Most Popular
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Koreans, Americans differ on prestigious jobs: lawmakers vs. firefighters
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Only half of S. Koreans willing to marry: data
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Disgraced ex-minister rises as major threat to ruling party
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Yoon calls for dialogue, trust from medical community
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Summit for Democracy opens in Seoul in mega-election year
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Jungkook of BTS updates life in Army
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Med professors to resign starting March 25
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Ryu Joon-yeol, Han So-hee confirm dating since early 2024
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Leaders call for action against threats to democracy posed by AI
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Dyson founder visits Seoul for global debut of new hair dryer
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S. Korea to provide W420tr won in policy loans for carbon emission reduction by 2030
South Korea's financial regulator unveiled an ambitious plan Tuesday to provide 420 trillion won ($315 billion) in policy loans by 2030 to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Seoul has pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 37 percent from business-as-usual levels. "There exist concerns that the global competitiveness of our exporters may dwindle should we fail to take appropriate steps to meet the increasing emissions-related regulations in other countries," the Fina
March 19, 2024
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Trump unlikely to unravel IRA: experts
Korean businesses are unlikely to face a massive challenge by possible shift in US trade policies resulting from the 2024 US presidential election but they should get ready for small hiccups, experts on international trade said on Monday. “From the US perspective, Korean companies are very important partners in trade and investment. … Since the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement has been revised in a way that satisfies US constituencies, there may be hiccups (in the trade relationship) a
March 18, 2024
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S. Korea, OECD hold conference on 'digital finance'
South Korea and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development opened a joint conference in Seoul on Monday to discuss ways to help Southeast Asian countries develop and transform their financial systems. The conference will be held for two days and discuss potential problems arising from the digitalization of financial systems in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations member countries and ways to address them, according to South Korea's financial regulator, the Financial Ser
March 18, 2024
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Finance stocks rally despite ELS woes
Despite internal setbacks, South Korean finance giants are forging ahead with a robust rally in the local stock market, as several companies reach historic highs. The share prices of KB Financial Co. and Hana Financial Co., two of the nation's biggest finance holding firms, soared to unprecedented levels Thursday. KB Financial's shares hit 78,600 won ($59) after three consecutive days of record-setting gains, while Hana's reached 64,600 won. Shinhan Financial Co.'s shares als
March 17, 2024
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Rising exports lead economic recovery despite weak domestic demand: finance ministry
The South Korean economy has been on a recovery track on the solid growth of exports, but disparities among sectors remain wide amid weak consumption and investment, the finance ministry said Friday. "As shown in manufacturing production and exports, the country has seen an economic recovery and a stable job market," the Ministry of Economy and Finance said in the Green Book, its monthly economic assessment report. "But the pace of recovery among sectors has been different as priv
March 15, 2024
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Industry minister asks petroleum firms to avoid price hike
Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun on Thursday asked petroleum companies to refrain from increasing the prices of their products amid lingering inflation and external uncertainties. The remark came as global oil prices continued to remain volatile due to the prolonged war between Russia and Ukraine, along with the geopolitical instability in the Middle East. "The government is prioritizing taming inflation as the top task for the economy and is currently utilizing all available measures to stab
March 14, 2024
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[KH Explains] Will Webull reshape Korea's mobile trading?
Webull Corporation, a prominent US-based online stock trading platform, has initiated preliminary operations to establish its presence in South Korea. Speculation surrounding the debut of the New York-headquartered company's services rose recently following reports indicating Webull's engagement with local financial regulators to secure related licenses for domestic operations. Citing Webull Korea Preliminary CEO Rhee Won-jae, Herald Biz disclosed last month that Webull "plans to
March 13, 2024
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US gains propel Kospi to 2-year intraday high
The Korean stock market rallied early Wednesday, with the benchmark Kospi breaking above 2,700 points during trading hours for the first time in nearly two years as the market tracked overnight Wall Street gains. The local benchmark Kospi touched 2,701.45 points during intraday trading. The peak came shortly after it opened at 2,694.71, marking a 12.9 points rise from the previous close at 2,681.81. After hitting a record high not seen since May 2022, the main index wiped out the gains as invest
March 13, 2024
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HK-tied ELS sellers may face full compensation claims for losses
With losses from equity-linked securities tied to a Hong Kong index expected to reach almost 6 trillion won ($4.57 billion) this year, South Korean financial regulators announced Monday that sellers may face full compensation for the loss. The announcement follows the Financial Supervisory Service's inspection of local banks and brokerages that sold large amounts of ELS products tied to the troubled Hang Seng China Enterprises Index. From Jan. 8 to Friday, the watchdog conducted a thorough
March 11, 2024
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[Photo News] HK ELS sales fallout
Financial Supervisory Service Governor Lee Bok-hyun approaches the podium during a press briefing held at the regulator's headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on Monday. The FSS announced the results of its investigation into the possible misselling of equity-linked securities products tied to Hong Kong's Hang Seng China Enterprises Index among local financial firms, together with consumer compensation measures, on the day. (Yonhap)
March 11, 2024
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Exports fall 13.4% from March 1-10; chip sales jump over 20%
South Korea's exports fell more than 13 percent on-year in the first 10 days of March due mainly to fewer working days and weak demand for vehicles, but sales of semiconductors jumped more than 20 percent, data showed Monday. Outbound shipments reached $13.54 billion in the March 1-10 period, compared with $15.64 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Per-day exports, however, gained 8.2 percent on-year to $2.26 billion. The number of working d
March 11, 2024
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Portion of foreign buyers hits record high in S. Korean real estate market in 2023: data
The portion of foreigners who bought real estate in South Korea last year hit a record high, led by Chinese buyers, court data showed Sunday. A total of 15,600 foreign nationals completed property purchases in 2023, accounting for a record 0.9 percent of the total land acquisitions, according to the data from the online real estate registry service run by the Supreme Court. The percentage of foreign buyers in the South Korean real estate market has been on a steady increase since the South Korea
March 10, 2024
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S. Korea, Japan discuss economic cooperation during vice-ministerial talks
South Korea and Japan held a vice-ministerial meeting Friday to discuss ways of cooperating on a wide range of economic and financial issues, Seoul's finance ministry said. South Korea's Deputy Finance Minister Choi Ji-young met with Japanese Vice Finance Minister Masato Kanda in Tokyo earlier in the day for the vice-ministerial finance dialogue, the second of its kind, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. During the meeting, the two sides discussed issues of mutual concer
March 8, 2024
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S&P cuts outlook on Mirae Asset Securities, Korea Investment & Securities
S&P Global Ratings on Thursday lowered the outlook for two major Korean asset management firms, Mirae Asset Securities and Korea Investment & Securities, from "stable" to "negative." The agency kept their long-term issuer credit ratings at BBB and short-term ratings at A-2. The negative outlook reflects the agency's concern that property risks could strain the asset quality and profitability of Korean securities firms over the next one to two years. "Headwin
March 8, 2024
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Moody's turns negative on Korean banks' ratings outlook
Ratings agency Moody's downgraded the outlook on the South Korean banks' credit rating to "negative" from "stable" Thursday, predicting their asset quality and profitability will weaken. The agency released a report on the Korean banking system and lowered the credit ratings outlook for the local banking sector to "negative." In its assessment, Moody's anticipated a deterioration in the business environment for domestic banks over the next 12 to 18 mo
March 8, 2024
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Fitch keeps S. Korea's 'AA-' credit rating, eyes 2.1% growth
Global credit appraiser Fitch Ratings said Wednesday it has reaffirmed South Korea's sovereign rating at "AA-" with a stable outlook. It is the fourth-highest level on the agency's sovereign ratings table, and Fitch has maintained AA- for South Korea since September 2012 when it upgraded the rating by one notch from A+. "(South) Korea's rating balances robust external finances, resilient macroeconomic performance and a dynamic export sector against geopolitical ri
March 6, 2024
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Korea on guard against inflation
Consumer price growth resurged to above 3 percent in February, showing that Korea may be facing stickier-than-expected inflation, data suggested Wednesday. Consumer prices, a key gauge of inflation, advanced 3.1 percent on-year last month, according to data from Statistics Korea. Though price growth fell to 2.8 percent in January, dipping into the 2 percent range for the first time in six months, it rebounded to above 3 percent within a month. The uptick marks the first time in four months that
March 6, 2024
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S. Korean economy grows 1.4 % in 2023, unchanged from earlier estimate: BOK
South Korea's economy grew 1.4 percent last year, matching an earlier estimate, amid sluggish exports and tightening monetary policies around the globe, central bank data showed Tuesday. The country's real gross domestic product -- a key measure of economic growth -- increased 1.4 percent last year, in line with the central bank's earlier estimate in January, according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea. But last year's economic expansion marked a slowdown from a 2.6
March 5, 2024
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[From the Scene] Staying 'senior-friendly': Next normal of banking
Orange, green and blue -- the mixture of these vibrant colors is not something you would commonly expect to see at a commercial bank's branch in Korea. Yet welcoming customers into Shinhan Bank's Sillim-dong branch are color-coded floor lines guiding customers to their respective services. For instance, following the green line leads to desks handling simple tasks like deposits and withdrawals. This Sillim-dong branch, situated in southern Seoul's Gwanak-gu district, is among Shin
March 4, 2024
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Industrial output rises for 3rd month amid weak investment in January
South Korea's industrial output rose for the third consecutive month in January despite the marked fall in semiconductor production, data showed Monday. Retail sales also gathered ground for the second month, while facility investment and construction orders tumbled amid weak domestic demand, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. Industrial output gained 0.4 percent on-month in January, following a 0.3 percent increase in November last year and 0.4 percent growth in December.
March 4, 2024