Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said Wednesday the government is guarding against potential instability in the housing market as home prices in Seoul picked up amid expectations for eased rules on redevelopment housing projects. The minister also said the government plans to unveil measures next month to overhaul the Korea Land and Housing Corp., the public housing developer at the center of a land speculation scandal involving public officials. Housing prices in Seoul recently jumped after new M

South Korea's wine imports more than doubled in the first quarter of the year as more people enjoyed drinking at home due to the coronavirus outbreak, data showed Wednesday. Asia's fourth-largest economy imported $109.7 million worth of wine in the January-March period, up 115.4 percent from a year earlier, according to the data by the Korea Customs Service and industry sources. It represents the first time for the value of first-quarter wine imports to exceed the $100 million mark. The volum

South Korea's producer prices gained 0.9 percent on-month in March due to a modest rise in oil prices, extending their monthly gains for the fifth straight month, central bank data showed Wednesday. The producer price index, a barometer of future consumer inflation, stood at 106.85 in March, compared with 105.91 a month earlier, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). The index advanced 3.9 percent from the previous year, the BOK data showed. The prices of agricultural goods fell 2.1 percent on

CEO calls for deregulation to allow more innovative businesses

South Korean stock index’s growth rate ranks sixth among G-20 peers, says KRX

Volatility in the local cryptocurrency market continued Tuesday, with most digital coins including Bitcoin suffering sellouts as authorities strengthen measures against suspicious trading. The extreme volatility sent Bitcoin’s value from a record high of 82 million won ($73,722) April 13 to 67 million won Tuesday, falling below 70 million won for the first time since April 7. It recovered earlier losses in the afternoon, bouncing back up to reach 69 million won. A market index developed

Multiple-home owners in one of Seoul’s most expensive districts have been scrambling to give away their apartments to family members or relatives as gifts before toughened tax rules come into force in June, according to data released by the state-run Korea Appraisal Board on Tuesday. The number of apartment transfers among family members in Gangnam-gu, a southern Seoul district, hit a monthly record high of 812 in March, 6.3 times higher than 129 marked in the previous month, the data

South Korea’s Shinhan Financial Group on Tuesday launched a mobile payment solution, as traditional banking groups seek to bolster their digital capabilities in competition against rising fintech firms. The payment solution, Shinhan Pay, provides Shinhan Card subscribers with easy-to-use payment services and money transfers at several offline stores. For Shinhan Bank users, Shinhan Pay allows them to easily subscribe and activate mobile debit cards linked to their bank accounts. Shin

The South Korean benchmark stock index refreshed its all-time high Tuesday, extending its winning streak to a seventh session amid speculations of a global economic rebound and strong corporate earnings in the first quarter. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 21.86 points, or 0.68 percent, to close at 3,220.7 points, the highest finish since the closing of 3,208.99 points on Jan. 25. Trading volume was moderate at about 1.3

Shinhan Bank said Tuesday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Kakao Mobility to financially support the taxi-hailing company’s employees and cooperate on developing new business models.  Under the deal, Shinhan Bank will provide loan programs offering favorable interest rates to taxi drivers and employess of nine taxi compnies operated by TJ Partners. The company is a subsidiary of Kakao Mobility, an affiliate of the country’s dominant mobile messenger operator,

SEJONG -- South Korea will become a non-regional partner of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), a regional lender of Central American nations, in August, officials said Tuesday. In January last year, South Korea joined the multilateral lender and provided $630 million to the CABEI for a 9 percent stake in the lender. A non-regional member could become a partner of the CABEI if its stake is above 8 percent, according to Seoul's finance ministry. South Korea and the CABE

Dividends paid to the chiefs of South Korea's top 50 business groups jumped 37.1 percent last year from a year earlier as major companies delivered more returns to shareholders, industry data showed Tuesday. A total of 39 heads of the nation's 50 conglomerates received a combined 1.8 trillion won ($1.6 billion) in 2020, according to the data by the local research firm Korea CXO Institute. Dividends to late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee amounted to 862.6 billion won last year, which acco

South Korea’s asset management companies are beefing up their drive to take environmental, social and governance factors into account, by endorsing an international climate initiative and by creating an internal body to monitor the green investing process. On Tuesday, three Seoul-based asset management firms -- KB Asset Management, Samsung Asset Management and its subsidiary Samsung Active Asset Management -- announced that they have joined a cohort of some 2,000 organizations from 7

Overseas branches of South Korean securities companies saw their combined net profit rise 5.6 percent in 2020 from a year earlier due mainly to increased earnings from commission fees, data showed Tuesday. The combined net profit of 70 overseas branches of 14 securities companies stood at $197.3 million in 2020, up $10.5 million won from 2019, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service. The hike in net profit came on the back of increased interest income and earnings from com

South Korea's trade ministry said Tuesday it plans to cooperate with major trade partners to cope with the growing number of technology barriers in the global market. Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) issued 1,023 technical barriers to trade (TBT) over the January-March period, up 7 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. TBTs, which include consumer safety standards, energy and environmental requirements, are often