S. Korea's REIT market grows 22% in 2020

South Korean real estate investment trusts (REITs) saw their assets jump nearly 22 percent in 2020 from a year earlier amid a robust property market, government data showed Wednesday. A total of 282 REITs had some 63 trillion won ($55.5 billion) in combined assets as of the end of December, up 21.8 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the land ministry. The number of REITs was also up 13.7 percent from a year earlier. REITs, which can be traded on major exchanges, invest in

July 7, 2021

Economic recovery may lose steam due to spiking COVID-19 cases: KDI

The South Korean economy is on a modest recovery track, but its upward momentum may lose steam due to a resurgence in COVID-19 cases, a state-run think tank said Wednesday. Asia's fourth-largest economy is on a recovery track amid solid exports, but it also faces high economic uncertainty from the fast spread of the more contagious delta COVID-19 variant and spiking virus cases, according to a monthly economic assessment report by the Korea Development Institute (KDI). "Due to the surge i

July 7, 2021

FDI pledges to S. Korea soar 71.5% in H1 on economic recovery

The combined amount of foreign direct investment (FDI) pledges made to Asia's No. 4 economy shot up 71.5 percent on-year in the first half of 2021, data showed Wednesday, amid growing hopes of a post-pandemic economic recovery. Foreigners pledged to make a combined investment of $13 billion over the January-June period, compared with $76.6 billion tallied a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The investment that arrived here rose 57.3 percent over the period t

July 7, 2021

Genesis launches electrified G80 sedan in S. Korea

Genesis, the independent luxury brand of Hyundai Motor Co., said Wednesday it launched the electrified G80 midsize sedan in South Korea, debuting its first electric model. The luxury electric sedan looks similar to the G80, but an electric socket in the front grille gives it a distinct identity as an EV. The G80 EV packs an 87.2 kilowatt-hour battery and can travel up to 427 kilometers on a single charge, Genesis said. The sedan, only available with all-wheel drive, is capable of producing

July 7, 2021

Seoul stocks open lower amid growing virus woes

South Korean stocks opened lower Wednesday as a surge in new coronavirus cases weighed down investor sentiment. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 14.92 points, or 0.45 percent, to trade at 3,290.29 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. South Korean stocks got off to a weak start after health authorities said the daily virus caseload topped 1,200 to reach a record high for this year. Market kingpin Samsung Electronics, which earlier estimated better-than-expecte

July 7, 2021

Samsung expects estimate-beating Q2 earnings on robust chip biz

Samsung Electronics Co. on Wednesday expected market estimate-beating second-quarter earnings as its semiconductor business apparently offset a tepid performance from its mobile business. In its earnings guidance, the South Korean tech giant estimated its operating profit at 12.5 trillion won ($11 billion) for the April-June period, up 53.4 percent from a year ago. Its second-quarter operating income estimate beat the market consensus of 11.2 trillion won in a survey by Yonhap Infomax, the fi

July 7, 2021

Current account surplus widens in May on robust exports

South Korea's current account surplus sharply widened in May as exports maintained strong growth and companies received dividends from overseas affiliates, central bank data showed Wednesday. The current account surplus reached $10.97 billion in May, widening from a surplus of $1.91 billion the previous month, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). The current account is the broadest measure of cross-border trade. Since the country logged a deficit of $3.33 billion in April last year, the large

July 7, 2021

China deepens crypto crackdown with central bank warning

BEIJING (AFP) -- China's central bank warned companies on Tuesday against assisting cryptocurrency-related businesses as it shut down a software firm over suspected involvement in digital currency transactions. Beijing has turned a sharp eye on cryptocurrency in recent months as it widens its regulatory crackdown on the tech sector. Cryptocurrency trading is banned in China, and authorities have recently closed mines and warned banks to halt related transactions. On Tuesday, a Beijing office

July 6, 2021

S. Korea, EU to cooperate on fighting climate change

SEJONG -- South Korea and the European Union on Tuesday agreed to work together against climate change in line with their shared target to achieve zero net emissions of carbon by 2050. Industry Minister Moon Sung-wook met Frans Timmermans, who serves as the executive vice president for the European Green Deal, in Seoul to share ideas on ways to cooperate in coping with climate change, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. It was the first time for a high-ranking European cli

July 6, 2021

Kospi renews record high closing above 3,305 points

South Korea’s benchmark stock index refreshed its record high closing on Tuesday, backed by foreigners and institutional investors’ extending buying sprees for two days. The Kospi index closed at 3,305.21, up 12 points or 0.36 percent, from the previous session’s close. It broke the previous record of 3,302.84 from June 25 but failed to reach as high as its all-time high of 3,316.08 set during intraday trading on the same day. Offshore investors and institutions purchased a

July 6, 2021

‘More than 50 imported EV models to be unveiled in S. Korea by 2023’

Foreign car brands will introduce at least 54 electric vehicle models here by 2023, South Korea’s imported car association said Tuesday. New executives and board members of the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association noted a clear shift of the industry paradigm toward electrification at their first press conference since their inauguration last year, saying foreign players will be adding momentum to that by presenting more electricity-powered vehicles. “For me

July 6, 2021

Korean automakers face tough road ahead as workers plan for strike

As South Korean automakers move to embrace the trend shift for eco-friendly vehicles, they face difficulties in narrowing differences with labor unions seeking wage increase and job protection. The labor union of Hyundai Motor, the country’s leading automaker, said it is set to vote to strike Wednesday, after failing to reduce the gap in this year’s collective bargaining negotiations. In the 13th round of negotiations held this year, Hyundai Motor management suggested a proposal

July 6, 2021

Hyundai Pharm seeks approval for abortion pill

Hyundai Pharmaceutical announced Tuesday that it had filed an application for authorization to market an abortion pill in South Korea. Mifegymiso consists of one tablet of mifepristone and four tablets of misoprostol. Mifepristone, formerly RU-486, is known by the brand name Mifegyne in Korea. In March this year, Hyundai Pharm signed an exclusive agreement with Linepharma International to sell Mifegyne in the Korean market. If approved, Mifegymiso would become the first legal abortion pill

July 6, 2021

[Newsmaker] Self-made man behind Jungheung’s surprise bid for Daewoo

Behind the surprise bid of Jungheung for the control of a much-larger rival, Daewoo Engineering & Construction, is a self-made entrepreneur little known outside the construction field: Jung Chang-sun, the chairman and founder of Jungheung Group. Jungheung, founded in the southern city of Gwangju, grabbed headlines on Tuesday after it was selected as the preferred bidder of Daewoo E&C, the nation’s sixth-largest builder with a proud but checkered history. Local media put Jungheung

July 6, 2021

[News Focus] Critics call time on ‘shutdown law’

Disputes are raging across online communities and political circles in South Korea over the controversial “shutdown law” that purportedly protects children from excessive gaming. Last week, an online petition was filed to the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae, claiming that the “Cinderella law” is denying access to the child-friendly game Minecraft. Popular YouTubers who play the global hit game for younger audiences, also criticized the regulation, saying they are

July 6, 2021

LG Innotek wins nod from GM for four consecutive years

LG Group’s material and components maker LG Innotek has been recognized for the quality of its auto parts supplied to General Motors, the company said Tuesday. The South Korean firm received the 2020 GM Supplier Quality Excellence Award, marking its fourth consecutive win dating to 2017. GM recognizes partners that meet standards of zero quality defects and strict quality control for automotive components with the award, as quality control is directly related to the safety of drivers,

July 6, 2021

Korea will strengthen debt management efforts, fiscal chief tells Fitch

South Korea will take preemptive actions to manage its sovereign debt to maintain sound fiscal health, the country’s top economic policy maker said during an annual consultation meeting with global rating agency Fitch Ratings on Tuesday. Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said the ratio of national debt to gross domestic product is expected to fare better than projected earlier. The government drew up this year’s second supplementary budget without a debt sale and had paid some debts o

July 6, 2021

S. Korea mulls normalizing eased rules on banks' FX derivative positions

South Korea said Tuesday it plans to consider normalizing eased rules on banks' foreign exchange (FX) derivative positions as FX liquidity conditions have improved amid the global economic recovery. In March 2020, the country relaxed rules on banks' FX forward positions after the country's FX and swap markets suffered a severe dollar crunch caused by market routs over the pandemic. Last year, the country raised the cap on the holding of local banks' FX forward positions to 50 percent of their

July 6, 2021

Kospi at renewed record high amid earnings hope

South Korean stocks advanced for the second consecutive day to close at a fresh record high Tuesday as hopes for strong second-quarter corporate earnings drove up tech stocks. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) increased 12 points, or 0.36 percent, to close at 3,305.21 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 1 billion shares worth some 14.5 trillion won ($12.8 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 476 to 344. Foreigners

July 6, 2021

Korea kicks off standardization of next-gen EV technologies

The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Energy on Tuesday launched an electric vehicle standardization forum to establish ground rules for five industries based on future technology, including wireless charging and water-cooled rapid chargers. Formed by the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards under the Industry Ministry, the industry-academia-research cooperation platform will also lead standardization efforts in vehicle-to-grid technology, electric motorcycles and solid-state batteries.

July 6, 2021