South Korean banks have started raising the maximum amount consumers can borrow under a loan to the level before financial regulators intervened to curb the nation’s household debt growth. The move comes as the nation’s household debt growth has recently shown signs of slowing down. As of Monday, the top four banks here – KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana and Woori – have either started raising the limits for its overdraft accounts or its most popular loans for customers who a

South Korean stocks opened lower Monday, as investors remained cautious about the uncertainties related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the hawkish stance by the US Federal Reserve. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index retreated 16.51 points, or 0.6 percent, to trade at 2,713.47 points as of 9:15 a.m. Stocks came off to a lackluster start as the Ukraine-Russian tensions continue to stoke concerns about high commodity prices and inflation growth. Most large caps traded lower in

SEJONG -- South Korea's energy imports spiked more than 85 percent this year on soaring international prices, government data showed Monday, burdening the country's trade balance and consumer inflation. The country's imports of oil, natural gas and coal came to $38.49 billion from Jan. 1-March 20, up 85.4 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Crude oil imports soared nearly 70 percent over the cited period, with those of natural gas and coal shooting

South Korean business giants are venturing into the fledgling digital asset market and blockchain-related operations as they seek new business opportunities. On Friday, Ryu Young-sang, chief executive of SK Telecom, said in a shareholders meeting that the company plans to “adopt an economic system” to its own metaverse platform called ifland, a sign that digital currency tradable in the virtual world ecosystem could play a role. The news is in line with an announcement earlier th

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol said Friday that the government should think carefully before enacting tougher rules than needed on those who own multiple homes, a group that has seen a dramatic hike in their taxes imposed by the Moon Jae-in government. Moon focused on heavier taxes and tighter mortgage curbs. “Some say we should carry on with crackdown on owners of multiple homes while others call for a return to market dynamics and let it run its course so those seeking homes find on

Efforts by KB Financial Group union members to get an outside director recommended by them fell through for the fifth time on Friday, with the majority of the banking group’s shareholders voting against the plan. The proposal by the union members and KB’s group of employee shareholders – which owns a combined 1.73 percent stake in the firm – to push former Export-Import Bank of Korea Vice President Kim Young-su to become one of the group’s outside directors failed

South Korean stocks closed almost flat Friday despite North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch and the Ukraine-Russia war. The Korean won closed unchanged against the US dollar. After choppy trading, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index advanced 0.32 point, or 0.01 percent, to close at 2,729.98 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 590 million shares worth some 10.7 trillion won ($8.8 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 503 to 343. Institutions sold

Shareholders of Hana Financial Group have officially elected Vice Chairman and sole chairman-nominee Ham Young-joo to lead the company for the next three years, the firm said Friday. Ham’s nomination was supported by the majority of the shareholders at Hana including its largest shareholder the National Pension Service, which owns 9.19 percent in the banking group. Foreign stakeholders, owning a combined 67.53 percent, also voted for Ham, according to Hana. The NPS is Korea’s large

SEJONG -- The tax administrative agencies of South Korea and the UK have agreed to closely collaborate on exchanging information on how to track tax evasion by wealthy individuals. The two also discussed ways to share confidential information regarding offshore tax evasion, said the National Tax Service of Korea on Friday. The bilateral agreement came during a meeting between Korea’s NTS commissioner Kim Dae-ji and the UK’s HM Revenue & Customs First Permanent Secretary and Chi

South Korea plans to invest more than 20 trillion won ($16.4 billion) in data, network and artificial intelligence (AI) sectors over the next three years in a bid to help nurture future-oriented industries, the finance minister said Friday. Along with fiscal spending, the government plans to provide support for research and development, and tax incentives for the development of the three sectors, called the D.N.A. industries, according to Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki. Hong said the development o

South Korean stocks opened a tad lower Monday as investors remain wary of the Ukraine-Russia war. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index had inched down 2.19 points, or 0.08 percent, to trade at 2,727.47 points as of 9:15 a.m. Stocks traded bearish as investors also took a wait-and-see mode after the US Federal Reserve's move to tighten its monetary policies to reign in rising inflation rates. In Seoul, large caps traded mixed. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics slipped 0.14 percent,

South Korean stocks fell to end its two-day winning streak Thursday as investors weighed a fresh spike in global oil prices and lingering geopolitical concerns surrounding Ukraine. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed 5.39 points, or 0.20 percent, to close at 2,729.66 points. Trading volume was moderate at 927.75 million shares worth some 11.48 trillion won ($9.42 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 479 to 361. The Seoul s

South Korea’s central bank chief nominee Rhee Chang-yong on Thursday pledged to carry out a balanced monetary policy as the nation deals with a growing economy and inflation risks. Rhee, director of the Asia and Pacific department at the International Monetary Fund, and tapped by outgoing President Moon Jae-in as the next Bank of Korea governor, expressed concerns of existing external uncertainties -- including the Russia-Ukraine crisis -- that have been fueling high inflationary pressure

The Seoul High Court on Thursday temporarily suspended the punishment imposed by financial authorities on Hana Financial Group Chairman-nominee Ham Young-joo for improper sales of derivatives-linked products. The decision follows Ham’s move last week to file an appeal against a lower court’s ruling that found him guilty of the charges. The Seoul High Court accepted an injunction to delay the implementation of the Financial Services Commission’s punishment, imposed in 2020,

South Korea's financial regulator called Thursday for local insurers to increase their loan loss reserves as part of efforts to better cope with potential risks facing the industry amid increasing financial market uncertainty. Jeong Eun-bo, head of the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), made the call in a meeting with top officials of insurance firms in Seoul and voiced worries that there are signs for a "perfect storm," citing the US's move to tighten monetary policy and the fallout