ANDYLISM Business Insight

 South Korea is moving in the opposite direction from many advanced economies. In several OECD countries, high housing costs and the rise of remote work have encouraged people to leave capital cities and relocate to regional or mid-sized urban areas. South Korea, however, continues to experience a powerful concentration of population, jobs and opportunity in Seoul and the surrounding capital region. According to an analysis by Japan’s Nikkei based on the United Nations’ World Urbanization Prospects 2025 , 43.3 percent of South Korea’s population lived in the capital region in 2023—the highest share among the 37 OECD countries included in the analysis. The figure was reportedly up from 42.1 percent in 2010, indicating that South Korea’s concentration problem has continued to deepen. The United Nations’ 2025 revision provides country profiles, data tables, maps and technical information on global urbanization and city-population trends. AI generated image Other advanced economie...

 South Korea will significantly expand its welfare eligibility thresholds in 2027, potentially allowing more low-income households to qualify for government support. AI-generated image The country’s standard median income will increase by 6.7% , the largest annual rise since the current system was introduced in 2015. For a four-person household, the monthly standard median income will rise from 6,494,738 won in 2026 to 6,929,885 won in 2027 . This figure is important because South Korea uses the standard median income to determine eligibility for dozens of welfare programs, including livelihood, medical, housing and education benefits. What Is South Korea’s Standard Median Income? The standard median income is a government-calculated benchmark based on the income level of the middle household when all households are ranked from lowest to highest income. It is not simply the average household income. Instead, the government adjusts the median income according to household si...

 South Korea’s total national liabilities reached 2,772 trillion won at the end of 2025, raising new concerns about the country’s long-term fiscal health. The figure increased by 186.3 trillion won, or 7.2%, from the previous year. Compared with 2011, when the government first submitted its national financial statements to the National Assembly, national liabilities have increased by approximately 1,998 trillion won over 14 years. On paper, South Korea still had positive net assets of 821.5 trillion won. However, an analysis by the National Assembly Budget Office found that the country’s net asset position would fall to negative 636.5 trillion won if assets held by the National Pension Service were excluded. The figures do not mean that South Korea is facing immediate bankruptcy. They do, however, highlight the importance of managing government borrowing, fiscal deficits and future pension obligations over the long term. AI-Generated Image South Korea Recorded a Fiscal Deficit i...

 Hyundai Motor Group is facing the risk of an unprecedented chain-reaction shutdown in South Korea as labor disputes spread from vehicle assembly plants to parts suppliers and logistics operations. The emerging crisis is particularly serious because modern automobile production depends on thousands of components arriving at assembly lines in a precise sequence. Even if Hyundai Motor employees return to work, factories may be unable to restart if essential parts are not delivered at the right time. The situation illustrates how an ultra-efficient supply chain can quickly become a major vulnerability when several links stop operating at once. This image was generated using AI Hyundai Glovis Workers Plan a Full-Scale Strike According to South Korean automotive industry reports published on July 26, unionized workers connected to Hyundai Glovis plan to hold a full-scale strike on July 30 at Hyundai Motor Group’s headquarters in Seoul. Hyundai Glovis is the group’s primary logistics com...

 “U.S. HITS SOUTH KOREA WITH 12.5% TARIFF” AI-generated image The United States has introduced a new 12.5% tariff on imports from South Korea under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, raising fresh concerns for Korean exporters and global supply chains. The new measure took effect on July 24, 2026, replacing the temporary 10% global tariff imposed under Section 122. It is part of a broader U.S. tariff package targeting dozens of trading partners over their alleged failure to prevent goods produced with forced labor from entering their domestic markets. South Korea has been placed in the higher 12.5% tariff group, while several other economies face a lower rate of 10%. Why Did the United States Introduce the New Tariff? The Office of the United States Trade Representative, commonly known as the USTR, investigated whether major trading partners had adequately restricted imports connected to forced labor. According to the U.S. government, South Korea and a number of other economies ...