Ministry of Trade Industry and Resources

APEC Automotive Dialogue to Continue Talks on Intelligent, Eco-friendly Future Mobility Technologies and Policies

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE, Minister JK Kim) announced that the 42nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Automotive Dialogue (AD) will be held from Friday, August 1 to Saturday, August 2, 2025, at Songdo ConvensiA in Incheon as part of Korea’s APEC 2025 host-year program. Established in 1999, the AD is an official public-private consultative body where governments and industry representatives from across the APEC region share key automotive policy issues and industry trends and discuss cooperation. Delegations from 14 APEC member economies—including the Republic of Korea, the United States, Japan, and China—will attend, and MOTIE and the Korea Automobile & Mobility Association (KAMA) will again serve as co-chairs, following the 41st AD held from May 8 to 9, 2025, at the Jeju International Convention Center (ICC). The agenda includes the global automobile market outlook; strategies for electric vehicle and battery ecosystems; the social impacts of emerging technologies such as AI and autonomous driving; and the inclusiveness and sustainability of future mobility. Korea will present on battery safety technology trends, hydrogen mobility, connected and autonomous driving technologies, and related policy issues. On July 31, 2025, ahead of the AD, officials and experts held a working-level workshop on the sustainable development of the automobile industry and people-centered mobility, laying the groundwork for cooperation on future vehicle technologies and policy exchanges among APEC members. The AD will provide an opportunity for APEC members to explore joint responses to key issues in the future vehicle sector and shape cooperation toward a sustainable and inclusive future mobility ecosystem. date2025-08-01

Korea's Exports Rise 5.9% in July

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) announced on August 1 that Korea’s exports in July 2025 rose 5.9 percent year-on-year to USD 60.8 billion, while imports edged up 0.7 percent to $54.2 billion. The trade balance recorded a surplus of $6.6 billion. Daily average exports for the month, factoring in the number of working days, also rose 5.9 percent to $2.4 billion. Of Korea’s 15 major export categories, three posted growth in July. Semiconductors hit a historic high for the month, up 31.6 percent to $14.7 billion, driven by rising contract prices and sustained global demand for high-value memory products, such as HBM and DDR5. Automobile exports grew 8.8 percent to $5.8 billion for the second consecutive month, supported by strong demand for hybrid electric vehicles and internal combustion engine vehicles. Ship exports increased for the fifth straight month, soaring 107.6 percent to $2.2 billion fueled by greater shipments of high-value vessels, including tankers and LNG carriers. Non-major export items reached a new record of $14.2 billion with the help of agricultural food products (up 3.8 percent to $1.1 billion), cosmetics (up 18.1 percent to $1.0 billion), and electric machinery (up 19.2 percent to $1.6 billion). Furthermore, exports increased in six out of nine major regional markets. Exports to ASEAN climbed 10.1 percent to $10.9 billion, driven largely by strong growth in semiconductors, though China-bound exports dropped 3.0 percent to $11.0 billion. Exports to the US increased 1.4 percent to $10.3 billion due to a rise in semiconductors, wireless communication devices, cosmetics, electric machinery, and other non-major export items, offsetting declines in steel and automobile parts. Exports to the EU grew for the fifth consecutive month, gaining 8.7 percent to $6.0 billion, with multiple major export items such as automobiles, ships, and petroleum products trending upward. Exports to CIS countries (up 21.5 percent to $1.2 billion) grew for the fifth consecutive month, and Latin America (up 4.4 percent to $2.7 billion) and India (up 10.7 percent to $1.8 billion) marked their second consecutive months of growth. Exports to Taiwan also soared 68 percent to $4.7 billion thanks to a near-doubling of semiconductor exports. date2025-08-01

Korea’s retail industry grows 7.8% in H1 2025

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) announced today that Korea’s retail industry gained 7.8 percent year-on-year in the first half (H1) of 2025, with offline sales declining 0.1 percent and online sales advancing 15.8 percent. MOTIE's monthly retail sales figures are based on surveys of 23 major retailers. Thirteen of them are brick-and-mortar retailers: three department store chains, three hypermarket chains, three convenience store chains, and four super supermarket (SSMs) operators. The remaining 10 are online retailers. Korea’s retail industry growth over the past five years was mainly driven by sales of department stores, convenience stores, and SSMs, powered by consumer preference for luxury goods and shopping local trends. Moreover, the increasing number of single-person households led to the expansion of small quantity purchases and online grocery shopping. On the other hand, online retail sales rose steeply each year alongside the growth of the service sector, as e-coupons, travel/culture packages, and delivery services continued to flourish. During H1 2025, offline retail sales were affected by deteriorating consumer sentiment, rise of e-commerce, and the decreasing number of brick-and-mortar store visitors. Consequently, sales at hypermarkets (down 1.1 percent) and convenience stores (down 0.5 percent) dropped, whereas those of department stores inched upward by 0.5 percent on the backs of increasing demand for luxury goods. SSMs (up 1.8 percent) experienced a steady growth in the number of stores based on the rise in food prices and demand for home dining. By category, strong demand for home dining and services drove up sales of food products (up 8.3 percent), service/other (up 28.8 percent), and home/living (up 3.7 percent). Online retail sales were especially high in service/other (up 57.6 percent) and the sales growth of food products was also higher across online retail (up 19.6 percent) compared to offline (up 0.6 percent). Meanwhile, sales of fashion/miscellaneous (down 2.6 percent) and kids/sports (down 2.9 percent) decreased. For the month of June 2025, offline retail sales fell 1.1 percent year-on-year while online sales climbed 15.9 percent, achieving an overall growth of 7.3 percent.   date2025-07-30

KTC Recommends Provisional Anti-Dumping Duties on Hot-Rolled Products from Japan and China

The Korea Trade Commission (KTC) under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE, Minister Ahn Duk-geun) held its 462nd session today to review two anti-dumping cases and two patent infringement cases in international trade, and received a report on one newly initiated patent infringement investigation. The KTC examined ongoing anti-dumping investigations launched in March 2025 on hot-rolled carbon and alloy steel products from Japan and China, as well as single-mode optical fiber from China. In both cases, the KTC issued preliminary determinations finding dumping and material injury to the Korean industry. To prevent further harm while the investigations continue, the KTC decided to recommend that the Minister of Economy and Finance impose provisional anti-dumping duties of 28.16% to 33.57% on hot-rolled products from Japan and China, and 43.35% on single-mode optical fiber from China. In a patent-related trade case, the KTC revisited a complaint filed by Wyeth LLC concerning alleged infringement of its pneumococcal conjugate vaccine patent. The KTC had found infringement in February 2024, but a recent administrative court ruling overturned that decision. Accordingly, the KTC issued a new determination of non-infringement in line with the court’s ruling. The KTC also received a report on a new investigation launched on a complaint filed in June 2025 by Korean company Value Innovation Partners Co., Ltd. over alleged patent infringement involving connected electric vehicles. date2025-07-25

Korea and Cambodia Launch First Article 6.2 Climate Project

Korea has officially launched its first carbon mitigation project under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement, in partnership with the Kingdom of Cambodia. The project was authorized by the Cambodian government on July 18, 2025, and commemorated at an official ceremony on July 21, 2025, in Phnom Penh, marking a major milestone in Korea’s global climate action and bilateral cooperation. The approved project, led by Korean private company VeryWords, aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Cambodia’s transport sector through the deployment of electric motorcycles and the development of charging infrastructure over a ten-year period (2025–2034). The project is expected to reduce 680,000 tCO2eq, of which 400,000 tons will be transferred to Korea and counted toward its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). “This is the first approved outcome of Korea’s investment support program, launched in 2023, which provides upfront financing to Korean companies and recovers the investment later in the form of carbon credits,” a MOTIE official said. Article 6.2 in Action: From Framework to Implementation The Ministry of Environment of Cambodia issued a Letter of Authorization (LOA) under its national Article 6 governance framework, officially allowing the project to commence operations in accordance with Cambodia’s rules and procedures. The LOA followed work by a joint working group involving Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), Cambodia’s Ministry of Environment, and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI). On the Korean side, KOTRA and the Korea Energy Agency (KEA) also took part. The group reviewed key project elements, including the methodology, total emission reductions, and allocation ratios, laying the groundwork for the official authorization. Advancing Structural Cooperation Through High-Level Dialogue Building on this achievement, Korea and Cambodia are working to expand cooperation beyond individual projects. On July 21–22,2025, high-level bilateral meetings and an International Mitigation Forum were held in Phnom Penh to discuss future collaboration in the transport sector. MOTIE held bilateral meetings with the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT) and the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) of Cambodia, focusing on government-to-government partnerships in the transport sector.   The forum also brought together key stakeholders from government, industry, and international organizations to discuss future mitigation projects and ways to align carbon market strategies. “This project shows that bilateral cooperation under Article 6.2 is moving into implementation,” said the MOTIE official. “By aligning Cambodia’s policy leadership with Korea’s technology and investment, the two countries are laying the groundwork for scalable, long-term climate partnerships beyond individual projects.” date2025-07-21

Eco-Friendly Vehicle Exports Set Monthly Records for Third Consecutive Month in June

Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) announced today that electric vehicle exports, including hydrogen vehicles, reached $780 million in June – an increase of 11.2 percent year-on-year, marking the first return to growth in 16 months since January 2024. Signaling a positive turnaround in EV exports, total exports of eco-friendly vehicles rose 18.6 percent from a year earlier to $2.2 billion, setting a new monthly record for the third consecutive month. Overall automobile exports also rebounded in June after two months of decline, reaching $6.34 billion (up 2.3 percent year-on-year), the highest export value ever recorded for the month of June. By model, GM Korea’s Trax (28,797 units) and Trailblazer (15,747 units) continued to show strong export performance, ranking first and fifth, respectively. Hyundai’s Kona (21,399 units) and Palisade (15,947 units) also performed well, ranking second and fourth, respectively, underscoring the sustained strength of SUV exports. Electric vehicle exports also contributed to the rebound, with approximately 22,000 units exported – a 21.4 percent increase year-on-year - including 7,903 units of the EV3 and 3,938 units of the Casper EV. By region, exports to the U.S. declined by 16.0 percent year-on-year to $2.69 billion. In contrast, exports to the European Union rose for the third consecutive month. Notably, exports to Germany surged to $150 million (up 137.8 percent), and to the Netherlands to $90 million (up 89.8 percent), driven by a combination of factors including a low base effect from last year’s weak performance, robust EV export growth, and the establishment of KG Mobility’s European sales subsidiary in Germany in August 2024. Exports of automobile parts rose to $1.8 billion in June, marking a 2.5 percent year-on-year increase. Growth was observed in key markets such as the U.S. (up 6.3 percent to $680 million) and the Czech Republic (up 4.9 percent to $70 million), where Korean automakers operate local manufacturing plants. Significant growth was also recorded in emerging markets such as Kazakhstan (up 208 percent to $40 million), driven by strong demand for aftermarket parts. Domestic automobile sales in June 2025 increased for the fifth consecutive month, reaching 146,000 units - up 5.8 percent year-on-year. Of this total, sales of domestically produced vehicles rose to 117,000 units (up 6.2 percent), while imported vehicle sales reached 29,000 units (up 4.0 percent). Sales of eco-friendly vehicles maintained their upward trajectory for the 16th consecutive month, accounting for nearly half (49.8 percent) of total domestic sales. Notably, domestic EV sales exceeded 20,000 units for the second month in a row, following their recovery to the 20,000-unit mark in May— the first time in 14 months since March 2024. Automobile production in June 2025 remained largely unchanged from the same period last year, recording a slight decline of 0.1 percent. This was due to increased domestic sales of domestically produced vehicles (up 4.8 percent) being offset by a decrease in exports (down 3.1 percent). Notably, pickup truck production surged to 23,000 units – an 853 percent increase - driven by the launch of new models such as Hyundai’s Tasman and KGM’s Musso EV. This led to substantial growth in both domestic sales (up 131 percent) and exports (up 850 percent). In the first half of 2025, Korea’s automobile industry recorded a 3.8 percent year-on-year decline in exports, totaling 1.41 million units. This decrease was primarily attributed to increased overseas production by Korean automakers and a base effect following strong performance in the previous year. However, the decline in overall production was relatively moderate, falling by 1.6 percent to 2.11 million units, supported by a 3.5 percent increase in domestic sales, which reached 830,000 units. Growth in the domestic date2025-07-18

FICs and Domestic Research Institutions Partner for R&D and Technology Sharing

Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE, Minister Ahn Duk-geun) hosted a technology exchange at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) in Seoul on July 15, 2025. The event brought together foreign-invested companies (FICs) and domestic public research institutions to foster Korea’s innovation ecosystem by leveraging the R&D capabilities of global FICs. of the exchange involved 10 FICs and 15 domestic research institutions and was first proposed by FICs during the Global Foreign Investment Company and Public Institution Roundtable in May 2025 as a way to build an R&D cooperation system through technology exchanges with leading researches at public institutions. At the event, participants took stock of technological progress in advanced industries, shared recent development trends, and explored future collaboration opportunities. MOTIE is pursuing supportive policies, such as expanding cash incentives for FIC-exclusive R&D projects and improving regulations, to attract investments in a major global business R&D center. The center would facilitate continued investment by FICs’ parent companies and the transfer of leading technologies currently unavailable in Korea.  At today’s exchange, FICs and public institutions shared technologies, held one-on-one consultations to identify potential joint projects, and discussed tangible cooperative measures. Director General for Investment Policy Ryu Peob-min stated that the ministry plans to launch joint programs involving public research institutions to support the establishment of a global R&D center for FICs with leading technologies, while expanding exclusive FIC-only R&D initiatives to promote the active participation of global corporations. date2025-07-15

Korea’s ICT exports rise 5.8% in H1 2025

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) announced today that Korea’s exports and imports of information and communications technology (ICT) goods for the first half (H1) of 2025 gained 5.8 percent and 5.0 percent year-on-year to USD 115.2 billion and $70.9 billion, respectively. The trade balance recorded a surplus of $44.2 billion. In H1 2025, ICT exports maintained an upward trajectory for five consecutive months as a result of increasing demand for AI datacenters, achieving the second highest export value for H1.  By category, exports of semiconductors (up 11.4 percent), mobile phones (up 9.1 percent) and computers/peripherals (up 10.8 percent) rose, whereas those of displays (down 13.9 percent) and communication devices (down 2.5 percent) declined.  Semiconductor exports hit historic highs for H1 as fixed prices of key memory chips like DRAMs and NAND flash rebounded and high value-added chips such as HBMs and DDR5s retained strong performance. Mobile phone exports were driven by robust sales of top models and parts like camera modules.   Computers/peripherals also advanced, led by growing exports of datacenter solid-state drives (SSDs) in tandem with the expansion of AI servers.  Meanwhile, display exports shrank from the impact of adjusted downstream industry shipments and last year’s base effect. The drop in communication device exports is attributed to the global market slowdown as well as increased local production in Vietnam in an effort to secure cost competitiveness. By region, Korea’s H1 ICT exports grew to overseas markets like Taiwan (up 89.6 percent), the U.S. (up 14.5 percent), Vietnam (up 10.0 percent), India (up 9.3 percent), and Japan (up 5.7 percent). Those to China (including Hong Kong) (down 11.5 percent) and the EU (down 2.7 percent) contracted. As for H1 imports, categories like graphic cards (up 23.9 percent) and midrange and mainframe computers (up 36.9 percent) climbed sharply amid an expansion of AI infrastructure. ICT exports for June 2025 logged new highs for the month at $22.0 billion (up 4.7 percent), with semiconductor exports recording all-time monthly highs (up 11.5 percent to $15.0 billion).   date2025-07-14