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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

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
Economy

Korea's corporate tax revenue to top $149 bil. in 2027 as chip boom lifts profits

Korea’s corporate tax revenue is expected to top 200 trillion won ($149 billion) for the first time next year, as a semiconductor supercycle sends company profits soaring. It would also mark the first time since 2012 that corporate tax receipts overtake income taxes, according to government data, Monday. The windfall is putting a spotlight on a defining feature of the country’s economy: its heavy reliance on semiconductors for both exports and growth. That dependence has made government revenue unusually vulnerable to swings in the chip cycle, prompting the need for new fiscal rules to help smooth out future fluctuations in tax receipts. In its budget proposal, the Ministry of Finance and Economy forecast 216.7 trillion won in corporate tax revenue next year, 36.7 trillion won more than the 180 trillion won it expects to collect in income taxes. The surge is being driven largely by semiconductor giants such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix as the global chip market remains buoyant. Corporate tax revenue has long tracked the fortunes of the industry. It rose from the 40 trillion wo

Sep 14, 2026By Park Han-sol
Korea's corporate tax revenue to top $149 bil. in 2027 as chip boom lifts profits
Banking & Finance

Korea Eximbank, Gangwon Province launch joint financing push for K-food exporters

The Export-Import Bank of Korea (Korea Eximbank) is expanding financial support for food exporters in Gangwon Province as part of a broader push to help companies outside the Seoul metropolitan area enter overseas markets, the state-run lender said Monday. The initiative’s first beneficiary is Sejun F&B, a rice-based food manufacturer located in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province. A maker of convenience foods including rice cakes and “nurungji” (scorched rice), the company is developing its own brand as it looks to build a presence in international markets. Korea Eximbank CEO Hwang Ki-yeon visited the food maker’s production facilities, Friday, as part of the bank’s efforts to support the overseas expansion of regional K-food businesses. Under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed last month between Korea Eximbank and the Gangwon Provincial Government, the lender provides participating companies with loans at preferential rates, while Gangwon Province reimburses the bank for part of the interest-rate reduction. The financing comes as rice-based food exports have grown steadily ov

Sep 14, 2026By Park Han-sol
Korea Eximbank, Gangwon Province launch joint financing push for K-food exporters
Economy

Korean construction stocks rise on nearing US investment deal

Korean construction stocks have been gaining ground on expectations that nuclear and other power plant projects could be among the first to get underway as part of a $350 billion U.S. investment plan, boosting hopes for new construction orders. The first project under the plan could take shape as early as this week, with Korea and the United States nearing an agreement. At a ruling party-government meeting earlier this month, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources identified a gas-fired combined-cycle power plant in Encinal, Texas, as a potential first project under the plan. The Wall Street Journal also recently reported that Seoul and Washington were nearing an agreement on more than $100 billion in U.S. energy investments, including eight nuclear power plants and natural gas projects. Amid growing optimism over the sector, the KRX Construction Index rose 9.44 percent from Sept. 1 through 11, the strongest gain among the Korea Exchange’s sector indexes and well above the benchmark KOSPI’s 1.32 percent increase over the same period. The index tracks 16 companies, including Hy

Sep 13, 2026By Park Han-sol
Korean construction stocks rise on nearing US investment deal
Economy

More young Koreans look to stocks, bonds as retirement nest egg

A Seoul office worker surnamed Park has been setting aside 1 million won ($744) from her monthly paycheck for retirement since early this year, after friends and colleagues encouraged her to start investing. She puts the money into two types of retirement accounts — a pension savings account and an Individual Retirement Pension (IRP) — with most of her savings invested in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tracking the S&P 500. She makes her ETF purchases automatically each month rather than trying to time the market based on currency or stock price movements. “Before, I was just paying into the national pension and my bank savings accounts. But I started to worry that I wasn’t doing enough to build up my assets,” the 32-year-old said. News that the national pension fund could run out sooner than expected as Korea’s birthrate falls and its population ages only heightened her concerns. “That was around the time people around me started encouraging me to invest, so I decided to give it a try,” she said. “I’m thinking of this as building my own pension over time. I want to kee

Sep 13, 2026By Park Han-sol
More young Koreans look to stocks, bonds as retirement nest egg
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