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Lee Kyung-min

Korea Times AI content 2 team Reporter

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Banking & Finance

Daily GenAI users see higher pay, productivity and job security, survey shows

Workers who use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) technology are found to be higher-performing, as evidenced by their higher pay, output and job security, a survey showed Friday. How effectively they incorporate the latest technology to boost productivity has been found to determine their career paths, as businesses increasingly reorient their corporate strategies to reduce labor costs while maximizing output. According to a survey of 50,000 workers across 48 economies and 28 sectors, released by Samil PwC, around 92 percent of daily GenAI users said their productivity has increased. This is 34 percentage points higher than that of occasional GenAI users. More than half of respondents also said they saw improvements in job stability (58 percent) and salary growth (52 percent). When asked about their career prospects, 69 percent of daily GenAI users expressed confidence in the future of their roles over the next year. In contrast, only 51 percent of occasional GenAI users said so, while 44 percent of those who do not use AI at all agreed. However, daily GenAI adoption overall remai

Nov 14, 2025By Lee Kyung-min
Daily GenAI users see higher pay, productivity and job security, survey shows
Banking & Finance

Will NongHyup carry out large-scale reforms effectively?

The recently announced reforms by the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NACF), which also operates NH NongHyup Bank, are drawing attention over whether, and to what extent, a sweeping personnel overhaul will follow, market watchers said Thursday. The organization unveiled a wide range of measures, Monday, to restore public trust following a series of corruption scandals and operational irregularities, including employee embezzlement and poorly screened loans. At the heart of the reforms is a focus on strengthening the central cooperative’s oversight and ensuring a corruption-free regional network, with the goal of rebuilding public confidence. According to the NACF, it plans to replace more than half of its top executives, including senior management and board members, while strengthening transparency in the executive selection process. Retired NACF officials will, in principle, be barred from reemployment as part of a broader effort to end the culture of influence-driven networks. Top executives will be dismissed upon confirmation of serious misconduct, in accordance with a

Nov 13, 2025By Lee Kyung-min
Will NongHyup carry out large-scale reforms effectively?
Banking & Finance

Weakening won raises concerns over banks' financial soundness

Korea’s major banks are facing mounting pressure over their deteriorating financial stability, eroded by the rapid weakness of the Korean currency against the U.S. dollar, market watchers said Thursday. The won recently hit a seven-month low of 1,470 won per dollar, weakening by 70 won in just two months. This has hurt banks’ capital ratios as the government increases pressure to expand corporate lending as part of its “productive finance” drive. The weaker won makes banks’ financial soundness look riskier on paper, because their U.S. dollar assets including loans, investments and derivatives become larger when converted into won. This happens because banks’ Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratios, a key indicator of their financial soundness, becomes lower. The ratio is measured by bank’s core capital divided by its risk-weighted assets (RWA). When the won weakens, the value of U.S. dollar assets converted to won rises, leading to higher value of RWAs. This in turn lowers the ratio, unless banks increase their capital. According to financial market data, KB Financial’s ratio

Nov 13, 2025By Lee Kyung-min
Weakening won raises concerns over banks' financial soundness
Economy

Weaker won boosts Koreans' offshore investment returns, but hurts Koreans living abroad

The Korean currency sliding rapidly to the level of 1,470 won per U.S. dollar is leading to greater gains for Korean investors with offshore assets, but this is straining consumers and exporters, market experts said Wednesday. The won's sharp depreciation has pushed up investor returns on U.S. dollar-denominated income, benefitting retail investors with U.S. equity holdings as well as YouTubers who receive income in dollars. However, students studying abroad, Korean workers dispatched overseas and travel-related businesses are experiencing heavier cost pressures in the form of reduced profit margins and weaker purchasing power. According to the foreign exchange market, the won hit an intraday low of 1,470 won per dollar at around noon Wednesday. It ended at 1,465.70 won against the dollar as of 3:30 p.m., 2.4 won weaker from the previous session. The won hovered around the 1,300 won range in May, stabilizing from the low of 1,484 won in April, influenced by U.S. tariff volatilities and ongoing political uncertainties. The currency has since depreciated to around 1,400 won in late September

Nov 12, 2025By Lee Kyung-min
Weaker won boosts Koreans' offshore investment returns, but hurts Koreans living abroad
Economy

Retail investors step up leveraged bets as KOSPI soars

A growing number of retail investors are taking out margin loans and unsecured loans, propelled by the country’s benchmark KOSPI index surging past an all-time high of 4,200 mark this week, market watchers said Wednesday. The leverage- and borrowing-fueled rally is stirring concern over heightened volatility, in case of short-term wild swings due to foreign capital outflows. Further advancing the view is the market’s growing dependence on semiconductor giants such as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. Foreign holdings in each of the two shares stood around near 50 percent as of the end of October. Any rapid foreign sell-off could trigger sharp dives in the two, leading to faster investor losses. According to data from the nation’s top five banks — KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana, Woori and NH NongHyup — unsecured loans extended to household totaled over 105.9 trillion won ($71 billion) as of Friday, up 1.18 trillion won from the end of October. The surge came in just one week, surpassing the entire increase recorded during October when the figure stood at 925.1 billion won. This is the

Nov 12, 2025By Lee Kyung-min
Retail investors step up leveraged bets as KOSPI soars
Economy

Banks rehire retired employees to tap veteran expertise in wealth management

Commercial lenders are increasingly rehiring retirees to fill key roles, seeking to draw on their decades of experience to enhance service quality, strengthen risk management and bolster customer trust, market watchers said Tuesday. The move is driven by growing demand for experienced professionals in asset management, loan screening and fraud prevention, reflecting the financial sector’s approach to retaining proven talent beyond the statutory retirement age. Between 2021 and October this year, Korea’s four leading banks — KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana and Woori — rehired more than 5,000 retired employees. Many of them work in asset management, compliance, loan review and antifraud departments, where human expertise remains more critical than artificial intelligence technologies. Hana Bank said rehiring retired employees came from strong client demand for seasoned professionals with firsthand knowledge and expertise in asset management. “Many customers in their 50s and 60s are seeking consultations for postretirement planning,” a Hana official said. Their assets — including fina

Nov 12, 2025By Lee Kyung-min
Banks rehire retired employees to tap veteran expertise in wealth management
Economy

Wildly diverging 2026 KOSPI forecasts leave investors confused

Many investors have been left confused over how far the benchmark KOSPI rally would go amid sharply conflicting market views for next year, with forecasts from major brokerages differing by as much as 3,000 points, market watchers said Tuesday. The wide difference highlights uncertainty over the global and Korean economies, calling into question the motives of the brokerages, whose profits are tied closely to retail investors’ equity trading volume. Also doubtful is their credibility, since many said in their 2024 year-end forecasts that the KOSPI this year could be limited to less than 3,000 points. KB Securities is forecasting the highest figure of 7,500 points, based on the government’s financial market reform efforts, tax revisions and semiconductor supercycle, whereas Kiwoom Securities sees the index being limited to 4,500, hamstrung by global inflation risks and trade tensions. KB said in a report that the current bullish market sentiment was similar to the early stage of an extended market boom in 1984, when the combination of low interest rates, a weak dollar and low oil pric

Nov 11, 2025By Lee Kyung-min
Wildly diverging 2026 KOSPI forecasts leave investors confused
Banking & Finance

Financial firms rush to adopt AI-mediated services for efficiency, accuracy

A growing number of insurers and other financial service providers are adopting artificial intelligence (AI) to meet customer demands, from investment recommendations and overall consulting to insurance design and complaint processing, market watchers said Monday. The shift improves efficiency, accuracy and speed, since AI agents are taking over repetitive, time-consuming or information-heavy tasks previously performed by human employees. The insurance sector in particular is experiencing enhanced, faster services, as the AI-reviewed complex insurance consultations reduce mistakes. KB Insurance has launched an AI complaint resolution assistant whereby recorded customer calls are analyzed to classify complaint types before being referred to relevant procedures and department staff. The self-learning AI continuously improves its accuracy, reflecting consumer and employee feedback entered during complaint handling and processing, thereby enhancing response quality, the insurer said. “The AI-powered consumer service helps speed up the consumer complaint management system, including legal re

Nov 11, 2025By Lee Kyung-min
Financial firms rush to adopt AI-mediated services for efficiency, accuracy
Banking & Finance

Hana Financial Group promotes sense of community, volunteering at ESG event

Hana Financial Group began this year's flagship environmental, social and governance (ESG) festival, “2025 All One Day,” reaffirming its commitment to inclusive finance and community engagement, the group said Monday. The annual two-month event launched in 2011 on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the group’s establishment and the 10th anniversary of Hana Bank’s integration into the group. The ESG event, which runs from Monday through Jan. 11, 2026, mobilizes all employees across the group to participate in diverse volunteer programs, strengthening the group’s social responsibility in compassion- and inclusion-based volunteer activities. This year’s event highlights Hana’s sustained leadership in promoting social value through long-term, community-centered engagement. It featured a performance by a classical music group composed of musicians with developmental disabilities under the theme of “inclusion and sincerity,” emphasizing solidarity, empathy and genuine connection with vulnerable communities. “We will deliver warmth to our neighbors in need. Hana will con

Nov 10, 2025By Lee Kyung-min
Hana Financial Group promotes sense of community, volunteering at ESG event
Banking & Finance

Hana Financial, KakaoBank obtain highest MSCI ESG rating

Korea’s two leading financial institutions — Hana Financial Group and KakaoBank — have earned the highest AAA rating in the latest environmental, social and governance (ESG) assessment by global index provider Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI), the two said Sunday. The recognition highlights the growing global competitiveness of the Korean financial sector’s sustainable ESG management, strengthening foreign investor confidence in the country. The MSCI evaluates 8,500 listed companies annually for performance in corporate governance, data protection, consumer rights and climate-risk management. The rating is closely followed by institutional investors worldwide and often influences foreign investment decisions and index inclusion in ESG-focused funds. KakaoBank secured its first-ever AAA rating, a notable climb from its initial BB rating in 2021 and a further upgrade from AA in February this year. The Kakao subsidiary is the sole internet-only bank to have secured the top rating. MSCI cited Kakao Bank’s strong performance in data privacy and cybersecurity, consumer pro

Nov 9, 2025By Lee Kyung-min
Hana Financial, KakaoBank obtain highest MSCI ESG rating
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