South Korean companies' equity and debt sales jumped 34.8 percent on year in the first half, due mainly to a rise in corporate bond issuance, government data showed Tuesday. Local companies raised 82.1 trillion won ($73.5 billion) by selling stocks and bonds in the January-June period, compared with 60.3 trillion won in April, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service. Stock sales, including three initial public offerings, reached some 4.9 trillion won, up 39.2 percent on-year

South Korea suggested the United States carry out a joint study on the economic impact of the Seoul-Washington free trade agreement before starting talks on its amendment, Seoul's trade ministry here said Tuesday."Regarding your request to convene a special session of the Joint Committee under the KORUS FTA, Korea agrees to hold the requested Joint Committee in accordance with the due procedures set in the agreement," Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Paik Un-gyu said in a letter

Korea's key consumer sentiment index improved for a sixth consecutive month in July to reach more than a six-year high, a central bank survey showed Tuesday, as the economy shows signs of improvement.The composite consumer sentiment index for July came to 111.2, up from 111.1 a month earlier, according to the survey from the Bank of Korea. The July figure marked the highest since January 2011 when the index stood at 111.4.A reading above 100 means optimists outnumber pessimists.Korea's exports h

South Korea plans to repay 3.5 trillion won worth of state bonds next month ahead of their maturity, the finance ministry said Monday.  The government will repay 1.5 trillion won worth of treasury bonds on Aug. 2, 1 trillion won worth of bonds on Aug. 11 and 1 trillion won worth of debt on Aug. 23. The treasury bonds include five-year bonds that will mature in March 2018 and three-year bonds that will mature in June 2018, according to the ministry. (Yonhap)

Korea’s energy policy has made an abrupt turn with changes of government in the past few decades, leaving the country short of securing stable, efficient and environmentally sustainable supply of energy.According to an index released by the World Energy Council last year, it ranked No. 72 and No. 88 out of 125 countries in terms of energy security and environmental sustainability, respectively.In the latest twist to energy policy, which has swung every five years, President Moon Jae-in&rsq

SK Group, South Korea’s second-largest conglomerate in market capitalization on the main bourse, managed to widen its lead over Hyundai Motor Group, which it overtook on April 7, data showed Monday.As of Friday’s closing, firms listed on the top-tier market under SK Group had 120 trillion won ($107.5 billion) in market cap, accounting for 6.62 percent of the market, according to data from the sole market operator Korea Exchange. Hyundai Motor Group, which the second most valuable com

Kyobo Lifeplanet Life Insurance, a South Korean internet-only insurer, is eyeing expansion in the bancassurance market, picking Woori Bank as the third local commercial bank to sell its products Monday.  Woori Bank, the fourth-largest commercial bank in Korea, plans to sell two products -- savings insurance and pension-linked products.The products can be purchased at the bank‘s financial product category on its website, and “Woori Robo-Alpha,” an artificial intelligence-ru

South Korean stocks closed at a new record high on Monday, although the local stock market finished nearly flat, as investors opted for profit-taking on bullish rallies observed last week, analysts said. The Korean won gained against the US dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index edged up 1.47 points, or 0.06 percent, to close at a fresh record high of 2,451.53. Trade volume was low at 230 million shares worth 4.56 trillion won ($4 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers a

More than half of Korea’s part-time employees are concerned about potential job cuts due to the government’s minimum wage hike starting next year, according to a survey conducted by Albamon, a portal site operated by Job Korea, on Monday. 　The survey of 3,955 part-time workers and 656 employers showed that 72.9 percent of participating part-time workers expressed concerns about the upcoming minimum wage increase, while 90.5 percent of employers said they were concerned. 　Earlier this

South Korean stocks traded lower late Monday morning as investors took an apparent breather after the sharp rise observed last week.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 3.47 points, or 0.14 percent, to 2,446.59 as of 11:20 a.m.Market behemoth Samsung Electronics fell 0.59 percent and Samsung SDI lost 1.38 percent. LG Electronics moved down 0.15 percent.Builders also traded bearish, with Hyundai Engineering & Construction decreasing 1.03 percent and Hyundai Industrial losing 0

People with low income, senior citizens and the self-employed are more reliant on non-banking institutions when taking out loans, exposing themselves to interest rate hikes, an analysis from Korea Institute of Finance showed on Monday.Data showed that 55 percent of household loans last year borne by the bottom 20 percent income group came from non-banking lenders such as savings banks, cooperatives, insurance companies and private lenders. This is much higher than the 34.2 percent average for al

South Korean stocks opened lower Monday following losses from technology shares and steelmakers.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 2.87 points, or 0.12 percent, to 2,447.19 in the first 15 minutes of trading.Tech shares mostly lost ground, with Samsung Electronics moving down 0.63 percent and LG Display losing 1.46 percent. No. 2 chipmaker SK hynix, on the other hand, added 0.98 percent.Steelmakers were also among losers, with top player POSCO decreasing 0.46 percent and No. 2

The United States' trade deficit with  Korea is not a result of their bilateral free trade agreement, two experts here have said, dismissing President Donald Trump's push to revise the deal.Gary Hufbauer, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, and Euijin Jung, a research analyst at the same institution, made the case in a contribution to The Hill last week, saying it "makes no sense" to try to modify the FTA now."Trump sees US bilateral trade d

The ruling Democratic Party of Korea‘s Chairwoman Rep. Choo Mi-ae last week proposed a new tax plan levying higher taxes for the rich and large conglomerates during a finance meeting with the government.

Ahead of its launch Thursday, Kakao Bank unveiled Sunday its plans to offer commission fees on offshore wire transfers that were just a tenth of the amount charged at offline banks.As the second branchless bank in South Korea following K bank that started operation in April, Kakao Bank said its fees charged from electronic wire services will be better streamlined than conventional commercial banks. A bank user who transfers money worth up to $5,000 through the smartphone app will be charged