my timesThe Korea Times
jjh

Jun Ji-hye

Korea Times Finance Reporter

Hello, I am Jun Ji-hye, a reporter at The Korea Times. I primarily cover financial authorities and write articles on a wide range of topics related to finance and capital markets. If you have any information to share, feel free to email me at jjh@koreatimes.co.kr, and I will review it carefully. I am committed to always doing my best to communicate with readers through high-quality articles.

Go to Email

Read more

Others

Korean won falls to 17-year low against dollar amid FX volatility

The Korean won weakened past the 1,500 mark against the U.S. dollar for the first time in 17 years on Thursday, as global oil prices surged overnight amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. The KOSPI also plunged as the spike in oil prices, coupled with hawkish signals from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, weighed heavily on investor sentiment. The won-dollar exchange rate opened at 1,505 per dollar, up 21.9 won from the previous session, before closing at 1,501 won in onshore trading. The close marked the won’s first finish above the 1,500 threshold in about 17 years, since March 10, 2009, at the height of the global financial crisis, when it stood at 1,511.5 won. The country’s benchmark index, meanwhile, closed at 5,763.22, down 161.81 points, or 2.73 percent, from the previous session. The index opened at 5,761.40, down 163.63 points, or 2.76 percent, and continued to slide throughout the session. Investor sentiment had already deteriorated before the market opened due to rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Oil prices surged after reports that the United States

Mar 19, 2026By Jun Ji-hye
Korean won falls to 17-year low against dollar amid FX volatility
Banking & Finance

MetLife Korea staff lead industry in volunteer hours

MetLife Korea’s financial service representatives (FSRs) and employees recorded the highest per capita volunteer hours in Korea’s life insurance sector, the insurer said Thursday. An FSR is a specialized insurance agent who provides customized coverage, financial planning and advisory services, particularly for corporate clients and high-net-worth individuals. Data released by the Korea Life Insurance Association for the cumulative third quarter of 2025 showed that MetLife Korea employees logged an average of 10.73 volunteer hours per person, the highest among domestic peers. FSRs also remained actively engaged, averaging 4.16 hours per person. The company stood out in particular for the strong participation of its sales force. While fewer than 5 percent of agents at most local life insurers typically take part in volunteer activities, MetLife reported a participation rate of 54.54 percent. Total volunteer hours contributed by agents reached 15,188.5 through the third quarter. Combined with employee participation, overall volunteer hours came to around 22,000, underscoring the company

Mar 19, 2026By Jun Ji-hye
MetLife Korea staff lead industry in volunteer hours
Others

Korea Exchange in hot seat after botched Kosdaq status reversal

The Korea Exchange (KRX) is under fire after mistakenly removing a management-issue designation from a Kosdaq-listed firm and reinstating it just a day later, triggering sharp market volatility, market watchers said Wednesday. The controversy has intensified as the stock price swung sharply during the episode, raising concerns about potential investor losses. A management-issue designation serves as a warning mechanism applied to companies with serious financial or operational concerns, or those at risk of breaching listing requirements. Its removal, by contrast, is widely interpreted as a signal that such risks have been resolved and that the firm has returned to normal trading status. Because of this signaling effect, any change in designation can significantly move share prices. SCM Lifescience was designated as a management issue on March 21, 2025, after posting pretax losses from continuing operations for two consecutive years. The exchange’s Kosdaq market division lifted the designation at 7:02 p.m. Monday, concluding, based on the company’s 2025 audit report, that it had met th

Mar 18, 2026By Jun Ji-hye
Korea Exchange in hot seat after botched Kosdaq status reversal
Banking & Finance

Activist fund Align Partners presses DB Insurance on governance, shareholder returns

Align Partners Capital Management has ramped up pressure on DB Insurance over shareholder value concerns by sending a second open letter to the insurer’s board, the activist fund said Friday. In the letter, issued Thursday in response to DB Insurance’s first shareholder communication on March 5, Align Partners urged the company to take stronger measures to enhance shareholder value and presented additional views on corporate governance reforms and shareholder return policies. The activist investor called for several changes, including adopting a management strategy based on return on required capital, strengthening shareholder return policies, improving internal transactions with group IT affiliate DB Inc., shifting to a joint trademark ownership structure, overhauling the executive compensation system, and reinforcing board independence. Align also raised new concerns regarding DB Insurance’s acquisition of U.S. insurer Fortegra. In September last year, DB Insurance signed a $1.65 billion deal to acquire Fortegra, the largest overseas takeover by a Korean insurer to date. The fund

Mar 13, 2026By Jun Ji-hye
Activist fund Align Partners presses DB Insurance on governance, shareholder returns
Banking & Finance

Card firms target business clients as consumer market saturates

Credit card companies are stepping up efforts to launch specialized cards designed for businesses in specific sectors as they shift their focus to business operators amid saturation in the consumer credit card market, industry officials said Friday. Card issuers are increasingly offering benefits tailored to the spending patterns of different sectors in an effort to build a loyal customer base. Payment volumes by business clients tend to be larger and their transaction cycles relatively stable, they said. Major card firms have recently introduced a series of products aimed at specific professions, including cargo truck operators and forestry workers. Unlike earlier products that were broadly categorized as business cards, the latest offerings are designed based on detailed analyses of industry-specific expenditure patterns. Woori Card recently rolled out the industry’s first fully non-face-to-face application and issuance system for cargo welfare cards that does not require document submissions. Instead of asking applicants to provide paperwork such as business registration certificates

Mar 13, 2026By Jun Ji-hye
Card firms target business clients as consumer market saturates
Banking & Finance

Gov't checks marine insurers' war-risk reinsurance amid Middle East tensions

The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) is examining whether local nonlife insurers that provide marine insurance have adequate war-risk protection through their reinsurers as attacks on vessels continue near the Strait of Hormuz amid escalating tensions following U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran, officials said Wednesday. Marine reinsurance contracts generally exclude full compensation for losses arising from armed conflicts. When geopolitical risks intensify, insurers are often required to purchase separate and significantly more expensive reinsurance coverage specifically designed for war-related damage. Reinsurance is a mechanism that allows insurers to transfer part or all of the risks they assume to another insurance company. Firms rely on such arrangements to reduce potential financial exposure from large-scale claims. The financial watchdog recently asked major domestic nonlife insurers, including Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, DB Insurance and Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance, to verify whether their reinsurance arrangements include protection against war-related risk

Mar 12, 2026By Jun Ji-hye
Gov't checks marine insurers' war-risk reinsurance amid Middle East tensions
Banking & Finance

Toss Bank CEO Lee faces internal control scrutiny in second term

Toss Bank CEO Lee Eun-mi has effectively secured a second term, buoyed by the internet-only lender’s rapid growth, but a series of internal control lapses, including a recent foreign exchange system error, have put her leadership under scrutiny, industry officials said Thursday. According to provisional figures, the bank reported a net profit of approximately 101.9 billion won ($69 million) for last year, marking its best annual result so far. The company, which turned its first annual profit in 2024, has also built momentum with a growing customer base of 13.7 million as of the third quarter. On the back of these gains, Lee is set to remain at the helm. Her reappointment is expected to be finalized at the regular shareholders’ meeting scheduled for March 31. Toss Bank’s growth narrative, however, has recently been overshadowed by a system malfunction in its currency exchange service. The bank’s app mistakenly displayed an exchange rate of 472 won per 100 yen — about half the correct rate — between 7:29 p.m. and 7:36 p.m. on Tuesday. During the seven-minute window, transaction

Mar 12, 2026By Jun Ji-hye
Toss Bank CEO Lee faces internal control scrutiny in second term
Companies

MBK injects $68 mil. emergency financing into Homeplus

MBK Partners has extended a total of 100 billion won ($68 million) in emergency debtor-in-possession financing to Homeplus to help stabilize the retailer’s operations, the company said Wednesday. The private equity firm provided 50 billion won, following its initial provision of 50 billion won on March 4, completing the full amount. Homeplus entered court-led rehabilitation in March 2025 and has yet to secure a clear path toward a full business turnaround. On March 3 this year, just one day before the original deadline, the Seoul Bankruptcy Court granted a two-month extension for creditors to approve the company’s rehabilitation plan. Without the extension or approval of the plan, the country’s second-largest supermarket chain could have faced the possibility of bankruptcy or liquidation proceedings. The latest funding support follows the court’s decision to extend the deadline. The funding was arranged after MBK Chairman Michael ByungJu Kim secured a 100 billion won loan from Woori Financial Group using personal assets, including his residence, as collateral. The borrowed funds w

Mar 11, 2026By Jun Ji-hye
MBK injects $68 mil. emergency financing into Homeplus
Banking & Finance

Toss Bank glitch offers yen at half price, triggers gov't inspection

A system error at Toss Bank briefly caused the Japanese yen to be offered at about half of its correct exchange rate, prompting the financial watchdog to launch an on-site inspection, the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) said Wednesday. The malfunction happened in the internet-only bank’s mobile app for about seven minutes, from 7:29 p.m. to 7:36 p.m. Tuesday. During that time, the app displayed an exchange rate of about 472 won per 100 yen, even though the market rate was around 934 won. Some users were reportedly able to purchase yen during the glitch at about half price, either through preset automatic buy orders or after logging in following alerts about the sudden price drop. The bank is believed to be estimating potential losses from the incident at about 10 billion won ($6.8 million). “We had been carrying out inspections and improvement work to maintain stable operations of the foreign exchange system when the incident occurred. During that process, however, an unintended impact led to the yen exchange rate being displayed at a level that differed from the normal benchmark

Mar 11, 2026By Jun Ji-hye
Toss Bank glitch offers yen at half price, triggers gov't inspection
Companies

ISS recommends opposing Korea Zinc chairman's reappointment

The world’s largest proxy advisory firm, the Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), has advised shareholders to oppose the reappointment of Korea Zinc Chairman Choi Yun-beom as an inside director ahead of the zinc smelter’s annual shareholders’ meeting scheduled for March 24. According to the ISS’ proxy analysis report issued Monday, the upcoming meeting should be viewed not simply as a contest over management control but as a broader attempt to address “repeated distortions in corporate governance and failures of oversight.” While acknowledging that Korea Zinc has improved operating results and share price appreciation in recent years, the ISS stressed that the key issue confronting the company is governance rather than financial performance. The advisory firm pointed to several developments as sources of concern surrounding Korea Zinc under the current leadership, including its attempt to pursue a discounted capital increase after conducting share buybacks at elevated prices. The ISS also cited controversy over the restriction of Young Poong’s voting rights through cro

Mar 10, 2026By Jun Ji-hye
ISS recommends opposing Korea Zinc chairman's reappointment
previous page
1011121314
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.