Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy

Overall retail sales in Korea improve 8% in May

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on June 27 that Korea’s overall retail sales in May saw a year-on-year growth of 8.0 percent as both offline and online retailers experienced sales improvement.Specifically, sales of brick-and-mortar stores inched up 1.9 percent compared to the same period last year, while those of web-based retailers jumped 18.1 percent.The Ministry releases monthly retail sales figures based on surveys of 26 major retailers. Half of them are brick-and- date2019-06-27

ICT industry exports $14.3 billion worth of goods in May

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on June 21 that Korean information and communications technology (ICT) exports in May decreased 22.6 percent year-on-year to USD 14.3 billion, declining for seven straight months.Imports, on the other hand, grew 10.8 percent to $9.7 billion, and the trade balance in this sector was a surplus of $4.6 billion.Decreases were experienced in exports of semiconductors, displays, mobile phones, and computers and peripheral devices.Outbound shipments date2019-06-21

Korea’s auto output, exports in May see year-on-year increases

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on June 13 that the Korea’s automobile production increased 4.1 percent to 366,152 vehicles in May compared to the same period last year.This growth in output was mostly attributable to higher overseas demand and more working days. The local car manufacturers are Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors, GM Korea, Ssangyong Motor, Renault Samsung Motors, Zyle Daewoo Bus, and Tata Daewoo.Exports also improved 6.1 percent year-on-year to 226,096 vehicles date2019-06-13

Korea’s May exports decrease 9.4% to $45.9 billion

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on June 1 that Korea’s exports in May decreased 9.4 percent to USD 45.9 billion compared to the same period a year earlier. Imports fell 1.9 percent to $43.6 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $2.3 billion.The slowdown in exports was mostly due to an intensifying U.S.-China trade dispute, a sluggish semiconductor industry, and a slowing Chinese economy. Exports in volume terms, however, inched up 0.7 percent, continuing to grow for date2019-06-01

Online retail sales jump 14.1 percent in April

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on May 30 that sales of Korea’s online retail industry improved 14.1 percent in April compared to the same period last year. Offline retailers, on the other hand, saw a 2.9 percent decrease in sales, resulting in a 3.5 percent growth in overall retail sales.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 hypermarke date2019-05-30

Exports of Korean ICT goods total $15.2 billion in April

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on May 21 that exports of the Korean information and communications technology (ICT) goods in April totaled USD 15.2 billion, down 10.6 percent compared to a year earlier.Imports grew 9.4 percent to $9.5 billion, and the trade balance stood at a surplus of $5.7 billion.Exports experienced year-on-year declines for six straight months because of a continuous slowdown in semiconductors and displays.By item, shipments of semiconductors, displays, date2019-05-21

Korean auto industry sees improvement in exports, production in April

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on May 16 that the Korean auto industry exported 223,235 vehicles in April, up 3 percent from a year earlier.The improvement in exports was largely due to robust sales of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and eco-friendly vehicles in North America and Europe. In terms of value, exports grew 5.8 percent year-on-year to USD 3.8 billion.Outbound shipments of green cars were particularly strong as they amounted to 20,281 units. This 39.3 percent year- date2019-05-16

Korea’s exports in April fall 2 percent to $48.9 billion

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on May 1 that Korea’s exports in April fell 2 percent to USD 48.9 billion compared to the same period a year earlier. Imports expanded 2.4 percent to $44.7 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $4.1 billion.The decrease in exports was in part due to falling prices of semiconductors and petrochemicals as well as a slowing Chinese economy. Other external factors such as the ongoing U.S.-China trade dispute and stagnant world trade date2019-05-01