Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy

South Korea claims top spot in 2020 global shipbuilding orders

South Korea claims top spot in 2020 global shipbuilding orders date2021-02-10

Exports of Korean ICT goods grow 21.7% to $16.3 billion in January

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on February 10 that Korean exports of information and communications technology (ICT) goods in January expanded 21.7 percent to USD 16.3 billion, the second highest export value for the month of January. Imports of ICT products grew 21.7 percent to $10.7 billion, and the trade balance stood at a surplus of $5.6 billion. Exports of all major items experienced year-on-year increases. Chip exports climbed up 20.5 percent to $8.8 billion and in date2021-02-10

Korea’s January exports expand 11.4% to $48.0 billion

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on February 1 that Korea’s exports in January expanded 11.4 percent from a year earlier to USD 48.0 billion. Imports also went up 3.1 percent to $44.1 billion. The trade balance stood at a surplus of $4.0 billion, staying positive for the 9th consecutive month. Exports in January showed double-digit growth for two months in a row for the first time in 40 months. It is also the third consecutive month in which the total exports and date2021-02-01

Korea to invest 240 billion won in system semiconductor R&D

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Ministry of Science and ICT, and Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced the support measures for the technological innovation in the system semiconductor industry at the Seoul Government Complex on February 1. The Ministries will invest a total of 240 billion won, or USD 215 million, to prominent areas in the system chip industry such as power semiconductors, next generation sensors, and artificial intelligence semiconductors, and foster local fables date2021-02-01

2020 retail sales in Korea expand 5.5% due to strong online sales

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on January 28 that Korea’s retail sales in 2020 expanded 5.5 percent compared to 2019, thanks to strong online sales (up 18.4 percent). Brick-and-mortar sales fell 3.6 percent.   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, and four SSM operators. The ot date2021-01-28

Korea’s ICT exports record 3.8% growth in 2020

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on January 18 that Korea’s information and communications technology (ICT) Industry posted exports of USD 183.6 billion in 2020.   Outbound shipments of ICT goods last year went up 3.8 percent compared to 2019 despite COVID-19 impacts. The ICT exports achieved the third highest value in history.   Imports by the ICT sector in 2020 totaled $112.6 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $71.0 billion.   By product cat date2021-01-18

Green car exports, domestic sales hit record high in 2020

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on January 14 that exports and domestic sales of eco-friendly vehicles hit record highs in 2020.   For 2020, the number of domestic vehicles produced by Korea’s seven automakers moved down 11.2 percent to 3.5 million units. Output in the first half of the year was more harshly hit by a slowdown in sales and a difficulty in procuring major parts due to COVID-19. The domestic automobile manufacturers are Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors, G date2021-01-14

FDI pledged to Korea reach $20 billion six years in a row

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on January 12 that foreign direct investments (FDI) pledged to Korea in 2020 recorded USD 20.7 billion, reaching $20 billion for six consecutive years since 2015. FDI commitments lost 11.1 percent last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The FDI that actually arrived in Korea decreased 17.0 percent to $11.1 billion. With the outbreak of the virus, the FDI decreased significantly in the first half of the year, but the decline was greatly mitigat date2021-01-12