[KH Explains] Will Webull reshape Korea's mobile trading?

Webull Corporation, a prominent US-based online stock trading platform, has initiated preliminary operations to establish its presence in South Korea. Speculation surrounding the debut of the New York-headquartered company's services rose recently following reports indicating Webull's engagement with local financial regulators to secure related licenses for domestic operations. Citing Webull Korea Preliminary CEO Rhee Won-jae, Herald Biz disclosed last month that Webull "plans to

March 13, 2024

US gains propel Kospi to 2-year intraday high

The Korean stock market rallied early Wednesday, with the benchmark Kospi breaking above 2,700 points during trading hours for the first time in nearly two years as the market tracked overnight Wall Street gains. The local benchmark Kospi touched 2,701.45 points during intraday trading. The peak came shortly after it opened at 2,694.71, marking a 12.9 points rise from the previous close at 2,681.81. After hitting a record high not seen since May 2022, the main index wiped out the gains as invest

March 13, 2024

HK-tied ELS sellers may face full compensation claims for losses

With losses from equity-linked securities tied to a Hong Kong index expected to reach almost 6 trillion won ($4.57 billion) this year, South Korean financial regulators announced Monday that sellers may face full compensation for the loss. The announcement follows the Financial Supervisory Service's inspection of local banks and brokerages that sold large amounts of ELS products tied to the troubled Hang Seng China Enterprises Index. From Jan. 8 to Friday, the watchdog conducted a thorough

March 11, 2024

[Photo News] HK ELS sales fallout

Financial Supervisory Service Governor Lee Bok-hyun approaches the podium during a press briefing held at the regulator's headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on Monday. The FSS announced the results of its investigation into the possible misselling of equity-linked securities products tied to Hong Kong's Hang Seng China Enterprises Index among local financial firms, together with consumer compensation measures, on the day. (Yonhap)

March 11, 2024

Exports fall 13.4% from March 1-10; chip sales jump over 20%

South Korea's exports fell more than 13 percent on-year in the first 10 days of March due mainly to fewer working days and weak demand for vehicles, but sales of semiconductors jumped more than 20 percent, data showed Monday. Outbound shipments reached $13.54 billion in the March 1-10 period, compared with $15.64 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. Per-day exports, however, gained 8.2 percent on-year to $2.26 billion. The number of working d

March 11, 2024

Portion of foreign buyers hits record high in S. Korean real estate market in 2023: data

The portion of foreigners who bought real estate in South Korea last year hit a record high, led by Chinese buyers, court data showed Sunday. A total of 15,600 foreign nationals completed property purchases in 2023, accounting for a record 0.9 percent of the total land acquisitions, according to the data from the online real estate registry service run by the Supreme Court. The percentage of foreign buyers in the South Korean real estate market has been on a steady increase since the South Korea

March 10, 2024

S. Korea, Japan discuss economic cooperation during vice-ministerial talks

South Korea and Japan held a vice-ministerial meeting Friday to discuss ways of cooperating on a wide range of economic and financial issues, Seoul's finance ministry said. South Korea's Deputy Finance Minister Choi Ji-young met with Japanese Vice Finance Minister Masato Kanda in Tokyo earlier in the day for the vice-ministerial finance dialogue, the second of its kind, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance. During the meeting, the two sides discussed issues of mutual concer

March 8, 2024

S&P cuts outlook on Mirae Asset Securities, Korea Investment & Securities

S&P Global Ratings on Thursday lowered the outlook for two major Korean asset management firms, Mirae Asset Securities and Korea Investment & Securities, from "stable" to "negative." The agency kept their long-term issuer credit ratings at BBB and short-term ratings at A-2. The negative outlook reflects the agency's concern that property risks could strain the asset quality and profitability of Korean securities firms over the next one to two years. "Headwin

March 8, 2024

Moody's turns negative on Korean banks' ratings outlook

Ratings agency Moody's downgraded the outlook on the South Korean banks' credit rating to "negative" from "stable" Thursday, predicting their asset quality and profitability will weaken. The agency released a report on the Korean banking system and lowered the credit ratings outlook for the local banking sector to "negative." In its assessment, Moody's anticipated a deterioration in the business environment for domestic banks over the next 12 to 18 mo

March 8, 2024

Fitch keeps S. Korea's 'AA-' credit rating, eyes 2.1% growth

Global credit appraiser Fitch Ratings said Wednesday it has reaffirmed South Korea's sovereign rating at "AA-" with a stable outlook. It is the fourth-highest level on the agency's sovereign ratings table, and Fitch has maintained AA- for South Korea since September 2012 when it upgraded the rating by one notch from A+. "(South) Korea's rating balances robust external finances, resilient macroeconomic performance and a dynamic export sector against geopolitical ri

March 6, 2024

Korea on guard against inflation

Consumer price growth resurged to above 3 percent in February, showing that Korea may be facing stickier-than-expected inflation, data suggested Wednesday. Consumer prices, a key gauge of inflation, advanced 3.1 percent on-year last month, according to data from Statistics Korea. Though price growth fell to 2.8 percent in January, dipping into the 2 percent range for the first time in six months, it rebounded to above 3 percent within a month. The uptick marks the first time in four months that

March 6, 2024

S. Korean economy grows 1.4 % in 2023, unchanged from earlier estimate: BOK

South Korea's economy grew 1.4 percent last year, matching an earlier estimate, amid sluggish exports and tightening monetary policies around the globe, central bank data showed Tuesday. The country's real gross domestic product -- a key measure of economic growth -- increased 1.4 percent last year, in line with the central bank's earlier estimate in January, according to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea. But last year's economic expansion marked a slowdown from a 2.6

March 5, 2024

[From the Scene] Staying 'senior-friendly': Next normal of banking

Orange, green and blue -- the mixture of these vibrant colors is not something you would commonly expect to see at a commercial bank's branch in Korea. Yet welcoming customers into Shinhan Bank's Sillim-dong branch are color-coded floor lines guiding customers to their respective services. For instance, following the green line leads to desks handling simple tasks like deposits and withdrawals. This Sillim-dong branch, situated in southern Seoul's Gwanak-gu district, is among Shin

March 4, 2024

Industrial output rises for 3rd month amid weak investment in January

South Korea's industrial output rose for the third consecutive month in January despite the marked fall in semiconductor production, data showed Monday. Retail sales also gathered ground for the second month, while facility investment and construction orders tumbled amid weak domestic demand, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. Industrial output gained 0.4 percent on-month in January, following a 0.3 percent increase in November last year and 0.4 percent growth in December.

March 4, 2024

KEPCO, Korea Gas report combined liabilities of nearly W250tr last year: data

Korea Electric Power Corp. and Korea Gas Corp., two major state-run companies, have reported combined liabilities of nearly 250 trillion won ($187.1 billion) as of end-2023 due to hikes in global energy prices, data showed Sunday. KEPCO has said in a regulatory filing its total debt reached 202.4 trillion won last year, up 9.6 trillion won from a year earlier. Korea Gas' total debt came to 47.4 trillion won, down from 52 trillion won in 2022, according to the company's regulatory filin

March 3, 2024

Eximbank’s capital increase to pave way for Polish arms export

The National Assembly passed the revision bill to raise the Export-Import Bank of Korea's capital limit from the current 15 trillion won to 25 trillion won ($12.24 billion to $15 billion) on Thursday, giving the policy lender some extra room to level up its financing for the arms export deal to Poland. The revision of the Export-Import Bank of Korea Act was passed as a total of 209 lawmakers voted in favor of the bill, while 29 voted against it. There were 34 abstentions. Under the revision

Feb. 29, 2024

Inflation to bounce back to over 3% in February: finance ministry

Inflation could rise over 3 percent in South Korea in February on high prices of global oil and fresh food items, the finance ministry said Thursday, vowing all-out efforts to curb inflation. In January, consumer prices, a key gauge of inflation, rose 2.8 percent on-year, marking the first fall below the 3 percent level in six months. The country has experienced a gradual easing of inflationary pressure, but uncertainties have grown, centering on prices of farm produce and petroleum products, Fi

Feb. 29, 2024

South Korea’s fertility rate drops to new low

South Korea's fertility rate continued its steep fall last year as it hit a record low of 0.72, darkening prospects for the country that already has the world's lowest fertility rate, data showed Wednesday. The country's fertility rate -- the average number of children a woman has during her lifetime -- came to 0.72 last year, down from 0.78 in the previous year, according to the preliminary data presented by Statistics Korea. It is the lowest level since 1970 when the state-run s

Feb. 28, 2024

Financial regulator reaffirms efforts to address risks of short-term property loans

The head of the country's financial regulator vowed continued efforts Wednesday to quickly address risks related to real estate project financing loans. Lee Bok-hyun, governor of the Financial Supervisory Service, stressed that such efforts will help end the capital crunch caused by PF loans related risks. "We are witnessing signs of a capital crunch as excessive amounts of money invested in real estate PF remain tethered," he told a meeting with the heads of financial think tanks

Feb. 28, 2024

[KH explains] Why Korea has been so quick to adopt ‘global minimum tax’

South Korea has become one of the first countries to implement the so-called “global minimum tax rule” this year, which aims to ensure companies pay at least 15 percent tax on corporate income, regardless of where they operate. The initiative aligns with international efforts to tackle tax avoidance by major corporations, as they often seek refuge in low-tax jurisdictions. Korea is one of about 20 nations to adopt the new rule so far, while some countries, including the US, are still

Feb. 27, 2024