Assuming the worst-case scenario regarding the ongoing new coronavirus outbreak, South Korea could see its GDP contract by as much as 1 percent this year, according to the Asian Development Bank. In its latest report “The Economic Impact of the COVID-19 Outbreak on Developing Asia,” the multilateral agency suggested four possible scenarios to assess the economic fallout that the fast-spreading epidemic may have on major Asian economies. The categories were classified into

Economy March 8, 2020

Citibank Korea and Korea Development Bank will not accomodate financial authorities’ earlier arbitrary recommendation concerning compensation for disputed currency-linked derivatives sold several years ago, officials of the respective banks said Thursday. “After extensive internal discussions and consultations with the board of directors, Citibank does not propose to proceed as recommended (by the FSS),” the Korean subsidiary of the New York-based bank said in a release. &

Market March 5, 2020

Following the United States’ abrupt rate cut action and the escalating pessimism of global investors, South Korea finds itself with little choice but to bend prudence and lower its policy rate as soon as possible, according to market observers. Concerns are mounting, however, that Asia’s fourth-largest economy may already have missed the chance to take relevant monetary moves, considering the prolonged impact of the globally spreading COVID-19. The key agenda for Korea’s

Economy March 5, 2020

South Korea’s government on Wednesday unveiled a supplementary budget bill amounting to 11.7 trillion won ($9.9 billion) to counter the prolonged economic fallout from the rapid spread of COVID-19. The bill, approved by the Cabinet on Wednesday, is set to be handed over to the National Assembly on Thursday for immediate effectuation. “The scale of the extra budget stands at 11.7 trillion won, of which revenue accounts for 3.2 trillion won and expenditure for 8.5 trillion won,&rdqu

Economy March 4, 2020

South Korea’s upcoming supplementary state budget to fight the ongoing spread of the new coronavirus is anticipated to exceed 11.6 trillion won ($9.7 billion), according to a senior policymaker Tuesday. “In addition to the already announced set of comprehensive measures, (the government) has drafted an extra budget bill that exceeds 11 trillion won in volume,” said Lee Nak-yon on Facebook. Former Prime Minister Lee presently serves as chairman of the ruling Democratic Par

Economy March 3, 2020

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has cut its outlook for South Korea’s growth this year by 0.3 percentage point, reflecting the fallout from the new coronavirus, the Ministry of Economy and Finance said Monday. In its biannual Interim Economic Outlook, the OECD forecast that the world economy would expand 2.4 percent this year, down 0.5 percentage point from its earlier prediction in November last year. The outlook for next year, in contrast, was raised 0.3 per

Economy March 2, 2020

South Korea’s government will be submitting an extra budget bill this week to cope with the fast spread of the new coronavirus, the country’s top fiscal policymaker said Monday, requesting cooperation from parliamentarians. Though specific details have yet to be yet revealed, the budget will far exceed the 6.2 trillion won ($5.18 billion) allotted in 2015 to deal with the outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome. “The government’s supplementary budget bill will be

Economy March 2, 2020

South Korea’s economic indexes for February could plunge drastically, taking the full impact of the coronavirus outbreak, the government said Friday. “The fast-spreading COVID-19 is increasingly weighing on consumer sentiment and economic activities,” said Kim Yong-beom, first vice minister of economy and finance, during a macroeconomy-finance policy meeting at the Korea Federation of Banks in central Seoul. The meeting was attended by officials from the Financial Service

Economy Feb. 28, 2020

Yeouido, packed with financial companies and home to the National Assembly, was on its guard against the new coronavirus on Friday following news of confirmed cases in the area. The state-run Export-Import Bank of Korea said early in the morning that one of its employees was confirmed with COVID-19 around 7:30 p.m. the previous day. The bank immediately initiated emergency measures, shutting down its headquarters in west Yeouido and carrying out extensive quarantine. Some 800 employees w

Market Feb. 28, 2020

South Korea’s government announced Thursday that it will share the cost burden of landlords who voluntarily offer a rental discount to tenants amid the new coronavirus fallout, according to the top fiscal policymaker. “For landlords who reduce the rental fees for their small business owner tenants during the first six months of this year, (the government) will reduce 50 percent of the (lease) reduction amount from (their) income tax or corporate tax, regardless of their total in

Economy Feb. 27, 2020

Despite the economic fallout of the new coronavirus, South Korea’s central bank on Thursday froze its policy rate, but chose to cut the growth outlook, reflecting heightened uncertainties. Instead of taking immediate monetary easing decisions, it decided to focus on microscopic actions such as expanding financial support for affected industries. The Bank of Korea’s rate-setting Monetary Policy Board held its second meeting for this year and decided to keep the nation’s ba

Economy Feb. 27, 2020

The unfettered spread of the new coronavirus in South Korea has sparked jitters both here and abroad, with most market observers noting that the spillover effects will continue through March, weighing down on the domestic stock market. For one, global investment bank JP Morgan, in its latest report, has forecast that the infection will peak at around 10,000 by late March. “According to the JP Morgan insurance team’s epidemiology model, Korea’s COVID-19 infection rate has not

Market Feb. 26, 2020

Anxiety is mounting that South Korea, reeling under the prolonged impact of the fast-spreading novel coronavirus, may have no choice but to lower its already modest growth prospects for 2020. While speculations burgeoned that the central bank may cut its outlook by 0.2 percentage point to 2.1 percent, several global investing institutions set their estimation in the 1 percent range, some going as low as the zero percent range. The Bank of Korea’s upcoming Monetary Policy Board, slated

Economy Feb. 25, 2020

The government said Monday it would soon announce “special actions” to deal with the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak, defining the current situation as an “economic emergency.” It added that it would take necessary measures in case of increased volatility in the currency market while maintaining a wait-and-see approach. “Under the awareness that the current circumstances correspond to an economic emergency, the government will respond in a swift,

Economy Feb. 24, 2020

Shinhan Bank said Sunday that it is temporarily shutting down its branch at the Seongnam Industrial Complex Financial Center, Gyeonggi Province, after one of its employees tested positive for COVID-19. The confirmed patient had visited a hospital funeral center in the southern city of Daegu, where the epidemic has been spreading at a fast pace over the past week, officials said. After experiencing fever and other symptoms, the patient visited a designated inspection station in the vicinity.

Market Feb. 23, 2020