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 [...]
SEOUL, July 30 (Korea Bizwire) — More than 100 Gyeonggi Province residents have received compensation through the region’s pioneering climate insurance program, as record heatwaves continue to drive a sharp rise in heat-related illnesses. As of July 28, the Gyeonggi Provincial Government reported a total of 110 insurance payouts: 60 cases related to heat illness, [...]
SEOUL, July 29 (Korea Bizwire) — The National Tax Service (NTS) has launched a tax investigation into K-pop powerhouse Hybe over alleged fraudulent securities transactions related to the company’s initial public offering (IPO), industry sources said Tuesday. According to the sources, the NTS dispatched an investigative team to Hybe’s headquarters in Seoul’s Yongsan district earlier [...]
SEOUL, July 28 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s major banks are ramping up corporate lending and support for small businesses in response to President Lee Jae-myung’s recent rebuke of the financial sector for relying too heavily on mortgage lending to drive profits. During a policy meeting on July 24, President Lee criticized banks for [...]
SEOUL, July 28 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s battery sector surged to the top of domestic stock performance rankings in July, buoyed by rising lithium prices and new U.S. trade actions against China. Yet individual investors are increasingly betting on a market correction, diverging sharply from the bullish stance of foreign institutions. According to data [...]
SEOUL, July 25 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s latest round of stimulus coupons, intended to boost domestic consumption, is drawing scrutiny as some recipients are reportedly using them to purchase large quantities of tobacco products—prompting renewed calls to restrict eligible items. According to reports gathered by Yonhap News Agency on Friday, a significant number of [...]
SEOUL, July 25 (Korea Bizwire) — As discussions intensify around the adoption of Korean won-based stablecoins, credit card companies in South Korea are scrambling to respond, concerned about potential disruption to their traditional role in the payments ecosystem. According to financial industry sources on Thursday, the Credit Finance Association and eight major credit card companies [...]