The aftermath of Kakao’s sudden shutdown continued Monday, as South Korea’s largest messenger app operator claimed its service failures due to a fire at SK C&C’s data center over the weekend would have limited financial impacts, while analysts predicted Kakao would suffer up to 22 billion won ($15.3 million) in sales loss in the fourth quarter. Kakao has set up an emergency committee, headed by its co-CEO Hong Eun-taek, to investigate the cause of the disastrous shutdown, c

진행자: 최정윤, Brolley Genster [1] Four out of 10 households in South Korea are projected to be single-person by 2040, with the portion of families of four or more – once the most common form of family here – shrinking to 10 percent, a report showed Monday. *portion: (더 큰 것의) 부분[일부] *shrink: (규모양이) 줄어들다 /줄어들게 하다 [2] According to a report compiled by KB Financial Group, the number of single-person households was 7.1 million, or 33.4 percent of the total, last year. And the figure is expe

Four out of 10 households in South Korea are projected to be single-person by 2040, with the portion of families of four or more – once the most common form of family here – shrinking to 10 percent, a report showed Monday. According to a report compiled by KB Financial Group, the number of single-person households was 7.1 million, or 33.4 percent of the total, last year. And the figure is expected to reach some 9 million by 2040, taking up 37.9 percent of the total households here.

KB Financial Group said Thursday it is making efforts to support the overseas expansion of homegrown startups. The financial giant held a launch ceremony for KB Global Fintech Lab in Singapore, with Kim Moon-hwan, director of the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency, local startup officials and KB executives including KB Financial Group Vice Chairman Yang Jong-hee in attendance. The newly launched lab will support domestic and international startups entering the global market and help them utilize glo

Some 10,000 unionized financial workers held their first strike in six years on Friday, but the rally may have backfired on them, as their absence at work had minimal impact on customer services, sources said Sunday. The Korean Financial Industry Union affiliated with the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, one of the country’s two umbrella unions, carried out a one-day general strike and demonstration at Gwanghwamun Square, central Seoul, calling for a 5.2 percent wage hike and the adopti

Unionized financial workers staged a one-day nationwide strike Friday calling for a wage hike and a 4.5-day workweek. The strike, called by the Korean Financial Industry Union, caused minimal disruption to operations of five major commercial banks, including KB Kookmin and Shinhan, with about 1 percent of union members participating, according to the companies. In three major state-run banks, including Korea Development Bank, which are scheduled or rumored to relocate to provincial cities, 50

South Korea’s KB Financial Group said Tuesday it has recently opened the nation’s largest premium private banking branch in Seoul in a bid to provide a fuller range of services to its wealthy clients. The seven-story building, named after the bank’s recently launched premium banking service “KB Gold ＆ Wise the First,” is located in Seoul's posh district of Apgujeong. The floor space, themed on books and art, consists of 15 consulting rooms and 1,400 vaults. At the

South Korea’s KB Financial Group on Thursday launched its new premium private banking and asset management brand to better cater to its wealthy clients. “KB Gold & Wise the First” plans to adopt a “Credit Suisse-like” model in which private bankers and asset managers from KB Kookmin Bank and KB Securities and experts from areas such as investment, tax, real estate and trusts are brought together as a single team for their clients, according to the firm. Clie

KB Financial Group said Monday that its wine collection using its character design won the Red Dot Award for Brands and Communication Design. The character design, which the firm created to boost its image as a friendly bank open to ordinary Koreans, is aimed at raising domestic wine sales amid the pandemic when small business owners face greater economic challenges, the firm added. “We are grateful for the award because we feel acknowledged for our efforts to help those most in need,&r

Top commercial banks have come under fire for increasingly denying customer requests to lower their interest rate repayments, while profiting heavily from of their lending programs, data showed Wednesday. The growing criticism comes as borrowers have been facing heavier debt repayment burdens in recent months, with lenders keeping their borrowing rates in pace with the central bank’s aggressive rate hikes. Last year, the top five commercial banks -- KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana, Woori and

South Korean stocks advanced for the fifth consecutive session Friday as investors speculated that a second consecutive quarterly contraction in the US economy may prod the US Federal Reserve to take rate hikes that are less aggressive than previously expected. The Korean won fell against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 16.23 points, or 0.67 percent, from the previous session to close at 2,451.5 points. The figure is up 2.44 percent from a week ago. T

South Korea’s KB Financial Group on Thursday released its annual sustainability report for 2021 sharing its achievements in and insights on environmental, social and corporate governance. The report includes KB’s experience in dealing with key ESG issues such as climate change, green financing and diversity alongside the firm’s stance on corporate governance, ESG management and social responsibility. In October 2021, KB was officially endorsed by the Science Based Targets

South Korean opened higher Thursday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 6.24 points, or 0.26 percent, to trade at 2,393.09 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, US. stocks rose as tech shares rallied on solid corporate earnings. The Dow Jones Industrial Average inched up 0.15 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite surged 1.58 percent. In Seoul, tech and chemical shares gathered ground, while financials and autos fe

South Korean stocks ended higher Wednesday, as investor sentiment was boosted by Wall Street gains and the expected resumption of Russian gas to Europe. The Korean won gained ground against the U.S. dollar. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 15.88 points, or 0.67 percent, to close at 2,386.85. Trading volume was moderate at 328.96 million shares worth 7.36 trillion won ($5.61 billion), with gainers outstripping decliners 630 to 228. Retail investors picked up shares worth a net 65.73 bil

South Korean stocks got off to a strong start Wednesday, tracking overnight gains on Wall Street. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index added 32.69 points, or 1.38 percent, to trade at 2,403.66 points in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, US stocks rallied on better-than-expected corporate earnings. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 2.43 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite surged 3.11 percent. In Seoul, most big-cap shares gathered ground, with techs and financi