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Lee Hyo-jin

Korea Times Finance Reporter

Lee Hyo-jin covers the Bank of Korea, the banking industry and broader financial news. Her previous beats include foreign affairs, North Korea and general reporting on Korean society.

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Policy

BOK joins warnings over Samsung, SK hynix leveraged ETFs

The Bank of Korea (BOK) warned Sunday that single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tied to Samsung Electronics and SK hynix could amplify market volatility, joining growing regulatory concerns over the high-risk products. The rare warning is expected to add momentum to financial authorities' efforts to tighten investment requirements for the products. In a written response to Rep. Park Sung-hoon of the main opposition People Power Party, the BOK said leveraged ETFs tracking Samsung Electronics and SK hynix could exacerbate the market's heavy concentration in the two major chipmakers, which account for more than half of the Korean stock market by market capitalization and trading value. "The domestic stock market has become increasingly concentrated in a handful of semiconductor stocks amid improving earnings in the sector," the BOK said. "Single-stock leveraged ETFs could further intensify one-way trading as investors pour money into or pull out of the products in response to changes in market expectations or the business environment." The central bank warned that a sharp decl

Jul 5, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
BOK joins warnings over Samsung, SK hynix leveraged ETFs
Business

Airbility bets on high-speed drones as Iran war reshapes counter-drone market

The recent U.S.-Israeli war against Iran underscored an increasingly costly reality of modern warfare: Shooting down a low-cost drone can require an interceptor missile worth more than 100 times as much. As inexpensive drones become more common on the battlefield, militaries are searching for more cost-effective ways to defend against them. That shift is creating new opportunities for companies developing next-generation counter-drone technologies. One of them is Airbility, a Korean startup developing an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered counter-drone system built around a reusable high-speed unmanned aircraft system. Its CEO believes the company's platform could offer a more economical alternative to conventional air defense systems by deploying interceptor drones from the air, rather than relying solely on costly ground-based missile systems. "In modern conflicts, such as the war in Ukraine and the recent U.S.-Iran conflict, we've repeatedly seen militaries fire interceptor missiles costing more than 100 times as much as the low-cost drones they are trying to shoot down," Airbility

Jul 2, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
Airbility bets on high-speed drones as Iran war reshapes counter-drone market
Banking & Finance

Woori relocates microcredit bank to better support small businesses

Woori Financial Group said Wednesday it has relocated the headquarters of its Woori Smile Microcredit Bank from Seoul's Euljiro to Changsin-dong in Dongdaemun District, aiming to improve access to financial services for small business owners and low-income borrowers. The move marks the first step in the group's plan announced in March to strengthen its microfinance network. Changsin-dong, home to traditional markets and a garment manufacturing cluster, was chosen to bring financial counseling and support closer to small business owners. Woori said microcredit bank employees will also visit business sites to provide on-site consultations for people who have difficulty visiting branches during business hours. Woori Financial plans to expand the microcredit bank's regional network from eight branches to 12, adding offices in cities including Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, and Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. The relocation ceremony was attended by Woori Financial Group Chairman Yim Jong-yong, Kim Eun-Kyung, president of the Korea Inclusive Finance Agency, Woori Bank CEO Jung Jin-wan and

Jul 1, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
Woori relocates microcredit bank to better support small businesses
Banking & Finance

KakaoBank lands 4 papers at leading AI conferences

KakaoBank said Tuesday that four of its research papers on financial artificial intelligence (AI) were accepted to international journals this year, highlighting the internet-only lender's efforts to improve the safety and reliability of AI use in finance. According to the company, the papers were accepted to the International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR), the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL) and the Language Resources and Evaluation Conference (LREC). The research focuses on improving the security, accuracy and safety of generative AI models for financial services. One paper, presented at ICLR in April, introduced a system for detecting prompt injection attacks targeting large language models used in specialized fields such as finance and law. Developed jointly with The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), the model was trained on a proprietary dataset of about 59,000 samples and outperformed existing models in detecting malicious prompts. Two more papers were presented at LREC in May. One proposed a method for detecting prompt injec

Jun 30, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
KakaoBank lands 4 papers at leading AI conferences
Economy

Accelerated Yongin investment well within Samsung, SK hynix financial flexibility: S&P

Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have sufficient financial flexibility to accelerate planned investment in the Yongin semiconductor cluster, S&P Global Ratings said Tuesday, easing concerns that the chipmakers' upcoming investment package could weigh on their financial stability. Speaking at a media briefing in Seoul, Jeremy Kim, associate director for Asia-Pacific corporate ratings at S&P Global Ratings, said the timing of the planned investment in the chip cluster in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, could be brought forward, resulting in a modest increase in capital expenditure over the next two years. "There could be some increase in capital expenditure this year and next, but both SK hynix and Samsung Electronics have sufficient financial capacity to absorb that through their free cash flow," Kim said. The comments came a day after Samsung Electronics and SK hynix unveiled an approximately 4,700 trillion won ($3.4 trillion) investment package, including about 3,500 trillion won earmarked for expanding production of advanced semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI) data centers. Sams

Jun 30, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
Accelerated Yongin investment well within Samsung, SK hynix financial flexibility: S&P
Foreign Affairs

Long road ahead for Korea-US nuclear sub cooperation, says ex-US official

SEOGWIPO, Jeju Island — Korea's pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines still faces a long road ahead despite Seoul's hopes of producing tangible results with Washington, according to Eliot Kang, former US assistant secretary of state for international security and nonproliferation. “It may take more than a year. This is not simply up to the executive branch of the United States government,” Kang said during a press conference on the sidelines of the Jeju Forum, Friday. He said the initiative requires significant changes to the fundamental civil nuclear cooperation between the two allies. “In order to have supply nuclear material from the US for military use, we must have another separate agreement,” he added. “It’s probably a mutual defense agreement.” His remarks come as Seoul and Washington continue discussions on Korea's goal of acquiring its first nuclear-powered submarine following a security agreement reached by President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump last October. Seoul's foreign ministry on Monday expressed optimism that the two sides can make meaningf

Jun 26, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
Long road ahead for Korea-US nuclear sub cooperation, says ex-US official
Foreign Affairs

Trump retains 'very strong interest' in Kim Jong-un: ex-White House official

SEOGWIPO, Jeju Island — Former White House national security official Alex Wong said Thursday that U.S. President Donald Trump continues to have a "very strong interest" in North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, suggesting the U.S. leader could create conditions for renewed engagement with Pyongyang next year. "President Trump is a world historical actor, the one who is active, who engages, who takes action on the world stage. He could change the conditions in the short term — in the next year — to make the conditions conducive for engagement," Wong said during an interview with local media on the sidelines of the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity, when asked about the prospects for renewed U.S.-North Korea diplomacy. "When the conditions are right, I think all powers should be ready for engagement," he added. Wong, who currently serves as global chief strategy officer at Hanwha Group, was deeply involved in North Korea policy during Trump's first administration, leading working-level negotiations with Pyongyang. He later served as principal deputy national security adviser during Trum

Jun 25, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
Trump retains 'very strong interest' in Kim Jong-un: ex-White House official
Foreign Affairs

Former UN chief slams US for leaving int'l organizations

SEOGWIPO, Jeju Island — Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday criticized the United States for withdrawing from international organizations, warning that no country can survive without cooperating with the rest of the world. Speaking at the World Leaders Session, a key event of the annual Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity, Ban said he was "angry" over U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to pull his country out of dozens of international institutions. "I am very angry that President Donald Trump has decided to withdraw from 31 U.N. organizations and 35 international organizations like WHO, UNESCO and UNFCCC," he said. Expressing concern over the weakening role of the U.N. and other international institutions, Ban appealed for Washington to reverse its course. "I really appeal to the U.S. — please return. You are the leader," he said. "Not a single country in this world can live alone without working together with members of the international community." His remarks came after Trump in January signed a presidential memorandum directing the U.S. to withdraw

Jun 25, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
Former UN chief slams US for leaving int'l organizations
Foreign Affairs

Trump turning attention back to North Korea: former US envoy to Seoul

SEOGWIPO, Jeju Island — U.S. President Donald Trump appears to be turning his attention back to North Korea, former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris said Wednesday, echoing remarks made by President Lee Jae Myung last week. Speaking at the Jeju Forum, an annual international peace forum held on Jeju Island, Harris argued that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is even less likely to abandon his nuclear ambitions following recent developments in Iran and Ukraine. The session, titled "Between Collective Defense and Collective Security: Toward a New Security Architecture in East Asia," brought together Harris, former Defense Minister Suh Wook and Kitamura Shigeru, former secretary-general of Japan's National Security Secretariat. "As President Lee from South Korea said, President Trump is now focused on North Korea again. So who knows where that focus will take both countries," he said. The former ambassador argued that previous U.S. administrations should have done more to prevent North Korea from achieving its nuclear ambitions, adding that Trump, during his first term, went fur

Jun 24, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
Trump turning attention back to North Korea: former US envoy to Seoul
Foreign Affairs

Lee calls for closer cooperation with foreign envoys

President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday expressed his appreciation to foreign envoys and called for their continued cooperation in addressing global challenges. Speaking at a dinner reception for members of the diplomatic corps held at Cheong Wa Dae, Lee thanked the foreign envoys for helping advance Seoul's relations with their home countries. "Over the past year, I have met with leaders from more than 50 countries and held around 100 summits and other high-level engagements," Lee said in his welcoming remarks. "Such active summit diplomacy would not have been possible without all of you serving faithfully as bridges between your home countries and Korea." He added, "I ask for your continued cooperation so that relations between Korea and your countries can grow even stronger and we can work together to address the common challenges facing the international community." Lee also reaffirmed Korea's commitment to international cooperation, noting that the country has attended the Group of Seven (G7) summit for two consecutive years and is positioning itself as a responsible partner in addressin

Jun 23, 2026By Lee Hyo-jin
Lee calls for closer cooperation with foreign envoys
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