Most Popular
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Qoo10 liquidity crisis sparks massive complaints, fears of wider damage
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Yoon urges municipalities to embrace foreigners
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What is happening at Hybe?
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S. Korea to consent to Japan's Sado mines gaining World Heritage status: official
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Korea unveils tax reform bill to spur economy
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Actor’s excessive airport security sparks probe into human rights violations
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Man who let his father die due to financial difficulties to be released on parole
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Actor Yoo Ah-in accused of sexual attack
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S. Korea, China shifting from tensions to cooperation: Seoul
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LG Electronics achieves record earnings in Q2
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Seoul stocks open lower on US stock losses
South Korean stocks opened lower Tuesday, as investor sentiment was hurt by overnight losses on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) slumped 29.05 points, or 0.96 percent, to 2,990.13 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Seoul stocks got off to a weak start, falling below the 3,000-point level for the first time in about six months. The Korean stock market closed Monday due to an extended holiday tied to the Oct. 3 National Foundation Day. An impasse over th
Oct. 5, 2021
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IPOs highlight imminent successions at Korean chaebol
South Korean business magnates are gearing up for initial public offerings of conglomerates’ affiliates, in an apparent bid to allow their siblings to cash in on their stock holdings from the proposed exit under the respective business succession plans. Market watchers perceive the moves as the chance to give cash-hungry siblings options to solidify legitimate control over the family-owned conglomerates here, which include buying shares in the group’s key affiliate that stands on t
Oct. 4, 2021
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Multitenant assets to improve Korean property investors’ resilience: analysis
South Korean investors’ focus could be on multitenant commercial properties as they have greater room for improvement than single-tenant properties under their traditional low-risk strategy amid prospects for post-pandemic uncertainties, a research paper showed Monday. Such assets can help Korean outbound investors seek extra income from investment and stay resilient from economic uncertainties that arise from a projected interest rate hike across the world in the wake of the pandemic re
Oct. 4, 2021
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Apartment purchases by children surpass W100b in value
A growing number of young South Koreans under 10 years old have purchased apartments across the nation with financial support from their parents, a lawmaker said Monday, raising concerns over inheritance for real estate speculation. The number of apartment purchases by the elementary-school kids and younger came in at 552 from September 2017 to last month, which amounted to 104.7 billion won ($88.2 million), according to data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport submitt
Oct. 4, 2021
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Online-only lender Toss Bank commences operation
The country’s third internet-only lender Toss Bank is slated to begin operation Tuesday, heating up the competition in the fast-growing online banking market, according to industry sources Monday. The lender, controlled by Viva Republica, the operator of fintech app Toss, will start its banking services, including offering credit loans, savings and deposits, with a primary focus on expanding mid-range interest rate loans. Earlier in June, when the online bank received a final appro
Oct. 4, 2021
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Seoul stocks likely to face volatility next week: analysts
South Korean stocks are likely to face volatility next week amid concerns about energy shortages in China, as well as lingering uncertainties over the bond yield rates in the United States, analysts said Saturday. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index closed at 3,019.18 points Friday, down 3.4 percent from a week ago. The weekly loss came as US political wrangling about raising its debt ceiling weakened investor sentiment. Spiking Treasury yields in the world's largest economy also f
Oct. 2, 2021
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S. Korea’s stocks slump amid China’s Evergrande crisis, US tapering woes
South Korea’s stock market slumped in September on the back of the debt crisis involving Evergrande Group, one of China’s biggest property developers, and a hint by the US Federal Reserve that it would begin tapering. According to the Korea Exchange, the country’s stock market operator, the benchmark Kospi lost 4.08 percent to 3,068.82 points during September. The secondary tech-heavy Kosdaq shed 3.88 percent to close at 1,003.27 points during the same period. Kospi’s
Oct. 1, 2021
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Seoul stocks slump on US inflation worries
South Korean stocks dipped Friday on concerns about early inflation in the United States and the extended virus curbs at home. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) retreated 49.64 points, or 1.62 percent, to close at 3,019.18 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 845 million shares worth some 12.8 trillion won ($10.8 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 779 to 125. Foreigners sold a net 300 billion won, while retail inves
Oct. 1, 2021
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[Newsmaker] Over half of young Seoulites can’t afford buying house without parents’ support: survey
Over half of young people living in Seoul say they couldn’t buy a home without the help of their parents, data showed Friday. According to a survey conducted by the Seoul Institute, a think tank under the Seoul Metropolitan Government, 53 percent out of 676 Seoul citizens ranging in age from 18 to 34 said that it would be impossible to purchase a house without financial support from their parents. The nationwide average is 46 percent. While 44 percent of respondents said that they would
Oct. 1, 2021
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Seoul stocks open lower on US inflation woes
South Korean stocks opened lower Friday, tracking overnight Wall Street losses that stemmed from concerns of an early inflation. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) fell 7.19 points, or 0.23 percent, to 3,061.63 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. The key stock index slumped, following rallies by the US long-term Treasury yields, which fanned concerns that the Federal Reserve might hurry to taper its stimulus to reign in the pace of inflation. The Dow Jones Industrial
Oct. 1, 2021
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‘Korea downplays impact of liquefied natural gas on climate change’
South Korean public financing institutions have played down the impact of liquefied natural gas on climate change, according to climate activist group Solutions for Our Climate on Thursday. Greenhouse gases are being emitted throughout the liquefied natural gas supply chain -- from extraction to liquefaction, transportation, regasification and consumption -- said the climate activists during an event held in Seoul. “The threat of greenhouse gas emission from the liquefied natural
Sept. 30, 2021
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BOK's dollar net selling, buying on par in Q2 market smoothing operations
The Bank of Korea (BOK) said Thursday its net selling and buying of the US dollar remained on par in the second quarter as part of its efforts to help ease fluctuations in the local currency market. In the first quarter, the BOK sold a net $103 million to stabilize the Korean currency's movement, compared with a net purchase of $11.5 billion three months earlier. The central bank began releasing such data in March 2019 to help boost the transparency of its market stabilization steps. A BOK offic
Sept. 30, 2021
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Seoul stocks end 2-day losing streak on bargain hunting
South Korean stocks rebounded Thursday after a two-day loss, as investors bought oversold stocks. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) rose 8.55 points, or 0.28 percent, to close at 3,068.82 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 867 million shares worth some 14.5 trillion won ($12.2 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 542 to 316. Foreigners bought a net 35 billion won, while institutions sold 225 billion won. Retail inve
Sept. 30, 2021
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Gamevil to become Coinone’s second-largest shareholder
South Korean game developer Gamevil said Thursday it will become the second-largest shareholder of Coinone by acquiring a 22 percent stake in the cryptocurrency exchange. During a board meeting Wednesday, the company, through its fully owned subsidiary Gamevil Plus, decided to buy 151,218 shares of the digital coin exchange for 53.9 billion won ($45.5 million). After the additional share purchase slated for January next year, Gamevil will hold a 38 percent stake in Coinone. “The acq
Sept. 30, 2021
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Kurly CEO calls for more domestic growth capital in Korea’s startup ecosystem
More homegrown late-stage venture capital investing is crucial to spurring South Korean startups to be able to scale up and innovative for job creation and economic development, which will ultimately lead to a windfall for investors, head of Seoul-based unicorn Kurly said Thursday. “Once a startup achieves a scale-up at a certain point, the value it can create is immense,” Sophie Kim, founder and chief executive officer, said during KDB Nextround 500, a special investor relation eve
Sept. 30, 2021
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Banks' lending rates rise in August
South Korean banks' lending rates rose in August as the Bank of Korea (BOK) delivered its first pandemic-era rate hike, central bank data showed Thursday. The average interest rate charged on new bank loans came to 2.87 percent in August, up 0.1 percentage point from the previous month, according to preliminary data from the BOK. The BOK cut the key interest rate to a record low of 0.5 percent in May last year after delivering an emergency rate cut of half a percentage point in March to cushion
Sept. 30, 2021
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Seoul stocks open lower on lingering US bond uncertainties
South Korean stocks opened lower Thursday as the bond yields in the United States remained high, raising concerns about an early inflation. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) fell 13.57 points, or 0.44 percent, to 3,046.7 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. The South Korean main index got off to a muted start after its US stock peers closed mixed. Overnight, the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite lost 0.24 percent, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 r
Sept. 30, 2021
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Under new law, Upbit set to verify 8.3 million users
Upbit, South Korea’s first cryptocurrency exchange to receive a green light from regulators, is gearing up to verify its massive number of users to fulfill the next important duty under the anti-money laundry act. Industry watchers believe Upbit’s user verification could take as long as three months due to its massive user base of 8.3 million and a public ID verification system operated by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. The ministry’s identity verification system
Sept. 29, 2021
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Seoul stocks down for 2nd day amid US bond yield woes
South Korean stocks slumped for second straight day to lose more than 1 percent Wednesday morning amid concerns about spiking bond yields and the US debt ceiling. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) dipped 37.65 points, or 1.22 percent, to close at 3,060.27 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 812 million shares worth some 15 trillion won ($12.7 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 676 to 215. Foreigners sold a net 659
Sept. 29, 2021
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Concerns rise over foreign property speculators
While South Korea’s financial authorities tightened their grip on property speculation and the resulting price hikes, foreign investors turned out to have purchased local apartments worth trillions of won, a lawmaker said Wednesday citing a lack of regulations on foreign property speculators. Apartment purchases by investors from China and the US, between 2017 and May 2020, amounted to 3.16 trillion ($2.6 billion) and 2.19 trillion won, respectively, according to Rep. Kim Joo-young of t
Sept. 29, 2021