This is the 40th in a series of articles analyzing major companies traded on the tech-heavy Kosdaq market. -- EdAmotech’s unhindered rally over the past two weeks seemed to mark a successful consequence of the partmaker’s decadelong efforts to expand into the electric car part business. The company’s stocks listed on the second-tier Kosdaq market closed at 33,750 won ($29.96) on Friday, up 26.9 percent from two weeks prior and up 53.8 percent from the end of last year. The Frid

With Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong sentenced to five years behind bars Friday for bribery, embezzlement and flight of capital, Samsung Electronics shares dropped over 1 percent.Samsung Electronics closed at 2,351,000 won ($2,080), down 1.05 percent compared to Thursday’s close. Samsung C&T, the de facto holding company of the group and one of the focal points of the corruption scandal, shed 1.48 percent.Meanwhile, other listed Samsung affiliates saw gains. Samsung Engi

Kakao Bank solidified its position as South Korea’s leading direct bank in its first month of operation, data showed Thursday, although concerns persist over customer service scams and loopholes in authentication. As of Wednesday, Kakao Bank, the second online-only bank to open in Korea following K bank, attracted some 2.9 million bank accounts, through which customers made deposits and savings worth a combined 1.8 trillion won ($1.6 billion) and took out loans worth 1.3 trillion won. Thes

South Korea’s government and central bank expressed concerns over increasing market volatility sparked by the unfolding conflict between the United States and North Korea, while stock market analysts attributed the latest decline to foreign investors’ profit-seeking. On Friday, the first-tier Kospi market closed at 2,319.71, after a 1.69 percent dip from Thursday, while the tech-heavy Kosdaq dived 1.83 percent. On the top market, foreign investors net sold 648.8 billion won ($566.1 m

South Korea’s stock markets and currency remained weak for the second consecutive day Thursday, amid escalating political tension on the Korean Peninsula.The first-tier market’s composite index Kospi closed at 2,359.47, down 0.38 percent from Wednesday, while the tech-heavy Kosdaq dropped 0.44 percent. The Kospi extended its three-day losing streak, while the Kosdaq tumbled for two consecutive days.Foreign investors adhered to selling for two straight days. Offshore buyers sold stock

The race between K bank and Kakao Bank, the two frontrunners in South Korea’s online-only banking sector, is heating up, with the firms competing to offer better incentives for customers.K bank, the first bank in operation without a brick-and-mortar branch, has decided to extend its higher interest rate offer for its time deposit products in response to its tepid performance over the last four months, while the second mover Kakao Bank is addressing customer service malfunctions. K bank sai

Banks in South Korea saw their gross net profit reach 8.1 trillion won ($7.19 billion) during the first half of this year, an over 2.7 times increase on-year, while their operating profit surged by more than sixfold, data showed Tuesday.The net profit of all banking institutions -- including commercial banks, provincial banks, state-owned banks, cooperative banks and the central bank -- surged 171.4 percent from 3 trillion won in the first half of 2016.　The operating profit jumped to 9.7 trillio

Nearly 80 percent of the entire volume of currency in circulation, or more than 80 trillion won ($70.9 billion), was in the form of South Korea’s largest-denominated 50,000 won banknote in the first half of 2017, data showed Monday. According to the Bank of Korea, around 80.4 trillion won was circulated in 50,000 won notes as of June, up 6.1 percent compared to the end of 2016. This accounted for 79.2 percent of the entire volume of money in the domestic market. About one-fifth of 50,000 w

Stock analysts in South Korea played down the possible impact of the government’s decision Wednesday to impose taxes on foreign investors holding over 5 percent of a company, but warned of widening volatility prompted by foreign investors’ sell-offs over the past couple of weeks.Starting January 2018, a broader scope of offshore investors are subject to taxation, since the proposal by the government aims to widen the definition of “major shareholders,” referring to those

This is the 39th in a series of articles analyzing major companies traded on the tech-heavy Kosdaq market. -- EdSouth Korea is witnessing a revival in eco-friendly policy on the back of President Moon Jae-in’s promise of a “paradigm shift to a safer Republic of Korea” in terms of its energy supply.Moon‘s move to increase the role of new and renewable energy sources is bringing attention back to Unison, the leading provider of land-based wind farms in South Korea. Ove

More than 1.5 million bank accounts were created through Kakao Bank in its first week of operation, while the bank Thursday unveiled plans to address questions about its financial liquidity. As of 7 a.m. Thursday, the second branchless bank in South Korea had nearly 1.52 million accounts created, while drawing 653 billion won ($579.2 million) in deposits and savings and extending 497 billion won in loans, according to the bank. It began service at 7 a.m. on July 27. This is far-reaching compared

South Korea unveiled Wednesday a tighter set of real estate market rules aimed at taming speculation and deterring the rise of housing prices in what is considered to be the strongest set of measures in nearly six years. Starting Thursday, the capital Seoul, the administrative city Sejong and Gwacheon will be named “overheated speculative districts,” with the loan limits of those buying homes there to be tightened to 40 percent of their property value from the current 60 percent, acc

Investors from the United Kingdom traded the largest volume of stocks in terms of value on South Korean markets, beating out investors from other countries in May and June, data from the Financial Supervisory Service showed Tuesday.In June, UK buyers engaged in trading stocks worth 25.8 trillion won ($23.1 billion), accounting for 33.1 percent of the entire offshore stock trading on the first-tier market. UK investors bought Kospi shares worth 12.93 trillion won and sold 12.89 trillion won.The U

South Korea’s main bourse index on Monday saw a recovery from Friday’s drop of 1.73 percent, the largest in nearly 13 months.The Kospi edged up 0.07 percent from Friday to close at 2,402.71 on Monday. Tech giants Samsung Electronics and SK hynix rose 0.92 percent and 2.17 percent, slight recoveries compared to slides of 4.1 percent and 5.56 percent, respectively, Friday.While viewing Friday’s plunge of the Kospi as “short-term noise,” local analysts said time is rip

South Korea’s stock markets tumbled Friday, with its top-tier Kospi market taking its largest daily loss in a year.The Kospi closed at 2,400.99 on Friday, down 1.73 percent from Thursday. The main bourse index tumbled by the largest margin since July 6, 2016, which saw a 1.85 percent Kospi loss. It also marked the largest drop in 2017, following 1.14 percent slide in March 3.　During late afternoon trade, the Kospi fell below the 2,400 mark at around 2:40 p.m. The index has closed above 2,4

Shares of Celltrion Healthcare rose over 15 percent on the first day of its initial public offering on the second-tier Kosdaq market Friday.Stocks of the sole marketer and supplier of biopharmaceutical firm Celltrion closed at 50,300 won ($44.90), up 22.68 percent from the offering price of 41,000 won. Celltrion Healthcare has been bullish throughout the day since it opened at 6.5 percent higher. This came in contrast to the weak Kosdaq market and its bellwether Celltrion, which shed 2.03 percen

Samsung Securities’ model portfolio, which guides global investment distribution of the equity firm‘s funds, has boasted stability, the firm said Thursday.  The core-A type of Samsung Securities’ model portfolio saw a cumulative return of 19.68 percent over the last three years as of the end of June. Of the last 12 quarters, the model portfolio saw a positive rate of return in nine quarters, it explained.The longer the asset was managed, the higher the return was, accordin

Kakao Bank officially began operations Thursday at 7 a.m., becoming the second online-only bank to be launched in South Korea, but it was quickly met with complaints due to the server failure of the bank’s mobile app. Within eight hours of the launch, some 230,000 users had downloaded the mobile app, through which some 103,000 new bank accounts were created, according to the bank. It also drew 26 billion won ($23.3 million) in deposits and savings accounts, while extending loans worth 14 b

Financial Services Commission Chairman Choi Jong-ku on Wednesday highlighted local banks’ overdependence on gains from household loans as a hurdle to wage-led growth and said he would lower the maximum interest rate to 24 percent from next year.In his first press conference as the head of the nation’s top financial regulator a week after he took office, Choi pledged to address banks’ overreliance on mortgage loans, saying they have distanced themselves from their original role

SK Holdings announced it would buy 11.77 percent of Chinese logistics firm e-Shang Redwood Group’s newly issued stock, worth some 372 billion won ($333.3 million), in a disclosure Tuesday. The holding company of South Korea’s second-largest conglomerate in market capitalization aims to tap into the “explosive growth in e-commerce market” in China through the purchase, the firm said in a release. (SK)SK Holdings’ decision in the board meeting Tuesday came in tandem with the purchase of pharmaceut