South Korean stocks opened slightly lower Wednesday, tracking the US stock retreat on uncertainties from China's move to regulate tech firms. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) fell 4.61 points, or 0.14 percent, to 3,227.92 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Local investor sentiment weakened as tech stocks plunged more than 4 percent in Hong Kong for a second straight session Tuesday. Hong Kong tech retreated following China's decision to reform its tech industry

South Korea's consumer sentiment dropped in July over a recent spike in COVID-19 infections, marking the first decline since December last year, central bank data showed Wednesday. The composite consumer sentiment index (CCSI) came in at 103.2 for July, down 7.1 points from the previous month, according to the data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). A reading above 100 means optimists outnumber pessimists. The latest reading marks the first fall since December last year, when the index stood at 91

The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday projected the South Korean economy to grow 4.3 percent this year, presenting a more sanguine outlook than the government and other major institutions, despite concerns about the impact of the latest surge in coronavirus infections. According to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the IMF revised its projection on Asia’s fourth-largest economy up by 0.7 percentage point from its April forecast. The latest figure released by the Washington-base

South Korea‘s largest online-only bank attracts W58tr in retail subscription, lower than market expectations

Banks say loan to foreigners carry risks, but loan rules are applied equally to locals, non-Korean residents, according to law

South Korean stocks rebounded Tuesday as investor sentiment improved on optimism for strong corporate earnings despite the spreading new coronavirus pandemic. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 7.58 points, or 0.24 percent, to close at 3,232.53 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 978 million shares worth some 12.1 trillion won ($10.5 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 534 to 287. Foreigners bought a net 44 b

South Korea’s tax agency chief visited Russia and Uzbekistan to discuss ways to strengthen ties with their respective agencies for offshore tax evasion and pave the way to resolve tax-related difficulties for local companies doing business operations there, the tax authority said Tuesday. NTS Commissioner Kim Dae-ji met his Uzbek counterpart Sherzod Kudbiev for a bilateral meeting in the country’s capital Tashkent after meeting with the Federal Tax Service of Russia Commissioner Dan

Despite a gloomy outlook on emerging countries’ equity market due to the pandemic impact and corporate regulations hindering growth, prospects for South Korea remain positive, driven by quality companies’ exceeding performance on long-term growing industries, an analyst at global asset management firm AllianceBernstein said Tuesday. “Korea is quite sensitive to global growth. Since global growth especially in developed markets remain quite strong, we also have a fairly constr

South Korean conglomerate SK Group’s Southeast Asian investment arm has joined a consortium for AirAsia’s digital bank business in Malaysia, reports said Tuesday. SK South East Asia Investment has participated as a financial investor in a consortium led by the Malaysian budget airline’s financial technology unit BigPay vying for a digital banking license in the Southeast Asian country, according to Malaysian news reports. Due to SK’s nondisclosure agreement with BigPa

South Korean internet-only bank Kakao Bank Corp. is set to draw relatively low subscription from retail investors for its initial public offering (IPO), with deposits for the stock offering at a smaller-than-expected 22 trillion won ($19.1 billion) as of 11 a.m., its IPO managers said Tuesday. On the last day of the two-day subscription, retail investors may pour additional deposits to subscribe for one of the largest IPO deals. Kakao Bank's IPO subscription for individual investors closes at

Nearly 7 in 10 South Korean senior citizens want to keep working until the age of 73 amid a rise in life expectancy, a survey showed Tuesday. The survey by Statistics Korea showed 10 million, or 68.1 percent, of the 14.76 million South Koreans aged between 55 and 79, said in May they want to continue to work in the future, up 0.7 percentage point from a year earlier. The elderly said they want to keep working until an average of 73, unchanged from the previous year. As for the main reasons fo

Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki plans to issue a public message about the housing market Wednesday, the finance ministry said Tuesday, as the government seeks to stabilize high-flying home prices. Hong plans to hold a press briefing Wednesday to explain the government's assessment of the current housing market and state its housing policy goal, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Hong has repeatedly warned that housing prices could fall at any time as prices of apartments in the gre

Retails sales in South Korea rose 12 percent in the first half of 2021 from a year earlier, data showed Tuesday, as consumers were fatigued by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and became less reluctant to visit supermarkets and department stores. The combined sales of 25 major offline and online retailers reached 75 trillion won (US$64.9 billion) over the January-June period, up from 67 trillion won posted in 2020, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The rebound mainly came

South Korea's trade ministry said Tuesday it has launched talks with ASEAN to update their free trade agreement (FTA) and further lower trade barriers, as the country seeks to diversify its trade portfolio and expand its presence in Southeast Asia. Officials from the two held a virtual meeting to discuss ways to expand their bilateral economic ties, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Asia's No. 4 economy and ASEAN implemented their FTA in 2007. ASEAN currently stands as

South Korea's antitrust regulator said Tuesday it has approved a deal by an affiliate of Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings Co. (HHIH) to buy Doosan Infracore Co., the country's largest construction equipment maker. In February, HHIH inked a deal to acquire a 35 percent stake in Doosan Infracore for 850 billion won ($735 million) from its cash-strapped parent, Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Co. In April, Hyundai Genuine Co., a wholly owned unit of HHIH, took over the parent's stake