SEOUL, March 27 (Korea Bizwire) — The average debt held by wage workers in South Korea edged up in 2023 from the previous year, despite a rise in the benchmark interest rate, partly due to government-funded low-interest loan programs for low-income individuals, the statistics agency said Thursday. The average bank and non-bank loans extended to [...]
SEOUL, March 27 (Korea Bizwire) — Foreign bank branches in South Korea continued to enjoy a rise in their net profit last year as a sharp increase in their gains from trading of foreign currencies and derivatives more than offset a decline in their interest income, data showed Thursday. The combined net profit of 32 [...]
SEOUL, March 27 (Korea Bizwire) – The South Korean government announced on March 26 an expanded loan program offering interest rate subsidies to small and medium-sized manufacturers of eco-friendly vehicle components, part of its ongoing push to strengthen the nation’s green automotive sector. Under the program, eligible companies can receive loans of up to 10 [...]
SEOUL, March 27 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s advanced technologies in semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI) and other key industries will serve as a chance for the country to attract more foreign direct investment (FDI), a senior official from the Singapore-based United Overseas Bank (UOB) has said, emphasizing that FDI would be a useful tool for [...]
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 [...]