Ministry of Trade Industry and Resources

MOTIE Hosts Policy Forum on Korea-India Cooperation in Advanced Industries

Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE, Minister Ahn Duk-geun) and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) jointly held a policy forum in Seoul on July 9, 2025, under the theme of “Digital Transformation and Korea-India Cooperation Strategy” to discuss future cooperation between the two countries in advanced industries. At the forum, Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP) Research Fellow Ro Yoon-jae delivered the first presentation on India’s digital public infrastructure strategy. He was followed by Wellmatix CEO Satyabrata Aich, who outlined the prospects for collaboration based on AI industry trends and best cooperative practices between the two countries. Both speakers underscored the need for a stronger Korea-India strategic partnership in these areas, highlighting that Korea’s advanced manufacturing technologies and India’s IT competitiveness and startups ecosystem are highly complementary. Representatives from HD Hyundai, Balance Hero, Medipixel, and other companies operating in India also attended the forum to share their experience in the local market and call for deeper intergovernmental policy cooperation. In his opening remarks, Deputy Minister for Trade Park Jong-won stated that the economic cooperation between Korea and India has so far produced results mainly in manufacturing. He added that given structural issues such as the recent global, Korea and India should advance practical cooperation and identify new cooperative models in advanced digital industries. With this year marking the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Korea-India special strategic partnership, MOTIE plans to expand policy communication with the Indian government and bolster cooperation in new industries. date2025-07-09

MOTIE Holds Energy Super Week Briefing for Foreign Embassies in Korea

On July 8, 2025, Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE, Minister Ahn Duk-geun) held a briefing for foreign embassies in Korea on the upcoming Energy Super Week (Aug. 25–29 2025) in Seoul. During the session, MOTIE outlined the event’s main programs and the newly elected administration’s energy policy directions, requesting the foreign embassies’ interest and support. The briefing was attended by 43 foreign embassies in Korea including those of Japan, the EU, the UK, and Vietnam. Four major events are lined up for Energy Super Week in Busan: the APEC Energy Ministerial Meeting (Aug. 27–28 2025), 16th Clean Energy Ministerial (Aug. 25–27 2025), 10th Mission Innovation (MI) Ministerial (Aug. 25–27 2025), and 2025 World Climate Industry EXPO (Aug. 27–29 2025). Energy ministers, government delegations, and business leaders of 40 member economies, as well as relevant international organizations, will gather at the events to discuss future energy outlooks and solutions. The APEC Energy Ministerial Meeting will cover key agendas such as power grid infrastructure, energy security, stable power supply, and AI-powered energy innovation. At the 16th Clean Energy Ministerial and the 10th Mission Innovation Ministerial, participants will discuss energy efficiency, power transition, future fuels such as hydrogen, AI-enabled energy innovation, and carbon reduction technologies. In late August, MOTIE will co-host the 2025 World Climate Industry EXPO with the International Energy Agency (IEA) and World Bank (WB) under the theme of “Energy for AI & AI for Energy.” Featured speakers will include IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol and WB Vice President Manuela Ferro. The program will consist of three major summits—the Global Leadership Summit, the Energy & AI Summit, and the Climate Summit—as well as 12 specialized conferences and side events, including recruitment sessions and business consultations. Visitors can also experience the latest and next-generation climate and energy technologies  at various booths set up by Samsung, LG, Doosan Enerbility, Hanwha Qcells, and other global companies. date2025-07-08

FDI Arrivals to Korea Rise 2.7% in H1 2025

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) announced today that foreign direct investments (FDIs) pledged to Korea in the first half of 2025 (Jan-Jun, acc.) decreased 14.6 percent year-on-year to USD 13.1 billion, while FDIs that actually arrived in Korea over the same period rose 2.7 percent to $7.3 billion. By type, greenfield and M&A investment pledges declined 4.5 percent and 44.6 percent to $11.0 billion and $2.1 billion, respectively. In contrast, greenfield and M&A investment arrivals rose 4.4 percent and 0.2 percent to $4.5 billion and $2.8 billion, respectively, as investments expanded for service businesses like datacenters and hypermarkets. By region, FDI pledges flowing in from the EU increased 14.5 percent to $2.2 billion. Those from the U.S. rose 20.2 percent to $3.1 billion, led by the retail and service sector. Meanwhile, pledges from Japan (down 25.4 percent to $2.2 billion) and China (down 39.0 percent to $1.8 billion) dropped. By industry, FDI pledges for the manufacturing sector fell 34.5 percent to $5.3 billion as categories like electrical and electronics (down 61.6 percent to $1.4 billion) and machinery and precision medical devices (down 77.0 percent to $0.3 billion) were affected by global trade uncertainties and a reduction in domestic facility investments. The service sector saw pledges rise 10.6 percent to $7.1 billion, led by categories like retail (up 73.3 percent to $1.3 billion) and information and communications (up 9.4 percent to $1.1 billion).   date2025-07-03

Korea and China Hold 3rd Supply Chain Hotline Meeting

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE, Minister Ahn Duk-geun) and China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM, Minister Wang Wentao) held the third Korea–China Supply Chain Hotline meeting in Seoul on July 3, 2025. The meeting was led by Kim Jong-chul, Director General for International Trade Relations at MOTIE, and Wang Liping, Director General for Asian Affairs at MOFCOM. Launched in 2023, the Korea-China Supply Chain Hotline is a consultative channel established to support cooperation on bilateral supply chain stability. Through previous hotline meetings, the two sides focused on stabilizing the bilateral supply chain. In today’s third meeting, the Korean side requested China’s attention and cooperation in facilitating Korean businesses’ imports of critical items from China. The two sides also discussed measures to foster a predictable business environment for Korean companies, including the Chinese government’s policy briefings in the second half of 2025. date2025-07-03

Korea’s exports grow 4.3% in June

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) announced today that Korea’s exports and imports for the month of June 2025 advanced 4.3 percent and 3.3 percent year-on-year to USD 59.8 billion and $50.7 billion, respectively. The trade balance stood at a surplus of $9.1 billion. June exports and the daily average export value both hit all-time highs for the month, the latter increasing 6.8 percent to $2.9 billion when accounting for the number of working days (-0.5 compared to June 2024). By item, six out of 15 major items gained in exports. Semiconductors reached new highs at $15.0 billion (up 11.6 percent), maintaining the upward trajectory for the fourth consecutive month. Exports of computers and solid-state drives (SSDs) climbed 15.2 percent to $1.3 billion, expanding for the second straight month. Automobiles grew 2.3 percent to a fresh high of $6.3 billion for the month, as electric vehicles (EVs) enjoyed strong demand across the EU alongside robust growth of secondhand car exports (up 67.9 percent to $0.7 billion). This is the first time for Korea’s total automobile exports to enter the 6 billion thresholds for the fifth consecutive month. Bio-health hit record highs at $1.7 billion (up 36.5 percent) on the backs of biopharmaceuticals (up 54.0 percent to $1.1 billion). Ship exports surged 63.4 percent to $2.5 billion, advancing for the fourth consecutive month. Meanwhile, petroleum products (down 2.0 percent to $3.6 billion) and petrochemicals (down 15.5 percent to $3.4 billion) continued to slide in step with weak global oil prices. Aside from major items, agricultural and fishery products (up 7.7 percent to $1.0 billion), cosmetics (up 22.0 percent to $1.0 billion), and electrical equipment (up 14.8 percent to $1.6 billion) all logged unprecedented highs for the month of June. By region, exports to seven out of nine major destinations saw growth. Exports to the U.S. and China inched down 0.5 percent and 2.7 percent, respectively, to $11.2 billion and $10.4 billion. To ASEAN, exports ended the monthly decline and rose 2.1 percent to $9.8 billion, driven by semiconductors, ships, and steel products. Exports to the EU (up 14.7 percent to $5.8 billion) posted growth for the fourth consecutive month, led by automobiles, car parts, ships, and petroleum products. India-bound exports improved 2.3 percent to $1.6 billion, a record high for the month. To CIS countries, exports soared 18.5 percent to $1.1 billion, increasing for the fourth consecutive month. Exports to Latin America (up 3.3 percent to $2.4 billion), Japan (up 3.0 percent to $2.5 billion), and the Middle East (up 14.8 percent to $1.9 billion) all resumed growth. In addition, exports to Taiwan jumped 31.0 percent to $4.3 billion, setting historic highs for June. As for imports, non-energy items hiked 7.9 percent to $42.2 billion, whereas energy imports declined 14.6 percent to $8.6 billion.  Korea’s exports for the first half of 2025 remained relatively flat year-on-year at $334.7 billion (down 0.03 percent) and the daily average export value, accounting for the number of working days, gained 2.3 percent to $2.6 billion. Imports contracted 1.6 percent to $306.9 billion and the trade balance netted a surplus of $27.8 billion (up $4.8 billion year-on-year). Five out of 15 major items led the increase during the first half, namely semiconductors (up 11.4 percent to $73.3 billion), wireless communication devices (up 8.5 percent to $7.5 billion), computers (up 12.6 percent to $5.9 billion), ships (up 18.8 percent to $13.9 billion), and bio-health (up 11.0 percent to $8.2 billion). Notably, semiconductors surpassed previous first-half highs, powered by solid demand for high value-added products like DDR5s and HBMs as well as the rebound in fixed prices of key memory chips.   date2025-07-01

Korea Trade Commission Holds 461st Meeting

The Korea Trade Commission (KTC) under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE, Minister Ahn Duk-geun) held the 461st KTC meeting at the Government Complex Sejong on June 26, 2025, for deliberation and resolution on anti-dumping investigations. Regarding the investigations initiated in September 2024 on Chinese stainless steel plates, the KTC ruled that dumped imports of these products have caused material injury to the domestic industry and proposed a five-year anti-dumping duty of 21.62% to Korea’s Ministry of Economy and Finance. The said products are currently subject to a provisional anti-dumping duty of 21.62% since March 2025. The KTC also held a public hearing in two anti-dumping cases involving Chinese sodium dithionite and Thai particle boards,  both of which were launched in December 2024. Public hearings are held before a final determination to grant interested parties sufficient opportunity to make statements and ensure their rights of defense. Chinese sodium dithionite is currently subject to provisional anti-dumping duties ranging from 15.15% to 33.97% from June 21 to October 20, 2025. For Thai particle boards, the Ministry of Economy and Finance is reviewing whether to impose provisional duties of 11.82% to 17.19%, as recommended by the KTC. Both cases await final determinations in the second half of 2025 following due diligence procedures in Korea and overseas.   date2025-06-26

Korea’s retail industry grows 7.0% in May

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) announced today that Korea’s retail industry grew 7.0 percent year-on-year overall during the month of May 2025, with offline and online sales gaining 0.9 percent and 13.0 percent, respectively. 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. By offline retail channel, sales at hypermarkets (up 0.2 percent) and department stores (up 2.3 percent) posted growth for the first time since the Seollal holiday season in January, led by high-priced items and increased revenue per visit. Convenience stores inched down 0.2 percent, whereas SSM operators (up 1.0 percent) maintained their upward trajectory for the third consecutive month, driven by the steady rise of visitors. By category, offline sales expanded in areas like food products (up 1.0 percent) and luxury goods (up 8.1 percent) such as jewelry and watches. In contrast, home appliances/culture (down 7.8 percent), kids/sports (down 2.5 percent), and fashion/miscellaneous (down 3.7 percent) experienced further slowdowns. As for online sales, services (up 37.3 percent) and food products (up 18.2 percent) retained solid growth on the backs of demand for food deliveries, e-coupons, travel packages, and cultural goods. However, fashion/clothing (down 4.6 percent) and sports (down 12.7 percent) continued their contraction.   date2025-06-25

Trade Minister Yeo Visits Washington D.C. for High-Level Trade Talks

Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE, Minister Ahn Duk-geun) will visit Washington D.C. on June 22, 2025—his first trip since taking office—to engage in ministerial-level Korea-U.S. consultations with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick. During the meeting, Trade Minister yeo will present Korea’s position on the U.S. tariff measures and discuss mutually beneficial solutions. Trade Minister Yeo will also meet members of the U.S. Congress to seek support for a stable and predictable environment for Korean businesses investing in the U.S., particularly as lawmakers are considering the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which contains proposed amendments to tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA). Trade Minister Yeo stated that he step up efforts to find a mutually beneficial solution on tariff measures through in-depth consultations with the U.S. side. In view of Korea and the United States’ close economic and industrial ties, he will use this visit to secure more support for Korean companies operating in the U.S. market. Meanwhile, Korea’s Deputy Minister for International Trade and Investment Park Jung-sung will accompany Trade Minister Yeo to Washington D.C. to lead the third round of Korea–U.S. technical discussions with USTR from June 24 to 26, 2025. Following the launch of Korea’s U.S. trade negotiations Task Force, Deputy Minister Park now serves as the senior official overseeing the working-level dialogues with the United States. In this round, the TF and relevant ministries will aim to reach mutually acceptable solutions on issues of interest to both sides. date2025-06-23