Land Minister vows to ease price ceiling on privately built apartments

New South Korean Land Minister Won Hee-ryong pledged Monday to announce measures to ease the cap on presale prices of privately built apartments, a scheme adopted by the previous Moon Jae-in administration widely criticized for failing to curb the housing prices here. “The scheme has been introducing side-effects to the market as it forcefully puts a cap on the presale prices when it doesn’t consider parts of maintenance cost or the rising raw materials cost,” Won said at a p

May 23, 2022

Investors warned over ‘frothy’ markets amid wobbly Kospi

As unprecedented stimulus packages to fuel South Korea’s COVID-hit economy run out, investors are increasingly worried over a possible bubble burst in stocks, property and cryptocurrencies that would make it harder for the already wobbly benchmark Kospi to return to its record highs a year ago. The Bank of Korea, which has already lifted interest rates twice this year to combat red-hot inflation, is expected to back another raise Thursday while eyeing more hikes later in the year. Rising

May 23, 2022

Seoul shares open higher on summit hope

South Korean stocks open higher Monday, buoyed by the anticipation that the outcome of the South Korea-US summit will give a boost to key industrial sectors. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 6.88 points, or 0.26 percent, to trade at 2,646.17 in the first 15 minutes of trading. In a joint statement issued after the summit between Presidents Yoon Suk-yeol and Joe Biden on Saturday, the two countries agreed to enhance cooperation in various sectors, from semiconductors, electric v

May 23, 2022

Seoul stocks sharply rebound on dip-buying, ahead of Biden visit

South Korean shares advanced Friday as investors scooped up oversold stocks and pinned hopes for expanded business ties between South Korea and the United States. The Korean won steeply rose against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 46.95 points, or 1.81 percent, to close at 2,639.29 points. After a volatile week from high inflation, the key stock index gained 1.35 percent from a week ago. Friday's trading volume was moderate at about 743 million s

May 20, 2022

Taiwan’s Fubon Financial becomes third-largest shareholder in Hyundai Card

Taiwanese banking giant Fubon Financial on Friday raised its stake in South Korea’s Hyundai Card to nearly 20 percent, expanding its clout over management of the card issuer. Fubon Financial is now the card issuer’s third-largest shareholder with 19.98 percent after Hyundai Motor with 36.96 percent and Hyundai Commercial with 28.56 percent. Kia Corp. is the fourth-largest stakeholder with 11.48 percent. The latest announcement puts a final stamp on the exit of a consortium led by

May 20, 2022

Seoul stocks open higher on tech, auto gains

South Korean shares opened higher Friday, buoyed by strong advances by tech and auto heavyweights, despite overnight falls on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) had added 25.64 points, or 0.99 percent, to trade at 2,617.98 points as of 9:15 a.m. On Thursday, the index dipped 1.28 percent. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite declined, largely on continued pressure on inflation hikes. KOSPI's top cap Samsung Electro

May 20, 2022

Seoul shares dip over 1% on inflation woes

Seoul shares dropped by over 1 percent to snap their two-day winning streak, as investors' appetite for risky assets fell amid fears about high-flying inflation pressure that sparked a massive sell-off on Wall Street. The Korean won steeply fell against the US dollar. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) retreated 33.64 points, or 1.28 percent, to close at 2,592.34 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 663 million shares worth some 9.7 trillion won ($7.6 billion), with loser

May 19, 2022

Korea has nearly 100,000 investors holding crypto worth over W100m

Some 100,000 retail investors in South Korea each held over 100 million won ($78,000) in deposits at cryptocurrency exchanges here as of end-2021, government data showed Thursday, fueling concerns as the recent crash of Korean-made terraUSD and luna cryptocurrencies has decimated the value of digital assets. As of end-December last year, a total of 5.58 million investors were registered with local crypto exchanges, including those provide won-denominated and coin trading, according Financial S

May 19, 2022

Seoul shares open steeply lower after US stock plunge

Seoul shares opened steeply lower Thursday, tracking an overnight plunge on Wall Street that stemmed from fears about high-flying inflation pressure. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 47.02 points, or 1.79 percent, to 2,578.96 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. The S&P 500 sank 4.04 percent Thursday, the sharpest drop since June 2020, as high inflation and lackluster earnings by giant retailers stoked concerns about a possible recession. The Dow Jones Industrial Average

May 19, 2022

Justice minister revives financial fraud team

The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors Office said Wednesday that it has reinstated the joint team on financial and securities fraud that was disbanded by the previous Moon government, a day after the new justice minister called for it at his inauguration. The joint team, which was set up in 2013 but dissolved in 2020 amid criticisms that prosecutors abused their authority, epitomized the power and influence wielded by the prosecution. The team, dubbed the market’s “angel of death,

May 18, 2022

Seoul shares open higher on US tech rally

South Korean shares opened higher Wednesday, tracking overnight rallies on Wall Street amid lingering uncertainty over higher inflation and combative monetary tightening in major economies. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 23.55 points, or 0.90 percent, to 2,643.99 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, US stocks closed higher, boosted by a rally in tech stocks, in the face of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's hawkish comments. Powell said the Fed was ready to act a

May 18, 2022

Seoul shares up nearly 1% as investors buy beaten-down issues

South Korean shares rose nearly 1 percent Tuesday as investors picked up recently downbeat issues, including Samsung Electronics, amid worries over inflation and aggressive monetary tightening in major economies. The Korean won gained ground against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 23.86 points, or 0.92 percent, to close at 2,620.44 points. Trading volume was moderate at about 859 million shares worth some 9.3 trillion won ($7.3 billion), with gainers

May 17, 2022

Seoul shares open higher amid persistent rate hike woes

South Korean shares opened higher Tuesday on institutional buying despite persistent worries over inflation and aggressive monetary tightening in major economies. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 16.51 points, or 0.64 percent, to 2,613.09 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, US stocks ended mixed over the latest disappointing economic data from the US and China. Adding to investor anxiety is the Federal Reserve's monetary tightening to tackle inflation and the war in

May 17, 2022

[Newsmaker] Creator of Korean-made cryptos under siege after $37b wiped out

South Korean entrepreneur Do Kwon was a rising star of the global digital asset market when his company Terraform Labs launched the cryptocurrencies UST and luna with the goal of achieving a decentralized economy three years ago. His stardom reached its peak as the price of luna skyrocketed to over $119 early last month, becoming the first Korean-developed cryptocurrency to crack the top 10 list of cryptocurrencies with the highest market capitalization in the world. Some investors and i

May 16, 2022

Women empowerment, net-zero: Hana Financial bolsters ESG efforts

South Korea‘s Hana Financial Group announced Monday its support for the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) and said that it has joined the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, as part of its efforts to bolster ESG value in its management. The WEPs is a joint initiative by UN Women and UN Global Compact to promote women’s empowerment in the workplace and community. Hana said it will expand gender equality in its workplace by providing additional promotion and education opportunities f

May 16, 2022

[Herald Interview] ‘BTS’ military service will have limited impact on KPOP ETF’

When Psy’s supercharged “Gangnam Style” rose to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2012, nobody expected it to spark K-pop’s long-running, global popularity. Exactly a decade later, an Oklahoma-based exchange-traded fund issuer has decided to bring the idea of investing in K-pop-related businesses to the US. “The K-pop movement is still growing here in the US, and we think it is well known enough now that US investors will find this intriguing,” J. Garrett

May 16, 2022

Stock market's trading volume dips amid growing uncertainty

South Korea's main stock market saw its trading volume shrink more than 16 percent this month from a year earlier, data showed Monday, as investors remained on the sidelines amid inflation worries and other negatives. The daily trading volume of the country's main bourse averaged 940 million shares during 10 sessions between May 2 and Friday, down 16.4 percent from a year ago, according to the data from the Korea Exchange. In particular, the average daily trading volume of the top 10 caps, exclu

May 16, 2022

Seoul shares open higher amid woes over sharp rate hikes

Seoul shares opened higher Monday amid woes over high inflation, rake hikes and an economic slowdown. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 13.52 points, or 0.52 percent, to 2,617.76 in the first 15 minutes of trading. On Friday, Seoul shares bounced back to snap an eight-session losing streak, as investors scooped up large-cap stocks on bargain hunting. US stocks also closed higher after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell reiterated the Fed was not "actively considering"

May 16, 2022

KG Group picked as preferred bidder for SsangYong Motor

A Seoul court said Friday that it picked chemical conglomerate KG Group as the preferred bidder to acquire SsangYong Motor, a debt-ridden carmaker whose recent takeover by a local electric automaker fell apart. “We’ve looked at whether the bidder could really deliver the cash promised, given the fiasco months ago when the deal fell apart because of that,” SsangYong Motor said. The KG Group-led consortium, which includes Pavilion Private Equity, has enough cash to make the pur

May 13, 2022

Seoul shares sharply rebound on bargain hunting; inflation woes remain

Seoul shares bounced back to end higher on Friday, snapping an eight-session losing streak, as investors scooped up large-cap stocks on bargain hunting amid inflation concerns. The South Korean won rose against the US dollar. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 54.16 points, or 2.12 percent, to 2,604.24. The main index shed 5.4 percent over the past eight sessions through Thursday. The KOSPI had continued to fall as investors expect the Federal Reserve to deliver a series of big-s

May 13, 2022