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Jun Ji-hye

Korea Times Finance Reporter

Jun Ji-hye, a reporter at the finance desk of The Korea Times, focuses primarily on economic policy and government agencies, mainly covering the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Ministry of Budget and Planning, the National Tax Service and the Korea Customs Service. She previously covered financial authorities, including the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service, and earlier worked on the political, city and business desks, reporting on a wide range of issues.

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Won-dollar rate back on roller coaster as 1,400-won mark looms

The Korean won has come under renewed pressure, reversing much of its recent gains against the U.S. dollar as tighter U.S. monetary policy, higher oil prices and reduced dollar supply in the local foreign exchange market weigh on the currency, analysts said Tuesday. The won-dollar exchange rate rose nearly 50 won over seven consecutive trading sessions through Friday from its Sept. 9 level, bringing the 1,400-won mark back into focus. The exchange rate has fluctuated sharply in recent weeks. It stood at 1,411.8 won per dollar on Aug. 18 and slid to a 23-month low of 1,336.1 won on Sept. 9 as dollar selling by major semiconductor exporters increased foreign currency supply. That trend quickly reversed the following day, with the rate rising for seven straight sessions through Friday, up 47.2 won from its Sept. 9 close. The won recovered some ground Tuesday, with the rate retreating to close onshore trading at 1,358.2 won per dollar. The U.S. Federal Reserve’s rate hike has been a key factor behind the recent rise in the exchange rate. The Fed raised its benchmark rate by 25 basis points a

2d agoBy Jun Ji-hye
Won-dollar rate back on roller coaster as 1,400-won mark looms
Society

Suicide leads causes of death among teens to 40s, cancer from 50s

The number of deaths in Korea last year reached the second-highest level on record, while suicide was the leading cause of death among people in their teens through their 40s, according to data released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on Tuesday. Although both the number of suicides and the suicide rate declined from the previous year, teenagers stood out as an exception, with their suicide rate climbing to an all-time high. Meanwhile, cancer emerged as the leading cause of death starting among people in their 50s, highlighting a sharp divide in mortality patterns across age groups. According to the data, suicide accounted for more than half of all deaths among Koreans in their teens and 20s in 2025, underscoring its disproportionate impact on younger generations. The share stood at 51.2 percent for teenagers and rose to 53.5 percent for those in their 20s. It then fell to 42.3 percent among people in their 30s and 25.4 percent among those in their 40s. The suicide death rate, meanwhile, increased progressively across these age groups. It stood at 8.6 per 100,000 among teenagers, r

2d agoBy Jun Ji-hye
Suicide leads causes of death among teens to 40s, cancer from 50s
Others

COVER STORY Middle-aged Koreans largely look to national pension for post-retirement safety net

More than six out of 10 middle-aged Koreans identified the national pension as their primary safety net for life after retirement, according to figures released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics, Monday. The figure rose to 61 percent from 51.7 percent a decade ago, showing that people in the age group are becoming more dependent on the state-run pension program rather than private pensions or other means of post-retirement support. The data was based on analysis of 10 years of responses from people aged 40 to 64 collected through the ministry’s annual survey. According to the data, awareness of post-career financial security grew between 2015 and 2025 among this demographic, driven by a rapidly aging population. In 2015, 75.8 percent of the age group said they were actively building or already have a retirement cushion, and the ratio rose to 81.9 percent in 2025. But a large portion of the cushion was from the national pension, as reliance on the state pension grew by almost 10 percentage points, while alternative means experienced a decline as reliance on private pension services

Sep 21, 2026By Jun Ji-hye
[COVER STORY] Middle-aged Koreans largely look to national pension for post-retirement safety net
Defense

Korea to expand 3,000-ton Coast Guard patrol fleet in West Sea to 17 by 2030

The government will expand its fleet of 3,000-ton-class patrol vessels to 17 from the current 11 by 2030 in the West Sea as it moves to strengthen maritime sovereignty in key areas and step up efforts to counter illegal foreign fishing vessels, the Ministry of Planning and Budget said Monday. The ministry said the budget proposal for the Coast Guard for next year, which includes the fleet expansion, stands at 2.23 trillion won ($1.6 billion), representing a 6.7 percent increase from this year’s 2.09 trillion won. The buildup is designed to bolster the Coast Guard’s ability to conduct longer-range and longer-duration patrols in the wider waters of the West Sea and other areas with unsettled maritime boundaries, including the Korea-China Provisional Measures Zone. The government has traditionally focused on replacing aging vessels when adding large patrol ships, but the latest plan puts greater emphasis on expanding operational capabilities to safeguard maritime security and national sovereignty. Under the plan, 51.2 billion won has been set aside in next year’s budget to launch cons

Sep 21, 2026By Jun Ji-hye
Korea to expand 3,000-ton Coast Guard patrol fleet in West Sea to 17 by 2030
Others

KOSPI surges 2.66% on Wall Street rally, foreign buying

KOSPI surged more than 2 percent on Friday, reclaiming the 6,890 threshold, driven by an overnight rally on Wall Street and a resurgence in foreign buying. The main index opened at 6,885.70, up 170.29 points, or 2.54 percent, from the previous close. It briefly climbed to an intraday high of 6,914.08, up 2.96 percent, breaking above the 6,900 level before closing at 6,894.23, up 178.82 points, or 2.66 percent. Foreign and institutional market participants led the buying spree, scooping up a net 438.8 billion won ($317 million) and 1.5 trillion won in equities, respectively. In contrast, retail investors unloaded a net 3.59 trillion won. Notably, this marked the first session of net buying by foreign investors since Sept. 8. The index turned around after holding up relatively well in the previous session, when it fell just 0.04 percent despite the U.S. Federal Reserve’s hawkish rate hike. Local equities drew significant upward momentum from overnight gains in all three major U.S. stock indexes, supported by retreating U.S. Treasury yields and cooling global crude oil prices. Market sentim

Sep 18, 2026By Jun Ji-hye
KOSPI surges 2.66% on Wall Street rally, foreign buying
Politics

President stresses 'commercial viability' in $350 bil. US investment talks

President Lee Jae Myung said Korea is continuing talks with the United States on the details of its $350 billion investment plans based on the principle that it will pursue only projects with “commercial viability.” During a press conference on Friday, he said the overarching goal is to establish a mutually beneficial framework by thoroughly scrutinizing individual project returns, capital recovery mechanisms, revenue-sharing models and the allocation of potential losses. “Managing the U.S. investment portfolio is an extraordinarily complex and demanding endeavor. From my standpoint, $350 billion represents taxpayers’ money,” Lee said. The president said that he had demanded from the outset that the phrase “commercial viability” be included in the official accord. Following tough negotiations, Korea successfully secured the condition in the final text. “It was an exceptionally tough struggle, as no other nation managed to include such a clause,” Lee noted. “However, once specific discussions on actual capital deployment began, new friction points emerged.” Elaboratin

Sep 18, 2026By Jun Ji-hye
President stresses 'commercial viability' in $350 bil. US investment talks
Banking & Finance

JB Financial partners with Upstage to develop AI solutions for finance

JB Financial Group has teamed up with Upstage, a leading artificial intelligence (AI) company, to develop AI-based tools for practical use across the financial sector as part of its broader effort to accelerate company-wide AI transformation, the group said Thursday. JB Financial Chairman Kim Ki-hong and Upstage CEO Kim Sung-hoon signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday, laying the groundwork for cooperation in financial AI technology and new business opportunities. JB Financial identified AI transformation as one of its key priorities at its executive strategy meeting in August. The partnership will bring together the financial group and its major subsidiaries, including Jeonbuk Bank, Kwangju Bank and JB Woori Capital, to create a group-wide AI collaboration network. Using Upstage’s proprietary large language model (LLM) technology, the companies will work on developing AI agents customized for banking and other financial services. The two sides also agreed to pursue a range of joint projects, including developing and testing new AI applications for finance, exchanging employees

Sep 17, 2026By Jun Ji-hye
JB Financial partners with Upstage to develop AI solutions for finance
Policy

Fed rate hike puts BOK under pressure over further rate increase

The Bank of Korea (BOK) is facing growing expectations of another rate hike before the end of the year after the U.S. Federal Reserve raised its policy rate by 0.25 percentage points in its first hike since July 2023, widening the interest rate gap between Seoul and Washington to 1 percentage point, analysts said Thursday. While persistent inflationary pressures continue to warrant monetary action, the widening interest rate gap with the U.S., which could intensify downward pressure on the Korean won, and renewed instability in housing prices in the Seoul metropolitan area are also being cited as factors that could prompt another rate hike. Nevertheless, some market observers expect the BOK to moderate the pace of tightening, given that it already delivered back-to-back rate hikes in July and August to address domestic inflation, housing market overheating and the prospect of tighter U.S. monetary policy. The central bank may instead take time to assess the impact of those measures while limiting the burden on financially vulnerable households and small businesses. Following its two-day

Sep 17, 2026By Jun Ji-hye
Fed rate hike puts BOK under pressure over further rate increase
Arts & Theater

Kim Do-im brings calligraphy meditation to Seoul hotel rooftop

Calligrapher Kim Do-im will host a K-Calligraphy & Meditation Class at Terrace 194, the rooftop lounge of Courtyard by Marriott Seoul Myeongdong, on Monday. The 120-minute program will begin at 6:30 p.m. and combine traditional Korean calligraphy with meditation, inviting participants to find personal meaning through art and express it through traditional calligraphy. Kim has built her career around calligraphy using ink and brush and has explored themes including love and life through her work. She works with Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, using traditional calligraphy techniques, and has held 11 solo exhibitions and participated in more than 100 group exhibitions in Korea and abroad. The special program will allow participants to slow down and step away from their busy routines. The program reflects Kim’s philosophy that “repetition is not simply doing the same thing again, but a way to notice how we change from one moment to the next.” Participants will start with a welcome session and viewing of Kim’s work, followed by breathing meditation, ink grinding, Korean cursive-style ca

Sep 17, 2026By Jun Ji-hye
Kim Do-im brings calligraphy meditation to Seoul hotel rooftop
Others

Korea Eximbank chief meets Uzbek president

Hwang Ki-yeon, left, chairman and CEO of the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Korea Eximbank), shakes hands with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at The Shilla Seoul hotel, Tuesday, a day after Mirziyoyev held a summit with President Lee Jae Myung. Korea Eximbank exchanged memorandums of understanding with Uzbek counterparts to strengthen bilateral cooperation, identify strategic projects and support Korean companies seeking to enter the Uzbek market. Courtesy of Korea Eximbank

Sep 16, 2026By Jun Ji-hyephoto
Korea Eximbank chief meets Uzbek president
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