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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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Banking & Finance

KOSPI tops 6,750 intraday, ends 1.38% lower after 3-day streak on oil surge

The KOSPI briefly rose above the 6,750 mark to hit a new intraday high Thursday, but later gave up its gains to finish lower amid rising global oil prices. The benchmark index opened at 6,739.39, up 48.49 points, or 0.72 percent, from the previous close, and quickly climbed to 6,750.27, surpassing Tuesday’s intraday record of 6,712.73. It then turned downward in the afternoon and closed at 6,598.87, down 92.03 points, or 1.38 percent. The index’s strong start was fueled by better-than-expected first-quarter results from four major Big Tech companies. However, the rally lost momentum as global oil prices climbed after the U.S. reaffirmed its maritime blockade against Iran. West Texas Intermediate crude futures hovered around $109 per barrel in after-hours trading. Investor sentiment was further weighed down by a hawkish readout of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting. Despite the late-session decline, KOSPI has maintained an upward trend in recent days, driven by strength in semiconductor shares. A day earlier, the benchmark had finished at a record 6,690.90, up 49.88 point

Apr 30, 2026By Jun Ji-hye
KOSPI tops 6,750 intraday, ends 1.38% lower after 3-day streak on oil surge
Others

KOSPI extends record streak to 3rd day, posting modest gains ahead of key events

KOSPI, coming off a second straight session of a strong rally, traded in a narrow range around the 6,600 level on Wednesday before closing slightly higher, extending its record-setting streak to a third day. Investor sentiment was partly weighed down by overnight losses in U.S. tech stocks, triggered by renewed concerns over OpenAI’s profitability. Still, downside pressure remained limited. The benchmark index opened 22.02 points, or 0.33 percent, lower at 6,619 from the previous session, but later regained ground to close at 6,690.90, up 49.88 points, or 0.75 percent, marking a third consecutive session of record highs. On Monday, the index climbed to 6,615.03, rising 139.40 points, or 2.15 percent, to mark its first-ever close above the 6,600 level. It extended gains on Tuesday, briefly surpassing the 6,700 mark during intraday trading before paring gains to settle at 6,641.02. Heavyweight stocks showed largely lackluster performance. SK hynix closed at 1,293,000 won ($875), down 7,000 won, or 0.54 percent, from the previous session, while Samsung Electronics edged up to 226,000 won,

Apr 29, 2026By Jun Ji-hye
KOSPI extends record streak to 3rd day, posting modest gains ahead of key events
Banking & Finance

KOSPI rally sparks overseas demand for Korean ETFs

KOSPI’s strong rally has fueled growing demand among overseas investors for exchange-traded funds (ETFs) offering exposure to Korean equities, industry officials said Wednesday. Korea’s benchmark index has been setting successive record highs, driven largely by gains in semiconductor shares, and is now delivering standout returns among global equity markets. One notable example is the rapid inflow into the Roundhill Memory ETF (DRAM), a semiconductor-focused fund launched on April 2 on the New York Stock Exchange by U.S. asset manager Roundhill. The ETF attracted more than $1.11 billion in net inflows as of April 21, less than a month after its release. The ETF is heavily concentrated in Korea’s major chipmakers, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. As of April 21, SK hynix accounted for 26.9 percent of the portfolio and Samsung Electronics 23.4 percent, meaning the two together make up more than half of the fund. The rapid rise of the fund is widely seen as unusual for a relatively small asset manager. An official in the asset management industry said, “The product’s appeal likely

Apr 29, 2026By Jun Ji-hye
KOSPI rally sparks overseas demand for Korean ETFs
Others

Korean stock market rises to 8th globally, overtakes UK on chip rally

Korea’s stock market has climbed to become the world’s eighth-largest, surpassing Europe’s biggest market, the United Kingdom, amid rallies by heavyweight chipmakers and government-led efforts to boost corporate value, Bloomberg and local analysts said Tuesday. The benchmark KOSPI is extending its upward momentum, hitting fresh highs despite lingering uncertainties stemming from the Middle East conflict. The index opened 31.77 points, or 0.48 percent, higher at 6,646.80 and maintained its upward momentum, breaking the 6,700 threshold for the first time on an intraday basis. It later pared some gains to close at 6,641.02, up 25.99 points, or 0.39 percent, from the previous session. Citing its own data, Bloomberg reported that Korea’s total market capitalization jumped 45 percent this year to $4.04 trillion. This surpassed the U.K.’s $3.99 trillion, which rose 3 percent over the same period, lifting Korea to eighth place globally. The U.K. market was about twice the size of Korea’s as recently as 2024, but the gap has reversed in just over a year. With market capitalizations fr

Apr 28, 2026By Jun Ji-hye
Korean stock market rises to 8th globally, overtakes UK on chip rally
Banking & Finance

Sophisticated AI-powered insurance fraud tests detection systems

The rise in artificial intelligence (AI)-driven insurance fraud is putting the insurance sector on high alert, as insurers struggle to keep pace with increasingly sophisticated digital forgery techniques despite deploying their own AI-powered detection tools, industry and government officials said Tuesday. Data from the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) showed that liquidated insurance fraud reached an all-time high of 1.16 trillion won ($788 million) last year. Of that, around 201 billion won stemmed from falsified medical certificates and inflated claims for hospital stays and surgeries. Together with staged or exaggerated car accidents, these schemes accounted for 35 percent of the total. While there are no separate statistics tracking AI-driven forgery and falsification, the industry sees AI as a major factor behind the surge. In one case, a woman in her 40s filed 39 insurance claims over a three-year period, citing conditions ranging from finger fractures to cancer. Alarmed by the frequency, the insurer cross-checked her submissions against hospital records and found that the doc

Apr 28, 2026By Jun Ji-hye
Sophisticated AI-powered insurance fraud tests detection systems
Others

Korean stocks top $4 tril. in market cap for 1st time

The combined market capitalization of listed firms in Korea surpassed the 6,000 trillion won ($4.07 trillion) mark for the first time Monday, as the country’s stock market extended its rally despite lingering tensions between the United States and Iran, driven by surging semiconductor-making heavyweights. The total market value of companies listed on the three stock bourses — the benchmark KOSPI, the secondary Kosdaq and the junior KONEX — reached 6,047.9 trillion won as of Monday morning, according to the Korea Exchange. KOSPI opened 0.9 percent higher at 6,533.60 and extended its gains to close at 6,615.03, up 139.40 points, or 2.15 percent, from the previous session. On April 9, 2025, when the benchmark index fell to 2,293.70, the KOSPI and Kosdaq's combined market capitalization stood at just 2,210 trillion won. Compared with those levels, the market has expanded by about 2.7 times in just over a year. The total market value first exceeded 3,000 trillion won on July 10 last year, followed by 4,000 trillion won on Jan. 2 this year and 5,000 trillion won on Feb. 11, underscoring

Apr 27, 2026By Jun Ji-hye
Korean stocks top $4 tril. in market cap for 1st time
Companies

Retail investors split over Samsung, SK hynix as KOSPI hits record high

Park, an office worker in his 30s living in Seoul, has been agonizing for days over whether to sell part of his holdings in SK hynix. Although his returns have surged as the stock has rallied, expectations for further gains driven by artificial intelligence (AI) demand remain strong. “If I sell now, I can lock in profits, but if it rises further, I’ll feel like I missed out. I keep wondering whether this is the peak, given how much it has already gone up,” Park said. Another office worker in his mid-40s living in Gyeonggi Province, surnamed Jung, faces a similar dilemma. He recently sold part of his holdings in Samsung Electronics, judging that the stock had already risen enough. However, he remains conflicted about the shares he still holds. “I couldn’t bring myself to sell everything in case it keeps going up,” he said. KOSPI’s sharp and rapid rally in recent days, even amid Middle East-related uncertainties, is leaving more than 5.38 million retail investors in Samsung Electronics and SK hynix weighing a difficult choice: whether to hold on for further upside or cash out

Apr 27, 2026By Jun Ji-hye
Retail investors split over Samsung, SK hynix as KOSPI hits record high
Others

KOSPI surges past 6,400 to new all-time high

The KOSPI extended its record run for a second straight day Wednesday, breaking above the 6,400 level for the first time. The rally has been fueled by rising optimism over semiconductor earnings and sustained foreign inflows, even amid Middle East tensions, helping the index post the strongest gains among G20 markets so far in April. The KOSPI opened 13.5 points, or 0.21 percent, higher at 6,401.97 and extended its gains to close at 6,417.93, up 29.46 points, or 0.46 percent, marking its first close above the 6,400 level. The previous day, the index had already set a record closing high of 6,388.47, surpassing its prior peak of 6,307.27 reached on Feb. 26. Data from the Korea Exchange showed the KOSPI jumping by 26.4 percent in April, making it the top performer among G20 equity markets. That gain far exceeds those of Japan’s Nikkei 225 at 15.2 percent, Turkey’s BIST 100 at 13.2 percent, India’s BSE Sensex at 9.1 percent and the U.S. S&P 500 at 8.9 percent. Analysts say the sharp rally suggests the market is beginning to price in a recovery in earnings more fully across key sectors

Apr 22, 2026By Jun Ji-hye
KOSPI surges past 6,400 to new all-time high
Banking & Finance

Banks' ad spending tops $541 mil. amid star marketing push

Major banks are stepping up celebrity-driven campaigns to attract younger customers, with their combined advertising spending surpassing 800 billion won ($541 million) for the first time last year, industry and financial officials said Wednesday. According to data from the Financial Supervisory Service, the five major lenders — KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana, Woori and NH NongHyup — together spent 813.6 billion won on advertising and promotional activities in 2025. Their marketing budgets have shown a steady upward trend over the past five years, climbing from 551.3 billion won in 2021 to 755.2 billion won in 2022, dipping slightly to 737.9 billion won in 2023 and then rising again to 781.4 billion won in 2024. Over the 2021-2025 period, their cumulative spending reached about 3.6 trillion won. Hana Bank topped the list, allocating about 177.8 billion won to advertising last year and maintaining its No. 1 position for the fourth consecutive year since 2022, with a lineup of high-profile endorsers including trot star Lim Young-woong, IVE member Ahn Yu-jin and former Tottenham Hotspur play

Apr 22, 2026By Jun Ji-hye
Banks' ad spending tops $541 mil. amid star marketing push
Policy

Korea's debt growth 'strictly managed': budget minister

The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) recent projection that shows Korea among the countries with the fastest-rising debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratios may be overstated, as the government retains sufficient fiscal capacity and control, Budget Minister Park Hong-keun said Tuesday. At a press conference, Park downplayed the global lender’s concerns over the rapid pace of debt growth, stressing that it is being strictly managed through spending restructuring and enhanced fiscal efficiency. “Projections are inherently uncertain, as they depend on economic conditions, policy responses and timing. IMF forecasts have often exceeded actual outcomes in the past,” Park said. “Korea’s debt level remains comparatively low among major economies. Fiscal sustainability should be assessed not only by the ratio itself but also by the country’s ability to manage it.” Park added that the government has already carried out spending cuts worth about 27 trillion won ($18 billion) this year — the largest on record — and is preparing additional measures, including reducing manda

Apr 21, 2026By Jun Ji-hye
Korea's debt growth 'strictly managed': budget minister
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