Some 15 billion won ($13.4 million) will be allocated in the national budget next year to assist Korean small and medium-sized companies making inroads into the Southeast Asian market, a presidential aide said Wednesday, calling the region “a blue ocean” for Korean companies.“Even if it is a blue ocean market, financial assistance is needed for companies entering the market with insufficient capital,” said Kim Hyun-chul, presidential adviser for economic affairs, at a mee

Economy Nov. 7, 2018

Financial Services Commission Chairman Choi Jong-ku hinted Tuesday at cutting or removing the securities transaction tax on the Korean equity market and to discuss the matter with tax authorities.“It’s high time to take (a securities transaction tax cut) into consideration,” Choi said during a session with parliament, in response to a question from Rep. Jeon Hae-cheol of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. Choi took issue with double taxation potentially caused by the securit

Market Nov. 6, 2018

The Financial Services Commission, South Korea’s financial regulator, unveiled Tuesday a set of standards for QR codes for electronic payment, in a nation where the smartphone penetration rate is high and credit card payment terminals are ubiquitous among merchants here.A QR code refers to a matrix barcode used in infrastructure that allows mobile payment between customers and vendors without intermediaries. By using a mobile phone app to scan a QR code, a user will be authenticated, and t

Market Nov. 6, 2018

South Korea’s local currency edged down against the greenback on Monday on robust jobs readings in the United States that sparked an upsurge in the US dollar, and on renewed threats of a US-China trade war that put a dent in global risk-tolerance levels.The dollar-to-won currency exchange rate came to 1,123.5 won in closing Monday, down 0.2 percent compared with the Friday session’s close. A lower exchange rate translates into a stronger local currency. This drop marked an end to the

Market Nov. 5, 2018

While South Korea’s stock market took a strong rebounding leap last week amid signals of trade war alleviation between the United States and China, analysts remained in a cautious note ahead of the midterm elections in the United States slated for Tuesday, fueled by concerns that news favorable to stock rallies might have come in disguise. Analysts issued warnings over the weekend on possible post-election volatility in the domestic stock market, saying optimism in the global financial mar

Market Nov. 4, 2018

As South Korean companies have recently withdrawn their earlier plans to go public, concerns have been mounting that the lackluster initial public offering market remains exposed to lingering external uncertainties in the fourth quarter.Since October, two companies -- Dreamtech and Plakor -- said in financial statements they would withdraw from IPO plans, citing “the current stock market situation that makes it hard for investors to discover the price of a company.” Dreamtech, an ele

Market Nov. 4, 2018

It has been a decade since South Korea started issuing short-term visas for foreigners seeking medical treatment here as part of measures to boost medical tourism.Since then, the medical tourism market has expanded rapidly, with the number of annual foreign visitors for medical treatment here rising 52.2 percent in the four years through 2017 to some 321,600, according to data compiled by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute.However, the number dropped by 11.7 percent on-year in 2017

Technology Nov. 1, 2018

SK Holdings has been recognized for the best practices in environmental responsibility, social responsibility and governance and for its shareholder-friendly approach and sustainability in entrepreneurship, the company said Thursday. SK Holdings CEO Jang Dong-hyun (SK Holdings)The firm earned the “A+” ESG rating from the Korea Corporate Governance Service for a second consecutive year in 2018. This year, KCGS evaluated ESG scores of some 930 listed companies and financial companies in Korea. A h

Industry Nov. 1, 2018

South Korea’s National Pension Service, the third-largest pension fund in the world, has taken over 5 percent in losses from domestic stocks from January to August, hit by the ongoing bearish trend in the local stock market this year.  The public pension fund, overseeing 650.9 billion won ($571.8 million) in assets as of end-August, yielded 2.3 percent return from its investments, according to its disclosure Tuesday. The NPS invests in various asset classes including equities and fixe

Market Oct. 31, 2018

A new set of regulations for local banks is set to take effect Wednesday, with the aim of further slowing down the pace of South Korea’s household credit growth. The full-fledged enforcement comes after a grace period that began in March, during which commercial banks had to cap the volume of the high-risk retail loans they extended. Starting Wednesday, commercial banks are required to keep “highly risky loans” to individuals to no more than 10 percent of the volume of all hous

Market Oct. 30, 2018

Stock markets in South Korea continued to slide for a fourth consecutive trading day, setting a new low for 2018 yet again, amid persisting downward pressure on markets at home and abroad. Analysts noted the unhindered pace of monetary tightening in the United States, Korea’s sluggish economic growth prospect and an escalating trade war between the US and China bode ill for a momentum for a swift rebound in stock index performance and a turnaround from foreign investor outflow.  The t

Market Oct. 26, 2018

South Korean internet services provider Kakao confirmed Thursday its employees have created an in-house labor union that aims to challenge the company’s current wage system.Kakao marked the fourth information technology company in Korea to see an organization to represent workers’ rights, following Naver, Nexon and Smilegate. Prior to the launch, the union was affiliated with the Korean Chemistry & Textile Federation of Unions. (Kakao)“We respect the launch of the labor union and their activitie

Industry Oct. 25, 2018

This is the 62nd in a series of articles analyzing major companies traded on the tech-heavy Kosdaq market. -- Ed.There is growing anticipation for a turnaround in at Gamevil, a developer and publisher of mobile games, after the global market reacted positively to its recent releases and news of releases slated for the fourth quarter.On Friday, Gamevil’s stock price jumped sharply, closing 14.9 percent up from Thursday. Its market cap came to 361.4 billion won ($319.2 million), ranking 121s

Market Oct. 21, 2018

Stricter compliance regulations are to be adopted for financial institutions within the watchdog’s jurisdiction to enforce stricter internal control and prevent errors and fraud, according to the market watchdog Financial Supervisory Service.According to a preliminary set of measures unveiled Wednesday, at least 1 percent of the entire staff and executives in a financial institution should be assigned to compliance operations, while compliance officers must be executives of the company wit

Market Oct. 17, 2018

The Korea Herald is publishing a series of interviews on promising startups in the financial technology industry. This is the 23rd installment. -- Ed.For about a decade before Chung Woo-young founded mobile biometrics developer startup Winningi in 2015, he was a forensic technician who worked for the National Police Agency in South Korea. He was engaged in the nation’s project to collect and manage some 56 million fingerprint records of residents in the nation with a population of 51.2 mil

Market Oct. 16, 2018