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Lee Yeon-woo

Korea Times Finance Reporter

Lee Yeon-woo is a financial journalist at The Korea Times. Her wide range of reporting includes policies, macroeconomics, stock market, companies and even crypto. She is passionate about connecting the dots in Korean finance and making it easier for foreign nationals to understand. Based on her previous experience as a national reporter, she also has a keen interest in social issues within the sector, including gender equality and ESG. Your tips and insights are always appreciated. You can send them to yanu@koreatimes.co.kr.

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Banking & Finance

KB Financial chief vows to turn 'money move' into opportunities

KB Financial Group Chairman Yang Jong-hee said the current money move could provide an opportunity to strengthen the group's competitiveness in wealth and asset management, the group said Sunday. He also called on executives to reassess their work processes and redesign the ways tasks are carried out using artificial intelligence. His remarks came during the group's executive workshop for the second half of 2026, held from Friday to Saturday in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province. The workshop was organized to refine KB's medium- to long-term growth strategy for 2027 through 2029 amid rapid changes in financial markets and intensifying competition. It also aimed to strengthen the group's future competitiveness through closer collaboration among its affiliates. A total of 270 executives attended. KB Financial Group outlined five priorities: revamping its wealth management business models; strengthening services for small and medium-sized companies; improving group-wide collaboration in corporate and investment banking and capital markets; upgrading its insurance and investment capabilities;

Jul 12, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
KB Financial chief vows to turn 'money move' into opportunities
Economy

Nationalist buying wave rescues stocks facing delisting

For decades, Monami's familiar ballpoint pens have filled Korean classrooms, offices and pencil cases. Now, a wave of nostalgia-driven buying is giving the 65-year-old stationery maker an unexpected lifeline in the stock market. "Now that I'm an adult who can buy Monami shares, I've placed an order, hoping there is still room for a little nostalgia in this world. Please keep going," an investor wrote on a local brokerage's online community. "Who in Korea hasn't heard of Monami pens? A company like this deserves to thrive as a long-standing Korean brand," another wrote. Such expressions of affection have quickly translated into buying interest, as retail investors rallied around the company. According to the Korea Exchange, Monami shares jumped 25.66 percent on Friday to close at 2,145 won ($1.43), marking a sharp rebound from their all-time low of 1,065 won on June 26. The company had faced the risk of delisting after the Korea Exchange moved to tighten the market capitalization requirements for maintaining a stock market listing. As public interest surged, Monami's shares soared, pushin

Jul 12, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
Nationalist buying wave rescues stocks facing delisting
Economy

KOSPI ends slightly higher amid Middle East worries

The benchmark KOSPI ended at the 7,200 level after a choppy session Thursday, opening higher on bargain-hunting in semiconductor shares before paring gains amid continued uncertainty in the Middle East. According to the Korea Exchange, the KOSPI closed at 7,291.91, up 0.62 percent from the previous session. The index opened 3.31 percent higher at 7,486.64 and extended gains, briefly rising above the 7,500 mark. It later gave up those gains, falling as low as 7,063.76. After fluctuating for much of the session, the index ended slightly higher. Foreign and institutional investors bought a net 1.29 trillion won ($854.7 million) and 13.75 billion won worth of KOSPI shares, respectively, while retail investors sold a net 1.33 trillion won, limiting the index's gains. Investor sentiment toward Korean semiconductor stocks improved after U.S. chip shares closed higher on bargain-hunting, helping local names open stronger. However, continued debate over whether the memory cycle had peaked, along with growing profit-taking pressure, led retail investors to sell heavily, erasing much of the market

Jul 9, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
KOSPI ends slightly higher amid Middle East worries
Cryptocurrency

Mirae Asset wins antitrust approval for Korbit deal

Mirae Asset Group said Thursday that its planned acquisition of Korbit, a domestic cryptocurrency exchange, has cleared review by the Fair Trade Commission (FTC). "The FTC's approval is significant because it marks the first acquisition of a cryptocurrency exchange by an affiliate of a financial group, highlighting the growing convergence between traditional finance and virtual asset platforms," Korbit said in a statement. Mirae Asset Consulting, an affiliate of the group, said in February it agreed to buy 26.91 million shares in Korbit, equivalent to a 92.06 percent stake, for 133.5 billion won ($88.82 million). Follow-up procedures to complete the acquisition will proceed in stages, though the timeline has yet to be finalized, the exchange said. Digital finance is one of the group's key mid- to long-term growth drivers. In June, it launched its global investment platform Mirae Asset Portfolio Service (MAPS) in Hong Kong, laying the groundwork to integrate traditional and digital assets. Mirae Asset said it aims to combine its global investment expertise in securities and asset manageme

Jul 9, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
Mirae Asset wins antitrust approval for Korbit deal
Banking & Finance

Shinhan's inclusive music ensemble makes debut on bank's 44th anniversary

Shinhan Bank said Wednesday that it celebrated its 44th anniversary with the debut performance of "Shinhan SOLremio," an ensemble composed of musicians with developmental disabilities. The performance was held in the lobby of Shinhan Bank's headquarters in Seoul on Tuesday. It marked the ensemble's first official performance since the bank established it. Shinhan SOLremio was created as part of Shinhan Bank's efforts to expand employment opportunities for people with disabilities and to support the sustainable artistic careers of musicians with developmental disabilities. The bank directly hired the ensemble members and has provided them with a dedicated rehearsal space at Shinhan Art Hall in Gangnam District, Seoul, helping them work in a stable environment and grow as professional performers. The anniversary concert featured all members of Shinhan SOLremio, along with musicians from Dream With Ensemble, the organization entrusted with operating the group, and winners of the Shinhan Music Awards. The performers presented a wide range of familiar pieces, including classical music, film

Jul 9, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
Shinhan's inclusive music ensemble makes debut on bank's 44th anniversary
Economy

Why Samsung shares are swinging so wildly

Samsung Electronics shares have taken investors on a wild ride over the past year, climbing from a July 9, 2025, low of 60,200 won ($40.12) to a June 19 peak of 374,500 won — a whopping 522 percent gain. But a closer look shows just how dizzying the swings have been. Last week alone, the stock moved down 4.86 percent, up 3.41 percent, down 5.84 percent, down 9.06 percent and up 8.22 percent over five straight trading days. This week brought another bout of whiplash around Tuesday's preliminary second-quarter earnings release, with the shares moving up 2.75 percent, down 6.92 percent and down 6.25 percent over three consecutive sessions. The swings are raising a bigger question for investors: Why are shares of Korea's most valuable company trading less like a national champion and more like a momentum bet? Analysts say the volatility reflects a shift in how the market is valuing Samsung. Rather than treating the company as a stable manufacturing giant, investors are increasingly pricing it as a cyclical artificial intelligence (AI) play tied closely to the memory chip cycle. Samsung stil

Jul 8, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
Why Samsung shares are swinging so wildly
Cryptocurrency

Open USD pushes Korea to rethink stablecoin model

The upcoming launch of Open USD, a dollar-pegged stablecoin backed by more than 140 global financial and technology firms, is expected to reshape Korea's stablecoin debate by shifting the focus from issuers to companies with real distribution power, industry officials said Tuesday. Open USD is challenging the issuer-dominated profit model that has long defined the stablecoin market. Its governance rights and reserve income will be shared among participating companies, with revenue distributed based on the competitiveness of each distribution partner. The launch is scheduled for the second half of this year. In Korea, 13 companies, including Samsung Electronics, Shinhan Financial Group, KB Kookmin Card, Dunamu and Hanwha Group, have joined the initiative. Global firms such as Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, BlackRock, Coinbase, Google, BNY and Standard Chartered are also among the participants. Industry officials said the emergence of Open USD carries significant implications for Korea as the country debates the introduction of a won-pegged stablecoin. So far, Korea's stablecoin discussion has

Jul 8, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
Open USD pushes Korea to rethink stablecoin model
Economy

KOSPI tumbles as Samsung's record earnings fail to lift market

Korean stocks tumbled Tuesday, with the benchmark index sliding below 8,000, as investors sold off shares despite another record earnings report from Samsung Electronics. According to the Korea Exchange, KOSPI closed at 7,656.31, down 4.91 percent from the previous session. Sell-the-news pressure weighed on the market after Samsung Electronics reported record preliminary earnings earlier in the day. The benchmark index plunged in the morning trading, triggering a sell-side sidecar for the 16th time this year. Losses deepened in the afternoon, setting off a circuit breaker — the sixth this year and the 12th in the index's history. Foreign investors led the sell-off, unloading 2.93 trillion won ($1.92 billion) worth of semiconductor, substrate, shipbuilding and defense shares. Institutional investors net sold 391 billion won, while retail investors bought a net 3.13 trillion won of shares. Chip stocks fell sharply on concerns that the semiconductor cycle may have peaked. Samsung Electronics dropped 6.92 percent, SK hynix lost 6.06 percent, SK Square slid 9.3 percent and Hanmi Semiconduct

Jul 7, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
KOSPI tumbles as Samsung's record earnings fail to lift market
Economy

Foreign investors may have more Korean stocks to sell

Foreign investors have been dumping Korean stocks at a record pace in recent months even as the benchmark KOSPI extends one of the strongest rallies in global equities. The selling may have further to run, analysts said Monday. Foreign investors sold 157.3 trillion won ($102.5 billion) of shares on the KOSPI this year through July 3, according to the Korea Exchange. The selling persisted even as the index surged 91.9 percent over the same period, marking one of the strongest rallies in the market's history. Retail investors took the other side of the trade, buying a net 104.8 trillion won of shares and providing support for the index. Foreign investors' share of KOSPI holdings rose to 40.47 percent on July 3 from 36.65 percent on January 2, even as they continued to sell heavily. Gains in Samsung Electronics and SK hynix lifted the market value of foreign-owned shares, offsetting the impact of the outflows. The two chipmakers accounted for about 90 percent of foreign investors' total selling in the first half. Analysts say global funds have room to further trim their exposure to Korea's

Jul 6, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
Foreign investors may have more Korean stocks to sell
Economy

KOSPI clings to 8,000 despite heavy foreign, institutional selling

Seoul stocks swung wildly Monday, with the benchmark KOSPI barely holding above the 8,000 mark, as continued selling by foreign and institutional investors offset heavy buying by retail investors. According to the Korea Exchange, KOSPI closed at 8,051.33, down 0.46 percent from the previous session. The index remained highly volatile throughout the day, rising to the 8,300 level before falling back to the 7,800 range and later paring some of its losses. Heavy selling by foreign and institutional investors weighed on the index. Foreigners and institutions net sold 1.31 trillion won ($854.3 billion) and 1.43 trillion won in shares, respectively. It marked the 12th consecutive session of net selling by foreign investors in the Korean market. Retail investors, meanwhile, were net buyers of 2.65 trillion won in shares, helping support the index. Samsung Electronics closed at 318,000 won, up 2.75 percent from the previous session. The stock rose more than 5 percent in early trading on expectations for its preliminary second-quarter earnings results, due Tuesday, but pared gains after 11 a.m.

Jul 6, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
KOSPI clings to 8,000 despite heavy foreign, institutional selling
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