Economy - The Korea Times

Banks' dealing rooms become key marketing tool as KOSPI nears historic 5,000

Major commercial banks dealing rooms are becoming a key marketing tool as the benchmark KOSPI nears an unprecedented 5,000 points, according to industry officials, Sunday. The dealing rooms are increasingly in the media spotlight as images capture the closing figures of the benchmark bourse, which has been on a winning streak since the start of 2026. The upward trend has been especially notable as the index climbs step by step through each 100-point mark, hitting record closing highs along the way. Against this backdrop, Korea’s four largest commercial banks — KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana and Woori — are investing billions of won to renovate their dealing rooms in their Seoul headquarters. They are also carefully selecting in-house staff to serve as models in front of electronic display boards. “A KOSPI 5,000 era will be a historic moment that will be remembered in history,” a bank PR official said. He went on to explain that promoting the dealing room is a “highly cost-effective marketing strategy,” adding, “When a bank’s logo appears alongside the KOSPI close, it naturally

Jan 18, 2026By Yi Whan-woo

Banks' dealing rooms become key marketing tool as KOSPI nears historic 5,000

InterviewTravel agency CEO turns Korea's aging society into opportunity with tailored experiences

Koo Ja-man, CEO of older adult-focused travel agency Respect U, is creating experiences exclusively tailored for seniors, a group often overlooked in favor of younger, more active generations. First entering the travel industry in the mid-2000s after working as a web designer, Koo launched the company in 2020. And his insight proved accurate as Korea became a super-aged society in 2024, with the market now estimated to be worth 100 billion won ($67.9 million). The market is expected to grow further as the country ages more rapidly, with 30 percent of the population projected to be 65 or older by 2035 and 40 percent by 2050. “Travel is something everyone desires, but when it comes to seniors, the choices tend to be surprisingly limited,” Koo said during a recent telephone interview with The Korea Times. “That’s when I realized the need to design travel specifically around their comfort and physical condition.” Koo bet on the potential of the older adult market, as retirees are increasingly wealthier and healthier, giving them greater freedom to travel independently. “I see an ag

Jan 14, 2026By Yi Whan-woo

Travel agency CEO turns Korea's aging society into opportunity with tailored experiences

Counterfeit gold containing tungsten spreads as prices soar

Counterfeit gold is spreading through the Korean market as the precious metal’s price steadily rises toward an unprecedented 100 million won ($680) per 3.75 grams, according to industry officials, Monday. The standard retail unit in Korea, a 3.75-gram pure gold piece, was priced at 948,000 won, Monday, surpassing the 940,000-won mark for the first time after rising about 80 percent in 2025, according to the Korea Gold Exchange. An average of 49,712 users per month requested authentication of their gold through the mobile appraisal platform Geumbang Geumbang in the fourth quarter of 2025, up 50.5 percent from a year earlier, the platform said. "The number is expected to rise even faster in the first quarter this year, given the surge in gold prices and suspected smuggling of counterfeit gold," an industry official said. The official referred to a warning from the Korea Jewelry Federation, which recently identified counterfeit gold containing about impurities of up to 9 percent, including materials such as tungsten. The rate suggests the loss of at least 20 million won in pure gold per k

Jan 12, 2026By Yi Whan-woo

Counterfeit gold containing tungsten spreads as prices soar

Stock polarization deepens among top 10 conglomerates

The top 10 conglomerates listed on the KOSPI are experiencing increasing polarization in market capitalization, reflecting a broader trend of widening disparities now spreading among peer business groups, according to market watchers Monday. This polarization corresponds with global business developments, with second-ranked SK Group, driven by global chip demand, and seventh-placed Hanwha Group, supported by U.S. shipbuilding cooperation, standing out among the top 10 as each surged toward 200 percent over the past year. In contrast, share price growth was less than 10 percent for fourth-largest LG Group and 20 percent for sixth-ranked POSCO, as a slowdown in secondary batteries and steel held back performance in each core business. “The widening gap among top-tier companies suggests that polarization is no longer limited to typical divides between the rich and the poor or between conglomerates and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs),” Jung Eui-jung, head of the Korean Stockholders’ Alliance, said. “A bullish KOSPI does not guarantee returns and therefore investors should c

Jan 12, 2026By Yi Whan-woo

Stock polarization deepens among top 10 conglomerates

Southeast Asia courts Korean buyers, offering remedy to Seoul’s high apartment prices

Southeast Asian real estate firms are seeking to attract Koreans to buy property, as soaring apartment prices in Seoul make premium homes abroad comparatively more affordable, industry officials said Friday. PropEasy, a Malaysian developer, recently invited Seoul-based real estate brokers to Kuala Lumpur as part of a promotional campaign for residential projects currently under construction. “The campaign was organized as a three-night, four-day tour,” an industry official said, noting that this marked the first time Korean brokers had been invited to participate in a group tour program. Another official said developers from the Philippines and Thailand are also in talks with Korean counterparts to launch similar tours for domestic brokers. “Tour schedules are currently being coordinated,” he said. The outreach reflects a broader shift in strategy, as companies that previously focused on Japanese and American buyers are now expanding their attention to Koreans. “Koreans are viewed as a new source of demand with strong purchasing power,” a third official said, adding that overse

Jan 9, 2026By Yi Whan-woo

Southeast Asia courts Korean buyers, offering remedy to Seoul’s high apartment prices

Tech-driven listings fuel expectations for IPO upcycle in Korea

Korea’s initial public offering (IPO) market is expected to see a revival in the early months of this year, driven by technology-focused growth sectors such as robotics, biotechnology and medical devices, securities industry officials said Thursday. Analysts said the IPO market is entering an upcycle, coinciding with a KOSPI rally and a spillover effect from regulatory reforms introduced in the second half of last year. Those reforms delayed some listings, which are now expected to be concentrated in this year. In December, six companies, including Cosmo Robotics, Inventera and MEZOO, received approval from the Korea Exchange for preliminary listing reviews. These firms are now coordinating key details such as deal structures, target price bands and demand forecast schedules with their underwriters, with the filing of securities registration statements expected to begin as early as February. The companies that cleared the preliminary review are notable for their differentiated technologies and business strengths. Cosmo Robotics specializes in autonomous robots and robot control system

Jan 8, 2026By Jun Ji-hye

Tech-driven listings fuel expectations for IPO upcycle in Korea

Older adults fear poverty after retirement due to children’s education, wedding costs

Kim Jin-ho, 54, an office worker in Seoul, said he calculates numbers in his head before sleeping. “My son is getting married in October. The wedding will cost 100 million won ($69,000). After that, my savings will drop to below 50 million won. I still have a mortgage to pay and my retirement is less than 10 years away. I wonder if I’ll have to keep working after retirement to support my children, my wife and myself.” For Lee Sun-young, 55, who runs a clothing shop, the fear comes every time she gets tired sooner than usual. “I paid well over 150 million won for my daughter’s university tuition and her allowances, then another 70 million won for her wedding,” she said. “I had my savings to cover some, but took out loans for the rest. Now, I don’t think I need another big expenditure, just hoping that I don’t get seriously ill. I thought life in my early 60s would be easier, but I guess I was wrong.” Like Kim and Lee, many older adults fear poverty after retirement. Their stories are increasingly common as Korea enters a super-aged society where financial pressure does

Jan 7, 2026By Lee Kyung-min

Older adults fear poverty after retirement due to children’s education, wedding costs

Billionaire entrepreneurs more than double among top 50 stockholders

Billionaires who founded their own companies are increasingly shaping the list of Korea’s top 50 stockholders, with their number more than doubling over the past decade, data showed Tuesday. Released by corporate tracker Leaders Index, the data challenges the long-standing belief that inheritance is the main driver of wealth accumulation in the country. A total of 24 individuals out of the 50 richest stockholders were entrepreneurs as of Dec. 30, up from 11 in 2015, representing a 2.2-fold increase over the time period. The value of the top 50’s stock holdings also more than doubled over the decade, rising from 85.88 trillion won ($59.41 billion) to 178.59 trillion won. The industry distribution of billionaires has also expanded. Their wealth was previously concentrated in information technology, gaming, and pharmaceuticals, but it has since spread to entertainment, secondary batteries, construction, finance and other sectors. Seo Jung-jin, chairman of the biopharmaceutical company Celltrion, came in eighth, making him the highest-ranked among the 24 billionaires who gained their wealt

Jan 6, 2026By Yi Whan-woo

Billionaire entrepreneurs more than double among top 50 stockholders

Half of financially strained older adults turn to high-interest loans, raising concerns over debt inheritance

More than half of financially strained older adults are taking out high-interest borrowing loans, fanning concerns that their debt could be passed on to their families in what could become a social, intergenerational problem, a study showed Tuesday. The findings come amid rapid population aging with the rising possibility of unsettled debt among older adults undermining not only their retirement security but also translating into unwanted financial stress for younger generations already burdened by higher housing and living costs. Also lingering are concerns over exposure to illegal debt collection, with reports of older adults being coerced to quickly repay their debts or have their family members threatened. According to a survey by BNP Paribas Cardif Life Insurance Korea, nearly half, or 45.6 percent, of older adults who have taken out loans said that they resorted to second- or third-tier higher interest-charging financial institutions, including capital firms and private lenders. These lenders are used by low-credit borrowers with weak credit, low income and unstable employment hist

Jan 6, 2026By Lee Kyung-min

Half of financially strained older adults turn to high-interest loans, raising concerns over debt inheritance

Lee administration tasked with balanced growth in 2026 as polarization deepens

Korea’s stagnant domestic spending and polarized growth among key growth-driving manufacturing industries, coupled with the won’s weakness relative to the U.S. dollar, are masked by record exports and the artificial intelligence (AI) sector-backed stock market boom, market watchers said Monday. The Korean economy’s heavy dependence on the semiconductor industry will put the economic drive of the Lee Jae Myung administration to the test, as the weakening won significantly reduces purchasing power and strains the cost of living for many people. Whether the government’s economic initiatives can steer the country away from chipmaking toward more balanced, inclusive growth amid a wider polarization in assets and income remains to be seen. To do this, experts urge steady structural reforms such as efficient exit strategies for declining industries and sweeping deregulation to foster new growth drivers. “On paper, everything looks great,” former Seoul National University (SNU) professor Lee In-ho said. Korea’s exports exceeded $700 billion for the first time, becoming the sixth eco

Jan 5, 2026By Lee Kyung-min

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