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

Companies

E-commerce rivals rush to woo shoppers rattled by Coupang data leak

Naver, SSG.com and other e-commerce platforms are stepping up collaborations, revamping membership programs and enhancing delivery services as they move to attract consumers seeking alternatives amid signs of user departures following a massive data breach at Coupang, industry officials said Friday. The domestic e-commerce market has been led by Coupang with a 22.7 percent share of last year’s revenue, followed by Naver at 20.7 percent, Gmarket and Auction at 8 percent each and SSG.com at 3 percent, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics. Coupang, which specializes in the next-day delivery of groceries and daily necessities, revealed on Nov. 29 that the personal information of 33.7 million customers — nearly all of its users — had been leaked, including names, contact information and delivery histories. The scale of the breach means the data of 3 out of every 4 adults in Korea was exposed. In response, users have expressed alarm, with some considering leaving the platform and others preparing to join class-action lawsuits against the U.S.-listed firm. Industry watchers ex

Dec 5, 2025By Jun Ji-hye
E-commerce rivals rush to woo shoppers rattled by Coupang data leak
Society

Korea's wealth gap hits record on surging assets of top earners

Income and wealth disparities between top- and bottom-tier households widened further over the past year, pushing all major distribution indicators in a negative direction as net asset inequality reached its highest recorded level, the Ministry of Data and Statistics said Thursday. In its 2025 Report on the Survey of Household Finances and Living Conditions, the ministry said that average household assets stood at 566.8 million won ($385,000) as of March, a 4.9 percent increase from a year earlier. Average household debt rose 4.4 percent to 95.3 million won. As a result, average net assets, which reflect total assets minus liabilities, reached 471.4 million won, up 5 percent year-on-year. By income group, households in the bottom 20 percent saw their net assets fall 4.9 percent, while all groups from the second quintile upward recorded gains. The increases were especially pronounced among higher-income households, with net assets in the fourth and fifth quintiles rising 4.7 percent and 7.9 percent, respectively. Households in the top 20 percent held 47.3 percent of the nation’s total ne

Dec 4, 2025By Jun Ji-hye
Korea's wealth gap hits record on surging assets of top earners
Companies

Coupang data breach threatens livelihoods of small online vendors

A small business owner who sells baby care products on Coupang said the recent large-scale data breach at the e-commerce giant has dealt a direct blow to the livelihoods of marketplace sellers. In a post on an online self-employed community, the merchant wrote, “About 70 percent of our online sales come from Coupang, but orders have dropped by 30 percent since the breach,” adding that a prolonged slump would worsen inventory pressure and operating costs. Another seller in the health supplement category voiced similar concerns. “Ad spending that used to run out within a day or two is barely being used now because traffic has plunged.” The merchant added that growing consumer distrust of the platform is freezing overall sales momentum. As Coupang’s data breach continues to unfold, small business owners are becoming increasingly anxious, with declining consumer activity — from hesitant spending to users abandoning the platform — already translating into tangible revenue losses. Coupang, which specializes in next-day delivery of groceries and daily necessities, is one of Korea

Dec 4, 2025By Jun Ji-hye
Coupang data breach threatens livelihoods of small online vendors
Companies

Eruty transforms content ecosystem using AI, blockchain

Eruty, a content fintech startup powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain, is reshaping Korea’s content ecosystem with a unified platform that provides IP valuation, investment matchmaking and copyright settlement. CEO Kim Yu-sung said the priority of the company, based in Busan, is shifting the longstanding intuition-driven approach to content valuation toward a data-centric model, a change he views as critical to modernizing the traditional content investment market. “As we examined the Korean content sector in depth, it became clear that many creators continue to struggle with structural constraints despite its enormous popularity worldwide. Key challenges included limited access to investment, a lack of global networking channels and persistent inefficiencies in revenue settlement,” Kim said in an interview with The Korea Times. “We wanted to resolve these issues by building a technology-driven ecosystem that directly links creators with investors. Our solution uses AI to assess a project’s value and its likelihood of commercial success, while blockchain tech

Dec 4, 2025By Jun Ji-hye
Eruty transforms content ecosystem using AI, blockchain
Policy

Financial watchdog chief warns Korean firms underinvest in cybersecurity amid hacks

The level of investment in cybersecurity by Korean companies is far below that of other major countries, the head of the country's financial watchdog warned Monday, amid a string of recent hacking incidents at major firms, including SK Telecom, Lotte Card, Coupang and Upbit. Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) Gov. Lee Chan-jin noted that the recent security breaches are not simply due to technical errors but reflect a lack of proper risk awareness. “Looking at these recent incidents, there’s no comparison with the U.S., and even compared to the international average, the level of security investment by Korean companies is extremely low,” Lee said during his first press conference since taking office in August. “Companies do not fully recognize the risk that a breach of such systems could potentially bankrupt them.” According to data from the Financial Security Institute, Korean companies allocate only 6.4 percent of their IT budgets to cybersecurity. Within the financial and insurance industries, the figure rises to 9.6 percent on average, yet this remains far below the 13 pe

Dec 1, 2025By Jun Ji-hye
Financial watchdog chief warns Korean firms underinvest in cybersecurity amid hacks
Banking & Finance

From frozen pipes to skiing injuries: Insurers expand winter coverage

Non-life insurers, which typically focus on fire and auto accident coverage, are expanding their offerings to cover a broader range of winter risks, including repairing burst building pipes and ski-related injuries, as the cold season approaches, industry officials said Sunday. Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, AXA General Insurance and KB Insurance have expanded their policies to cover damage from leaks in water supply and drainage systems. Samsung Fire provides protection for frozen or burst pipes through its home fire insurance. If a sudden cold snap causes pipes to burst, resulting in water damage to floors or household items, the policy can cover the cost of repairs to floors and appliances, up to the insured amount. Damage to a downstairs unit can be covered through an optional rider. AXA’s property comprehensive insurance covers plumbing leaks and repairs for water-damaged appliances. KB’s home and biz care comprehensive insurance covers self-employed individuals. If freezing temperatures cause pipes to burst at their business premises, leading to downtime or equipment damage,

Dec 1, 2025By Jun Ji-hye
From frozen pipes to skiing injuries: Insurers expand winter coverage
Companies

Uncertainty deepens as Homeplus fails to attract bidders in main sale

Homeplus' corporate rehabilitation process has entered a state of uncertainty after the main acquisition bid, which closed Wednesday, received no participants. Industry officials said Thursday that, in the worst-case scenario, liquidation may be considered. The supermarket chain, controlled by private equity firm MBK Partners, filed for corporate rehabilitation with the Seoul Bankruptcy Court on March 4, following a credit rating downgrade. According to the court, no bids were submitted by the deadline for Homeplus’ main public sale. “We will review and decide on the next steps for the rehabilitation process, including whether to prepare an independent recovery plan or initiate a second round of bidding,” the court said. Harex Infotech, a fintech company, and SNomad, a real estate leasing and development company, which both took part in preliminary bidding, ultimately did not participate in the main sale. Factors that have deterred potential buyers from pursuing Homeplus include weak prospects for the retail sector despite its high valuation. Homeplus, the country’s second-largest

Nov 27, 2025By Jun Ji-hye
Uncertainty deepens as Homeplus fails to attract bidders in main sale
Banking & Finance

Financial sector faces hurdles in AI adoption despite eased network separation rule

Although financial authorities relaxed network-separation regulations last year for the first time in a decade, the changes have yet to ease operational difficulties for financial companies, industry insiders said Thursday. While the revision allows firms to use generative artificial intelligence (AI), each time an AI model’s name or version is updated, companies must obtain new approval from authorities, a process that can take several months. According to industry sources, a major financial firm secured regulatory sandbox approval earlier this year to launch a service based on OpenAI’s GPT-4 and has recently completed its system setup. However, with the debut of OpenAI’s GPT-5.1 earlier this month, the firm now faces the need to reapply for sandbox designation and repeat the approval process to implement the latest model. The situation has raised concerns that cumbersome regulations are hindering AI adoption in the financial sector, even as the Lee Jae Myung administration aims to position Korea among the world’s top three AI leaders. The network-separation regulation was intro

Nov 27, 2025By Jun Ji-hye
Financial sector faces hurdles in AI adoption despite eased network separation rule
Others

Global investors reconsider Korea's rental market amid tighter regulations

Global institutional investors, including Morgan Stanley and major private equity firms, which have entered or were planning to enter Korea’s rental housing market, are reportedly reassessing their investments, with some even preparing to exit the market entirely, industry sources said Wednesday. The reassessment comes amid rising business uncertainty following the government’s Oct. 15 housing market stabilization measures, which significantly tightened regulations. Under the new rules, all of Seoul and 12 areas in Gyeonggi Province are designated as regulated zones, where new rental property acquisitions face higher acquisition taxes and are excluded from comprehensive real estate tax aggregation, among other restrictions. Global institutional investors have increasingly focused on the country’s rental housing market over the past three years. KKR, a leading global private equity firm, has secured prime sites in Seoul’s Yeongdeungpo and Dongdaemun districts, while London-listed Intermediate Capital Group holds strategic plots in the Gangnam and Jung districts. Morgan Stanley has

Nov 26, 2025By Jun Ji-hye
Global investors reconsider Korea's rental market amid tighter regulations
Policy

Stablecoin turf battle intensifies between FSC and BOK

Korea’s plan to introduce a regulatory framework for stablecoins by the end of the year is facing growing uncertainty, as disagreements emerge between the Financial Services Commission (FSC), the country’s top financial regulator, and the Bank of Korea (BOK) over key provisions, National Assembly officials and financial authorities said Wednesday. Stablecoins are digital currencies designed to maintain a stable value by being tied to central bank-issued currencies, such as the U.S. dollar, or to physical assets like gold. Tether (USDT) and USD Coin (USDC), both pegged one-to-one to the U.S. dollar, are among the most widely used stablecoins. The Assembly’s National Policy Committee had previously indicated its plan to bring stablecoins under the regulatory framework through the second stage of the Virtual Asset User Protection Act, which came into effect in July 2024. At Monday’s subcommittee meeting, however, the proposed bills outlining stablecoin oversight were removed from the agenda. With several unresolved issues still dividing the relevant institutions, prospects for the

Nov 26, 2025By Jun Ji-hye
Stablecoin turf battle intensifies between FSC and BOK
previous page
2223242526
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.