Articles by Im Eun-byel
Im Eun-byel
silverstar@heraldcorp.com-
Korea sets sight on real estate, financial reform to spur economy
Finance Ministry offers growth outlook at 1.6%, lower than BOK, KDI estimates The Korean government has vowed to bring back the economy, speeding up regulatory reforms on real estate and financial markets. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho highlighted the goals while unveiling the economic policy directions for next year at the government complex in Seoul on Wednesday. According to Choo, the four pillars of the state’s economy management will be freedom, innovation
Economy Dec. 21, 2022
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Monetary policy will keep focus on fighting inflation in 2023: BOK
The Bank of Korea is likely to continue with its aggressive monetary tightening stance next year, as inflation is expected to remain well above its target. The nation's inflation rate is expected to remain at around the 5 percent range "for the time being" and then to be moderate over the next year as oil prices stabilize and higher interest rates slow the local and international economies, said Rhee Chang-yong, governor of the Bank of Korea, at a press briefing at the central ban
Economy Dec. 20, 2022
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Korea to extend tax cuts as inflation saps demand, growth
The Ministry of Economy and Finance announced Monday plans to extend tax reduction on certain products such as vehicle and energy fuel as well as consumption tax on passenger vehicles. However, the tax cut for gasoline will only be partially reduced due to some stabilization. The fuel tax reduction for vehicles, set to expire at the end of the year, has been extended to April 30. The cut for gasoline will be adjusted from the current 37 percent to 25 percent, as its price has stabilized, the min
Economy Dec. 19, 2022
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Retail investors' top 10 stocks log negative return rates
Korea's top 10 most popular stocks among retail investors, including tech titan Samsung Electronics and internet giants Naver and Kakao recorded negative return rates this year, as shares end lower on growing recession fears. The top 10 shares most bought by individual investors in Korea were Samsung Electronics, Naver, Kakao, preferred shares of Samsung Electronics, SK hynix, Doosan Enerbility, Kakao Bank, EcoPro BM, LG Electronics and Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Korea Exchange data showed.
Market Dec. 18, 2022
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US Fed’s half-point rate hike widens gap with Korea
The US Federal Reserve decided to slow down its interest rate hike pace, raising the benchmark interest rates by a half-point. The Korea-US gap widened, which could lead to the outflow of foreign funds and volatility in currency exchange. Upon concluding a two-day meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee, the US central bank raised its benchmark rate by 50 basis points to a 4.25 percent to 4.5 percent target range. Expectations are growing over whether the central bank will take a step bac
Economy Dec. 15, 2022
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Hana Financial taps CEO candidates
Hana Life Insurance CEO Lee Seung-lyul, 59, was named the final candidate to be considered as the new head of Hana Bank, in Hana Financial Group’s latest leadership reshuffle, which took place earlier than usual. Hana Financial Group said Wednesday it completed CEO nominations for its affiliates Hana Bank, Hana Securities and Hana Card through a recommendation committee meeting held the day before. It was the first CEO reshuffle to be made after the group's chairman Ham Young-joo to
Market Dec. 14, 2022
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Firms with more foreign shareholders more transparent
Companies with higher involvement of foreigners and small investors are more likely to release more detailed corporate governance reports, demonstrating more transparency, the Korea Exchange said Tuesday. The Korea Exchange, the nation's sole bourse operator, released an analysis on the corporate governance reports of companies listed on the local stock market. As companies with assets between 1 trillion and 2 trillion won ($767 million to $1.53 billion) were required to release corporate
Market Dec. 13, 2022
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Despite hiccups, regulator keeps distance from crypto listing approval
The Financial Services Commission denied a report that it is considering enforcement power to control the listing of cryptocurrencies through mandating approval from the country's top financial regulator. A local news report claimed Monday that financial authorities, including the FSC and Korea Financial Intelligence Unit, are reviewing to hold the authority to approve crypto firms to float their coins. "The report claiming financial authorities are looking into whether to approve the
Market Dec. 13, 2022
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Nearly 70,000 under 30s subject to gift tax
More than 70,000 people under the age of 30 are obliged to pay a gift tax for receiving assets in 2021, marking a two-fold increase from the year before, data showed Monday. According to Rep. Jin Sun-mee from the Democratic Party of Korea, 70,115 people under 30 are obliged to pay a gift tax for receiving land, properties or securities in 2021. Jin is a member of the Strategy & Finance Committee at the National Assembly and the data was provided by the National Tax Service. Jin argued the fi
Market Dec. 12, 2022
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Wemix launches buyback program after delisting fiasco
After being pulled off from the country’s major crypto exchange platforms, Wemix decided to repurchase some $10 million worth of its digital assets and remove them from circulation to increase the value of the token. Wemix was pulled off from Korea’s top crypto exchanges under the Digital Asset Exchange Alliance (DAXA) on Thursday, following a Seoul court’s dismissal of an injunction against the delisting of the cryptocurrency. DAXA owns the nation’s top five crypto excha
Market Dec. 9, 2022
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Foreign investors continue rush to local securities: BOK
Foreign investors remained net buyers of local securities, recording a net inflow of $2.74 billion (3.56 trillion won) in local securities in November, data from the central bank showed Friday. According to the Bank of Korea’s report on the international finance and foreign exchange market, foreigners purchased a net $2.1 billion worth of shares and $630 million worth of bonds in Korea in November, continuing the buying rush from the month before. The figure adds up to a total of $8.05 bil
Economy Dec. 9, 2022
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Korea vows to ease regulatory hurdles for foreign firms
The South Korean government pledged to make pan-governmental efforts to lift some of the regulations on businesses as part of its drive to draw more foreign-invested companies, the Trade Ministry said Thursday. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy, foreign investments play a major role in the Korean economy. Korea received $21.52 billion worth of foreign direct investment commitments from January to September this year, up 18.2 percent from the same period of the year before
Industry Dec. 8, 2022
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Jin Ok-dong tapped as chairman candidate for Shinhan Financial
Shinhan Bank President Jin Ok-dong, 61, has been appointed as the final candidate for the new chairman of Shinhan Financial Group, South Korea's No. 2 bank by total assets, Thursday. The group said that nonexecutive directors of the group unanimously voted for Jin at a candidate recommendation meeting held at the firm's headquarters in central Seoul. Other candidates were Shinhan Financial Group Chairman Cho Yong-byoung and Shinhan Card CEO Lim Young-jin. Though it was rumored that cur
Market Dec. 8, 2022
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[Newsmaker] ‘Long live the bill’ in cashless society
Banknotes with higher face value have a longer life span, with highest denomination here of 50,000 won ($38) presumed to be used for more than 15 years, a central bank report showed Wednesday. The Bank of Korea announced the results of a study on the average life span of Korean banknotes, making a presumption based on a sample survey of the notes in circulation in 2022. The results showed 10,000-won and 50,000-won bills have much longer lifetimes than bills of a smaller face value. The lifetime
Market Dec. 7, 2022
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Korea, Vietnam pledge economic alliance
More than 300 business leaders from Korea and Vietnam gathered to attend the Korea-Vietnam Business Forum, held in line with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s state visit to Korea, pledging to expand economic ties for bilateral growth. The Korea-Vietnam Business Forum, hosted by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was held at Lotte Hotel Seoul on Tuesday to commemorate the 30th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties. The Vietnamese president and Korean Finance Minister Choo
Industry Dec. 6, 2022
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