Over One Million Gather at Sunrise Spots Despite Bitter Cold
More than one million people have gathered at sunrise viewing spots nationwide on New Year’s Day, despite freezing winds and a severe cold wave sweeping across the country. Bundled up in scarves and thick winter gear, crowds welcomed the first sunrise of the year to wish for health and happiness, offering prayers and personal wishes for the year ahead. Meanwhile, bells rang out from Jong-gak belfries across the country at midnight to wish for a safe and prosperous year.
Korea’s Exports Top 700 Billion Dollars for First Time, Led by Semiconductors
South Korea’s exports have surpassed 700 billion U.S. dollars for the first time last year, marking an all-time high. The record comes despite challenging external conditions such as U.S. tariffs. Driven by the global artificial intelligence boom, semiconductor exports reached a record 173.4 billion dollars, playing a key role in overall export growth. Exports in December rose 13.4 percent year-on-year, the highest December figure on record, extending a streak of year-on-year growth for 11 consecutive months.
46.4% Say Economy Will Worsen This Year
A recent survey shows that nearly half of South Koreans believe the economy will be more difficult this year than it is now. According to a public perception survey conducted by Realmeter for the Energy Economics News on December 29 and 30 on 1,025 men and women aged 18 and over nationwide, 46.4 percent of respondents said the Korean economy would worsen this year. This was 12.6 percentage points higher than those who expected improvement, indicating a prevailing pessimistic outlook beyond the margin of error.
Hometown Donation Program Enters Fourth Year, Aiding Disaster Relief
The Hometown Love Donation System has been found to be playing a positive role in strengthening local government finances and supporting disaster relief and region-specific projects. First introduced in 2023, data released on January 1 by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety showed that local governments collected approximately 141.7 billion won in 2025 alone, just three years after the system was implemented. The figure represents a 174 percent increase compared to 2024.
IFEZ Logs 790 Million Dollars in FDI, Highest in Six Years
Foreign direct investment in the Incheon Free Economic Zone for 2025 has reached its highest level in six years. According to the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority, cumulative reported FDI for the Song-do, Young-jong, and Chung-la districts totaled 790 million U.S. dollars, marking the highest annual figure recorded since 2020.
Incheon Administrative System Reorganized into Two Counties and Nine Districts
In-chon’s administrative structure will be reorganized for the first time in 31 years. Starting July 1, the administrative zones will be reorganized from the current two counties and eight district structure to two counties and nine districts. The current Joong District’s inland region and Dong Districts will be combined into Jae-mool-po District while Joong District’s island region will become the newly created Young-jong District. Meanwhile, Suh District’s Gum-dan area will be divided to establish a new Gum-dan District, while the remaining area will retain its current administrative boundaries.
Incheon-Departure KTX Service to Open
The In-chun departure KTX service is slated to open in December 2026. The service is expected to make In-chun a half-day travel destination from other major cities across the nation. Departing from Song-do Station on the Soo-in Line, the service will connect to the Gyung-boo High-Speed Rail Line in Hwa-sung, Gyung-ki Province. Travel time from Song-do to Busan is expected to be about two hours and 20 minutes, and to Mokpo about two hours and 10 minutes, saving approximately one hour and 30 minutes compared to current routes via Seoul or Gwang-myung.
Sources: https://news.ifm.kr
