Loan rules for home rentals to be eased: financial regulator

South Korea will ease tight regulations on loans taken out for home rentals as part of efforts to protect people in actual need of borrowing as financial authorities are set to unveil additional measures to rein in household debt this month, the head of the country's financial regulator said Thursday. In a brief meeting with reporters, Koh Seung-beom, the chief of the Financial Services Commission (FSC), said that controls on such loans for the "jeonse" arrangement will be managed in

EconomyOct. 14, 2021

Jeju Air to raise W127b via stock sale for post-pandemic biz

Jeju Air Co., South Korea's biggest budget carrier, said Thursday it will raise 127 billion won ($107 million) by selling stocks in preparation for the post-coronavirus era.  Jeju Air plans to issue 11.26 million shares at 18,350 won per share to employees and existing shareholders from Oct. 18-19 and list the stocks on the main Korea Exchange (KRX) on Nov. 19, the company said in a regulatory filing. "The planned rights issue is to secure operating capital as the country aims to g

IndustryOct. 14, 2021

S. Korea, UAE agree to push for free trade deal

South Korea and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced Thursday that they will launch official talks toward a bilateral free trade agreement, Seoul's trade ministry said. Trade Minister Yeon Han-koo met his UAE counterpart, Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, in Dubai, and issued a joint statement that calls for pushing to forge a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The CEPA is a type of free trade agreement that emphasizes a bro

EconomyOct. 14, 2021

Seoul stocks open higher on stabilizing currency market

South Korean stocks opened higher Thursday, as investors were relieved by the stable currency rate. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 25.39 points, or 0.86 percent, to 2,969.8 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Stocks came off to a bullish start, as the Korean won advanced against the US dollar, after depreciating sharply against the greenback over the past few days. The local currency was trading at 1,188.25 won against the US dollar, up 5.55 won from the previous

MarketOct. 14, 2021

Wine imports almost double this year amid pandemic

South Korea's wine imports nearly doubled in the first eight months of 2021 from a year earlier as more people enjoyed drinking at home and alone amid the coronavirus pandemic, data showed Thursday. Asia's fourth-largest economy imported $370.5 million worth of wine in the January-August period, up 96.5 percent from a year earlier, according to the data by the Korea Customs Service and industry sources. The figure surpassed last year's imports worth about $330 million and exceeded those of bee

EconomyOct. 14, 2021

Seoul will take steps if necessary to stabilize FX market: finance minister

WASHINGTON -- The South Korean government will take market-stabilization steps should there be increased volatility in the foreign exchange market caused by abnormal factors, such as speculation, Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said Wednesday. Hong, however, noted the recent fluctuations in the local FX market were largely due to external economic risks. "When it comes to the foreign exchange, the government cannot but accept changes caused by the market supply and demand, but it is closely

EconomyOct. 14, 2021

Export prices up for 10th straight month in September

South Korea's export prices gained for the 10th straight month in September, driven by price hikes of energy and chemical products, central bank data showed Thursday. The country's export price index stood at 114.18 in September, up 1 percent from the previous month, according to the preliminary data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). The figure represented the 10th straight month of an on-month rise. From a year earlier, the index jumped 20.2 percent, the eighth consecutive on-year growth, the dat

EconomyOct. 14, 2021

At G-20 meeting, Korea‘s fiscal chief stresses expansionary policy

South Korea’s Economy and Financial Minister Hong Nam-ki has said that the government will keep expansionary policies next year as the country eyes an economy recovery and return to “normal life” out of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’re gradually preparing to go back to normalcy by increasing the vaccination rate and the country’s central bank is gradually adjusting its accommodative monetary policy,” Hong, who also doubles Deputy Prime Minister, told Kr

EconomyOct. 13, 2021

S. Korea’s first metaverse-themed ETFs listed

Four metaverse-themed exchange-traded funds went listed for the first time on the country’s stock markets on Wednesday, betting on growing interest in the new IT platform. The four ETFs are KB Asset Management’s KBSTAR iSelect Metaverse, NH Amundi Asset Management’s Hanaro Fn K-Metaverse MZ, Mirae Asset Global Investment’s Tiger Fn Metaverse, and Samsung Asset Management’s KODEX K-Metaverse Active. Samsung Asset’s ETF product is an actively managed fund,

MarketOct. 13, 2021

Is injection technique responsible for vaccine side effects?

Wrongly administering COVID-19 vaccines into blood vessels instead of the muscles could be behind the serious side effects, some studies have suggested. An Aug. 2 report published by the Journal of Korean Medical Sciences is one of the first in the country to suggest that technique known as aspiration -- which is pulling back on the syringe plunger before injecting the vaccine to ensure no blood vessel is accidentally punctured -- may provide better chances of avoiding side effects. The rep

TechnologyOct. 13, 2021

[News Focus] Hyperlocal e-commerce platforms taking off amid disputes over taxation

Trading of secondhand goods is nothing new. But when it is combined with a convenient mobile app and hyperlocal community functionalities, something radically different can be envisioned. A striking case in point is the soaring success of Danggeun Market, a startup which has popularized hyperlocal e-commerce app Karrot. “Danggeun,” which means carrot as well as an abbreviation for “in your neighborhood” in Korean, is now a symbol of mobile secondhand item trading here.

TechnologyOct. 13, 2021

Samsung likely to make Galaxy Flip3 ‘Bespoke’

Samsung Electronics may debut Galaxy smartphones with the “Bespoke” concept, which would allow users to customize device designs to suit their personal tastes. “Our users are multifaceted and live life in so many colorful, interesting, and unique ways,” the South Korean tech giant said in an invitation sent out to global customers and media for an additional event for the Galaxy family on Oct. 20. “As such, the technology they use every day should reflect thei

TechnologyOct. 13, 2021

EuBiologics files for phase 3 study of homegrown COVID-19 vaccine

EuBiologics has asked for the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety’s approval on its plan to conduct a phase 3 clinical trial of its self-developed COVID-19 vaccine candidate, becoming the second South Korean company to reach that stage in the race to develop homegrown vaccines. According to the company’s regulatory filing on Wednesday, the clinical study of its vaccine candidate EuCorVac-19 will involve 4,000 participants. The safety and efficacy of the vaccine will be evaluated throu

TechnologyOct. 13, 2021

Export-Import Bank signs MOU with Greek shipping company to finance new orders

The Export-Import Bank of Korea said Wednesday it signed an memorandum of understanding with Angelicoussis to provide financial assistance for South Korean shipbuilders securing fresh orders of eco-friendly fleets from the Greek shipping company. Aimed at supporting Korean shipbuilders in securing overseas orders, Korea Exim Bank Chairman Bang Moon-kyu visited Angelicoussis headquarters in Kallithea on Friday, according to officials. The financial assistance will be carried out to Korean build

EconomyOct. 13, 2021

[From the Scene] Firms offer carbon neutrality answers

Banners reading “No photos allowed” in bold letters are clearly placed right next to prototypes of Hanwha Q Cells’ next-generation tandem solar cells. Despite the warning, visitors couldn’t resist taking out their smartphones to take photos of the black, rectangular chips slowly rotating inside glass spheres. At the Net Zero Expo, the nation’s biggest energy exhibition that kicked off at Kintex in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, on Wednesday, it was clear that the thi

IndustryOct. 13, 2021

Technical regulations biggest challenge for foreign-invested firms: KCCI

Foreign-invested firms say technical regulations along with fair trade and labor laws are some of the biggest management challenges, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry said on Wednesday. Nearly 1 in 2 foreign-invested firms based in South Korea said technical regulations such as certification, tests and inspection were the biggest challenge facing their business, according to a survey conducted by the KCCI with 252 foreign-invested companies. Technical regulations refer to administrati

IndustryOct. 13, 2021

Franchise stores enjoy bump in numbers

Franchise stores grew in numbers during the coronavirus pandemic last year though sales remained nearly unchanged, a new report from corporate tracker CEO Score showed Wednesday. The number of franchise brand stores in 2020 increased by 4,559, up 4.5 percent compared to 2019, according to the report which drew data from the Fair Trade Commission. With a total of 105,837 stores operated by top franchise brands last year, the figure was a 11.1 percent jump compared to 2018 when the number stood

ConsumerOct. 13, 2021

Seoul stocks rebound on tech, auto gains

South Korean stocks advanced nearly 1 percent Wednesday as investors sought to buy oversold stocks such as tech and auto shares after a sharp plunge the previous session. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) added 28.03 points, or 0.96 percent, to close at 2,944.41 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 743 million shares worth some 12.1 trillion won ($10.1 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 700 to 168. Foreigners sol

MarketOct. 13, 2021

S. Korea sees largest job growth in 7 years over surge in contactless services, vaccinations

South Korea’s economy added the largest number of jobs in more than seven years in September, government data showed Wednesday, with officials citing a surge in contactless services backed by digitalization of industries and high vaccination rate as key catalysts. The economy added 671,000 jobs on-year to 27.68 million in September, Statistics Korea data showed. This marked the largest job growth since March 2014, when the economy added 726,000 jobs and also the seventh consecutive month

EconomyOct. 13, 2021

Mobility firms join hands to launch autonomous driving association

Private and public stakeholders in the development of self-driving cars have established the Korea Autonomous Industry Association on Wednesday in order to better prepare for the coming new mobility era. Some 30 government officials and company executives attended the launching ceremony held in Yeouido, Seoul, including Park Jin-kyu, the vice minister for industry, and Hwang Seong-kyu, the vice minister for transport. Aside from private firms, two state-run organizations -- the Korea Automot

MobilityOct. 13, 2021