SEOUL, Aug. 19 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s household credit hit a fresh high in the second quarter of this year, amid a rise in loans borrowed for real estate purchases, the central bank said Tuesday. The outstanding credit to households stood at 1,952.8 trillion won (US$1.4 trillion) as of end-June, up 24.6 trillion won [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 15(Korea Bizwire) — August 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the introduction of comprehensive property trust services in South Korea, but industry experts warn the system remains largely symbolic, hindered by outdated regulations. Despite growing interest in asset management services amid rising household wealth, comprehensive property trusts—which allow financial institutions to collectively manage [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 14 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea could see its economy expand by the equivalent of 6% of GDP if the number of foreign residents increased by one million, according to a new study by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and a research team led by Professor Kim Deok-pa of Korea [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean cryptocurrency exchange operator Dunamu Inc. said Wednesday it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a Vietnamese bank to assist the establishment of a cryptocurrency exchange in the Southeast Asian country. The deal with Military Commercial Joint Stock Bank, a financial institution under Vietnam’s defense ministry, [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — Seoul’s central bank said Monday it has signed a renewed memorandum of understanding (MOU) with its Vietnamese counterpart, the State Bank of Vietnam, to promote bilateral partnership. The updated MOU, initially signed in 2004, aims to deepen cooperation in various areas between the two central banks, including monetary policy [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — Following the recent U.S.-South Korea trade agreement, South Korea’s shipbuilding stocks have seen a significant rise, propelling related exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to top performance rankings. The surge in stock prices has drawn substantial interest from individual investors, sparking speculation on whether the upward trend will continue. As of August 8, [...]
SEOUL, August 6 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s top 100 publicly listed companies have significantly ramped up shareholder returns, with total payouts rising by more than 35% over the past two years, according to new data released Wednesday by corporate tracker CEO Score. The report found that shareholder returns — including dividends and share buybacks [...]
SEOUL, August 5 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s major banks are ramping up restrictions on home-backed loans and jeonse (long-term rental deposit) financing, signaling a coordinated move to cool the property market and manage household debt more tightly. On August 5, Hana Bank announced it would halt new applications for mortgage and jeonse loans scheduled for [...]
SEOUL, August 1 (Korea Bizwire) — After a prolonged slump, South Korea’s commercial real estate market—including officetels and small buildings—is showing tentative signs of recovery following a recent easing of lending regulations. The government’s June 27 financial policy placed a 600 million won ($460,000) cap on home mortgage loans, but left commercial properties such as [...]
SEOUL, July 30 (Korea Bizwire) — In a bold bid to restore confidence in South Korea’s financial markets, regulators have launched a new joint task force designed to swiftly identify and stamp out illegal stock trading practices. The team, which officially began operations Wednesday, brings together officials from the Financial Services Commission (FSC), the Financial [...]