Economy
143 storiesSouth Korea adds 113,000 jobs in September as youth employment keeps falling
South Korea had 29.266 million employed people in September, up 113,000 from a year earlier, according to employment data released on October 16. Employment among people aged 15–29 fell by 147,000, extending its decline to 47 consecutive mo…
US September inflation rises to 3.7%, above forecasts, as stocks fall
US consumer prices rose 3.7% from a year earlier in September, above the 3.6% forecast, Korean outlets reported after the October 14 release. Core inflation reached 2.6%, while the Nasdaq fell 1.88% as markets reacted to inflation, oil pric…
South Korea, US finance and central bank chiefs hold first 2+2 talks in Bangkok
South Korean Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lee Hyoung-il (이형일) and Bank of Korea Governor Shin Hyun-song (신현송) met US Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh and US Deputy Treasury Secretary Francis Brooke (프랜시스 브룩) in Bangkok on Oct…
U.S. inflation rises to 3.7% in September as gasoline prices jump
U.S. consumer prices rose 3.7% from a year earlier in September, up from 3.4% in August, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Prices increased 0.6% on the month, with a 9.1% gasoline rise accounting for more than half the monthly i…
US Social Security benefits to rise 3.6% in 2027
The Social Security Administration announced a 3.6% cost-of-living increase for 2027, adding about $75 to the average monthly retirement benefit. Higher Social Security payments begin in January, while increased Supplemental Security Income…
Putin says protecting Russia's domestic market is not protectionism
Russian President Vladimir Putin said protecting the domestic market was not protectionism. Speaking at the Delovaya Rossiya forum on October 15, he accused the most vocal opponents of protectionism of practising it themselves.
Xi sends congratulatory letter as 140th Canton Fair opens in Guangzhou
Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the 140th China Import and Export Fair on October 14. The fair opened that day in Guangzhou, according to a Xinhua report carried by Jiemian.
China's nine-month financing increase falls to 27.46 trillion yuan
China's aggregate financing increase totalled 27.46 trillion yuan in the first nine months of 2026, 2.63 trillion yuan less than a year earlier, central bank data showed. Outstanding aggregate financing reached 468.17 trillion yuan at the e…
Study finds 47.7% of South Korean export items lost competitiveness in CPTPP markets
A Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade study found that 2,474 of 5,185 South Korean export items lost competitiveness in CPTPP markets after the trade pact took effect. The remaining 2,711 items, or 52.3%, improved, and resear…
Japan August real wages rise 1.5% for eighth straight month
Japan's real wages rose 1.5% in August from a year earlier, the eighth consecutive monthly increase, according to the health, labour and welfare ministry's preliminary monthly labour survey published on 7 October. Nominal total cash earning…
Trump says he told South Korea it must pay a price for lower tariffs
US President Donald Trump said on Oct 6 that he told South Korea it must pay a price to have tariffs lowered, and that South Korea recently provided $150 billion, all of it going to shipbuilding. Korean outlets link the remarks to MASGA, th…
Seoul apartment prices rise 0.12%, extending record run to 87 weeks
Seoul apartment sale prices rose 0.12% in the first week of October (as of October 5), the 87th straight weekly gain and the longest run on record, according to Korea Real Estate Board data released on October 8. The weekly gain widened fro…
China and EU reach hybrid car trade understanding at trade mechanism meeting in Beijing
Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič held the second regular meeting of the China-EU Trade and Investment Consultation Mechanism in Beijing on October 8-9, 2026, and issued…
Japan government weighs second supplementary budget focused on disaster response
The Japanese government is considering a second supplementary budget for fiscal 2026, limited to necessary items such as disaster response rather than an economic-stimulus package, with spending expected to be small. It would cover recovery…
Seoul apartment deals under 1.5 bn won reach 79% after tax reform plan
About 79% of Seoul apartment sales contracted since the government's Aug. 3 tax reform plan were priced at 1.5 billion won or below, according to an analysis of Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport real transaction data. The share…
AMRO lifts South Korea 2026 growth forecast to 3.3%
AMRO raised its forecast for South Korea's 2026 economic growth to 3.3%, 0.2 percentage points above its July estimate, and lifted its 2027 forecast to 2.7% from 2.2%. It also nudged this year's inflation forecast up to 2.7% while lowering …
China allocates 550 billion yuan in unused local government debt quota
China's Finance Ministry allocated 550 billion yuan in unused local government debt quota to support county and district budgets and local investment. The allocation includes 300 billion yuan in general debt quota and 250 billion yuan in sp…
Bank of Japan raises economic assessments for Tohoku and Shikoku, citing AI-related demand
The Bank of Japan raised its economic assessments for Tohoku and Shikoku, two of Japan's nine regions, in its October regional economic report (Sakura Report) published on October 8, and left the other seven unchanged. Tohoku was raised fro…
South Korean budget minister rejects 'slush fund' claims over Future Response Fund
Minister of Planning and Budget Park Hong-geun (박홍근) told a National Assembly audit on October 8 that opposition claims the planned Future Response Fund would become President Lee Jae-myung's "slush fund" were groundless, saying political a…
South Korea's FX reserves fall $1.72bn in September on US investment funding
South Korea's foreign exchange reserves stood at $440.56bn at the end of September, down $17.2bn from $442.28bn a month earlier, the Bank of Korea said on Oct 6 — the first decline in four months. The central bank cited a fall in financial …