SEOUL, Nov. 6 (Korea Bizwire) – An official from a commercial bank expressed, “I am concerned about the government’s apparent effort to stigmatize banks as public enemies and deflect criticism towards us, beyond merely characterizing us as public resources, all in a bid to placate small business owners and the self-employed.” Once again, following earlier actions [...]
SEOUL, Dec. 21 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean securities firms were found to be borrowing at low interest rates but issuing loans to customers at significantly higher rates, the country’s financial regulator said Tuesday. Brokerage firms had borrowed funds at an interest rate of 3.02 percent as of Sept. 29, but the interest rates for [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 16 (Korea Bizwire) — Seven in 10 Koreans with mortgage loans saw their interest burden increase compared to last year amid a steep increase in interest rates, a poll showed Tuesday. According to a survey conducted by home matching platform Zigbang Co. of 948 users of its application, 41.4 percent of the respondents [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 21 (Korea Bizwire) — South Koreans are flocking to savings banks after they raised interest rates for deposits and installment savings. Since Wednesday, the Korea Federation of Savings Banks (KSFB) website and a number of savings bank apps, including OK Savings Bank Co. that uses the KSFB servers, have been shut down due [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — A growing number of South Koreans are redeeming their credit debts prior to their expiration date due to heavier financial burdens caused by rising interest rates, with some even willing to pay penalties for redeeming debts prior to the due date. Rep. Yun Chang-hyun of the People Power Party [...]
SEOUL, July 14 (Korea Bizwire) — President Yoon Suk-yeol instructed officials Thursday to find ways to protect ordinary citizens from the financial pressures of high inflation and high interest rates. Yoon made the remark a day after the Bank of Korea delivered an unprecedented 0.5 percentage-point rate hike in a preemptive bid to fight fast-growing [...]
SEOUL, July 6 (Korea Bizwire) — South Koreans in their 20s and 30s are struggling with rising interest rates. A majority of loans for jeonse (long-term deposits for rent), in particular, are provided at floating interest rates, which makes young South Koreans react to an increase in interest rates with concern or give up on [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 11 (Korea Bizwire) — Amid a rapid hike in lending rates, an online petition calling for the government to prevent commercial banks from excessive profiteering was submitted to the presidential office. The petition, filed through Cheong Wa Dae’s website on Nov. 5, claimed that financial institutions are chalking up excessive profits by raising [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — There is a difference between commercial banks’ average credit loan interest rates for professional workers and those for the general public, data showed Tuesday. According to the data that Rep. Kang Min-kuk of the main opposition People Power Party received from the Financial Supervisory Service, the loan interest rate [...]
SEOUL, Oct. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean banks’ credit loans to individuals grew at a slower pace in September than a month earlier amid financial authorities’ tougher restrictions, industry data showed Tuesday. Outstanding unsecured loans to individuals by five major lenders — KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana, Woori and NH Nonghyup — totaled 126.4 trillion [...]