South Korea
Chief to IMF office in Seoul
SOUTH KOREA - Paul Grunwald has been appointed as chief of the IMF office in Seoul, South Korea.
Korea needs to monitor emerging markets
SOUTH KOREA - BOK Gov. Korea should pay close attention to developments in Latin American markets to prevent shockwaves reaching the peninsula, Bank of Korea (BOK) Gov. Chon Chol-hwan said on 18 July.
Korea to adopt flexible monetary policies
SOUTH KOREA - Bank of Korea Governor Chon Chol-hwan said 16 July he will be flexible with the bank's monetary policies in view of the uncertainties surrounding both international and domestic economies, and will pay close attention to inflation and real…
Korea cbank expects inflation to fall
The Bank of Korea's latest inflation report enviages inflation falling to 3% in the second half of 2001
Korea's KFTC-BoK assistant governor new president
SOUTH KOREA - The Korea Financial Telecommunications and Clearings Institute (KFTC) selected Yoon Gye-sub, the assistant governor of the Bank of Korea (BOK), as its new director at a general meeting held on Apr 4, 2001.
South Korea's FX reserves dip to $94.44bn
SOUTH KOREA - The South Korea's foreign exchange reserves dipped by $890 million from a month earlier to $94.44 billion as of late Mar 2001, falling for the fourth straight month, the Bank of Korea said Apr 2.
BoK criticises govt for interfering in mon policy
SOUTH KOREA - The Bank of Korea has criticized the government for its regular interference in the country's monetary polices.
Korea foreign currency transactions surged in 2000
Foreign exchange transactions by domestic financial institutions, including spot and futures markets, increased sharply in 2000 to $8.9 billion a day, up from $6.9 billion in 1999, the Bank of Korea said on Mar 11, 2001.
Dollar-Korean won spot rates swayed by forwards
The dollar's movement against the won in the Seoul currency market is being increasingly affected by dollar-won trading on overseas non-deliverable forward (NDF) markets, the Bank of Korea said.
BOK reports 1.5 trillion won in profits for 2000
The Bank of Korea has reported after-tax profits of 1,483 billion won in 2000, down 1,696 billion won from 1999.
IMF advises integrating Korea finance supervisors
A report from the International Monetary Fund has advised South Korea that the Financial Supervisory Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service merge into a single organization, with the status of its chairman on par with the central bank governor.
Korea regulator urges banks to lower deposit rates
The chairman of South Korea's regulatory Financial Supervisory Commission on Feb 21, 2001 called on banks to lower deposit rates.
Korea - BoK, FSS, KDIC to share information
The Korean Financial Supervisory Service, Bank of Korea and Korea Deposit Insurance Corp will start pooling their information on various financial matters. The three institutions will organize one consultative body to distribute financial information…
Korea c.bank head warns of overheating treasuries
Central Bank of Korea Governor Chon Chol-hwan said on Feb 16, 2001 the local treasury market was showing signs of overheating, comments analysts saw as a bid to shift interest to flagging corporate bond issues. Chon said in a statement the treasury…
Bank of Korea reduces short-term rate to 5%
The Bank of Korea lowered on Feb. 8, 2001 its key short-term-rate target by a quarter point, signaling the need to bolster the sagging economy had overtaken previous concerns about inflationary pressures. The central bank's monetary policy committee cut…
Bank of Korea says fake note cases doubled in 2000
Due to the fast spread of computer scanners and colour printers, the number of note forgery cases more than doubled in 2000, the Bank of Korea said on Feb 8, 2001.The number of note counterfeiting cases jumped to 160 in 2000 from 68 cases in 1999, the…
IMF urges South Korea to fine-tune fiscal reform
Despite meeting international standards, the government needs to work harder to improve its fiscal transparency by being more specific in its fiscal reports and by simplifying its tax system, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Feb 6, 2001.The…
BOK head Chon hints at rate cuts in Feb. 2001
Chon Chol-whan, governor of the Bank of Korea (BOK), hinted on Jan. 29 that the central bank may slash the interest rate next month in a bid to bring the sliding economy to a halt. But, at the same time, he warned of "worrisome" high inflation for 2001,…
S. Korea to end certain exchange controls in 2001
The South Korean government will end restrictions on the amount of foreign currency travellers can take out next year, but those who carry more than US$50,000 should first secure Bank of Korea approval, the finance and economy ministry said Thursday.
Korea c.bank says holding rates for now
Korea may cut interest rates to ward off a sharp economic downturn but only if prices remain under control, Bank of Korea Governor Chon Chol-hwan said on Thursday.
Power strike won't affect payment systems-BOK
Money transfers and financial settlements will be unaffected by a strike threatened by Korea Electric Power Corp.'s union on Thursday, according to the Bank of Korea.
Economic integration in the Korean peninsula
Marcus Noland, senior fellow at the Institute for International Economics, has written a paper called "Economic Integration in Koreas: Prospect and Risks" for the ICAS autumn symposium 2000 in Washington, DC.
BOK head sees no capital flight next year
The implementation of the second-stage foreign exchange liberalisation plan next year is unlikely to lead to a sudden flight of domestic capital to foreign countries, Bank of Korea governor Chon Chol-hwan said yesterday.