Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy

Domestic car sales return to growth in September

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on October 17 that automobile sales in Korea rose 4.1 percent year-on-year to 133,016 vehicles in September following seven consecutive monthly decreases.Domestic sales of Korean-made cars inched up 1.0 percent to 110,465 units, and those of imported cars improved 22.5 percent to 22,551 units despite a decline in Japanese car sales (down 59.8 percent). Domestic sales of environmentally friendly cars also gained 10.3 percent to 9,656 units. Loc date2019-10-21

Korea, Indonesia conclude CEPA talks to expand economic cooperation

Korea’s Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee and Indonesia’s Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita signed a joint statement marking the conclusion of negotiations of the Korea-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (KI-CEPA) in Tangerang on October 16.The Agreement will strengthen the economic relations between the two countries by improving the cross-border flows of goods, services, people, and investment.Read the joint statement here: date2019-10-18

Korea unveils three key strategies to accelerate the future development of the car industry

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced three key strategies to accelerate the future development of the car industry on October 15. Under this plan, Korea’s green car industry will seek to account for 10 percent of total eco-friendly car sales in the global market by 2030.Read the summary of the plan here: date2019-10-17

FDI pledged to Korea increases 4.8% to $3.6 billion in Q3

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on October 10 that the foreign direct investment (FDI) pledged to Korea was USD 3.6 billion in the third quarter, posting a year-on-year growth of 4.8 percent after four straight quarters of contraction. Cumulative announced FDI inflows so far this year totaled $13.5 billion, indicating that the annual goal of attracting $20 billion will be well achievable.FDI pledged from July to September exhibited three characteristics.First, FDI continued date2019-10-11

Trade Ministry releases a statement on Japan’s export restrictions imposed on Korea since July

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on October 1 released the government of the Republic of Korea’s statement on Japan’s export restrictions against Korea as 90 days have passed since the July imposition of Japan’s measure.Read the statement here: date2019-10-01

September exports decrease 11.7% to $44.7 billion

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on October 1 that Korean exports in September decreased 11.7 percent year-on-year to USD 44.7 billion. Imports fell 5.6 percent to $38.7 billion and the trade balance recorded a surplus of $6.0 billion, remaining positive for 92 consecutive months.The fall in exports was affected by unfavorable external conditions such as the U.S.-China trade conflict and Japan’s stricter export restrictions against Korea. Another factor that contributed date2019-10-01

Korean retail industry sees 7% increase in sales in August

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on September 29 that the Korean retail industry saw a 7.0 percent year-on-year increase in sales in August. Sales at brick-and-mortar stores advanced 2.1 percent, while sales at online retailers rose 15.2 percent.These results are based on surveys of 26 major retailers. Half of them are offline retailers: three department store chains, three hypermarket chains, three convenience store chains, and four super supermarket (SSM) operators. The oth date2019-09-30

Korean ICT industry exports goods worth $15.2 billion in August

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on September 22 that the Korean industry of information and communications technology (ICT) exported goods worth USD 15.2 billion in August, down 24.5 percent from a year earlier.Meanwhile, ICT imports inched up 1.9 percent to $8.8 billion, and the trade balance saw a surplus of $6.4 billion.A breakdown of exports showed that outbound shipments of semiconductors, displays, mobile phones, and computers and peripheral devices all saw year-on-yea date2019-09-23