South Korea's central bank left its key interest rate unchanged as expected at 2.5 percent Thursday after a surprise rate cut last month.

South Korea's unemployment rate inched up in May, with fewer jobs being created in the manufacturing sector, government data showed Wednesday.

Tokyo stocks surged 4.94 percent Monday on the back of a weaker yen and better-than-expected U.S. jobs data.

The South Korean economy grew at its fastest pace for a year in the first quarter of this year, but marginally slower than originally estimated, the central Bank of Korea said Friday.

South Korea's industrial output rose in April for the first time in four months, fanning hopes of a recovery in an economy that posted its slowest growth for three years in 2012.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has inspected work on a “world class” ski resort being built as rival South Korea prepares to host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, state media reported.

South Korea's central bank on Thursday cut its benchmark interest rate for the first time in seven months, joining government efforts to boost the export-reliant economy as manufacturers such as Hyundai Motor Co. face tougher competition from Japanese rivals boosted by the weakening yen.

As South Korea's low interest rate has contracted their profits, Korean banks are targeting rich people in Southeast Asia and China as new income sources.

South Korea's industrial output fell for a third straight month in March as carmakers struggled in the face of a weaker yen, which benefits their Japanese rivals, official data showed Tuesday.

South Korea posted its biggest current account surplus in four months in March, bolstered by robust exports of mobile devices and other high-tech products, the central bank said Monday.