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  • Economy

    Which Korean stocks offer highest dividend yields this year?

    High-dividend stocks are drawing renewed attention as Korea enters the year-end payout season with the KOSPI confined to a narrow range, analysts said Sunday. According to financial data provider FnGuide, Korea District Heating Corp. is expected to offer the highest dividend yield this year among listed companies covered by at least three brokerages. The company is projected to pay 6,520 won ($4.69) per share this year, up 363 won from 6,157 won a year earlier, translating into an estimated dividend yield of 8.69 percent. Dividend yield is calculated by dividing the dividend per share by the share price. AJ Networks, a rental service group, ranked next, with an estimated dividend of 343 won per share and a dividend yield of 8.33 percent. Brokerage stocks also featured prominently, buoyed by a strong first-half market rally and a sharp improvement in earnings. NH Investment & Securities is expected to pay a dividend of 2,031 won per share, up 731 won from a year earlier, giving a dividend yield of 7.99 percent. Samsung Securities is forecast to raise its dividend by 2,867 won to 6,867 won p

    2 MIN READBy Lee Yeon-woo
    Which Korean stocks offer highest dividend yields this year?
  • Cryptocurrency

    Korea Investors Service prepares to rate credit in digital finance

    2 MIN READBy Lee Yeon-woo
    Korea Investors Service prepares to rate credit in digital finance
  • Policy

    BOK launches pilot program for 24-hour offshore won settlement

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    BOK launches pilot program for 24-hour offshore won settlement
  • Economy

    Korea's trade reliance up in 2024: BOK data

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Korea's trade reliance up in 2024: BOK data
  • Economy

    Seoul stocks up 1.5% late Monday morning as chipmakers advance

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Seoul stocks up 1.5% late Monday morning as chipmakers advance
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Economy

Koreans can buy SK hynix shares at home. Why pay more for its ADRs?

Korean investors are paying steep premiums for SK hynix's American depositary receipts (ADRs) in New York even though they can buy the chipmaker's shares more cheaply at home, analysts said Monday. There is little economic rationale for Korean investors to buy the ADRs. Since the securities began trading on Nasdaq about two weeks ago, they have commanded a premium of 16 to 51 percent over SK hynix shares listed in Seoul. The tax treatment is also less favorable. Capital gains on locally listed shares are largely tax-free for Korean retail investors, while profits from overseas stocks are subject to a 22 percent capital-gains tax after an annual deduction of 2.5 million won ($1,704). For some individual investors, however, the attraction appears to lie less in valuation than in short-term trading patterns. "When the underlying shares rise, the ADRs follow," one investor wrote in an online community. "They tend to fall less and rebound more strongly than the Seoul-listed shares, and they can be traded at night, when the domestic market is closed." Korean investors bought a net $675.5 millio

Jul 27, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
Koreans can buy SK hynix shares at home. Why pay more for its ADRs?
Economy

Foreign currency deposits rise for 3rd month in June

Foreign currency deposits in Korea rose for the third consecutive month in June on increased dollar savings, central bank data showed Monday. Outstanding foreign currency-denominated deposits held by residents stood at $113.33 billion at the end of June, up $1.08 billion from a month earlier, according to data from the Bank of Korea (BOK). The reading has been rising since April. Residents include Korean citizens, foreigners who have lived in the country for more than six months and foreign companies. The data excludes interbank deposits. By currency, U.S. dollar-denominated deposits increased $2.25 billion to $97.8 billion, rising for the third consecutive month. Euro-denominated deposits dropped $460 million to $5.84 billion, while Japanese yen deposits fell also $410 million to $7.12 billion. Corporate foreign currency deposits rose $1.58 billion to $98.99 billion, while individual holdings declined $500 million to $14.33 billion. The BOK attributed the increase in dollar deposits to higher basic deposits required for derivatives trading amid stock market volatility, as well as increased

Jul 27, 2026By Yonhap
Foreign currency deposits rise for 3rd month in June
Economy

Banks push back against proposed no-fault compensation for voice phishing victims

The government is pressing ahead with plans to introduce a no-fault compensation scheme that would require banks and other financial firms to reimburse victims of voice phishing scams regardless of whether they were at fault, despite mounting industry opposition, according to officials Sunday. Banks argue the measure unfairly holds them liable for crimes they neither have the authority nor the means to investigate, warning that the additional costs could ultimately be borne by consumers through higher fees or less favorable lending rates. Financial Services Commission Chairman Lee Eog-weon reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the initiative at a meeting last month with the heads of Korea's five largest financial groups — KB, Shinhan, Hana, Woori and NH NongHyup. “We will actively pursue the introduction of a no-fault liability system to strengthen the financial sector’s accountability for phishing crimes and provide more effective relief for victims,” Lee said. Two bills incorporating the measure are pending in the National Assembly. With the financial regulator throwing i

Jul 27, 2026By Park Han-sol
Banks push back against proposed no-fault compensation for voice phishing victims
Economy

Customs agency uncovers $4.92 bil. worth of illegal FX trading in H1

Korea uncovered illegal foreign exchange transactions worth 7.2 trillion won ($4.92 billion) in the first half of 2026, the customs agency said Monday, amid government-wide efforts to curb volatility in the foreign exchange market. The Korea Customs Service uncovered 792 cases of illegal foreign exchange transactions over the January-June period, including the illegal transfer of foreign currency abroad and the concealment of assets overseas. The customs agency noted that some cases involved receiving export proceeds in cryptocurrencies instead of legal tender, such as the U.S. dollar, thereby failing to bring foreign currency earned from exports back to Korea. "I ask our staff to continue taking stern action against the illegal transfer of foreign currency, which gives an adverse impact on the government's efforts to stabilize the foreign exchange market," Lee Jong-wook, commissioner of the agency, said. The official added that the customs agency will strengthen cooperation with relevant agencies, including the finance ministry, as the recent volatility in the foreign exchange market is

Jul 27, 2026By Yonhap
Customs agency uncovers $4.92 bil. worth of illegal FX trading in H1
Economy

Seoul shares turn lower late Monday morning on tech slide

Korean stocks turned lower late Monday morning as big chip shares lost ground despite eased Middle East tensions. After opening 1.73 percent higher, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed 55.63 points, or 0.83 percent, to 6,634.99 as of 11:20 a.m. Foreign investors sold nearly 1.7 trillion won, offsetting a combined 1.6 trillion won worth of buying by retail and institutional investors. The United States has suspended its attacks on Iran since Friday, easing military tensions in the region that had heightened over the past two weeks. Iran also stopped conducting counterattacks, while holding talks with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz. In San Francisco, meanwhile, Korean and U.S. tech companies agreed to pursue a series of cooperation projects worth a combined $950 billion during an artificial intelligence (AI) summit hosted by the Korean government over the weekend. In Seoul, however, tech shares traded lower. Top-cap Samsung Electronics fell 0.6 percent, and SK hynix declined 0.8 percent. Samsung Electro-Mechanics, an electronic component affiliate of Samsung Electronic

Jul 27, 2026By Yonhap
Seoul shares turn lower late Monday morning on tech slide
Economy

Korean won rebounds from 17-year real-value low

The Korean won has surged to become the best performing major currency against the dollar this month, buoyed by exporter dollar sales and the Bank of Korea's first policy rate increase in three and a half years, the data showed Sunday. The won gained 6.24 percent against the dollar from July 1 through Friday, the biggest advance among 20 major currencies tracked by Yonhap Infomax. The Australian dollar and Russian ruble were the next best performers, each rising 0.9 percent. The rally stands out against a backdrop of broad dollar strength. The U.S. dollar index has remained above 101, as geopolitical tensions between the United States and Iran sustained demand for safe-haven assets. The Korean currency strengthened to 1,458.5 won per dollar in trading that ended at 6 a.m. Saturday, with the exchange rate falling 15.7 won from the previous session. The advance marks a sharp turnaround from June, when the exchange rate touched an intraday high of 1,555.2 won per dollar. The won's inflation-adjusted value fell to its lowest level in more than 17 years. Its real effective exchange rate stood

Jul 26, 2026By Lee Yeon-woo
Korean won rebounds from 17-year real-value low
Others

Korea's return to US currency watch list unlikely to shake FX market: analysts

Korea’s renewed inclusion on the U.S. Treasury Department’s currency monitoring list is unlikely to have a significant impact on the local foreign exchange market, analysts in Seoul said Friday, dismissing the semiannual report as a largely routine event with limited immediate policy implications. “The report drew much more attention early in President Donald Trump’s term last year. But it doesn’t result in any concrete measures, so it has become something of an old issue," said Lee Jung-hoon, an analyst at Daishin Securities. "I don’t expect it to have much impact on the market." Kwon A-min, an analyst at NH Investment & Securities, also said the Treasury's foreign exchange report has become increasingly formulaic in recent years, shedding much of the political undertone it once carried. "I expect little impact on the market from the report," Kwon said. The Treasury, in its Report to Congress on Macroeconomic and Foreign Exchange Policies of Major Trading Partners of the United States, kept Korea on its currency monitoring list alongside China, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Singa

Jul 24, 2026By Jun Ji-hye
Korea's return to US currency watch list unlikely to shake FX market: analysts
Economy

KRX activates sell-side sidecar for KOSPI on sharp decline

Korea's bourse operator on Friday activated a sell-side sidecar for the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) after the index fell sharply, led by losses in tech heavyweights. Program trading in KOSPI-listed shares was suspended for five minutes around 11:28 a.m., according to the Korea Exchange (KRX). The KOSPI fell by more than 4 percent as of 11:32 a.m. The decline came amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, after U.S. President Donald Trump said in a media interview he is deciding whether to launch a "massive attack" on Iran that could be "bigger than ever before." A sell-side sidecar is triggered when the KOSPI 200 Futures Index falls 5 percent or more for at least one minute.

Jul 24, 2026By Yonhap
KRX activates sell-side sidecar for KOSPI on sharp decline
Economy

Seoul stocks sharply down late Friday morning on profit-taking

Seoul stocks were trading sharply lower late Friday morning as investors sold off tech heavyweights amid concerns over escalating tensions in the Middle East. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 345.3 points, or 4.87 percent, to 6,751.56 as of 11:36 a.m. After opening lower, the index widened its losses as foreigners and institutional investors dumped shares in tech, finance and automakers, triggering the bourse operator to temporarily halt program trading for KOSPI-listed stocks at 11:28 a.m. U.S. stocks closed lower overnight, as U.S. President Donald Trump's threat he could decide on a "massive attack" on Iran heightened anxiety over the ongoing war between Washington and Tehran. Oil prices also moved upward, with Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, topping US$100 per barrel. Most market top-caps were trading lower. Chip giant Samsung Electronics dipped 6.39 percent, while industry rival SK hynix shed 6.2 percent. Top carmaker Hyundai Motor sank 8.45 percent, defense giant Hanwha Aerospace added 3.34 percent, and major financial company KB Financial fe

Jul 24, 2026By Yonhap
Seoul stocks sharply down late Friday morning on profit-taking
Economy

Korea to extend fuel tax cuts through end of September amid energy volatility

South Korea will maintain reduced fuel tax rates through the end of September, the finance ministry said Friday, amid renewed geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Under the measure, the current tax reductions of 15 percent for gasoline and 25 percent for diesel and butane, originally set to expire at the end of this month, will remain in place through Sept. 30, according to the Ministry of Finance and Economy. "Amid lingering geopolitical instability in the Middle East, the government has decided to leave room for future fuel tax adjustments to address further volatility in oil prices," the finance ministry said. The latest decision is expected to ease the public's energy cost burden by managing the prices of diesel used in logistics and butane used for small trucks, the finance ministry said.

Jul 24, 2026By Yonhap
Korea to extend fuel tax cuts through end of September amid energy volatility
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