SEOUL, March 27 (Korea Bizwire) — Samsung Asset Management announced on March 26 that its KODEX AI Semiconductor ETF has exceeded 100 billion won in net assets, highlighting growing investor interest in semiconductor companies with ties to artificial intelligence. The exchange-traded fund focuses on domestic companies involved in AI semiconductor technologies, including high-bandwidth memory chips [...]
SEOUL, March 26 (Korea Bizwire) – The chief of the country’s financial watchdog called on private equity firm MBK Partners Ltd. to be more responsible for the recent Homeplus fiasco Wednesday. Since last week, the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) has been inspecting MBK Partners to look into whether there have been any flaws in the [...]
SEOUL, March 24 (Korea Bizwire) — The rise of retail investor activism, fueled by online platforms and collective action, is reshaping South Korea’s corporate governance landscape — and sparking concerns over potential threats to management stability, according to a new report by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI). The report, released Sunday, reveals [...]
SEOUL, March 24 (Korea Bizwire) — After an unprecedented 18-month suspension, South Korea will fully resume short selling on March 31, marking the first time since March 2020 that the practice will be allowed for all listed stocks. The move comes despite mixed results from the country’s longest-ever ban on short selling, which failed to deliver [...]
SEOUL, March 23 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of South Korean companies with liabilities exceeding their assets has surged to its highest level in six years, signaling deepening concerns over corporate health amid delayed economic recovery and persistently high interest rates. According to a report released on Sunday by the Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI), 4,466 [...]
SEOUL, March 23 (Korea Bizwire) — Nearly half of South Koreans over the age of 50 who transitioned from wage employment to self-employment are earning less than the country’s minimum wage, highlighting the precarious financial situation of older entrepreneurs. According to a report released on Sunday by the Korea Employment Information Service, analysis of Korea Welfare [...]
SEOUL, March 21 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s financial watchdog said Friday it will look into whether Homeplus Co. has violated accounting rules as speculation mounts over the retailer’s controversial short-term debt sale. The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) said it will inspect to verify whether the retailer, wholly owned by private equity firm MBK Partners [...]
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 18 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean companies could boost their corporate value by increasing shareholder returns, precisely because of their currently low level of shareholder protection, according to a new analysis by the Bank of Korea released on March 17. The central bank’s report, titled “The Impact of Shareholder Return Policies on Corporate Value,” examined [...]
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, [...]