A majority of South Korean businesses in the United States expect additional difficulties down the road due to what many view as protectionist trade policies of the new US administration, a survey showed Monday.More than 7 out of every 10 respondents said they were already facing difficulties in setting up new plans for their businesses and investments in the US, according to the Korea International Trade Association. An image depicting the KORUS FTA (Yonhap)In the recent survey, jointly conduct

South Korean stocks opened higher Monday on eased political uncertainties following the ouster of President Park Geun-hye over a corruption scandal.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 10.88 points, or 0.52 percent, to 2,108.23 as of 9:15 a.m. An image depicting the stock market (123RF)South Korea's Constitutional Court upheld the ouster of Park on Friday, acknowledging she abused her power to help her confidante Choi Soon-sil pursue personal gains."The decision removed political

South Korea's stock market posted the lowest level of price swings in the first two months of the year, data showed Monday.It indicates that the stock trade here was relatively lackluster with the benchmark index KOSPI stuck in a tight range. An image of South Korea's financial and industrial markets (Yonhap)The number is also indicative of the stability and resilience of the country's stock market despite a series of financial and business troubles at home and abroad.According to the Korea Exch

South Korea's financial authorities reaffirmed on Sunday that they will remain vigilant to ensure market stability and stave off any fallout from the ouster of President Park Geun-hye.The Constitutional Court delivered a verdict on Friday to dismiss Park over a high-profile corruption scandal involving her friend, after months-long political chaos. But the ruling is also the start of another turbulent period for Asia's fourth-largest economy as the country is still deeply divided over the ouster

South Korea's stock market advanced by less than 4 percent under former President Park Geun-hye's truncated administration period, far lagging behind other foreign rivals' performances, hit by a slump in economic growth and weak corporate earnings, data showed Sunday.According to the data compiled by the country's bourse operator, the Korea Exchange, the country's broader stock market index, the KOSPI, closed at 2,097.35 points Friday when the Constitutional Court delivered a verdict to oust the

South Korea will expand participation in overseas infrastructure projects co-financed by international development banks to help its businesses tap more deeply into developing countries, the finance ministry said Sunday.The Ministry of Strategy and Finance said the state-run Economic Development Cooperation Fund will extend its reach further through cooperative agreements with five major international banks. (Yonhap)The EDCF was launched in 1987 aimed at helping developing and less-developed cou

South Korea's financial authorities agreed Saturday to tighten real-time monitoring of banks' foreign exchange liquidity and other market risks, as the country earnestly prepares for a presidential election far earlier than originally scheduled.The decision was made at an emergency meeting of senior officials at the Financial Services Commission, the Financial Supervisory Service, the Korea Exchange and the Financial Security Institute, a day after the Constitutional Court ruled in favor of impe

Even if the US designates South Korea a currency manipulator, it won't lead to a significant appreciation of the won's value, a private think tank here said Saturday.The Woori Finance Research Institute questioned the effectiveness of the possible measure by the Donald Trump administration eager to reduce the US trade deficit.The Treasury Department included South Korea, a key US ally and trade partner, on the currency watch list last year, along with China, Japan, Germany, Taiwan and Switzerlan

South Korean shares are expected to face increased volatility next week as the US Federal Reserve is set to decide interest rates and a set of other major events are in store, analysts said Saturday.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index closed at 2,097.35 points on Friday, up 0.89 percent from a week ago.This week, the local stock market started a tad higher on continued foreign investors' buying binge, and top market cap Samsung Electronics extended gains on a rosy outlook for its ear

Funds that have invested in domestic bonds have suffered massive cash outflows as investors pulled part of their money out of the funds amid concerns over a rate hike in the US, industry data showed Saturday.According to the data compiled by industry tracker FNGuide, domestic funds have logged an outflow of some 1.1 trillion won ($945 million) so far this year through Thursday, as concerns over rate hikes in the US have emerged.Bond yields have been on a steady rise since the second half of last

South Korea's main index rose 80 percent in the past eight years, but still lags far behind US stocks' performance during the same time, the country's main bourse said Friday.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index reached 2,091.06 on Wednesday, jumping from 1,161.56 marked on Dec. 16, 2008, when the US cut its key interest rate to zero, according to data from the Korea Exchange and the Korea Center for International Finance.Korean shares are lagging behind US stocks in performance (Yonh

A majority of investment advisory companies in South Korea suffered losses in the third quarter of their fiscal 2016, hit by a decrease in contract amount, data showed Friday.A total of 159 full-time investment advisory firms were registered with the Financial Supervisory Service last year.The logo of the Financial Supervisory Service (Yonhap)They posted a combined loss of 2.1 billion won ($1.8 million) during the September-December period, versus a net profit of 14.6 billion won in the previous

Lack of pre-emptive measures against fallout from THAAD decision adds burden to local firms

South Korean banks reduced the volume of non-performing loans last year through strict risk management, government data showed Thursday.The ratio of loans classified as "substandard or below" came to 1.42 percent at the end of the year, down 0.38 percentage point from 2015, according to preliminary data compiled by the Financial Supervisory Service. This file photo shows a bank worker taking care of a customer. (Yonhap)The amount of such bad loans decreased by 5.4 trillion won to 24.6 trillion w

South Korea's household loans extended by local banks rose 10.3 percent in February from a year earlier due to increased mortgages, central bank data showed Thursday.Outstanding household loans from local lenders came to 710.9 trillion won ($615.6 billion) as of end-February, compared to 644.2 trillion won from a year earlier, according to the data from the Bank of Korea.Various household loans provided by a Korean bank (Yonhap)Compared to January, the amount rose by 2.9 trillion won. Mortgages