SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s central bank and financial regulator have received below-average marks for their response to the climate crisis, ranking in the lower tier among ASEAN+3 economies, according to a new international assessment. The report by Positive Money, a U.K.-based think tank, evaluated 13 countries in the ASEAN+3 group — comprising [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS) said it will begin enforcing stricter “responsible investment” standards on private equity and other alternative investments, following heavy criticism over massive potential losses linked to the troubled retailer Homeplus. The decision, announced by the Ministry of Health and Welfare during a parliamentary audit on [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s exchange-traded fund (ETF) market has entered a new era, surpassing 250 trillion won ($180 billion) in total assets and reshaping what it means to be a “mega fund” in one of the country’s fastest-growing financial sectors. According to data from the Korea Securities Depository released Tuesday, the number [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — Food prices in South Korea have risen more than 20 percent over the past five years, far outpacing overall inflation and placing a growing strain on household budgets. According to data released Wednesday by the National Data Office, the consumer price index for “food and non-alcoholic beverages” in September [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s non-life insurers are escalating a fierce competition to secure “exclusive usage rights,” which grant temporary monopolies over newly developed insurance products, as the industry pushes for innovation amid slowing growth in traditional sectors such as auto coverage. According to the General Insurance Association of Korea, domestic insurers [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 6 (Korea Bizwire) – Shares in securities firms, which have already doubled this year, are widely expected to further advance down the road on the back of increased turnover and market-friendly steps, industry watchers said Monday. According to the Korea Exchange (KRX), the index tracking listed securities firms’ stock movement has nearly doubled [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 1 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea and the United States have reaffirmed a fundamental principle to avoid manipulating exchange rates and to monitor the “stability” of the foreign exchange (FX) market, Seoul’s finance ministry said Wednesday. The two countries have agreed to “avoid manipulating exchange rates or the international monetary system to prevent [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 30 (Korea Bizwire) — Naver Corp.’s sudden move to acquire Dunamu, operator of the global cryptocurrency exchange Upbit, has sent shock waves through South Korea’s technology sector, raising questions about the search giant’s long-term strategy and corporate governance. The deal, announced six months after founder Lee Hae-jin’s return as chairman of Naver’s board, is [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — Delinquency rates at South Korea’s major credit card companies hit an 11-year high in the first quarter amid an economic slowdown, the central bank said Thursday. The delinquency rate on loan assets at the major card firms came to 2.3 percent as of end-March, the highest since 2014, according [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — The likelihood of South Korea facing a debt problem as seen in some European economies remains “limited,” a local analyst said Thursday, dismissing concerns that President Lee Jae Myung’s expansionary fiscal policy may strain the local economy. Ahn Jae-kyun, an analyst at Korea Investment & Securities Co., made the [...]