Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy

MOTIE hosts 2020 Invest KOREA Week (IKW)

The 2020 Invest KOREA Week (IKW), an investor relations event hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and organized by Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) kicked off on November 11 with the slogan “Smart Innovation & Safe Growth with Korea”.This year’s event, the 16th of its kind, is held virtually due to COVID-19 concerns and is expected to attract foreign investors through various programs such as Global Innovation Forum, Forum on Leading Industri date2020-11-11

Industry Ministry to launch new division on future cars

Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on November 3 that it will launch a new division on future cars, which will be in charge of tasks related to R&D, infrastructure, industry convergence, and global regulations of self-driving and eco-friendly vehicles.According to the Ministry, the future car industry is at the core of the Digital New Deal and the Green New Deal, and the launch of the new division is expected to establish a stronger foundation for the growth of the future car i date2020-11-03

October exports in Korea decrease 3.6% to $45.0 billion

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on November 1 that Korea’s exports in October saw a year-on-year decline of 3.6 percent to USD 45.0 billion. Imports went down 5.8 percent to $39.0 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $6.0 billion. The exports in October experienced a slight decrease (down 3.6 percent) due to fewer working days. However, the average daily exports rose 5.6 percent to $2.1 billion, rebounding for the first time in nine months. The average daily expor date2020-11-02

Overall retail sales in Korea increase 8.5% in September

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on October 26 that Korea’s overall retail sales in September rose 8.5 percent compared to the same period last year. Sales of both offline and online retailers improved 1.0 percent and 20.0 percent, respectively. The Ministry releases monthly retail sales figures based on surveys of 26 major retailers. Half of them are brick-and-mortar retailers: three department store chains, three hypermarket chains, three convenience store chains, a date2020-10-26

Korea's auto production, domestic sales, exports all increase in September

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on October 19 that Korea’s automobile output, domestic sales, and exports in September increased 23.2 percent, 22.2 percent, and 14.8 percent, respectively. The number of vehicles produced by Korean automakers jumped 23.2 percent to 342,489 units due to the recovery in domestic sales and exports at the same time. Domestic sales in September experienced a 22.2 percent growth to 162,716 vehicles. Local sales of Korean-made cars increased date2020-10-19

Korea’s ICT exports rise for 4 straight months, up 11.9% to $17.6 billion in September

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on October 15 that Korean information and communications technology (ICT) exports in September went up for the 4th consecutive month and posted a year-on-year growth of 11.9 percent to USD 17.6 billion. Imports also rose 9.0 percent to $9.6 billion, and the trade balance stood at a surplus of $8.1 billion. By item, outbound shipments of semiconductors, displays, computers and peripherals went up, while those of mobile phones went down. Ship date2020-10-15

Foreign direct investment pledged to Korea rise 43.6% to $5.2 billion in Q3

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on October 13 that foreign direct investment (FDI) pledged to Korea totaled USD 5.2 billion in the third quarter, posting a year-on-year growth of 43.6%. Cumulative announced FDI inflows this year reached $12.9 billion. Over the July-September period, the FDI pledges marked the record-high amount for the third quarter as current investors greatly expanded their investment. Investments in high-tech materials, parts, and research and developme date2020-10-13

Korea’s September exports post growth for first time since COVID-19, up 7.7% to $48.1 billion

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on October 1 that Korea’s exports in September went up 7.7 percent to USD 48.1 billion, rebounding for the first time since the outbreak of COVID-19. Imports also increased 1.1 percent to $39.2 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $8.9 billion. The September exports recorded growth for the first time in seven months, and the percentage of increase was the highest since October, 2018. The trade surplus also marked the largest figure date2020-10-01