Hana Bank is set to roll out a comprehensive financial support scheme worth 100 billion won ($75.6 million) to support small and medium-sized businesses, amid a prolonged economic slowdown and high interest rates. The program aims to offer cashback on interest payments, subsidies on utility and telecommunication bills as well as consulting services to a total of 308,500 individual business owners, according to the bank Sunday. It will be implemented in phases starting next month, alongside its

The South Korean government will set up a task force to focus on price controls for key food items, such as milk and coffee, in response to the recent spike in food prices, officials said Sunday. Under the TF, government officials will be responsible for monitoring the prices of each of the seven price-sensitive food items to keep a close eye on their prices, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The items comprise instant noodles, bread, snacks, coffee, ice cream, su

Woori Bank, one of South Korea’s top four commercial banks, announced Friday that it has opened a new regional headquarters in Bangladesh that will be in charge of managing six other branches in the country. The Korean bank said it has turned the Dhaka branch into the country's main headquarters on Tuesday, with the purpose of serving as a control tower of financial management, internal control and risk management, marketing, and consulting service for Korean companies seeking to expa

Asiana Airlines Inc., South Korea's second-largest air carrier, said Thursday its board approved a plan to sell the company's cargo business, in a decision that could help Korean Air Co. win antitrust approval from European Union regulators for its takeover of the rival. In a regulatory filing, Asiana announced the board's decision, noting it as a part of remedial measures for Korean Air to be submitted to the European Commission to win approval for the merger. The decision came t

Uncertainties linger, with Korea-US interest rate gap hitting all-time high

South Korea's industry ministry said Thursday it held a meeting with relevant authorities to check supplies of oil and gas as concerns grow over price volatility due to the widening Israel-Hamas war. "There have been concerns over prices in the early stages of the conflict, but no disruptions have been reported so far," Yoo Beop-min, director general of the ministry's resources policy, told the meeting. Prices of gasoline and diesel currently remain "relatively stable,&q

South Korea's inflation grew at a faster pace in October, staying above 3 percent for the third consecutive month, due to higher prices of energy and farm goods, data showed Thursday. Consumer prices, a key gauge of inflation, rose 3.8 percent last month from a year earlier, compared with a 3.7 percent on-year increase the previous month, according to the report from Statistics Korea. It is the third month in a row that the annual price growth has picked up pace, though inflation has genera

The US Federal Reserve held its benchmark lending rate steady at a 22-year high for a second consecutive time during a monetary policy meeting on Wednesday, as it keeps striving to bring down inflation to its 2-percent target. After the two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting, the central bank announced the decision to keep the rate between 5.25 and 5.50 percent. But it left open the possibility of a rate change later to achieve "maximum" employment and its inflation target. In t

South Korea's exports are showing signs of recovery, as the country’s outbound shipments in October rose on-year for the first time in 13 months. The country’s exports in October stood at $55.09 billion, a 5.1 percent increase from the same month last year. Imports declined by 9.7 percent to $53.5 billion, resulting in a trade surplus, according to preliminary data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and Korea Customs Service. Daily trade volume, taking into c

The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea said Wednesday that its delegation successfully concluded the three-day trip to Washington from Oct. 24-26, as part of its annual business promotion program it calls “Doorknock.” Over the course of three days, the delegation reaffirmed bilateral ties the two countries have established over the last seven decades, convening with key government officials of the Joe Biden administration as well as members of the US Congress. It also held over 30

South Korea's industrial output rose for the second consecutive month in September on the back of the turnaround in the semiconductor sector, data showed Tuesday. Retail sales, a gauge of private spending, and facility investment also logged an on-year growth last month, signaling a gradual economic recovery, according to Statistics Korea. It was the first time since May that the country reported an increase in the three major indicators on industrial activities. Industrial output advanced

Retail sales in South Korea advanced 9.5 percent on-year in September amid the strong performance of online platforms coupled with the Chuseok holiday, data showed Monday. The combined sales of 25 major offline and online retailers came to 15.3 trillion won ($11.2 billion) last month, compared with 13.9 trillion won a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Online platforms saw their sales advance 12 percent to 7.46 trillion won on the back of

Exports of passenger cars moved up 16 percent in the third quarter of 2023 from a year earlier following robust demand for eco-friendly models, data showed Monday. South Korean carmakers shipped $14.6 billion worth of passenger cars over the July-September period, rising from $12.6 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the Korea Customs Service. The number of cars shipped reached 610,000, also advancing 2.9 percent over the period. Exports of eco-friendly models especially shot up 35.6 pe

The board of Asiana Airlines Inc., South Korea's second-largest air carrier, convened Monday to decide whether to sell its cargo business, as Korean Air Co. seeks to win antitrust approval from European Union regulators for its takeover of the rival. The EU antitrust regulators have raised concerns that Korean Air's acquisition of Asiana may restrict competition in the markets for passenger and cargo air transport services between the EU and South Korea. The board meeting, which has co

Q3 growth stands at 0.6 percent on-quarter, with outlook still murky