S. Korea's key policy rate likely to peak at 3.5 % next year: S&P

South Korea's central bank will continue raising its key policy rate, possibly peaking at 3.5 percent in 2023, an economist at global credit appraiser S&P Global Rating said Wednesday. The Bank of Korea has hiked the rate by a combined 2.75 percentage points since August last year to tame inflation. The rate currently stands at 3.25 percent. "We expect the APAC central banks not to follow very closely the US Fed policy in terms of how quickly, how aggressively to increase interest

Dec. 7, 2022

Seoul shares open lower on Wall Street falls

Seoul stocks opened lower on Wednesday, tracking overnight falls on Wall Street, amid concerns that the US Federal Reserve may continue its aggressive monetary tightening following strong economic data. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 7.11 points, or 0.30 percent, to 2,386.05 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The stronger-than-expected US jobs report and service sector activity released early this week are spooking investors amid concerns that the Fed may not imminently sl

Dec. 7, 2022

Seoul shares down for 3rd day amid US rate hike worries

Seoul shares closed lower to extend their losing streak to a third day on Tuesday as investors remain concerned that the Federal Reserve may continue its aggressive monetary tightening following unexpectedly strong US services data. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index retreated 26.16 points, or 1.08 percent, to 2,393.16. Trading volume was moderate at 359.75 million shares worth 6.3 trillion won ($4.8 billion), with decliners outnumbering ga

Dec. 6, 2022

Seoul shares open lower after Wall Street falls

Seoul stocks opened lower on Tuesday, tracking losses on Wall Street, as concerns grow that the US Federal Reserve may continue its aggressive monetary tightening following strong services data. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 16.19 points, or 0.67 percent, to 2,403.13 in the first 15 minutes of trading. US service sector activity unexpectedly picked up in November, raising concerns that the Fed may not imminently slow down the pace of rate increases. Fed Chair Jerome Powe

Dec. 6, 2022

Lotto 6/45 marks 20th anniversary with 8,000 jackpot winners

Around 8,000 people have won first prizes for South Korea’s most popular lottery Lotto 6/45 in its 20 years of history, with their combined jackpot totaling 16 trillion won ($12 billion), according to the lottery commission on Monday. According to the Korea Lottery Commission, an organization under the Finance Ministry, the number of first prize winners of the Lotto reached 7,803 as of Nov. 26 this year since its debut back in 2002. On average, 7.5 people won first prizes per draw, which i

Dec. 5, 2022

Seoul shares end lower amid US rate hike worries

Seoul shares closed lower on Monday as investors remain concerned that the Federal Reserve may continue its aggressive monetary tightening following a stronger-than-anticipated US jobs report. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index retreated 15.01 points, or 0.62 percent, to 2,419.32. Trading volume was moderate at 379.8 million shares worth 7.6 trillion won ($5.87 billion), with decliners outnumbering gainers 446 to 407. Institutions and forei

Dec. 5, 2022

JB Financial honored with ESG award

JB Financial Group has been honored with the ESG Excellent Company Award by the Korea Institute of Corporate Governance and Sustainability (KCGS) at the Korea Exchange in Yeouido, Seoul, on Friday. “We see this recognition as an opportunity to further strengthen our responsibility and role in taking the lead in sincere and advanced ESG management,” the financial group said in a statement. Since 2011, the KCGS has been evaluating local companies' performance in environment, soc

Dec. 5, 2022

South Korea's foreign reserves up in November on dollar's fall

  South Korea's foreign reserves increased in November as the dollar-converted value of holdings rose thanks to the greenback's fall, central bank data showed Monday. The country's foreign reserves stood at $416.1 billion as of end-November, up $2.09 billion from the previous month, according to the data provided by the Bank of Korea. It marked the first growth in four months. The rise came as the value of its non-dollar holdings increased when converted into the dollar thanks to the greenb

Dec. 5, 2022

Seoul shares open lower amid US rate hike woes

Seoul shares opened lower Monday as investors are concerned that a stronger-than-expected US jobs report may lead to aggressive tightening by the Federal Reserve. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 2.34 points, or 0.10 percent, to 2,431.99 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The index gained 1.08 percent last week to end at 2,434.33 Friday as the Fed suggested the central bank is heading for a slowdown of rate hikes after four successive 75 basis-point increases to tame inflati

Dec. 5, 2022

[Photo News] Healing concert for Hana family

Hana Financial Group Chairman Ham Young-joo (front, center left) and celebrity psychiatrist and author Oh Eun-young (front, center right) pose for a picture following a "healing concert" in Seo-gu, Incheon, Friday, for family members of Hana employees to share their various concerns. Some 500 attendees participated in the event in person, while 2,000 others joined via video links. (Hana Financial Group)

Dec. 4, 2022

How wealthy is 'wealthy' in Korea?

Wealthy Koreans with seed money of 820 million won ($630,000) by the age of 42 was determined as the minimum condition of "being wealthy" here, a report showed Sunday. The 2022 Korean Wealth Report compiled by a think tank under KB Financial Group was based on a study conducted in June and July, including a face-to-face survey with 400 respondents with more than 1 billion won in financial assets. It defined “wealthy” as having financial assets over 1 billion won. There were

Dec. 4, 2022

Hahn & Co. acquires SKC's industrial film biz for $1.2b

South Korea’s largest private equity firm Hahn & Company said Friday it has completed the acquisition of the industrial film business of SK Group affiliate SKC in a deal worth 1.6 trillion won ($1.2 billion). The latest deal is the largest merger and acquisition closed in the country this year amid M&A jitters globally. The company said SKC’s industrial film business has full potential as its products are widely used in advanced technologies for the display, mobile and se

Dec. 2, 2022

Seoul shares open lower after Fed-driven rallies

South Korean stocks opened lower Friday, as investors took a breather after recent rallies fueled by optimism that the US Federal Reserve may slow the pace of interest rate hikes. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 21.94 points, or 0.88 percent, to 2,457.90 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Latest US data showed its manufacturing contracted last month for the first time in 2 1/2 years, with a measurement of consumer spending having risen at a slower-than-expected pace in Octo

Dec. 2, 2022

Korean won strengthens after US Fed hints at smaller rate hike

The South Korean won rose to a four-month high on Thursday, as the US Federal Reserve hinted at a possible slowdown of its aggressive rate hikes. The Korean currency strengthened to 1,299.7 won against the greenback as of closing time, back below 1,300 won for the first time in four months. “The time for moderating the pace of rate increases may come as soon as the December meeting,” Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday at an economic forum. The Fed has hiked interest r

Dec. 1, 2022

Seoul shares open sharply higher on Powell remarks

South Korean stocks opened sharply higher Thursday, boosted by US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's remarks signaling smaller rate hikes. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 24.23 points, or 0.98 percent, to 2,496.76 shortly after the opening bell. It briefly breached the 2,500-point mark. Speaking at a Brookings Institution event Wednesday, Powell indicated the Fed could slow down the pace of its rate hikes, cementing the view that the central bank will go with a 50 ba

Dec. 1, 2022

Seoul shares open lower ahead of Fed chief's speech

South Korean stocks opened lower Wednesday, as investors were cautious ahead of an upcoming speech by US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, which may offer clues on the future direction of interest rate hikes. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index slid 11.68 points, or 0.48 percent, to 2,421.71 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Powell is scheduled to speak on the economic outlook at a Brookings Institution session later this week, at which he will likely give a guideline on when th

Nov. 30, 2022

[Global Finance Awards] ‘Invigorating the economy with creative, innovative financial engineering models’

By Yoo Chang-jo Professor of marketing at Dongguk University The Korea Herald presents the Global Finance Awards upon recognition that, for the Korean economy to grow in this age of cutting-edge technology, it is essential to build a financial ecosystem that meets global standards and raises the competitiveness of the country’s financial industry. The purpose of these awards is to encourage financial institutions that continue to challenge themselves and innovate to provide better financ

Nov. 29, 2022

[Global Finance Awards] Kyobo Life Insurance tops sustainability ranking for 13 straight years

Kyobo Life Insurance has been continuously incorporating sustainable development concepts into its business strategies and the effort has been acknowledged in an industry-wide index for its socially responsible efforts. The firm topped the 2022 Korean Sustainability Index among local insurance companies on Thursday, marking its 13th consecutive year of securing the top place since 2010. The KSI is a standard for measuring corporate sustainability based on ISO 26000, a global social responsibilit

Nov. 29, 2022

[Global Finance Awards] SC Bank Korea accelerates sustainable management drive

Standard Chartered Bank Korea has become the only commercial bank in South Korea to receive an A+ rating in corporate governance for four consecutive years, the firm said. The latest A+ rating was given last week by the Korea Institute of Corporate Governance and Sustainability, an expert nonprofit group founded in 2002 that carries out ESG evaluations and policy research. “A healthy corporate governance system is the foundation of what makes sustainable management possible, and it is the

Nov. 29, 2022

[Global Finance Awards] KB Kookmin Bank increases accessibility for disabled

KB Kookmin Bank has been bolstering the accessibility of its branches for people with disabilities in the first half of 2022, as part of its initiative focusing on diversity and inclusivity. The bank said it surveyed 878 of its branches nationwide in June, measuring each facility’s readiness to greet disabled customers. Based on the survey, the bank installed ramps at the entrances of branches that lacked them. It also put a bell in place that customers could press for assistance, accordin

Nov. 29, 2022