Local authorities' decision to keep the doors shut for exchange-traded funds linked to the price of bitcoin has led to concerns that Korea may be left behind by changing global financial trends. While the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s authorization of spot bitcoin ETFs represented a milestone long in the works for the virtual assets market, the financial product remains off limits for Korean investors, as local authorities announced the trading of related products for lo

Market Jan. 17, 2024

The Korean government announced new measures to curb inflation ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, including cutting price growth for fresh fruits and vegetables and postponing price hikes for electricity. With this year's four-day Lunar New Year holiday starting on Feb. 9, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok announced a slew of measures aimed at stabilizing the livelihoods of ordinary people at a governmental meeting on Tuesday. “Though the Korean economy has been showing signs of a reco

Economy Jan. 16, 2024

The National Pension Service, the world’s third-largest pension fund managing assets of around 1,000 trillion won ($757 billion), expanded its holdings in electronic parts manufacturer Samsung Electro-Mechanics, but dumped shares of IT giant Kakao in the September-December period of 2023. The fund owns a 5 percent or greater stake in each of 283 listed companies here as of Wednesday, according to market tracker FnGuide. The shares are valued at 133.83 trillion won, up 4.16 trillion won,

Market Jan. 15, 2024

Taeyoung Group founder and Honorary Chairman Yoon Se-young urged its employees to make all-out efforts to bring its debt-ridden builder Taeyoung Engineering & Construction back on track, after creditors confirmed Friday their approval for a debt restructuring program. "The debt workout has begun, backed by the strong support of creditors. This is because (the creditors) saw a high possibility of Taeyoung E&C's normalization," Yoon announced in a statement uploaded on the

Industry Jan. 12, 2024

The Bank of Korea maintained the key rate at 3.5 percent for the eighth consecutive session at its first rate-setting meeting of the year on Thursday, confirming its unwavering will to combat inflation. The monetary policy board of the central bank decided to hold the rate through a unanimous vote, keeping the rate steady for nearly a year since February 2023. Though potential fallout from project financing loans in the construction industry looms with Taeyoung Engineering & Construction fil

Economy Jan. 11, 2024

Taeyoung Group, the parent company of debt-ridden Taeyoung Engineering & Construction, said Tuesday it will put up its full stake in TY Holdings and broadcaster SBS as collateral to secure liquidity, responding to demands calling for a higher level of self-rescue plan. While Taeyoung Group announced some measures to secure the funds to repay the debts of Taeyoung E&C in late December, financial authorities and creditors have called for more effective measures, such as putting up its shar

Industry Jan. 9, 2024

Hopes are high for the initial public offering market this year, backed by big-name deals and bullish market expectations. Though the local IPO market remained sluggish in early 2023 due to deteriorating investor sentiment, it slowly phased out of the slump later in the year as major deals took place, such as those involving energy storage device manufacturer LS Materials and resource recycling company DS Dansuk. Reflecting growing hopes for a turnaround of major economies’ monetary pol

Market Jan. 8, 2024

The National Pension Service is expected to have logged over 12 percent in returns in 2023, marking its highest-ever yield. According to news reports Friday, the state pension fund may have registered its highest profit since the National Pension Service Investment Management was founded in 1999. “We cannot confirm the exact figures as a regulatory filing has not been made yet. The exact numbers are to be released in late February,” an official from the NPS said. However, seeing th

Economy Jan. 5, 2024

Hahn & Co., the nation's largest private equity firm based on assets under management, secured control over Namyang Dairy Product on Thursday, following years of legal disputes. The Supreme Court sided with Hahn & Co., ordering Namyang Dairy Product Chairman Hong Won-sik and his family members to hand over their 53.08 percent stake in the company to the private equity firm. With the court decision, the equity manager is to become the dairy firm's largest shareholder, while the

Industry Jan. 4, 2024

Hahn & Company, the nation's largest private equity firm based on assets under management, said Tuesday that it has completed the sale of SK Eco Prime, a leading biodiesel manufacturer, to Hillhouse Capital, a global equity manager based in Singapore. The company declined to reveal the deal size, but the acquisition is estimated to have been made at between 400 to 500 billion won ($306 to 382 million), according to news reports. Hahn & Co. acquired SK Chemical's bioenergy divis

Industry Jan. 2, 2024

South Korea's top four financial groups -- KB, Shinhan, Hana and Woori -- are expected to post a combined net profit of over 17 trillion won ($13 billion) this year, buoyed by their moneylending business, according to market tracker FnGuide. While the four firms posted an estimated net profit of 16.55 trillion won last year, the projected figure for this year is 17.23 trillion won, marking a 4.1 percent growth on-year. Securities firms predicted KB Financial Group to garner a net profit of

Industry Jan. 2, 2024

Foreign investors snapped up investments in Samsung Electronics last year, net buying more than 16 trillion won ($12.31 billion) worth of shares, buoyed by the expectations of a recovery of the global chip industry. In 2023, foreign investors scooped up a net 16.73 trillion won of shares in Samsung Electronics, the largest amount since related data was compiled from 1999, according to the nation’s sole bourse operator Korea Exchange. It also marked a turnaround from their net selling stanc

Market Jan. 1, 2024

South Korea's Shinhan Bank said Friday its Indonesian unit, Bank Shinhan Indonesia, has won a $200 million investment from the International Finance Corp. The funding is a result of a memorandum of understanding signed between Shinhan Financial Group and the IFC in May, aiming to expand cooperation in global expansion and environmental, social and governance drives. Initially, the IFC will provide $100 million, followed by an additional $100 million financing within a year. Bank Shinhan Ind

Companies Dec. 22, 2023

The National Assembly on Thursday passed the government budget for 2024 amounting to 656.6 trillion won ($502 billion). The final package showed a 2.8 percent gain from that of last year’s, marking the smallest on-year increase for the government budget. It was down 300 billion won from the government proposal of 656.9 trillion won submitted in September. The government's fiscal soundness will continue to face challenges next year, as the proposed tax revenue stands at 612.2 trillion

Economy Dec. 21, 2023

The South Korean government will raise the threshold for major shareholders' capital gains tax to those holding 5 billion won ($3.83 million) worth of stocks from the current 1 billion won, the Finance Ministry announced Thursday. The Ministry of Finance will revise the capital gains tax regulation in the Enforcement Decree of the Income Tax Act. As it falls under an enforcement ordinance, the government does not have to earn approval from the National Assembly. Korea currently levies capit

Market Dec. 21, 2023