BOK chief to attend BIS meeting

South Korea's top central banker will head to Switzerland this week to attend the general assembly of the Bank for International Settlement (BIS), his office said Wednesday. BOK Gov. Rhee Chang-yong will leave for Basel on Thursday to attend the annual BIS meeting over this weekend, according to the BOK. Rhee is to meet with top central bankers of other countries and exchange views on the latest economic and financial market situations, it added. He will also attend a BIS board meeting duri

June 22, 2022

Childbirths hit record low in April; deaths jump to all-time high

The number of babies born in South Korea fell to a record low in April amid the chronically low birthrate, while that of deaths hit an all-time high due to rapid aging and the COVID-19 pandemic, data showed Wednesday. A total of 21,124 babies were born in April, down 7 percent from the previous year, according to the data from Statistics Korea. It marked the lowest for any April since 1981, when the statistics agency started compiling related data. South Korea is struggling with a chronic declin

June 22, 2022

Internet-only Toss Bank to raise W100b via stock offering

Internet-only bank Toss Bank said Tuesday that it will sell stocks to raise 100 billion won ($77.2 million) to fund business expansion. In a regulatory filing, the company said it will issue a total of 15 million common shares and 5 million convertible stocks at a price of 5,000 won per share. With the stock offerings, Toss Bank's total paid-in capital will amount to 950 billion won. Since its launch, Toss Bank has sold stocks worth 600 billion won to beef up its capital base. Launched in 2

June 22, 2022

BOK warns inflation will rise further

The Bank of Korea said Tuesday that South Korea could see the annual increase in consumer prices this year top the 4.7 percent marked in 2008, the highest level in the last 20 years, as a global surge in materials and food costs adds pressure on Asia’s fourth-largest economy. “Given the surging oil prices and changes in the global economy, inflation for this year will surpass the estimate made in May,” the central bank said in a biannual report on consumer prices, revising up

June 21, 2022

Yoon offers tax cut, more jeonse loans in 1st housing measures

SEJONG -- The Yoon Suk-yeol administration on Tuesday unveiled the first batch of its real estate measures that offer lowering tax burdens for first-time homeowners and expanding tax deductions for tenants, taking the first step to realize its campaign pledge to “normalize” the housing market. The government will come up with detailed measures for the supply of 2.5 million homes and more no later than August.　 At a joint briefing, First Vice Minister of Economy and Finance Bang Ki

June 21, 2022

Exports down 3.4% during first 20 days of June

South Korea's exports fell 3.4 percent in the first 20 days of June from a year earlier due mainly to fewer working days, and its trade deficit widened on higher global energy costs, customs data showed Tuesday. The country's outbound shipments stood at $31.28 billion in the June 1-20 period, compared with $32.4 billion a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Customs Service. The fall is attributable to fewer working days during the cited period due to holidays for the Jun

June 21, 2022

BOK expects 2022 inflation to grow faster than anticipated, hit highest in 14 years

South Korea's central bank said Tuesday it expected inflation to grow at a faster pace than previously anticipated and possibly hit the highest level in 14 years for this year as price pressures are mounting from rising demand and a tight supply. In an apparent forward guidance, Bank of Korea (BOK) Gov. Rhee Chang-yong said the central bank will carry out its monetary policy with a priority on price stability until inflation ends its upward trend, hinting that it will likely continue to raise it

June 21, 2022

S. Korea to extend rental-related loans for tenants, tax incentives for landlords

The government on Tuesday vowed to relax regulations on loans for "jeonse" home rentals and to raise tax deduction rates for monthly rental contractors in a move to help ease financial burdens on tenants and stabilize the housing market. Under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's first package of measures on the property market, the government also pledged to reform the presale price cap scheme imposed on private apartments and offer a tax cut to landlords who sell their homes after long

June 21, 2022

FSS chief calls for loan support for vulnerable

South Korea’s top financial watchdog said Monday that banks should step up efforts to protect self-employed and small business owners who are affected most by surging interest rates, at a meeting held with 17 local bank CEOs ahead of a rate decision by the Bank of Korea in July. “Rising interest rates and prices could push them into defaults and we have to be ready for that,” said Gov. Lee Bok-hyun, who was named to lead the Financial Supervisory Service two weeks ago. Th

June 20, 2022

[Photo News] Don't get wet

Umbrellas and rain boots are on display at a discount chain in Seoul for customers preparing for the rainy season.

June 20, 2022

Yoon mulls extending retirement age of 60

SEJONG -- South Korea will embark on discussions and debates on extending the retirement age from the current 60, under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration’s economic policy approach to cope with workforce shortages caused by demographic change. In a comprehensive plan on the economy unveiled last week, the government said it would foster a “task force to take countermeasures against workforce shortages,” which will comprise relevant ministries, think tanks and private researcher

June 20, 2022

Govt. postpones decision on Q3 electricity rates amid high inflation

South Korea has postponed its decision on the possible adjustment of electricity fees for the third quarter, the state-run Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) said Monday. KEPCO had planned to announce the government's decision Tuesday, a day after being informed by the government on electricity rates for the July-September period. But the government put off the decision, as "discussions among ministries concerned are still under way," KEPCO said in a release. KEPCO earlier called

June 20, 2022

S. Korea to take measures against excessive currency volatility: finance minister

South Korea is ready to take appropriate action in response to any one-sided movements in the local foreign exchange market, the country's top financial policymaker said Monday in his latest remark apparently aimed at easing growing market anxiety amid the US' aggressive monetary tightening and worries over global recession. "Relevant authorities will take action in an appropriate manner in case that there is a one-side movement in the market due to anxiety," Finance Minister

June 20, 2022

Samsung signs MOU to provide LED signage to Inspire Entertainment Resort in Incheon

Samsung Electronics Co. said Monday it has reached a tentative deal to provide a high-end LED signage system to Inspire Entertainment Resort, an integrated resort under development by U.S. casino operator Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment (MGE), set to open next year in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul. Samsung said it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Inspire Integrated Resort Co., an Incheon-based MGE affiliate, and digital signage service company Hyundai Futurenet Co., to build t

June 20, 2022

Insurers' household loans grow at slower pace in Q1

South Korean insurance companies' loans to households grew at a slower pace in the first quarter of this year from three months earlier due to tougher lending rules, data showed Monday. Insurers' outstanding loans to households totaled 128.8 trillion won ($99.77 billion) as of the end of March, up 300 billion won from the previous quarter, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service. The figure was down from the on-quarter rise of 800 billion won in the fourth quarter of last ye

June 20, 2022

FSS chief urges banks to intensify loss-absorbing capabilities, better manage foreign liquidity

A top financial regulator on Monday urged banks to beef up their loss-absorbing capabilities and make efforts for better management of foreign liquidity amid rising uncertainty at home and abroad from global monetary tightening and a possible economic recession. Lee Bok-hyun, chief of the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), made the remark in his first meeting in Seoul with chiefs of major banks after taking office earlier this month. "Current economic conditions are showing signs of a com

June 20, 2022

LG Chem to build first hydrogen plant in S. Korea

LG Chem Ltd. said Monday it is building a hydrogen plant in South Korea to produce clean fuel for use in its key petrochemical processing in line with its long-term low carbon emission goals. The hydrogen plant, to be located in its Daesan complex, about 75 kilometers southwest of Seoul, will have an annual capacity of 50,000 tons by the second quarter of 2024, with the construction to start in the first half of 2023, the chemical company said in a release. It will be LG Chem's first plant

June 20, 2022

S. Korea to expand fuel tax cuts amid soaring energy costs: ministry

South Korea plans to expand fuel tax cuts in July as part of efforts to ease inflationary pressure from surging energy costs, the finance minister said Sunday. The government will expand tax cuts on fuel consumption to a legal cap of 37 percent from the current 30 percent, according to Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho. The measure will be effective until the end of this year. South Korea is facing mounting inflationary pressure, as the protracted Russia-Ukraine war has jacked up crude oil and comm

June 20, 2022

Govt. considers expanding fuel tax cuts amid surging prices

The government has been considering expanding fuel tax cuts, as part of efforts to ease inflation pressure that has been building up amid surging energy prices, according to officials at the finance ministry Saturday. The government has been mulling expanding fuel tax cuts from the current 30 percent to a legal cap of 37 percent, according to ministry officials. Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho plans to preside over an emergency meeting with economy-related ministers Sunday, when the expansion

June 18, 2022

Korea far outpaces OECD average in inheritance tax: report

SEJONG -- South Korea far outstripped the average of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in the ratio of inheritance and gift tax revenues to gross domestic product, a local think tank said Friday. In a report, the Korea Economic Research Institute said Korea posted 0.5 percent in the ratio of revenue from inheritance and gift tax to GDP, which placed the nation at No. 3 among the OECD members as of 2020. While the institute said the level was higher by 0.3 percentage poi

June 17, 2022