South Korea's financial regulator said Thursday it will seek to lower interest rates for margin trading and enable more people to pay their insurance fees with credit cards. The plan is a part of the government's aim to enhance the protection of consumers for financial products as the Financial Supervisory Service launched an advisory body on the rights of financial consumers. Interest rates fo...

KB Kookmin Card Co. said Thursday it is pushing to tap into Myanmar's credit card market after getting the nod to set up an office in the Southeast Asian country. KB Kookmin Card, a unit of South Korea's banking giant KB Financial Group Inc., said it won approval from Myanmar's central bank the previous day to establish a representative office there. The card issuer said it plans to take a step...

South Korean shares traded lower late Thursday morning driven by losses in auto and steel shares. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 5.58 points, or 0.23 percent, to 2,406.62 as of 11:20 a.m. Automakers traded bearish with industry leader Hyundai Motor losing 1.41 percent and its sister affiliate Kia Motors declining 1.28 percent. No. 1 steelmaker POSCO surrendered 2.62 perce...

The head of the Financial Supervisory Service said Thursday the regulator seeks to build an innovation-friendly financial environment to help the growth of the financial technology industry. Choe Heung-sik, governor of the FSS, made the remarks during a conference in Seoul to debate how best the financial industry can cope with challenges in uncertain times. "Fundamental change is under way in ...

South Korean pharmaceuticals and biotech stocks have gone on a tear this year on the back of a biotech rally on the US NASDAQ market, data showed Thursday. The main stock market's subindex for the pharmaceutical sector had spiked 44 percent as of Wednesday from the start of this year, according to the data from the Korea Exchange and market tracker FnGuide. The figure is more than double the 19...

South Korean stocks opened slightly lower Thursday, as the US Federal Reserve hinted at the chance of a December interest rate hike. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 1.87 points, or 0.08 percent, to 2,140.33 in the first 15 minutes of trading. After holding a two-day policy meeting, the Fed left interest rates unchanged and said it would begin reducing its bond portfolio sta...

South Korean stocks ended lower Wednesday as investors took a wait-and-see stance before the results of the US Federal Reserve's policy meeting, analysts said. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 3.85 points, or 0.16 percent, to close at 2,412.2. Trade volume was moderate at 262 million shares worth 5.2 trillion won ($4.6 billion), with...

South Korean stocks traded slightly lower late Wednesday morning as investors took to the sidelines awaiting the results of the US Federal Reserve meeting. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index shed 1.24 points, or 0.05 percent, to 2,414.81 as of 11:20 a.m. The two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting is slated to finish Wednesday (local time) probably providing clues on US monet...

South Korean stocks opened slightly higher Wednesday, following overnight gains on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 1.9 points, or 0.08 percent, to 2,417.95 in the first 15 minutes of trading. On Tuesday (local time), US stocks closed at fresh record highs, with the S&P 500 inching up 0.11 percent and the Dow gaining 0.18 percent. Most large caps on the Seoul ...

South Korean biopharmaceutical maker Samsung BioLogics Co. has overhauled Swiss drug behemoth Lonza in terms of market value though its sales remain dwarfed by the latter's top line, industry sources said Wednesday. The market capitalization of Samsung BioLogics, a unit of South Korea's top conglomerate Samsung Group, came to 22.4 trillion won ($19.8 billion) as of Tuesday, compared with 22.1 tr...

South Korean stocks finished almost flat Tuesday as investors attempted to lock in recent gains, analysts said. The Korean won lost ground against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index inched down 2.16 points, or 0.09 percent, to close at 2,416.05. Trade volume was slim at 248.4 million shares worth 5.2 trillion won ($4.3 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 409 to...

Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon set to meet with foreign investors in New York amid heightend tensions over North Korea threats.

South Korean stocks traded lower late Tuesday morning as institutions and foreigners offloaded large-cap tech stocks in an apparent move to lock in profits, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 4.09 points, or 0.17 percent, to 2,414.12 as of 11:20 a.m. Most large caps traded mixed, with tech shares in negative terrain. Market kingpin Samsung Electronics lost 0.57...

South Korean stocks opened slightly lower Tuesday despite an overnight Wall Street rally as investors sought to lock in recent gains, analysts said. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index inched down 1.8 points, or 0.07 percent, to 2,416.41 in the first 15 minutes of trading. On Monday (local time), the major US indexes hit record highs as investors were awaiting a Federal Reserve meet...

South Korean stocks rallied more than 1 percent Monday, finishing at their highest level in more than six weeks, as Samsung Electronics, the country's top market cap, surged on the back of an upbeat earnings forecast. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index gained 32.14 points, or 1.35 percent, to close at 2,418.21, after soaring to as high as 2...