SEOUL, March 20 (Korea Bizwire) — Around seven out of 10 South Korean households perceive their financial situation having worsened compared to a year ago due to inflation, a poll showed Thursday. According to the survey carried out by the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) on 1,000 adults nationwide recently, 71.5 percent of respondents said [...]
SEOUL, March 19 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s combined household, corporate, and government debt—known as national total debt—has surpassed 6,200 trillion won, according to the latest data released by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS). As of the end of the third quarter of 2024, non-financial sector credit, measured in Korean won, reached 6,222 trillion won, [...]
SEOUL, March 16 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s household debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio was the second highest among major nations, following Canada, amid growing concerns about rising household borrowing amid weak growth and domestic demand, data showed Sunday. The debt-to-GDP ratio for South Korea came to 91.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024, [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — Gold and dollar deposits at South Korea’s major banks have reached record highs as investors seek safe-haven assets amid global economic uncertainty and a strong U.S. dollar. According to financial industry data released on February 18, the combined balance of dollar deposits at the country’s five largest banks—KB Kookmin, Shinhan, [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 16 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of self-employed individuals in South Korea who failed to repay their debts increased by 35% in 2024, as high interest rates and prolonged domestic economic stagnation deepened financial distress, new data shows. The burden was particularly severe for those aged 60 and older, with defaults in this group [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) announced on February 9 that it will enhance access to corporate disclosure information for foreign investors by expanding English-language content on its electronic disclosure system (DART) and launching a new open data platform on Sunday. The updated English DART system now allows real-time access [...]
SEOUL, Feb. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — In a sign of shifting market dynamics, new applications for reverse mortgages in South Korea increased while cancellations decreased as the real estate market showed signs of cooling at the end of last year. According to data from the Korea Housing Finance Corporation’s housing finance statistics system, new reverse mortgage [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 28 (Korea Bizwire) — Investors are pouring a large amount of money into funds that invest in U.S. stocks on hopes that President Donald Trump’s “America First” policy would help further boost the U.S. stock market, data showed Tuesday. According to the data from market tracker FnGuide, 167 funds that invest in U.S. [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s economic growth could stagnate at around 1% if political instability continues, warns a report by the Hyundai Research Institute. Released on Sunday, the report highlights both domestic and international risks weighing on Asia’s fourth-largest economy, which is already grappling with weakening market confidence. Political and Economic Pressures Domestically, [...]
SEOUL, Jan. 16 (Korea Bizwire) — For the first time since the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis, South Korea’s imported car market has experienced a two-year consecutive decline in sales. According to the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA) on January 15, the number of newly registered imported passenger vehicles in 2024 totaled 263,288 units, marking [...]