Asia, and other members of both countries’ business communities. date2025-06-30

Trade Minister meets Louisiana Governor

Minister for Trade Yeo Han-koo held a videoconference with Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry on June 26 (local time) in Washington D.C. to discuss Korea-U.S. trade issues and measures to support Korean businesses investing in the U.S. date2025-06-27

Trade Minister meets U.S. Senator Todd Young

Minister for Trade Yeo Han-koo met U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) on June 26 (local time) in Washington D.C. to discuss bilateral trade issues. Trade Minister Yeo expressed commitment to establishing mutually beneficial Korea-U.S. trade relations and asked for support in facilitating a stable and predictable business environment for Korean companies with regard to the U.S.’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act. date2025-06-27

Trade Minister meets U.S. Representative Young Kim

Minister for Trade Yeo Han-koo met U.S. Representative Young Kim (CA-40) on June 26 (local time) in Washington D.C. to discuss bilateral trade issues. Trade Minister Yeo expressed commitment to establishing mutually beneficial Korea-U.S. trade relations and asked for support in facilitating a stable and predictable business environment for Korean companies with regard to the U.S.’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act. date2025-06-27

Trade Minister meets U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty

Minister for Trade Yeo Han-koo met U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) on June 26 (local time) in Washington D.C. to discuss bilateral trade issues. Trade Minister Yeo expressed commitment to establishing mutually beneficial Korea-U.S. trade relations and asked for support in facilitating a stable and predictable business environment for Korean companies with regard to the U.S.’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act. date2025-06-27