DGB Daegu Bank, a regional lender, has sought regulatory approval for its transition to a commercial bank, with plans to commence nationwide operations as early as April. The bank's parent company, DGB Financial Group, on Wednesday announced it had applied with the Financial Services Commission to alter the banking subsidiary's status. If the lender gets the green light, it will mark the country's first new commercial bank since the establishment of the Peace Bank of Korea in 1992

First Vice Finance Minister Kim Byung-hwan (right) and Minister of State for Regulatory Reform of the United Kingdom Lord Dominic Johnson pose after signing a Memorandum of Understanding for the launch of a dialogue between the two governments to promote mutual investment expansion in London on Wednesday. The Korean ministry expected that the dialogue would serve as a channel for introducing investment opportunities from both countries and create a friendly investment environment. (The Ministry

South Korea logged a current account surplus for the eighth straight month in December on the back of an increased trade surplus and increased dividends from overseas, central bank data showed Wednesday. The country's current account surplus reached $7.41 billion in December, following the surplus of $3.89 billion. December's surplus came as the country's trade balance has remained in the black. The country's goods account racked up an $8.04 billion surplus in December, follo

South Korean First Vice Finance Minister Kim Byoung-hwan (second from left at table) speaks during an investor relations session in London on Monday about the current status of the South Korean economy and the country's economic policy plans. Ten global investment banks, including JP Morgan, Fidelity, Wellington, UBS and Morgan Stanley, attended the session to introduce Korea's new policies to boost accessibility for the country's foreign exchange market. (Ministry of Economy and

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development revised down its outlook for South Korea's economic growth this year to 2.2 percent, Seoul's finance ministry said Monday. The figure marked a 0.1 percentage-point fall from its projection of 2.3 percent made in November, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The projection was on par with that of the South Korean government, though the Bank of Korea presented a 2.1 percent growth outlook for this year. The Internati

Two employees sort out dollars at Hana Bank's Counterfeit Notes Response Center in central Seoul on Monday. Korea's foreign reserves stood at $415.7 billion as of end-January, down $4.39 billion from the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea. It was the first time in three months for the figure to fall. The US greenback has been strengthening as the market has lowered its expectation of an early pivot in the Federal Reserve's monetary policy. Korea was the world's ni

South Korean financial regulators are set to collaborate with their counterparts in Hong Kong as part of its ongoing investigation into illegal short selling involving Hong Kong-based companies. The Financial Supervisory Service on Monday announced plans to dispatch working-level officials to Hong Kong in early February to facilitate this cooperation. FSS Chief Lee Bok-hyun disclosed this initiative during a meeting with local journalists at the agency's headquarters in Seoul, where he outl

Korea's inflation grew at slower pace in January, coming down to the 2 percent range for the first time in six months, data showed Friday. The government warned on the possibility of prices resurging in the months ahead. Consumer prices rose 2.8 percent on-year last month, according to data from Statistics Korea. The figure shows inflationary pressure easing significantly, following rises of 3.2 percent in December and 3.3 percent in November. It is also the smallest increase seen since 2.3 perc

Shinhan Financial Group Chairman Jin Ok-dong (center) attends a discussion session with employees to talk about the group’s efforts for digital transformation at the headquarters in central Seoul on Wednesday. Top executives and working-level engineers specialized in artificial intelligence and data analysis joined the event to share the latest digital trends in the financial market and Shinhan’s future strategy. “Each of you should become a ‘business designer’ to

The government on Thursday imposed an eight-month business suspension on GS Engineering & Construction Corp. over the collapse of a parking garage at an apartment construction site in Incheon last year. The land ministry said GS Engineering, along with four smaller consortium partner builders, will be subject to business suspensions over the underground parking garage collapse at the apartment complex site in Geomdan-dong in Incheon, west of Seoul, in April 2023. GS Engineering and its partn

Bank of Korea Gov. Rhee Chang-yong said Thursday that monetary policy needs to stay restrictive for a long time, reaffirming the central bank's commitment to bringing inflation down. Rhee said the BOK's "tightening stance needs to be maintained for a sufficiently long time, checking the monetary policy, inflation and financial stability data of major countries." In a forum hosted by a business lobby for employers, Rhee said a "half-baked" rate cut may provide stimulus to sent

South Korea's exports moved up for the fourth consecutive month in January as exports of chips rose at the sharpest rate in around six years, data showed Thursday. Outbound shipments advanced 18 percent on-year to $54.6 billion last month, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Imports fell 7.8 percent on-year to $54.3 billion last month, resulting in a trade surplus of $300 million. South Korea has been maintaining a monthly trade surplus since June 2

Prolonged slump, weak corporate earnings lead to record shortage of tax revenue in 2023

Cargo processed at South Korean seaports for exports and imports rose 1 percent on-year in 2023 amid signs of a recovery in the country's exports, the oceans ministry said Monday. Export-import cargo handled at the ports nationwide came to 1.32 billion tons last year, compared with 1.31 billion tons a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. The overall cargo handled at the domestic ports, however, inched down 0.04 percent on-year to 1.55 billion tons in 2023. Of the

Korea slips to third on China's top importer list, following Taiwan, US