The Korea Customs Service announced provisional trade figures for December 1-10. Exports totaled $20.6 billion, marking a 17.3% increase compared to the same period last year; imports rose by 8.0% to $20.6 billion. The trade balance showed a deficit of $70 million.
The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission has recommended improvements to support pregnancy and childbirth for military families. A system will be established to postpone or defer the relocation of military personnel, and local government exclusion from childbirth support will be eliminated. Furthermore, leave policies for male soldiers and housing stabilization measures will also be improved.
Vice Minister Kim Jin-ah of South Korea and Jacob Helberg of the U.S. State Department held the 10th Senior Economic Dialogue. The two countries reviewed implementation of strategic trade and investment agreements and discussed cooperation in shipbuilding, energy, and critical minerals. Vice Minister Kim explained South Korea’s special legislation for a $350 billion strategic investment and requested U.S. support.
The Korea National Arboretum was recognized for its systematic establishment and operation of the ‘KNA B.E.S.T Program’ based on accumulated research achievements, winning the administrative award at the 3rd Korea ESG Awards. The B.E.S.T Program is the arboretum’s unique ESG model integrating the core concepts of biodiversity, ESG, sustainability, and education, playing a crucial role in conveying sustainability discourse to the public. The program is designed to spread awareness of biodiversity, ecosystem conservation, and carbon neutrality, contributing to raising societal awareness levels.
The Public Procurement Service will conduct evaluations for two construction design projects and ten large negotiation contracts during the third week of December. Evaluations can be watched via YouTube live streams, ensuring public participation. The agency strengthens the management of the entire evaluation process to ensure fairness and transparency.
The Public Procurement Service is set to execute bids totaling 248 cases worth 288.6 billion KRW next week. Negotiated contracts, which require expertise and technical skills, will account for 78.9% of the total amount, while qualified evaluation contracts will cover 599 billion KRW. Regionally, the Daejeon headquarters and Seoul office will account for 63.5% of the total amount, with 10 regional offices including Incheon also participating.
