Articles by Jung Min-kyung
Jung Min-kyung
mkjung@heraldcorp.com-
Retail investors rush for Russia ETFs despite warnings
South Korean retail investors have been on a buying spree of Russia-related exchange-traded funds amid growing tensions between Russia and Ukraine, data showed Sunday. Analysts say that retail investors are hoping for a rebound in Russian stocks once the situation surrounding the Russia-Ukraine war calms down, but warned that the current volatility could be costly for them. Retail investors bought over a net 70 billion won ($57.4 million) worth of Russia-related ETFs sold both locally and ov
Economy March 6, 2022
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Korean asset managers start suspending Russian funds
South Korean asset managers have started suspending the issue and redemption of shares on their Russia-exposed funds as the US and its allies continued to ramp up economic sanctions against Moscow. According to market tracker FnGuide on Wednesday, nine Russia-exposed equity funds, including an exchange-traded fund, with a combined asset of 158.7 billion won ($131.6 million), are being sold by Korean financial institutions. The nine funds have already disappointed investors since the beginning o
Market March 2, 2022
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S. Korea’s crypto assets exceed W55tr
South Korea’s crypto assets market has grown to 55.2 trillion won ($45.9 billion) as of end-2021, with the number of users amounting to nearly 5.58 million, according to a recent study by the nation’s top financial regulator on Tuesday. The Financial Service Commission conducted the study, a first of its kind, based on data compiled from a total of 24 licensed crypto currency exchange operators here. Daily transactions through the 24 exchanges reached 11.3 trillion won on average,
Market March 1, 2022
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Hana appoints first female CEO for fund accounting arm
South Korea’s Hana Financial Group has appointed its first female CEO for an affiliate, under an executive reshuffle carried out in line with the nomination of its new Chairman Ham Young-joo. On Monday, Hana said it had tapped Roe Yu-joung, executive director at its flagship commercial lender Hana Bank, to lead its fund accounting arm Hana Investors Services. Roe entered Hana Bank in 1992 and climbed her way up the corporate ladder, becoming the lender’s executive director in Janu
Market March 1, 2022
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KB draws W543b commitment to finance wind turbine project in Jeju
South Korea’s KB Kookmin Bank said Monday it has snapped up a combined 543 billion won ($450 million) commitment to a private fund to finance a 100-megawatt wind turbine project on the southern resort island of Jeju. The private fund, which marks the largest here in terms of those tied to renewable energy, will target 18 offshore wind turbines on Jeju Island, generating a combined 100 megawatts. The value of the total project amounts to 630.3 billion won and the construction of the offsho
Market Feb. 28, 2022
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Korea to launch W2tr biz support program to counter Russia-Ukraine crisis if needed
South Korea’s top financial regulator said Friday that a support program worth 2 trillion won ($1.66 billion) will be launched to cushion local businesses from economic woes stemming from the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, if needed. “We will thoroughly review the extent of damages and the financial state of our exporters and importers to prevent any difficulties stemming from the Ukraine crisis,” Financial Services Commission Chairman Koh Seung-beom said at a joint
Economy Feb. 25, 2022
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BOK freezes key rate, announces decade-high inflation outlook
South Korea’s central bank on Thursday kept its benchmark interest rate anchored at the current 1.25 percent, but sharply revised its annual inflation outlook to a decade high of 3.1 percent. The Bank of Korea’s seven-day monetary policy board unanimously voted to freeze the key rate at the level it maintained since it delivered a 0.25 percentage point rate hike in January. The January decision brought back the base rate to pre-pandemic levels, before the BOK carried out a 0.5 perc
Economy Feb. 24, 2022
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Hana partners with KAIST to boost scientific approach towards carbon neutrality
South Korea’s Hana Financial Group has partnered up with the nation’s top university in science and technology to bolster the scientific approach toward achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. On Thursday, Hana said it signed a deal with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology with the goal of developing new technology based on environmental, social and governance values. The goal would be based on the institutions’ joint efforts to resolve climate change issues,
Technology Feb. 24, 2022
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Korean youths flock to state-backed savings account
South Koreans aged between 19 and 34 rushed to open a state-backed savings account with a high yield of some 10 percent this week, with the product attracting nearly two million applicants as of Wednesday. The state-backed savings account launched Monday -- dubbed the Youth Hope Savings Product -- is designed specifically for those aged between 19 and 34 with an annual income of or below 36 million won ($30,100). It requires applicants to submit a monthly payment of 500,000 won for a 2-year ter
Market Feb. 23, 2022
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Amid digitalization drive, banks expand offline services for wealthy
South Korean banking groups are opening more offline asset management centers exclusively for the nation’s superrich, while closing regular branches and replacing them with mobile and artificial intelligence-based services. On Tuesday, Shinhan Financial Group said it upgraded and rebranded two of its wealth management centers in Seoul to focus on providing exclusive banking services for its clients with personal assets of over 10 billion won ($8.3 million). The wealth management centers
Market Feb. 22, 2022
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South Korea’s fiscal deficit tops W100tr as spending surged amid COVID-19
South Korea’s fiscal deficit reached over 100 trillion won ($83 billion), while national debt logged a deficit of 240 trillion won, as the country was bogged down by COVID-19 woes in the past two years, data from the Finance Ministry showed Sunday. With an additional 70 trillion won in fiscal deficit and 100 trillion won of national debt projected to be added this year, based on the size of the supplementary budget currently being discussed by officials and lawmakers, onlookers are expre
Economy Feb. 20, 2022
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SC Bank Korea partners with Posco Chemical, L&F for sustainable financing
Standard Chartered Bank Korea said Thursday it signed an environmental, social and governance-related supply chain financing deal worth a combined $180 million with local electric-vehicle battery material suppliers. The lender’s new partnership with Posco Chemical and L&F will provide the EV battery material suppliers with financing in the form of trade receivable discounting. Trade receivable discounting or TRD is a type of factoring in which a supplier provides its products to the
Market Feb. 17, 2022
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Brother of Seoul envoy to Beijing suspended for misselling of funds
South Korea’s financial regulator on Wednesday decided to suspend Jang Ha-won, the chief executive of Discovery Asset Management from his duty, and fine the state-run Industrial Bank of Korea for misselling of funds with frozen assets amounting to 256.2 billion won ($214 million). Jang is the younger brother of South Korea’s incumbent ambassador to China, Jang Ha-sung. The Financial Services Commission upheld the watchdog Financial Supervisory Service’s earlier ruling to &l
Market Feb. 16, 2022
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Hana signals start of HQ transfer to Incheon
South Korea’s Hana Financial Group marked the transfer of its headquarters from Seoul to Incheon with a groundbreaking ceremony, the firm said Wednesday. The groundbreaking ceremony for the planned 22-level building with seven underground floors was held Tuesday at Cheongna International City, which is part of the Incheon Free Economic Zone. Hana Financial and five of its affiliates –- flagship commercial bank Hana Bank, brokerage Hana Financial Investment, credit card issuer Hana
Market Feb. 16, 2022
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No breakthrough in talks to turn post offices into banking branches
South Korea’s financial regulator’s plan to allow nationwide post offices to work as brick-and-mortar branches for commercial banks here continues to face major hurdles as the plan has been stalled for nearly two years. On Monday, the Financial Services Commission mentioned its plans to review post offices and other similar institutions that could partner up with lenders in offering offline banking services, in its 2022 annual plan. The plan is part of its efforts to narrow the gap
Market Feb. 15, 2022
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