ICT Ministry to commit W16b to digital media startups

The Ministry of Science and ICT said Friday it plans to commit 16 billion won ($14.7 million) to Seoul-based venture capital house K & Investment Partners as part of the government-led initiative to foster the domestic digital media ecosystem. The commitment from its fund-of-funds, managed by Korea Venture Investment Corp., will be used to create a 26 billion-won fund by March next year. K & has been selected as the ICT Ministry’s only external partner to manage the fund out of 1

Dec. 11, 2020

Woori Financial chief buys back group shares to show confidence in future business

Woori Financial Group said Friday its Chairman Sohn Tae-seung recently bought back 5,000 company shares to show his confidence in the banking group’s future growth. Sohn’s stock buyback marks the fifth time this year, following his earlier buying in January, March, April and August. He now holds 88,127 shares in Woori Financial.  “By purchasing the firm’s shares in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, he aimed to build market confidence in the group’s corporate f

Dec. 11, 2020

Seoul stocks open sharply higher on vaccine hopes

South Korea's benchmark stock index opened sharply higher Friday, as optimism over new coronavirus vaccinations gained ground in the financial markets. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 25.87 points, or 0.94 percent, to 2,772.33 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Local stocks traded bullish, as vaccine hopes offset concerns over increasing COVID-19 cases at home and disappointing jobless data in the United States. Investor sentiment was boosted following a US government advisory p

Dec. 11, 2020

[Women in Finance 2] Coffee errands, parenting, golf: How Korean women are kept from climbing the ladder

   The Korea Herald is publishing a series of special reports on the glass ceiling in the financial industry, focusing on South Korea’s market compared to other major economies. Funded by The Korea Press Foundation, the series will evaluate where Asia’s fourth-largest economy stands in terms of gender equality, will reflect on changes being made and will explore ways to boost inclusion in the sector. -- Ed. Kim Ji-youn was filled with her own expectations of building a

Dec. 10, 2020

Seoul stocks close lower on foreign selling spree amid volatility

South Korean stocks closed lower Thursday, roiled by an overnight Wall Street tech plunge and vaccine concerns amid uncertainties over the quadruple expiration of key stock derivatives. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. After choppy trading, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 9.01 points, or 0.33 percent, to close at 2,746.46. Trading volume was high at about 1.2 billion shares worth some 20.3 trillion won ($18.6 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 65

Dec. 10, 2020

Shinhan wins CDP Leadership A for 7th year

Shinhan Financial Group has won the top grade recognition in climate change leadership from Carbon Disclosure Project, becoming the first South Korean financial institute to maintain the honor for seven years straight. The Korean banking group has received Leadership A, the top notch prize in the CDP Climate Change criteria this year, marking the seventh consecutive year of such achievement, officials said in a release Thursday. Also, based on the CDP report issued in April, the CDP’s

Dec. 10, 2020

Korean GDP to grow 3.6%, Kospi to hit 2,850 in 2021: Nomura

Driven by the development of COVID-19 vaccines and their eventual distribution, South Korea’s economy will steadily recover in 2021, growing at 3.6 percent followed by a 0.8 percent contraction this year, according to Japan’s Nomura Securities on Thursday. “Amid the global capex (capital expenditures) recovery, current IT export products and new export products such as electric vehicles and biohealth will play a leading role in driving South Korea’s economic recovery ne

Dec. 10, 2020

[Herald Interview] Procurement system revamp to spur growth of innovative SMEs

South Korea‘s central government procurement agency has been putting efforts into bridging innovation-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises and aspiring buyers of their prototypes and goods, its chief said in a recent interview with The Korea Herald. As the state-run Public Procurement Service is looking to strengthen a separate web-based procurement platform created in February, in addition to its flagship Korea Online E-Procurement System, the agency will stay committed to the ro

Dec. 10, 2020

Foreigners remain net buyers of S. Korean stocks in November

Foreign investors extended a net purchase of South Korean equities for the second consecutive month in November, supported by hopes of a global economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, the central bank said Thursday. Foreigners bought a net $5.52 billion worth of local stocks last month, compared with a net purchase of $1.38 billion in October, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). Offshore investors became net sellers of Korean bonds worth $450 million last month, the BOK said. Meanw

Dec. 10, 2020

Seoul stocks open lower on Facebook lawsuit, allergy cases in British vaccination

South Korea's benchmark stock index opened sharply lower Thursday on overnight Wall Street tech losses and reports of allergy cases related to the vaccinations in Britain. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 26.77 points, or 0.97 percent, to 2,728.7 in the first 15 minutes of trading. The fall was led by shares of tech giants, tracking a 1.94 percent overnight plunge on the Nasdaq composite. The US Federal Trade Commission's antitrust lawsuit against Facebook dropped investor appetite f

Dec. 10, 2020

Why Kospi could be headed for 3,000

Stock analysts are setting bullish targets on South Korea‘s main stock market index Kospi, as optimism for strong earnings growth next year abound, while investors backed by ample market liquidity are zeroing in on equities as their choices are increasingly limited. The views came as the Kospi on Wednesday resumed its record run by closing at 2,755.47. The index rebounded 2 percent from a day prior when Kospi retreated from the five-trading-day rally since the start of December. Kospi, w

Dec. 9, 2020

Seoul stocks close at record high on vaccine hopes, US stimulus talks

South Korean stocks closed at an all-time high Wednesday, driven by progress of COVID-19 vaccines amid optimism over US stimulus talks. The Korean won rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 54.54 points, or 2.02 percent, to close at 2,755.47. Trading volume was high at about 1.2 billion shares worth some 16.8 trillion won ($15.5 billion), with gainers outnumbering losers 658 to 192. Foreigners bought a net 162 billion won, while retail investo

Dec. 9, 2020

Shinhan Financial to gain full ownership of Neoplux

South Korea’s financial behemoth Shinhan Financial Group is slated to gain full ownership of its newly-acquired subsidiary Neoplux -- a former venture capital arm under Doosan Group -- as soon as the two sides complete a small-scale stock exchange at the end of this month, a filing showed Wednesday.  According to DART, the Financial Supervisory Service’s electronic disclosure board, the banking giant will carry out the small-scale stock exchange with Neoplux on Dec. 30. Starti

Dec. 9, 2020

Mirae Asset’s ETF listed on Vietnamese stock market

An exchange-traded fund operated by the Vietnam branch of South Korea‘s leading asset management firm Mirae Asset Global made a market debut in the Southeast Asian country‘s stock market, the company said Wednesday. The so-called Mirae Asset VN30 Exchange Traded Fund is designed to invest in 30 blue-chip Vietnamese companies, including Vingroup Joint Stock Company, Vietcombank and Vinamilk. Its shares account 76 percent of the total market capitalization of the nation’s public

Dec. 9, 2020

Govt. warns of possible excessive overheating in asset markets

South Korea's vice finance minister warned Wednesday against potential excessive overheating in stock and property markets, saying that asset prices could spike amid ample liquidity and the economic recovery. First Vice Finance Minister Kim Yong-beom made the remarks as the country's stock prices hit a fresh record high in recent sessions and housing prices have not stabilized despite a series of the government's measures. "We need to be wary of the possibility that market volatility coul

Dec. 9, 2020

Seoul stocks open higher on vaccine hopes

South Korean stocks opened higher Wednesday, tracking overnight Wall Street gains, as Britain started mass-vaccinations against COVID-19 amid optimism over US stimulus talks. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 23.39 points, or 0.87 percent, to 2,724.32 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Local stocks traded bullish with reignited stimulus hopes in the United States, following Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's offer to set aside some deadlock factors from the relief pa

Dec. 9, 2020

Korea’s secondary bourse approaches 18-year high

South Korea’s secondary bourse has continued to rally over the past few weeks, touching the 930-point mark during early trading on Tuesday and marking an 18-year high. The tech-heavy bourse reached 2,834.40 on March 10, 2000, the result of so-called “dotcom fever.” Since that bubble burst, it has never again surpassed the 943 points posted March 22, 2002. Considering the recent record-breaking rallies in the nation’s main bourse, Kospi, expectations are also high for K

Dec. 8, 2020

Seoul stocks dip over 1.5% on virus concerns

South Korean stocks dipped more than 1.5 percent Tuesday, snapping a five-session winning streak on concerns over the new coronavirus resurgence around the globe. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) retreated 44.51 points, or 1.62 percent, to close at 2,700.93. Trading volume was high at about 1.4 billion shares worth some 16.9 trillion won ($15.6 billion), with losers outnumbering gainers 567 to 277. Foreigners sold a net 846 bi

Dec. 8, 2020

KB Securities, Jefferies sign co-brand alliance

South Korea’s brokerage house KB Securities said Tuesday it has teamed up with New York-based multinational investment bank Jefferies Group to establish a co-brand alliance for equity research, sales and trading. Under the term, Jefferies will distribute equity research on listed companies in Korea produced by KB Securities on a co-branded basis to Jefferies’ global institutional client base. KB Securities will also offer Korean equity brokerage services to Jefferies and its interna

Dec. 8, 2020

Seoul stocks open lower on Wall Street losses

South Korean stocks opened lower Tuesday, taking a cue from overnight losses on Wall Street amid concerns over the new coronavirus resurgence in global markets. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index fell 8.83 points, or 0.32 percent, to 2,736.61 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average retreated 0.49 percent to 30,069.79 points on rising COVID-19 cases and disappointing jobless data. The Nasdaq composite gained 0.45 percent, but the S&P 500

Dec. 8, 2020