The Financial Supervisory Service has launched a probe into the local brokerage industry to weed out irregularities and prevent financial accidents.The regulator is targeting 62 securities firms and eight futures trading firms, chiefly their internal controlling.The companies have been ordered to submit reports on their operations for internal monitoring by Dec. 10.The irregular practices also include unauthorized insider trading with major shareholders and unfair sales of retirement pension fun

South Korean shares are expected to move in a tight range this week as fiscal debt problems in Europe and the U.S. will continue to weigh on investor sentiment, analysts said.The benchmark KOSPI closed at 1,776.40, down 3.3 percent last week, marking the fourth consecutive week the index has declined.The index earlier gained ground despite the U.S. Congressional committee’s failure to identify ways to cut the budget deficit as Moody’s Investors Service said it will not downgrade the U.S. soverei

South Korea’s financial watchdog said Saturday that it has clinched a preliminary deal with its counterpart in Turkey to promote partnership between them.The Financial Services Commission said its chairman, Kim Seok-dong, has agreed with Vedat Akgiray, chairman of Capital Markets Board of Turkey, during his two-day visit to Turkey.The FSC added that the two agencies also agreed to set up branch offices in Seoul and Istanbul. The FSC said that the office will help local financial firms make inroa

Interest payments on household debt exceeded the 50 trillion won ($43 billion) mark for the first time this year as people took out more loans and coped with higher borrowing rates, financial sources said Sunday.Sources said that interest payments on debt reached around 5 percent of the gross national income that will inevitably exert negative influence on consumer spending, production and economic growth.Data from local financial institutions and the Bank of Korea showed household interest paym

South Korean futures companies saw their earnings rise 14 percent in the first half from a year earlier, helped by increased commission income and returns from derivatives investments, the financial watchdog said Sunday.The combined net profit of seven local futures firms came to 27.7 billion won ($23.8 billion) in the April-September period, compared with 24.3 billion won in the previous year, according to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). The companies closed their books on March 31.The

Ministries are in talks on putting new sanctions on Iran for its nuclear development program, likely to include a ban on petrochemicals trade. The ministries of foreign affairs, finance, and commerce, and the Financial Supervisory Commission are reviewing the level of additional sanctions on Tehran, an official said Friday. South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are expected to discuss the sanctions when they meet in Busan on Wednesday. “Several g

South Korean stocks closed 1.04 percent lower on Friday as persistent concerns over the eurozone debt crisis and fears over credit downgrades spooked investors, analysts said. The local currency dropped against the U.S. dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index slumped 18.66 points to 1,776,4. Trading volume was moderate at 301.2 million shares worth 4.16 trillion won ($3.58 billion), with decliners outnumbering gainers 592 to 238.“The lackluster results of a summit between Germany,

South Korea has already spent about 27 percent of its budget assigned to help farmers whose business might suffer due to the influx of cheaper produce from the U.S. under the recently approved free trade agreement (FTA) between the two nations, the Finance Ministry said Friday.The ruling Grand National Party here rammed the long-pending FTA through parliament on Tuesday against fierce objection by opposition lawmakers, who claim that it favors the U.S. The accord was signed in 2007 and was modif

The Export-Import Bank of Korea (Eximbank) said Thursday it has raised around $200 million by floating Saudi riyal-denominated bonds for the first time in Asia.The bonds, worth 750 million Saudi riyal ($200 million), carry an interest rate 1.7 percentage points above the Saudi Arabia Interbank Offered Rate. The rate translates to 2.49 percentage points above the Libor, according to Eximbank.The bonds, which mature in five years, are the biggest riyal-denominated issuance since 1 billion won was

South Korea’s central bank said Thursday that its policymakers have approved measures to help boost its capacity to supply liquidity into the country’s financial system and promote financial stability.After holding a policy meeting, the monetary policy committee of the Bank of Korea has decided to supply intra-day funds to brokerage houses and to expand the scope of its open market operations, according to the central bank.The BOK said it will be able to provide temporary funds to securities fir

Pork imports have more than doubled this year to almost one-third of the market, the largest-ever portion, a government report said Thursday. The nation imported 151.89 million metric tons of pork this year, up 117 percent from the amount imported until last November, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said. Competition in the pork market is set to become fiercer as more pork imports are set to enjoy tax and tariff exemptions with the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement ratifi