The Bank of Korea Gov. Lee Ju-yeol said on Thursday that the central bank is likely to revise up the nation’s 2017 growth forecast in July from its April projection of 2.6 percent, citing robust exports and investment.“The economic recovery in April was better than expected. Although private consumption is still weak, exports, facility investment and construction are on a robust trend. Exports and investment are likely to continue to improve going forward,” Lee said at a press

South Korea's income disparity widened significantly last year despite the government's efforts to narrow the gap between the rich and poor, government data showed Thursday.The Gini coefficient of total income of an average household stood at 0.353 in 2016, up from the previous year's 0.341, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. The numbers for household's disposable income, which involves tax payments and government subsidies and pensions, was 0.304 in 2016, up from 0.295 a year e

South Korean shares traded higher late Thursday morning and are poised to close at a fresh record high, as foreign and institutional buyers scooped up market heavyweights amid upward momentum, analysts said.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index sharply gained 21.88 points, or 0.94 percent, to 2,339.22 as of 11:20 a.m.Large caps on the Seoul bourse were mostly bullish, with telecom and steel shares leading the gains.Market behemoth Samsung Electronics increased 1.07 percent, and major c

Dividend payouts by South Korean listed firms to foreign investors rose 18.9 percent on year last year, data showed Thursday, in a move that could help offshore investors regain confidence in the nation's stock market. Companies whose fiscal year ends on Dec. 31 made a total of 8.79 trillion won ($7.78 billion) in dividend payments to foreign investors, according to the data by the Korea Securities Depository.  The Kospi market paid 8.64 trillion won in dividends to foreign investors, while

South Korea's central bank on Thursday held its key rate steady in May as the new government is pushing to expand fiscal spending to help revive Asia's fourth-largest economy.In a widely expected move, the monetary policy board of the Bank of Korea unanimously voted to keep the key rate at 1.25 percent, extending its wait-and-see approach for the 11th consecutive month. In June last year, South Korea's central bank made a surprise rate cut, citing a need to stimulate the lackluster economy amid

South Korea's dependency ratio is expected to spike over the next 60 years in line with its fast aging population, becoming the highest among major advanced economies, a report said Thursday.Asia's fourth-largest economy is forecast to have a dependency ratio of some 80 people in 2075, the highest among members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, according to the report by the National Assembly Research Service. That means that 1.25 working-age people should support the

South Korean stocks opened higher Thursday, taking a cue from overnight gains on Wall Street.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 6.71 points, or 0.29 percent, to 2,324.05 in the first 15 minutes of trading.On Wednesday, US stocks rose to post a five-day winning streak on tech gains. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 0.4 percent to 21,012.42, and the Nasdaq Composite Index gained 0.4 percent to 6,163.02.  Large caps on the Seoul bourse were mostly bullish, with teleco

The operating income of South Korea’s top 10 conglomerates surged by more than 80 percent on-year in the first quarter of this year, according to Chaebul.com, Wednesday.The combined operating income of the groups’ 89 nonfinancial subsidiaries increased to 17.9 trillion won ($15.9 billion) with their debt servicing capabilities significantly improved. The country’s largest automaker Hyundai Motor Group was the only one that suffered a setback, with the operating profit dropping

Woori Bank has launched an artificial intelligence-based financial adviser, or “robo adviser,” as well as robots built for customer assistance at local branches. The nation’s fourth-largest commercial bank announced Wednesday the AI-based program “Woori Robo-Alpha” will reach out to customers to offer asset management portfolios “tailored to their investment propensity,” starting Wednesday. Woori Robo-Alpha also suggests users balance investment portfoli

The first-tier stock market in South Korea remained ceilingless for three consecutive days Wednesday. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index closed at 2,317.34, up 0.24 percent compared to Tuesday closing at a record-high 2,311.74, despite losses in gains from early morning trade.Opening at 2,318.86, the Kospi peaked at 2,322.54 in about 10 minutes -- the highest in history. The index hovered at around 2,315 since late morning trade. The second-tier Korean Securities Dealers Automated Q

South Korean shares extended their winning streak to a fourth day to end at a fresh record high Wednesday, taking a cue from overnight gains on Wall Street, analysts said. The Korean won fell against the US dollar.The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 5.66 points, or 0.24 percent, to reach an all-time high of 2,317.34. Trade volume was slim at 380.45 million shares worth 5.35 trillion won ($4.8 billion), with advancers outnumbering losers 483 to 323.Institutions bought a net 75.1

The Finance Ministry said Wednesday that the government will release a road map by the end of June on how to create jobs in the public sector, alluding to a 10 trillion won ($8.89 billion) supplementary budget proposal by President Moon Jae-in.In a report to the State Affairs Planning Advisory Committee, Moon’s de facto transition team, the ministry said that the government would speed up the preparation for the extra budget plan to be presented to the National Assembly by next month. 

The South Korean financial regulator has fined 14 individuals a combined 2.4 billion won ($2.1 million) for using undisclosed information to avoid losses through stock trading of Hanmi Pharmaceutical, a leading local drug firm, in September last year. The Financial Services Commission said its securities and futures commission made the decision Wednesday to impose massive fines on individuals for disrupting market order. This included the largest fine to be imposed on an individual, reaching as

President Moon Jae-in’s pledge to usher in an “era of zero irregular jobs” in the public sector within his five-year term has raised concerns about the possible negative effects of the initiative.According to a government-run information portal, irregular employees numbered 144,205, or 33.6 percent of the total workforce, at 335 public organizations as of end-March.But Moon, who took office on May 10, appears to be talking about a broader number of irregular workers.“When