South Korea has for weeks ramped up pressure on the local cryptocurrency industry through a pangovernmental body that includes the Prime Minister’s Office, Justice Ministry, financial authorities and police, among others. Following the move, Korea has imposed a ban on non-real-name transactions and trading by foreigners and minors. Last year, initial coin offerings were also forbidden. Moreover, financial watchdogs are inspecting commercial banks -- within their control -- for failing to p

Market Jan. 10, 2018

Customer satisfaction for firms and universities in South Korea improved overall in 2017 compared to the previous year, a recent survey by the Korea Productivity Center showed.KT, Lotte Department Store, Samsung C&T and Chungbuk National University topped the list for their respective industries. The National Customer Satisfaction Index in the fourth quarter of 2017 came to 75.6 points, up 0.9 point from that of the previous year, according to the KPC’s survey on 86,494 respondents with experien

Industry Jan. 9, 2018

South Korea’s top financial regulator on Monday called on banks to act as “gatekeepers” in monitoring cryptocurrency-related transactions, elaborating on the need to set off a nationwide survey Monday on banks that have provided virtual accounts for the transactions. “Concerns are rising as banks have kept mum about money flows for illegal use, instead of taking the role of gatekeepers,” said head of the Financial Services Commission Choi Jong-ku in a press conferen

Market Jan. 8, 2018

Kakao Bank, South Korea‘s leading direct bank by transaction volume, denied news reports Monday that it is looking to turn to corporations to diversify its customer group, currently solely composed of retail customers. Earlier Monday, the online-only bank was reported to have revised its terms and conditions in December to allow for business entities to open checking accounts through its mobile platform, with interest rates settled quarterly. Kakao Bank said Monday the revision was meant t

Market Jan. 8, 2018

This is the 48th in a series of articles analyzing major companies traded on the tech-heavy Kosdaq market. -- Ed.South Korea announced in October last year the upcoming PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games will become the test bed for the nation‘s first fifth-generation network. The news triggered anticipation for the hyper-connectivity -- or connectivity between humans and things -- powered by what would roughly be 10 times faster than 4G long-term evolution standard in the country that boast

Market Jan. 7, 2018

Hanwha Group has purchased 1,400 tickets for the forthcoming PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games and souvenirs to gift them to customers, the underprivileged and foreign military personnel temporarily living in South Korea, according to the company Thursday.  (Yonhap)The conglomerate held a ceremony on Thursday in Seoul to hand out 300 tickets to over 80 military officers that came to Korea from 27 countries. Those holding the tickets have access to events such as Skeleton and Bobsleigh, according

Industry Jan. 4, 2018

Hyosung on Wednesday embarked on a preliminary screening process to list a new holding company and four subsidiaries that will be spun off on the first-tier stock market Kospi, according to the Korea Exchange. By no later than June 1 this year, Hyosung will spin off the units, each dedicated to the polyester fiber industry, heavy industries, industrial materials and chemical products, according to a regulatory filing with the Financial Supervisory Service.  (Hyosung)The four subsidiaries will ho

Industry Jan. 3, 2018

South Korean brokerage KTB Investment & Securities is on track for a transition in leadership to incumbent Vice Chairman Lee Byung-chul, in the wake of a series of scandals involving Chairman Kwon Sung-moon. Lee, 48, announced Tuesday in a regulatory filing that he would exercise his right of first refusal on 18.76 percent of shares worth 66.2 billion won ($62.2 million) in the securities firm, which the 55-year-old Kwon waived in December 2017. By exercising the right, Lee can purchase or p

Market Jan. 3, 2018

Don Tapscott, a Canadian best-selling author and founder of Blockchain Research Institute, will speak at a blockchain conference slated for Jan. 17 in Seoul, according to an industry source Wednesday.  The event, titled “Blockchain Revolution: Convergence with Traditional Economy,” will take place at Seoul Dragon City in Yongsan, central Seoul. Tapscott, co-author of “Blockchain Revolution,” last visited Korea in late October last year. Swiss blockchain tech sta

Market Jan. 3, 2018

The Korea Herald is publishing a series of interviews on promising startups in the fintech industry. This is the seventh installment. — Ed.Securities firms in South Korea have for the past few years joined the race to lower commission fees -- to nearly zero -- to draw in more retail investors. But to Ryan Moon, co-founder of Korea’s first robo adviser-powered investment service provider Newsystock, such an approach is off the point, as increasingly sophisticated retail investors here

Market Jan. 2, 2018

Mirae Asset Daewoo, the largest securities firm by net worth in South Korea, was slapped with a fine of 325.2 million won ($306,000) in December last year over a breach of the Capital Markets Act, according to the Financial Supervisory Service on Tuesday. 　Three brokers at Mirae Asset Daewoo, who were not identified to the media, were given penalties such as suspension, wage cut and reprimand by the watchdog a month after their wrongdoings came to light. Violations by the brokers include misrepr

Market Jan. 2, 2018

In the wake of the South Korean government’s signal that it may shut down cryptocurrency exchange businesses, rumors circulated online Friday that a protest against the government’s anti-cryptocurrency move would be held in Gwanghwamun Plaza in central Seoul on Saturday night. An online post said a protest would begin at 8 p.m. Saturday to fight the state-led crackdown “without the slightest legal basis.” The post claimed the crackdown hurts those that cannot afford real

Market Dec. 29, 2017

The value of shares traded on South Korea’s second-tier stock market Kosdaq in 2017 hit an all-time high as of Friday, riding the momentum of biotech shares and heightening volatility of shares linked to the cryptocurrency industry since November, data showed Tuesday. From Jan. 2, 2017 to Friday, investors traded stocks worth 876.3 trillion won ($813.9 billion) in total, beating the previous record of 873.8 trillion won in 2015, according to data from the market operator Korea Exchange. On

Market Dec. 26, 2017

This is the 47th in a series of articles analyzing major companies traded on the tech-heavy Kosdaq market. -- Ed.Raonsecure, a local mobile security solutions provider, had a year filled with a string of opportunities, as the government pushed to abolish the use of ActiveX from major websites and approved operations of mobile banks. But nothing seems to have pushed the price ceiling of the Kosdaq-listed company further than growing interest in one particular market -- cryptocurrency.On the back

Market Dec. 25, 2017

Mirae Asset Global Investment was managing over 300 private or retirement pension funds worth a combined 5.02 trillion won ($4.65 billion) as of November, a quarter of the domestic market, according to the firm Monday.The volume of the pension funds run by the asset management arm under Mirae Asset Group jumped more than fourfold in November from the end of 2010. The company managed private pension funds worth a combined 2.59 trillion won, while its retirement pension funds were worth

Market Dec. 25, 2017