Repayment of derivatives-tied securities rose during the first quarter of this year as more investors took profits amid a rally in the local stock market, data showed Thursday. The issuance of equity-linked securities and derivatives-linked securities (DLS) gained by 11.4 trillion won ($9.97 billion) on year during the January-March period, but repayment also rose by 18.1 trillion won. Accordin...

South Korea does not face an imminent crisis over its growing household debt, but it needs to address some inevitabilities, foreign economists said Wednesday. South Korea's household debt stood at 1,359.7 trillion won ($1.2 trillion) as of end-March, a dramatic increase from 665 trillion won at the end of 2007, according to the Bank of Korea. The ratio of South Korea's household debt to gross d...

Net lending by South Korean households fell in the first quarter from a quarter earlier due to the increased purchase of houses, central bank data showed Wednesday. The net lending, which reflects available funds and takes into account savings, the value of acquisitions and capital used, came to 14.1 trillion won ($12.3 billion) as of end-March, compared to 19.2 trillion won from three months ea...

Insurance firms in South Korea are required to gradually increase their capital reserves from the end of this year, the financial regulator said Wednesday, in the latest step to help them better cope with changes in global accounting rules. South Korea is one of more than 100 nations that will adopt the new global bookkeeping standard or the International Financial Reporting Standards 17, starti...