SEOUL, Sept. 23 (Korea Bizwire) – A single report from global investment bank Morgan Stanley has sent shockwaves through the South Korean stock market, underscoring the outsized influence of foreign financial institutions on the country’s equities. On September 20, shares of SK Hynix, the world’s second-largest memory chip maker, closed at 157,100 won after plummeting as [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Korea Bizwire) – In a sign of growing financial strain on South Korea’s middle and lower-income households, credit card loans, often a last resort for quick cash, have reached unprecedented levels this year. According to data released on September 18 by the Credit Finance Association, the outstanding balance of card loans, including debt [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 18 (Korea Bizwire) – As South Korea prepares for the launch of Wegovy, a highly anticipated weight loss medication, next month, questions are arising about its coverage under private health insurance plans. Wegovy, produced by Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk and famously touted by Tesla CEO Elon Musk as his weight management secret, is [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — Excess funds held by South Korean households has fallen for eight quarters in a row amid high inflation and interest rates, data showed Wednesday. The monthly surplus of a local household came to 1.01 million won (US$753.3) per month on average in the second quarter, down 1.7 percent from [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 14 (Korea Bizwire) – As South Korea grapples with an unprecedented pace of population aging, coupled with trends towards longer life spans with chronic illnesses and an increase in single-person households, the need for individuals to prepare for their own elder care is becoming increasingly urgent. On September 12, the Korea Life Insurance Association [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 13 (Korea Bizwire) — The South Korean economy continues to show signs of recovery, driven by strong exports and manufacturing output, with consumer prices showing signs of stabilization, the finance ministry said Friday. The Ministry of Economy and Finance made the assessment in the Green Book, its monthly economic report, noting that domestic [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — Hanwha Group, a South Korean defense-to-insurance conglomerate, said Thursday it plans to pay 600 billion won (US$447.8 million) for a controlling stake in the Singaporean offshore plant firm Dyna-Mac Holdings. The group’s two defense and shipbuilding affiliates, Hanwha Aerospace Co. and Hanwha Ocean Co., will make a cash tender [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 11 (Korea Bizwire) – The financial regulator said Wednesday it will work to strengthen punishment for illegal money lending businesses and nullify their very contracts that are deemed antisocial. The move follows a recent spike in the number of complaints against loan sharks, which jumped from 10,350 in 2022 to 12,884 last year, [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 10 (Korea Bizwire) – President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday the government will temporarily raise health insurance payments to hospitals for the upcoming Chuseok holiday to better reward their services and to prevent disruptions in emergency medical care. During a Cabinet meeting, Yoon addressed concerns over possible disruptions to the medical system during [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 9 (Korea Bizwire) – The financial regulator on Monday announced plans to revise related laws to require payment gateway (PG) service providers to maintain sufficient funds to settle all payments. The move follows massive payment delays by two e-commerce platforms — TMON and WeMakePrice — due to a liquidity crisis caused by their [...]