Importing from South Korea - Trade Finance Global

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Importing from South Korea

Last updated on 04 Aug 2024
22 Feb 2019 . 2 min read

South Korea Country Profile

Official Name (Local Language) Taehan-min’guk

Capital Seoul

Population 50,924,172

Currency South Korean Won

GDP $1,411 billion

Languages Korean

Phone Dial In 82

South Korea Exports Profile

Exports ($m USD) 573,627

Number of Export Products 4,284

Number of Export Partners 223

South Korea Economic Statistics






Government Website
https://korea.assembly.go.kr/
Sovereign Ratingshttps://countryeconomy.com/ratings/south-korea
Central BankBank of Korea
Currency USD Exchange Rate1.167
Unemployment Rate3.7%
Population below poverty line12.5%
Inflation Rate1%
Prime Lending Rate1.25%
GDP$1,411  billion
GDP Pro Capita (PPP)$37,900
Currency NameSouth Korean Won
Currency CodeKRW
World Bank ClassificationHigh Income
Competitive Industrial Performance26/138
Corruption Perceptions Index51/180
Ease of Doing Business5/190
Enabling Trade Index27/136

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Importing from South Korea

South Korea has an export oriented economy and much of their growth has been achieved through the production of manufactured products. They are the first ever historical recipient of aid from the OECD to become a major donor themselves to the program, a goal they reached in 2009.

South Korea is the 5th largest exporter in the world, and the 10th largest economy in the world (in terms of GDP). The main South Korean exports include integrated circuits, refined petroleum, cars, and passenger and cargo ships. Top export destinations for South Korea are China, the US, Japan, and Singapore.

Importing from South Korea: What is trade finance?

Trade finance is a revolving facility in which lenders offer financing options – it enables businesses to purchase products and can help ease the pressure from working capital issues.

Generally, an export finance bank will fund up to 100% of the cost of the products, including charges (e.g. insurance costs).

Trade finance offers upsides over more traditional bank financing, for example bridging mortgages or loans. Trade finance provides quick funding without affecting existing bank relationships.

How does it work?

If you’re a business importing or exporting goods around the world, then a trade finance facility would assist your company through offering a letter of credit (LC) or some form of cash advance.

I’m looking to import from South Korea, how can Trade Finance Global help, and how does it work?

If you’re looking to import inventory from other countries, you may require import finance, which is an agreement between yourself (the importer) and the foreign exporter. A non-bank lender will act as the intermediary, paying the foreign exporter on your behalf until you get the products and have then sold them to your buyer. Repaying the financier then occurs over an agreed period of time.

Chart Showing GDP Growth Compared to rest of world

GDP Composition for South Korea

Agriculture

2.2%

Rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit, cattle, pigs, chickens, milk, eggs, fish

Industry

38.6%

Electronics, telecommunications, automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel

Services

59.2%

Map

Top 5 Exports Partners

CountryTrade% Partner Share
China142,11924.78
United States
68,85212
Vietnam47,7548.32
Hong Kong, China
39,0596.81
Japan26,8144.67

Top 5 Exports Products

Export ProductNumber
Monolithic integrated circuits, digital
15%
Petroleum oils, etc, (excl. crude); preparation
6.8%
Natural gas, liquefied
5.8%
Automobiles with reciprocating piston engine di
4.2%
Parts and accessories of automatic data process
3.4%

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