A top official of the Bank of Korea (BOK) will attend a meeting of the Financial Stability Board (FSB) this week in the Netherlands and discuss global cooperation, Seoul's central bank said Monday. Bank of Korea (BOK) Deputy Gov. Lee Seung-heon will depart for the European country on Tuesday to join the general assembly of the FSB in Amsterdam on Thursday, according to the BOK. The FSB is a consultation body that coordinates and cooperates for global financial market stability. It is made u

Seoul shares opened higher Monday, tracking gains on Wall Street last week, with investors staying cautious about high inflation and further rate hikes. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 10.35 points, or 0.44 percent, to 2,376.95 in the first 15 minutes of trading. On Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2.7 percent to 31,500.68 points and the tech-heavy Nasdaq climbed 3.3 percent to 11,607.62 points. In Seoul, technology stocks were lead gainers. Market bellwether Sams

Standard Chartered Bank Korea is offering a special interest rate of up to 1.9 percent per annum, before tax, to new customers opening a checking account by the end of this month. Account holders are eligible for the special rate up to 60 days from opening the account, as long as they keep the balance between 100 million won ($77,200) and 2 billion won. The rate is adjusted each day depending on the balance at the end of day. Once new deposits reach 200 billion won, the special offer will ex

South Korea’s key stock index and its secondary bourse both saw the biggest drop among 40 global indexes, including inflation-hit Argentina’s Merval S&P, data showed Sunday, prompting concerns of a possible market crash. From the end of last month to Friday, the nation’s main bourse, Kospi, fell 11.89 percent from 2,685.90 to 2,366.60, while the secondary, tech-heavy Kosdaq dropped 15.01 percent from 893.36 to 750.30, according to data from the nation’s sole bourse

South Korean stocks rebounded sharply on Friday from a 19-month low the previous session amid growing concerns about a recession. The local currency rose against the US dollar. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) spiked 52.28 points, or 2.26 percent, to close at 2,366.60. Trading volume was moderate at 643.76 million shares worth 8.32 trillion won ($6.41 billion), with gainers far outpacing decliners 875 to 44. Institutions bought a net 640 billion won, while foreign and retail investo

SEJONG -- Economic policymakers on Friday said they would ramp up pressure on gas stations in a bid to ease inflationary pressure from surging energy costs, as soon as an expanded fuel tax cut goes into effect next week. The government announced last week that it would further increase tax cuts on fuel consumption from the current 30 percent to 37 percent, the maximum legal cap. “In consultation with the oil refinery industry, (the government) plans to induce a cut in supply prices for g

Consumption of gasoline and diesel in South Korea jumped more than 40 percent in May from a month earlier, as expanded fuel tax subsidies channeled pent-up demand from the pandemic, data showed Friday. The combined consumption of the two fuel types reached 24.82 million barrels, up 43 percent from 17.35 million barrels logged in April, according to the data by Petronet, an online petroleum information provider run by the Korea National Oil Corp. The surge contrasts with the declining trend seen

South Korea's trade deficit is expected to widen this month compared with a month earlier due mainly to fewer working days and a trucker strike, the finance ministry said Friday. The country had national holidays for the June 1 local elections and Memorial Day on June 6, and truckers staged a weeklong strike over a minimum wage scheme and other state supports earlier this month, disrupting and delaying production and outbound shipping. During the first 20 days of this month, the country

Seoul shares opened higher Friday after the market plunged to a 19-month low the previous session amid growing concerns about a recession. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 11.80 points, or 0.51 percent, to 2,326.12 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the US stock market inched up on the second day of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's testimony before Congress, during which he reaffirmed the central bank's commitment to bringing down high-flying inflatio

The South Korean won weakened to more than 1,300 per US dollar for the first time in 13 years in onshore spot trading Thursday, breaching the key psychological threshold as recession worries boosted the dollar’s safe-haven appeal. The won lost 0.35 percent from the previous session to 1,301.8 per dollar, the lowest close since July 14, 2009, when the won dropped to 1,303 during onshore trading hours. The 1,300 mark, last seen in the wake of the 2007-2008 financial crisis, is con

South Korean stocks fell again Thursday, as investors avoided risky assets amid monetary tightening and recession fears. The local currency fell to the lowest point against the US dollar in almost 13 years. After choppy trading, the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) dropped 28.49 points, or 1.22 percent, to close at 2,314.32, after falling to as low as 2,306.48. Trading volume was moderate at 729.97 million shares worth 9.98 trillion won ($7.67 billion), with decliners far outpacing gain

South Korea’s financial authorities on Thursday warned of a “perfect storm” approaching the nation’s economy, while pledging to pump liquidity into financial institutions to cushion them from growing risks, if needed. The concerns come as the US Federal Reserve’s aggressive rate hikes, a strong dollar trend, high inflation and ongoing global supply chain bottlenecks have been rattling the Korean market. “Some experts compare the current economic state to t

South Korean retail and finance company, TGS Holdings, said Thursday that it has produced a TV commercial featuring former professional Go master Lee Se-dol last month. Lee Se-dol, who competed with Google’s artificial intelligence program AlphaGo in 2016 during the peak of his career, signed a contract to become the face of TGS in Novermber 2021. The newly produced commercial introduces TGS’s new smart currency called C-Cash. It is the world‘s first hybrid smart currency t

A senior central bank official on Thursday underscored the importance of preventing inflation expectations from rising as the country is grappling with rising prices amid high energy and commodity costs. Bank of Korea (BOK) Deputy Gov. Lee Seung-heon voiced concerns that inflation pressure remains high for the time being, citing such factors as the ongoing war in Ukraine that has exacerbated supply-chain disruptions. "Mandated to maintain price stability, the BOK should preemptively manage

The Asian Forest Cooperation Organization (AFoCO) said it has signed an agreement with Woori Financial Group to cooperate for climate control through sustainable forest management and environmental, social and corporate governance. The AFoCO is an international organization established upon Seoul’s proposal at the 2009 special summit between South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Through a public-private platform known as the AFoCO green partnership, AFoCO offers bus