my timesThe Korea Times
hansolp

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.

Go to Email

Read more

Banking & Finance

Hanwha Life Insurance to support Korea's International Olympiad in Informatics team

Hanwha Life Insurance has signed a memorandum of understanding to support Korea’s national team competing at this year’s International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI), following the country’s first-ever clean sweep of four gold medals at the prestigious programming contest last year, the insurer said Friday. The IOI is one of the annual International Science Olympiads that brings together the world’s top secondary school students in computer programming under the age of 20. The competition spans two days, with contestants solving three algorithmic programming problems during a five-hour session each day. Hanwha Life began sponsoring the national team last year as part of its efforts to nurture young talent in computer science amid growing demand for expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies. With the insurer’s backing, the team’s training program expanded from primarily online instruction to intensive residential training camps. The enhanced program coincided with a historic result at last year’s competition, where all four members of the Korean team

Jul 31, 2026By Park Han-sol
Hanwha Life Insurance to support Korea's International Olympiad in Informatics team
Arts & Theater

Korean American Broadway star finds power in being 'in-between'

When Stephanie Jae Park was first considering a career in music, the problem was never a lack of options. It was that she loved too many of them. Opera captivated her. So did jazz, pop and R&B. She wanted to act. She wanted to dance. Choosing one path meant giving up another. "So I chose musical theater," she said with a laugh. "I chose it out of my inability to choose one thing." In August, Park will join the Broadway cast of "Six" as Catherine Parr, becoming the first East Asian performer officially cast in the role in a principal production of the hit musical. The high-octane pop concert reimagines the six wives of Henry VIII as modern-day divas, each reclaiming her own story. It marks another milestone in a career that has rarely stayed within a single lane: Broadway leading lady, concert soloist and now co-creator of an original musical still in development. "It took me so long to realize that I didn't have just one dream," she said. "I'm somebody who really loves the diversity of art." That refusal to be boxed in has extended beyond artistic genres. As one of very few Asian women on B

Jul 30, 2026By Park Han-sol
Korean American Broadway star finds power in being 'in-between'
Economy

Borrowers turn to insurance loans as mortgage lending tightens

A dental lab assistant surnamed Choi in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, has turned to insurance policy loans several times whenever she needed a little extra cash to cover unexpected expenses. “Taking out a regular loan affects my credit score directly. But with an insurance policy loan, I’m borrowing against premiums I’ve already paid, so it doesn’t drag down my credit rating,” she said. “The interest rate is also lower than what you would get from other nonbank lenders. So when I need a small amount of money quickly, this feels like the most reasonable option I have.” Choi said she stayed away from borrowing money to invest in stocks during this year’s record-breaking market rally. But she has definitely seen people around her use insurance policy loans to bet on the stock market. Similar conversations have surfaced on Blind, a popular anonymous workplace community app in Korea. “I got the money quickly from an existing insurance policy, and my interest rate is only 3.6 percent. I’ll make some gains and pay it back soon,” read one post shared in the app’s stock inv

Jul 30, 2026By Park Han-sol
Borrowers turn to insurance loans as mortgage lending tightens
Economy

Banks face full liability for voice phishing compensation

Financial authorities have taken a concrete step toward introducing a long-discussed no-fault compensation scheme for victims of voice phishing, submitting to lawmakers a blueprint that would require banks to reimburse losses unless they can demonstrate that a statutory exemption applies. The proposal, included in the Financial Services Commission’s (FSC) policy report submitted Wednesday to the National Assembly, marks the government’s clearest signal yet that it intends to press ahead with revisions to the Special Act on the Telecommunications-based Financial Fraud and Refund for Loss after months of debate. Under the plan, the bank used by the victim and the institution that maintained the fraudulent account would each bear half of the compensation paid to scam victims. Instead of setting a fixed compensation limit, the revised legislation would authorize the state to determine the cap by presidential decree within a range of 10 million won ($6,890) to 50 million won. The formula for calculating each institution’s share of compensation, along with claims procedures and other op

Jul 29, 2026By Park Han-sol
Banks face full liability for voice phishing compensation
Banking & Finance

KB Kookmin Bank scores big with branded drama starring Kim Nam-gil

KB Kookmin Bank’s four-part branded drama series starring veteran actor Kim Nam-gil has topped 4 million cumulative views on YouTube, the lender said Tuesday, as banks turn to original entertainment content to engage consumers. Titled “Star to START: K-Business Begins,” the series is set in the world of corporate banking. Kim, best known for hits like SBS' 2019 drama “The Fiery Priest,” plays a relationship manager who travels to meet small and medium-sized business owners, helping them tackle a range of financial challenges. Each 15-minute episode follows him as he works alongside clients, with the bank’s corporate lending, trade finance and advisory services woven organically into the story. The result is a drama that provides a glimpse into the work of corporate bankers while demystifying a side of the industry that many consumers rarely encounter. The unusual approach appears to have struck a chord with audiences. “With Kim Nam-gil promoting its brand image, KB feels like the most trustworthy bank out there,” one viewer commented on YouTube. “Never thought I’d actu

Jul 28, 2026By Park Han-sol
KB Kookmin Bank scores big with branded drama starring Kim Nam-gil
Economy

Climate-risk insurance gains traction as heat waves intensify

Korea’s leading non-life insurers are teaming up with local administrations to build out the country’s fledgling market for climate-risk insurance, as more frequent heat waves drive up economic losses and protection gaps, according to industry officials Tuesday. The push comes as prolonged heat waves and tropical nights have become a familiar feature of Korean summers, disrupting outdoor work across construction sites and farms. Beginning in August, Jeju Island will introduce a program for daily construction laborers that partially compensates them for lost wages when extreme temperatures suspend outdoor work. Five companies — Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance, Hanwha General Insurance, NH NongHyup Property & Casualty Insurance and DB Insurance — are participating in the program. The initiative is among the few in Korea to adopt parametric insurance, in which payouts are automatically triggered once predefined conditions are met. If the Korea Meteorological Administration issues a heat wave warning before 1 p.m. and construction sites halt operations

Jul 28, 2026By Park Han-sol
Climate-risk insurance gains traction as heat waves intensify
Economy

Senior living: Next frontier in Korea's silver economy

Korea’s population is aging faster than almost anywhere else in the developed world. More than 1 in 5 — around 11.25 million people — are now aged 65 or older, a demographic shift that is expected to propel the country’s silver economy from 72 trillion won in 2020 to 168 trillion won by 2030. Yet one corner of that economy remains strikingly underdeveloped: senior living. Unlike nursing homes, which are designed primarily around long-term clinical care, senior living communities combine housing with hospitality, wellness and social engagement. “Residents are customers choosing a lifestyle rather than patients receiving care,” said Josh Rose-Nokes, head of Asia Pacific living research at Cushman & Wakefield. While countries like Australia and Japan have built more mature senior living sectors supported by experienced operators and deep pools of institutional capital, Korea is still in the early stages of developing the asset class. “On penetration, independent senior housing and retirement living provision in Korea sit at a fraction of 1 percent of the older population, again

Jul 28, 2026By Park Han-sol
Senior living: Next frontier in Korea's silver economy
Economy

Banks push back against proposed no-fault compensation for voice phishing victims

The government is pressing ahead with plans to introduce a no-fault compensation scheme that would require banks and other financial firms to reimburse victims of voice phishing scams regardless of whether they were at fault, despite mounting industry opposition, according to officials Sunday. Banks argue the measure unfairly holds them liable for crimes they neither have the authority nor the means to investigate, warning that the additional costs could ultimately be borne by consumers through higher fees or less favorable lending rates. Financial Services Commission Chairman Lee Eog-weon reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the initiative at a meeting last month with the heads of Korea's five largest financial groups — KB, Shinhan, Hana, Woori and NH NongHyup. “We will actively pursue the introduction of a no-fault liability system to strengthen the financial sector’s accountability for phishing crimes and provide more effective relief for victims,” Lee said. Two bills incorporating the measure are pending in the National Assembly. With the financial regulator throwing i

Jul 27, 2026By Park Han-sol
Banks push back against proposed no-fault compensation for voice phishing victims
Banking & Finance

Hana Bank steps up financing for Incheon's small businesses ahead of headquarters relocation

Ahead of its headquarters relocation to Incheon in September, Hana Bank is stepping up financial support for the city’s small businesses and manufacturers, the lender said Sunday. As part of the initiative, the bank signed a memorandum of understanding with the Incheon Credit Guarantee Foundation, Thursday, before CEO Lee Ho-sung visited Sinpo International Market and the Namdong National Industrial Complex to meet business owners and discuss the challenges they face. The partnership reflects Hana Financial Group’s broader push to strengthen its presence in Incheon ahead of its move to Cheongna. Under the agreement, Hana Bank will contribute 5.5 billion won ($3.77 million) this year to the Incheon Credit Guarantee Foundation, enabling 84 billion won in guaranteed loans for small business owners. It will also extend preferential financing to merchants that accept local currency, “Incheon e-Eum,” or use the public food delivery platform Mukkebi. An additional 10 billion won in overdraft-style working capital loans is set to be made available to small businesses across the city. Sepa

Jul 26, 2026By Park Han-sol
Hana Bank steps up financing for Incheon's small businesses ahead of headquarters relocation
Economy

EXPLAINER Why real estate remains one of Korea's most sensitive issues

A live, nationally televised housing policy forum led Thursday by the president himself, a rarity in many countries, highlighted the outsized role real estate plays in Korea’s economy and society. Experts say housing has become more than just shelter for Koreans, serving as a primary store of wealth, a means of securing retirement and a pathway to social mobility amid scarce supply in the Seoul metropolitan area. President Lee Jae Myung convened the public discussion on real estate policy, bringing together some 140 participants, including Prime Minister Han Seong-sook, Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol, as well as representatives from the financial and construction industries, academia, civic groups, real estate brokers and social media influencers. The level of public engagement was evident even before the cameras started rolling. Since the forum’s official website opened on July 12, people have submitted more than 6,300 policy proposals. What was scheduled as a 100-minute discussion ultimately stretched beyond three hours as participants continued to debate the country’s housing ch

Jul 23, 2026By Park Han-sol
[EXPLAINER] Why real estate remains one of Korea's most sensitive issues
previous page
910111213
next page

Top 5 stories

Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.