Sales of local companies in South Korea declined year-on-year in the first half of this year for the first time since 2020. :n-year in the first half of this year for the first time since 2020.

According to Qatar News Agency, sales of 814 non-financial companies increased by 6.7% year-on-year in the first half of the year, primarily driven by a 13.6% rise in sales by 194 exporting companies. In contrast, sales of the remaining 620 domestic companies decreased by 1.9%, marking the first decline since 2020.

Exporting companies saw a 13.6% year-on-year increase in sales during the first half. However, excluding Samsung Electronics, the largest company by size, the increase was 5.9%. On the other hand, corporate investment declined by 8.3% year-on-year in the first half of this year, marking the first drop since 2020.

Based on the standards of the Bank of Korea, the FKI classified companies with exports accounting for more than 50% of their sales as exporting companies, while those with exports making up less
than 50% of their sales were categorized as domestic companies.