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  Hanwha Life Sells $25 Million in Performance-Based Retirement Annuities in 6 Months Hanwha Life said Tuesday that sales of three performance-based retirement pension insurance products reached about 25 billion won in the six months since their launch. As of the end of December 2025, that marks a 397% increase from the 6.3 billion won in assets under management across five existing performance-based insurance funds, the company said. Hanwha Life attributed the growth to product designs that reflect major pension funds’ asset-allocation strategies and to investor confidence January 28, 2026
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  South Korea to Launch Public Growth Fund in June, Begins Design Talks South Korea’s Public Participation Growth Fund is expected to be launched and sold around June. The Financial Services Commission said it held its first task force meeting on Tuesday to discuss the fund’s product structure and management plan. The policy fund is designed to let ordinary investors make long-term investments in advanced strategic industries through a publicly offered fund. The public fund will spread money across multiple sub-funds managed by private investment professiona January 28, 2026
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  South Korea rejects Lotte Insurance turnaround plan, moves toward stricter corrective action South Korea’s financial regulators plan to step up prompt corrective action against Lotte Insurance to a management improvement demand after rejecting the insurer’s turnaround plan. The Financial Services Commission said it disapproved Lotte Insurance’s management improvement plan, submitted on Jan. 2, at a regular meeting on Tuesday. The FSC said the plan lacked specificity, feasibility and supporting grounds. After a prior-notice process, the company’s current management improvement January 28, 2026
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  Korean stocks remain turbo-charged, local won returns to year-end level SEOUL, January 28 (AJP) - Korean markets are on a roll, refreshing new heights, with traction added by overnight news from Washington hinting at room for compromise before it moves to slap higher tariffs on Korean exports. As of 10:30 a.m. Seoul time, the benchmark KOSPI jumped 1.6 percent to 5,165.03, extending its advance into uncharted territory. The KOSPI 200 climbed 1.6 percent to 757.5, while the tech-heavy KOSDAQ surged 3.2 percent to 1,116.7, marking another strong push towa January 28, 2026
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  KOSPI, unfazed by Trump's antics, closes above 5,000 points SEOUL, January 27 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark KOSPI closed above 5,000 points on Tuesday, despite U.S. President Donald Trump's sudden threat to raise tariffs again. The index closed at 5,084.85, up 2.73 percent from the previous session, and the junior KOSDAQ also rose 1.71 percent to 1,082.59 after reaching a milestone of 1,000 points the previous day for the first time in about four years. Shares of Samsung Electronics rose 4.87 percent to 159,500 won, while SK hyn January 27, 2026
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  Seoul markets mostly unfazed by renewed Trumpian tariff threat SEOUL, January 27 (AJP) –Stocks were undisturbed in their growth momentum while the Korean won gave up earlier gains against the U.S. dollar as the Korean financial markets weighed the gravity of the overnight social-media threat by President Donald Trump to reinstate 25-percent tariffs on selected South Korean exports including automobiles. As of 10:23 a.m. Seoul, KOSPI rose 0.76ercent to 4.987.03 smaller KOSDAQ up 0.93 percent at 1,074.64. The won was mildly affected, wi January 27, 2026
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  KOSDAQ steals the day in subdued Asian markets SEOUL, January 26 (AJP) - Korea’s secondary KOSDAQ stole the spotlight Monday, surging more than 7 percent as most Asian equities retreated, in a striking display of risk appetite concentrated in higher-beta names. The tech-heavy index jumped 7.09 percent — its biggest daily gain in more than two years — to close at 1,064.4 and return to 1,000-mark in four years. The sharp advance triggered a temporary trading halt under the sidecar mechanism at 9:59 a.m., a January 26, 2026
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  Resident FX deposits in Korea jumped nearly $16 bln in December SEOUL, January 26 (AJP) -Foreign-currency deposits at South Korea-based banks surged by nearly $16 billion in December on prolonged weakness in the Korean won, central bank data showed. The Bank of Korea said Monday that resident foreign-currency deposits at local foreign-exchange banks totaled $119.43 billion at the end of December, up $15.88 billion from the previous month. It marked the second consecutive monthly increase. Resident foreign-currency deposits include ho January 26, 2026
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  KOSDAQ breaks above 1,000 as Asia trades mixed; Nikkei retreats on political uncertainty SEOUL, January 26 (AJP) – Asian equities opened the week mostly lower, with Japanese stocks retreating on rising bond yields and political uncertainty. South Korea’s secondary KOSDAQ bucked the sentiment, surging past the 1,000 mark for the first time in four years on policy optimism. The benchmark KOSPI opened higher but later pared gains. As of 10:37 a.m. local time Monday, the index was down 0.48 percent at 4,966.31. The KOSDAQ jumped 5.48 percent to 1,048.35, tr January 26, 2026
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  Foreign investors' holdings of South Korean stocks hit highest level in nearly six years SEOUL, January 25 (AJP) - Foreign investors' share of stocks on South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI climbed to its highest level in five years and nine months in January, according to figures released by the Korea Exchange on Sunday. The total market capitalization of KOSPI‑listed companies stood at 3,759.72 trillion Korean won (roughly US$2.55 trillion) as of early this month, with foreign holdings valued at 1,398.03 trillion won, accounting for about 37.18 percent, the highe January 25, 2026