Korea

Exports to countries in the Middle East have shot up in recent months, making up for months of losses during the U.S.-Iraq war earlier this year.

A liquidity shortage has been cramping the nation's small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs).

The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) conducted a survey of 245 firms on foreign exchange risk management and only 64 per cent of them said they had installed the necessary systems to safeguard against fluctuating exchange rates despite continuo

Local small- and medium-sized companies still think that business conditions will not recover any time soon, the Korean Federation of Small Business said yesterday.

The operation ratio for small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) has fallen to its lowest level in four years and six months since January 1999.

Starting as early as 2006, financial firms, including banks and insurers, will be free to provide the same or similar financial products, as the government soon plans to simplify current overlapping financial laws and regulations.

South Korea posted a trade surplus of US$666 million in July, keeping in the black for a fourth consecutive month on stronger exports, the commerce, industry and energy ministry said yesterday (16 August 2003).

Corporate lending by local banks ballooned by 5.1 trillion won (US$4.3 billion) last month, as small- and mid-sized companies (SMEs) sought more funds for running their businesses and paying their taxes, the Bank of Korea (BOK) said yesterday (6 A

“SMEs (small- and medium-size enterprises) are struggling with what they call their worst financial problems since the 1997 crisis, due to the economic slowdown and strengthening loan reviews” said Industrial Bank of Korea.

Kookmin Bank, Korea's largest lender, lowered this year's target growth rates for corporate loans to less than 5 per cent, from earlier predictions of 11.2 per cent .