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Park Han-sol

Korea Times Finance Reporter

Park Han-sol reports on Korea's financial regulators, along with fintech and insurance. She previously wrote about the art world, from biennales and exhibitions to fairs and auctions, with a focus on Seoul and the figures shaping the scene. Before joining The Korea Times, she spent a year at ABC News' Seoul bureau, contributing to coverage of major Asia-Pacific events.

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Economy

KOSPI regains 7,000 as Samsung Electronics shares surge on record chip exports

The benchmark KOSPI reclaimed the 7,000 mark on Monday for the first time in seven sessions, lifted by a sharp rise in Samsung Electronics shares after Korea reported record semiconductor exports in September. According to the Korea Exchange, the main index opened at 6,938.34, up 0.64 percent from the previous close, and remained in positive territory throughout the day. It closed at 7,007.72, up 1.65 percent. The Korea Customs Service said exports totaled $71.4 billion from Sept. 1 through 20, up 78.3 percent from a year earlier. Particularly, chip exports more than tripled to $34.12 billion, a 259.4 percent increase that marked a new monthly record. Institutional investors led the buying, scooping up a net 1.49 trillion won ($1.08 billion) in shares. Retail investors and foreign investors, by contrast, were net sellers of 2.98 trillion won and 160.2 billion won, respectively. Samsung Electronics led the rally, climbing as much as 5.36 percent intraday before ultimately closing at 274,000 won, up 4.98 percent. SK hynix also advanced, albeit much more modestly, ending at 1.87 million won

2h agoBy Park Han-sol
KOSPI regains 7,000 as Samsung Electronics shares surge on record chip exports
Banking & Finance

Shinhan Financial expands partnership with Vietnam's Vingroup

Shinhan Financial Group is expanding its partnership with Vietnam’s Vingroup beyond motor vehicle finance into capital markets, it said Sunday. Shinhan Financial Chairman Jin Ok-dong met with Vingroup executives Thursday at Shinhan Bank Vietnam’s headquarters in Ho Chi Minh City to discuss new areas of cooperation. Vingroup, the Southeast Asian country’s largest private company by market capitalization, has interests ranging from real estate to electric vehicles. Shinhan’s relationship with the group has so far centered on vehicle finance, particularly for VinFast, its electric vehicle (EV) unit. Since 2024, Shinhan Bank Vietnam has provided a cumulative $100 million in loans to VinFast customers. Shinhan Vietnam Finance financed around 14,000 VinFast motorcycles in the first half of this year, with total financing reaching 15 billion won ($10.9 million). The two parties now plan to explore capital market opportunities, including equity and bond financing through Shinhan Securities Vietnam. Shinhan Bank Vietnam and Shinhan Vietnam Finance will also expand their vehicle finance bu

1d agoBy Park Han-sol
Shinhan Financial expands partnership with Vietnam's Vingroup
Economy

Korean bond rates most sensitive to changing US yields in emerging Asian markets

Korean interest rates are highly sensitive to movements in U.S. yields as markets anticipate a quick response by the Bank of Korea (BOK), pricing that expectation into Korean rates before the central bank actually makes a move, a new BOK study showed Sunday. The finding helps explain why Korean bond yields tend to move closely with their U.S. counterparts even when the two economies seem to be heading in different directions. That sensitivity has become increasingly pronounced over the past two decades. A Bloomberg analysis earlier this year found Korean government bonds to be the most sensitive among emerging Asian markets to shifts in the U.S. Treasury yield curve. The BOK researchers found that global inflation shocks were the single largest contributor, accounting for 41 percent of the co-movement, both in the direction and the level of volatility. The link strengthened sharply after the 2008 global financial crisis and again during the global inflation shock that began in 2021. This can make it harder for the BOK to calibrate monetary policy solely based on economic conditions at ho

1d agoBy Park Han-sol
Korean bond rates most sensitive to changing US yields in emerging Asian markets
Banking & Finance

Hanwha deepens ties with Abu Dhabi in digital finance

Hanwha Group’s financial affiliates are expanding ties with Abu Dhabi across digital finance, stablecoins and cross-border payments, as the group seeks to build a broader foothold in the Middle East’s financial center. Hanwha Life Insurance, Hanwha General Insurance, Hanwha Asset Management and Hanwha Investment & Securities signed separate agreements with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), covering digital finance and financial infrastructure. Hanwha Life signed a partnership with ADIO to collaborate on developing digital financial services, strengthening ties between the Korean and Abu Dhabi financial and capital markets and exploring opportunities in digital banking. Hanwha Asset Management, meanwhile, signed a tripartite partnership with ADGM and Hana Financial Group on stablecoins and financial infrastructure to develop cross-border payment and remittance solutions linking Korea and Abu Dhabi. The four financial affiliates also signed a partnership with ADGM for Abu Dhabi Finance Week 2026, building on discussions at last year’s event ab

Sep 18, 2026By Park Han-sol
Hanwha deepens ties with Abu Dhabi in digital finance
Economy

Investors turn from dollar to yen for FX bets

Korean investors are turning from the U.S. dollar to the Japanese yen as the won has strengthened against the greenback in recent months, with the won-dollar exchange rate falling from above 1,550 won in the first half of the year to the 1,300-won range. With the won falling to the 850-won range against 100 yen, near a record low, expectations of a gradual yen recovery are growing, prompting investors to buy the Japanese currency in advance. Yen deposits at Korea’s five major commercial banks — KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana, Woori and NH NongHyup — stood at 1.13 trillion yen as of Tuesday, up 47.8 billion yen from the end of August. The balance had once fallen to 879.6 billion yen in May but has climbed steadily since. Dollar deposits, meanwhile, have headed in the other direction. The five banks held $69.15 billion, down $7.19 billion from the end of last month. The deposits had been rising steadily after hitting a yearly low of $58.78 billion in March, but that trend reversed this month. The Bank of Japan (BOJ) raised its policy rate to 1.25 percent on Friday, marking another rate hi

Sep 18, 2026By Park Han-sol
Investors turn from dollar to yen for FX bets
Economy

Seoul stocks shrug off Fed hike, but won weakens sharply

Seoul stocks held largely steady Thursday after the U.S. Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate for the first time in more than three years, as the move was largely anticipated and already priced into the market. The Korean won, however, weakened sharply against the dollar as the widening Korea-U.S. interest rate gap and the prospect of further Fed tightening boosted demand for dollars. The Fed raised its key rate by a quarter percentage point to a range of 3.75 percent to 4 percent. In the Seoul foreign exchange market, the local currency lost 13.6 won in value to close at 1,382.2 won per dollar, returning to the 1,380 won level for the first time in three weeks. “The Fed’s rate hike, combined with persistently high international oil prices, is adding to upward pressure on the dollar,” said Moon Da-woon, an analyst at Korea Investment & Securities. “Upward pressure on the won-dollar exchange rate is likely to persist until the U.S. midterm elections in early November.” The benchmark KOSPI opened 0.91 percent higher at 6,779.02 and stayed modestly in the positive te

Sep 17, 2026By Park Han-sol
Seoul stocks shrug off Fed hike, but won weakens sharply
Economy

Who counts as 'true middle class' in Korea?

What counts as being “middle class?” For many, income is the starting — and often the only — point of reference. By the OECD’s measure, 52.9 percent of Korean households fall within the middle-income range. But Park, 60, who spent more than three decades running a health care technical services business, sees the definition as less straightforward. “Looking at income alone can make the middle class look like a much broader group. I think you need a more comprehensive, multidimensional assessment. It’s about more than simply being able to afford the essentials,” he said. Life, he noted, does not end with the basics. There is the standard of living people hope to maintain and, eventually, whether they can afford to live that way in retirement. “Simply put, if you can do everything you want without having to worry about it, you’re at the top. If you have to weigh your choices but can make them without taking on significant risk, I would call that the middle class. But if making those choices puts you at risk, then I don’t think you can really call yourself middle class,

Sep 17, 2026By Park Han-sol
Who counts as 'true middle class' in Korea?
Economy

Korean stocks face overhang as 230 mil. shares come off lock-up

Nearly 230 million shares in listed companies are coming out of lock-up restrictions this month, raising concerns about a potential overhang in the stock market, industry officials said Wednesday. The mandatory lock-up system bars certain shareholders, including major shareholders, from selling their holdings for a specified period after a company goes public. The restrictions are designed to prevent a sudden influx of shares from weighing on other investors. Once the lock-up period expires, they become freely tradable. A large block hitting the market can prompt investors to sell ahead of the expected increase in supply, putting downward pressure on a stock and potentially triggering further selling. That is the dynamic behind what investors call an “overhang.” The risk is more pronounced for companies whose shares are already trading well below their initial public offering (IPO) prices. If a sizable amount of newly unlocked stock is sold into a weak market, it can add to the selling pressure and deepen losses for existing shareholders. A total of 229.48 million shares in 38 listed

Sep 16, 2026By Park Han-sol
Korean stocks face overhang as 230 mil. shares come off lock-up
Banking & Finance

SC Bank Korea offers up to 4% premium on Hi Account in new customer push

Standard Chartered (SC) Bank Korea is offering first-time customers an interest rate premium of up to 4 percent on its Hi Account, as part of a promotional campaign running through the end of the year, the lender said Wednesday. The product is available for sign-up through Dec. 31, while the special rate offer — 3.4 percentage points regardless of balance — will remain in effect through Jan. 31, 2027, meaning those who join earlier will benefit from the higher rate for a longer period. The offer is open to customers who have been newly registered with SC Bank Korea for 31 days or less, as well as existing customers who have not held won- or foreign-currency demand deposit, savings or installment savings accounts with the bank during the previous year. The Hi Account has a base rate of 0.1 percent a year. Outside the promotional offer, customers can also qualify for additional rate incentives, including 0.1 percentage point for opening the account through a partner channel, 0.2 percentage points for consenting to marketing communications and 0.2 percentage points for Priority Banking

Sep 16, 2026By Park Han-sol
SC Bank Korea offers up to 4% premium on Hi Account in new customer push
Education

CONFERENCE Korean universities need stronger international reach to compete globally: experts

Over the past decade, Korean universities have made notable strides in their standing with employers, as their ability to produce a talented workforce better aligns with the actual needs of the labor market, while also establishing a strong track record in translating academic research into commercial applications. Yet they have yet to match their Asian peers in one area that is increasingly important to global competitiveness: practical internationalization. That shortfall is becoming harder to overlook as universities are called upon to help solve to problems that transcend national borders, from artificial intelligence (AI) to climate change, experts from two leading higher-education analytics firms said Tuesday. The remarks came during a panel discussion titled “Enhancing Global Competitiveness of Korean Universities in the AI Era,” the closing session of this year’s Korea Times Global Conference. Leigh Kamolins, vice president of evaluation and insights at Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), first pointed to the evolution in both the quality of Korea’s academic workforce and the valu

Sep 15, 2026By Park Han-sol
[CONFERENCE] Korean universities need stronger international reach to compete globally: experts
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