Woori Bank to Lead Investment in Government Future City Fund for First-Generation New Town Redevelopment Woori Bank said Wednesday it will participate as the largest investor in the government-backed “Future City Fund,” aimed at supporting redevelopment projects in first-generation new towns. The policy fund was created to provide stable financing for aging apartment complexes in areas such as Bundang and Ilsan, where reconstruction is being pursued. It is designed to supply essential early-stage project costs from the planning stage, helping projects move forward more smoothly. Woori Bank May 7, 2026

KB Kookmin Card Creates Board-Level Consumer Protection Committee KB Kookmin Card said Thursday it has created a Consumer Protection Committee within its board of directors to strengthen its financial consumer protection function. The company said the move is intended to proactively implement the Financial Supervisory Service’s “best practices for financial consumer protection governance” announced in September last year and to make consumer protection a core management value. The new committee will set basic policies for building and operating an inter May 7, 2026

Haesung DS jumps 11% to record high as brokerages raise price targets Haesung DS surged more than 11% on a wave of brokerage price-target upgrades, hitting an intraday record high. According to the Korea Exchange, shares were up 9,000 won, or 11.54%, at 87,000 won as of 2:16 p.m. on Thursday. The stock climbed as high as 87,700 won during the session, setting a new all-time high. Investor sentiment appeared to improve after multiple brokerages raised their targets. Since the start of this month, Samsung Securities, BNK Investment & Securities, iM Securitie May 7, 2026

Pros’ CFD Buying Surges in Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix as Chip Stocks Rally Professional investors have been concentrating money in large semiconductor stocks that have been leading recent gains in South Korea’s market. Their buying has also been evident in contracts for difference, or CFD, positions, with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix showing the clearest rise in balances. As of the end of April, both the number of shares and the value of CFD balances in Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix rose sharply among the top CFD holdings, according to the financial inv May 7, 2026

South Korea Weighs Capital Gains Tax Break Shift to Favor Owner-Occupiers The government has repeatedly signaled a tax overhaul that would shift the long-term holding special deduction on capital gains tax from rewarding simple ownership to prioritizing owner-occupancy. The move increasingly targets single-home owners who do not live in the property, aiming to curb speculative demand and encourage more homes to come onto the market. Critics, however, say it will be difficult to design rules precise enough to ensure the policy works as intended. According to go May 7, 2026

CJ ENM Q1 Operating Profit Rises 107% to 1.5 Billion Won on Film, Drama Rebound CJ ENM said growth at streaming platform TVING and stronger overseas content sales lifted first-quarter revenue in 2026, though profitability was mixed as the TV advertising market weakened and music investment increased. The company said May 7 that, on a consolidated basis, it posted first-quarter revenue of 13.297 trillion won and operating profit of 1.5 billion won. That was up 16.8% and 107.2%, respectively, from a year earlier. The entertainment division reported revenue of 9.511 tr May 7, 2026

Airline Stocks Rise in Seoul on Oil Price Drop, Hopes for U.S.-Iran Deal; Korean Air Up 6% Airline shares rose in early trading as the Kospi moved above the 7,500 level. Korean Air Lines was up 6.31%, or 1,550 won, at 26,100 won as of 2:09 p.m., according to the Korea Exchange. Hanjin KAL gained 3.01%, or 3,300 won, to 113,000 won. Jeju Air climbed 5.21%, and Trinity Aviation rose 3.01%. The gains were seen as tied to falling global oil prices and easing war-related tensions. Foreign media reported that the United States and Iran are seeking to sign a memorandum of understand May 7, 2026

Poll: President Lee Jae-myung approval at 67%; Democrats 46%, PPP 18% President Lee Jae-myung’s job approval rating stood at 67%, down 2 percentage points from the previous survey, according to results released May 7 by the National Barometer Survey (NBS). The poll, conducted May 4-6 among 1,001 adults ages 18 and older by Embrain Public, Kstat Research, Korea Research and Hankook Research, found 67% rated Lee’s performance positively, 2 points lower than two weeks earlier. By age, positive ratings topped 50% in every group except those in their 20s an May 7, 2026

Seoul Apartment Prices Rise 0.15% as Yongsan Turns Up Ahead of Capital Gains Tax Change As bargain listings in high-priced apartment districts thinned out ahead of the end of a temporary suspension of heavier capital gains taxes, apartment prices in Seoul’s Yongsan district turned higher. The shift follows earlier turnarounds in Songpa two weeks ago and Seocho last week. According to the Korea Real Estate Board’s weekly apartment price trend report released on the 7th, Seoul’s weekly apartment sale prices rose 0.15% from the previous week. Seoul prices held a similar pac May 7, 2026

HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Q1 Operating Profit Jumps 58% to 1.356 Trillion Won HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, HD Hyundai’s intermediate holding company for its shipbuilding business, said it extended strong results in the first quarter of 2026 on favorable conditions in its shipbuilding and engine businesses. In a regulatory filing on Thursday, the company reported consolidated first-quarter revenue of 8.1409 trillion won and operating profit of 1.3560 trillion won. That was up 20.2% and 57.8%, respectively, from a year earlier. Despite fewer operatin May 7, 2026