SEOUL, Sept. 19 (Korea Bizwire) – In a sign of growing financial strain on South Korea’s middle and lower-income households, credit card loans, often a last resort for quick cash, have reached unprecedented levels this year. According to data released on September 18 by the Credit Finance Association, the outstanding balance of card loans, including debt [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — Excess funds held by South Korean households has fallen for eight quarters in a row amid high inflation and interest rates, data showed Wednesday. The monthly surplus of a local household came to 1.01 million won (US$753.3) per month on average in the second quarter, down 1.7 percent from [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 11 (Korea Bizwire) – The financial regulator said Wednesday it will work to strengthen punishment for illegal money lending businesses and nullify their very contracts that are deemed antisocial. The move follows a recent spike in the number of complaints against loan sharks, which jumped from 10,350 in 2022 to 12,884 last year, [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 9 (Korea Bizwire) – The financial regulator on Monday announced plans to revise related laws to require payment gateway (PG) service providers to maintain sufficient funds to settle all payments. The move follows massive payment delays by two e-commerce platforms — TMON and WeMakePrice — due to a liquidity crisis caused by their [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 4 (Korea Bizwire) – The government proposed raising the pension contribution rate to 13 percent from 9 percent and differentiating the pace of raising the contribution rate by age group, Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said, in what would be the biggest overhaul of the ailing pension system in 21 years. Details of the [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — In South Korea, a rush for loans at internet banks is intensifying as the country’s five largest banks continue to impose lending restrictions. Customers are flocking to online lenders, which are perceived as more accessible, in a phenomenon known as “open runs” – where borrowers attempt to secure loans as [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 2 (Korea Bizwire) – Household loans extended by the country’s five major banks rose by the most on record last month despite warnings from the financial regulators and a series of rate hikes, industry sources said Monday. According to the sources, KB Kookmin, Woori and three others extended a combined 9.62 trillion won [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 1 (Korea Bizwire) – Banks in South Korea started tightening curbs on mortgage loans on Sunday, officials said, amid concerns over rising housing prices in Seoul and household debts. The move came as the Financial Services Commission asked banks to toughen screenings for new mortgage borrowers and allow them to take out loans [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 26 (Korea Bizwire) – The combined debt of the South Korean government and households has surged past 3 quadrillion won for the first time, according to recent data from the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Bank of Korea. This milestone, reached at the end of the second quarter, equates to 127% of [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — The financial regulator said Friday it launched a new centralized program to allow consumers to opt out of credit services, such as taking out new loans, a move aimed at preventing potential damage from voice phishing scams. More than 4,000 financial institutions have signed up for the new “credit [...]