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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.

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Health

Gachon Univ. medical team performs free heart surgeries for 5 Mongolian children

Gachon University Gil Medical Center recently performed free surgeries for five Mongolian children with congenital heart disease and held a ceremony to mark their full recovery, the hospital said Wednesday. This initiative was carried out in partnership with Incheon City as part of a broader medical aid program targeting children with congenital heart conditions in Asian countries. For its latest effort, the hospital’s medical volunteers traveled to Ulaanbaatar from April 18 to 24 to conduct thorough cardiac screenings, selecting five children in need of urgent surgical intervention. The children were brought to Korea and underwent surgeries between June 11 and 16. One of the children is Naranbayar Nandin Erdene, a five-year-old Mongolian girl. She had already undergone two surgeries in Mongolia, but her condition remained critical. Frequent illnesses had weakened her immune system, preventing her from attending kindergarten. Further treatment seemed out of reach in her home country due to limited medical resources and financial constraints. Thanks to the intervention of Gachon Universi

Jun 25, 2025By Jun Ji-hye
Gachon Univ. medical team performs free heart surgeries for 5 Mongolian children
Banking & Finance

KakaoBank targets stablecoin market with 12 trademark filings

KakaoBank has filed multiple trademark applications related to its stablecoin business in a bid to secure first-mover advantage in the fast-growing market, according to industry and company officials Wednesday. Korea's largest internet-only bank recently submitted 12 applications to the Korean Intellectual Property Office under four names — BKRW, KRWB, KKBKRW and KRWKKB. The applications cover three categories: cryptocurrency-related software, cryptocurrency financial-transaction services and cryptocurrency mining. Filing a trademark establishes priority under the principle of first-to-file, preventing the registration of identical or similar marks in the same category from being submitted afterwards. "We submitted the trademark applications to proactively respond to developments in the stablecoin market," a KakaoBank official said. "We will continue to carefully monitor relevant legal frameworks and market dynamics." Stablecoins are digital assets designed to maintain a stable value by being pegged to government-issued currencies such as the U.S. dollar. They also enable real-time paym

Jun 25, 2025By Jun Ji-hye
KakaoBank targets stablecoin market with 12 trademark filings
Companies

S-Oil, HD Hyundai, HMM gain on energy supply fears after US strikes on Iran

Stocks related to refining and natural gas, such as S-Oil and HD Hyundai, are expected to benefit from growing concerns over energy supply following U.S. airstrikes on Iran, securities analysts said Monday. They noted that Korean refiners may see higher margins and inventory valuation gains. In addition, some speculate that if Iran decides to block the Strait of Hormuz, a surge in maritime freight rates could also create favorable conditions for shipping companies such as HMM. In response to the U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities on Saturday (local time), Iran is moving to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical oil transit chokepoints. A closure of the strait would cause major disruptions in the energy market, dealing a direct blow to Asian nations and also leading to significant economic consequences for the U.S. and other countries. According to iM Securities, about 20 percent of the world's oil supply was shipped through the Strait of Hormuz last year. In the case of liquid natural gas (LNG), the strait also handled around 80 million tons, accounting fo

Jun 23, 2025By Jun Ji-hye
S-Oil, HD Hyundai, HMM gain on energy supply fears after US strikes on Iran
Policy

Financial market on high alert as US strikes on Iran trigger volatility

Financial authorities and institutions in Korea have entered into emergency response mode after the United States' airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities have heightened market volatilities, officials said Monday. The domestic stock market had maintained strong momentum amid expectations for the launch of Korea's new government on June 4, even after Israel first attacked Iran on June 13, according to the officials. But market volatility has since increased due to growing uncertainty over Iran's potential response to the U.S. strikes. The Financial Services Commission (FSC), the country's top financial regulator, held an emergency meeting Monday to assess the state of the stock and foreign exchange markets. The meeting, presided over by FSC Chairman Kim Byoung-hwan, was attended by Financial Supervisory Service Senior Deputy Governor Hahm Yong-il and Korea Exchange CEO Jeong Eun-bo, among others. They examined global reactions to the U.S. strikes on Iran and analyzed recent trading patterns of foreign and institutional investors in the local market. They agreed to strengthen market monit

Jun 23, 2025By Jun Ji-hye
Financial market on high alert as US strikes on Iran trigger volatility
Companies

Hanwha Life Esports draws 2,500 fans at global fan fest in Vietnam

Hanwha Life Esports demonstrated its global popularity and strong engagement as its players connected with 2,500 fans during the 2025 HLE Global Fan Fest held Wednesday in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Hanwha Life said Friday. Launched last year, the fan fest is part of efforts to strengthen the insurer’s global brand presence and expand the international fan base of its esports team. The inaugural event invited 1,500 fans selected by lottery but attracted over 14,000 applicants, highlighting the insurer’s brand potential in the Vietnamese market. Despite the introduction of paid tickets and a 150 percent increase in seating capacity to 2,500 seats for Wednesday’s event, all tickets sold out within just four minutes of the online presale. The event featured the full first-team roster of the League of Legends esports team — Choi "Zeus" Woo-je, Han "Peanut" Wang-ho, Kim "Zeka" Geon-woo, Park "Viper" Do-hyeon and Yu "Delight" Hwan-jung. They actively participated in various activities and interacted closely with fans. "Compared to last year, this year’s event was prepared on a larger

Jun 20, 2025By Jun Ji-hye
Hanwha Life Esports draws 2,500 fans at global fan fest in Vietnam
Policy

Lee's prepaid vouchers to spur consumption, may fuel inflation: experts

The Lee Jae Myung administration's decision to distribute prepaid vouchers to all citizens is expected to serve as a catalyst for boosting consumption at a time when sluggish domestic demand has been a major drag on Korea's economic growth, experts said Friday. However, some warned that the impact may be short-lived and argued that the measure is not a fundamental solution for revitalizing the economy. Concerns were also raised over potential side effects, such as upward pressure on inflation. The government approved a 30.5 trillion won ($22 billion) supplementary budget plan during a Cabinet meeting Thursday. As part of the plan, it allocated 13.2 trillion won — including 10.3 trillion won from the central government and 2.9 trillion won from local governments — to distribute prepaid vouchers, ranging from 150,000 won to 500,000 won per person, in a bid to breathe life into the sluggish domestic market. This marks the second supplementary budget of the year and the first to be drawn up since Lee took office on June 4. Professor Kim Dae-jong of Sejong University's School of Business

Jun 20, 2025By Jun Ji-hye
Lee's prepaid vouchers to spur consumption, may fuel inflation: experts
Banking & Finance

Major financial groups set for fierce competition in nursing care business

The four major financial groups — KB, Shinhan, Hana and Woori — are rapidly expanding into the elder care business through their life insurance subsidiaries amid the nation's accelerating population aging, industry officials said Thursday. Although the sector has yet to turn a profit due to high initial investment costs, the groups are placing a strong focus on it as a future growth engine. According to the Financial Supervisory Service's electronic disclosure system, KB Golden Life Care, a subsidiary of KB Life Insurance, posted a net loss of 2.5 billion won ($1.8 million) in the first quarter of this year. Shinhan Life Care, a subsidiary of Shinhan Life Insurance, also recorded a net loss of 600 million won. Despite continued losses, competition in the elder care market is expected to intensify as Hana and Woori have recently joined the race, following early movers KB and Shinhan. Hana Life Insurance has recently launched a new subsidiary, HANA THE NEXT Life Care, to spearhead its entry into the elder care industry. The company aims to provide comprehensive senior welfare services,

Jun 20, 2025By Jun Ji-hye
Major financial groups set for fierce competition in nursing care business
Companies

MBK chairman says no more personal contributions for Homeplus rescue

Michael ByungJu Kim, chairman of MBK Partners — the private equity firm that owns Homeplus — has said he will refuse to comply with calls for a personal contribution of more than 1 trillion won ($724 million) to support the retailer, which is under a court-led rehabilitation process, according to sources in political circles and the financial investment industry, Thursday. During a closed-door meeting with lawmakers from the National Assembly's National Policy Committee on June 13, Kim maintained that MBK's plan to forfeit its entire 2.5 trillion won stake in Homeplus to facilitate the sale represents the best possible offer, sources said. However, as some critics continue to argue that an immediate capital injection is essential to swiftly normalize the retailer's operations, further controversy is expected. Homeplus ranks as Korea's second-largest discount retail chain, with a network of 126 large-scale stores and 308 smaller outlets nationwide. It has a workforce of around 19,000 employees. In 2015, MBK acquired Homeplus from British retailer Tesco for 7.2 trillion won. After acco

Jun 19, 2025By Jun Ji-hye
MBK chairman says no more personal contributions for Homeplus rescue
Banking & Finance

Credit card firms face mounting pressure amid fee cuts, fintech's rise

Credit card companies are struggling amid a prolonged industry downturn, company officials said Wednesday. Government-led policies aimed at lowering transaction fees have put mounting pressure on card issuers' profitability, while the rise of online payment platforms is accelerating the reshaping of the payment ecosystem, they said. In addition, the firms' ability to offset losses through lending products such as card loans is weakening due to cardholders' deteriorating financial soundness. These challenges are forcing the companies to undergo structural transformation and business reorganization in order to survive. Since the 2012 revision of the Specialized Credit Finance Business Act, financial authorities have recalculated the appropriate cost of credit card processing fees every three years, based on factors such as risk management, administrative expenses and marketing. These recalculations have consistently led to fee cuts, resulting in a steady decline in the share of merchant fee revenue in credit card firms' total income and weakening the core competitiveness of their primary bu

Jun 19, 2025By Jun Ji-hye
Credit card firms face mounting pressure amid fee cuts, fintech's rise
Companies

Kolmar's owner family dispute escalates into management conflict

A management rights feud among siblings at Kolmar Group has escalated into a legal battle between father and son, according to industry officials and legal sources Wednesday. Chairman Yoon Dong-han, who founded the leading cosmetics manufacturer Kolmar Korea in 1990, filed a lawsuit against his eldest son, Kolmar Holdings Vice Chairman Yoon Sang-hyun. The lawsuit was filed with the Seoul Central District Court on May 30, according to the group. In the suit, Yoon demanded the return of 2.3 million shares in the holding company — now totaling 4.6 million — which he had gifted to his son in 2019. The dispute dates back to 2018, when the chairman finalized a succession plan through a three-way agreement: his son, Sang-hyun, would take over Kolmar Holdings and Kolmar Korea, while his daughter, Yea-won, would lead Kolmar BNH. Based on that agreement, Yoon gifted 2.3 million Kolmar Holdings shares to his son in December 2019 under a conditional arrangement. The stake later doubled to 4.6 million shares through a bonus issue, making Sang-hyun the largest shareholder with a 31.75 percent stake

Jun 18, 2025By Jun Ji-hye
Kolmar's owner family dispute escalates into management conflict
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