Korean Financial Markets Daily - 2025-06-17
# ☕ Morning Espresso - Korean Credit Market
Daily intelligence from YNA, Einfomax & TheBell
June 17, 2025 - 10:53 KST
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## ✨ HIGHLIGHTS
### 📊 News Reported by Multiple Sources
Koreazinc Buys 5% Stake in Canadian Miner TMC for $116.5M
Sources: YNA, EINFOMAX
Koreazinc, a major South Korean zinc producer, has acquired a 5% stake in The Metals Company (TMC), a Canadian deep-sea mining company, for $116.5 million (8.5 million USD). The investment is part of Koreazinc's strategy to secure a stable supply of strategic minerals. TMC is preparing to mine manganese nodules from the seabed, which contain nickel, cobalt, copper, and other critical metals. Koreazinc also secured the right to purchase additional TMC shares at a fixed price, signaling its long-term commitment to the partnership. This deal strengthens Koreazinc's position in the global supply chain for key industrial metals and aligns with South Korea's efforts to reduce reliance on imports of critical raw materials.
Read More: [YNA](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20250617022000003) | [EINFOMAX](https://news.einfomax.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=4360453)
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Korea's Competitiveness Ranking Drops 7 Spots to 27th
Sources: YNA, EINFOMAX
According to the latest IMD World Competitiveness Ranking, South Korea's national competitiveness ranking fell 7 places from last year to 27th out of 69 countries. This marks a return to 2022 levels, after reaching a high of 20th place in 2024. The drop was driven by a 21-spot decline in the 'business efficiency' category, which measures factors like productivity, labor market, and corporate governance. Experts cite weakening economic performance and policy challenges as key factors behind Korea's slipping competitiveness on the global stage.
Read More: [YNA](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20250616141400002) | [EINFOMAX](https://news.einfomax.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=4360437)
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## ⏰ NEWS TIMELINE
10:33 - Chin Sung-jun: \
Source: EINFOMAX
Chin Sung-jun, the policy chief of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated that the party's consistent principle is to universally provide the Livelihood Recovery Support Funds that will be included in the government's supplementary budget (supplementary budget). He said he will proceed with consultations with the government.
At the Democratic Party's policy coordination meeting on the 17th, Chin said, \
Read More: [EINFOMAX](https://news.einfomax.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=4360500)
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10:28 - Presidential Office: 'Korea-US Summit Scheduled, but Monitoring Situation as Trump Returns Early'
Source: EINFOMAX
There are concerns that the first meeting between the Korean and US presidents may be difficult, as US President Donald Trump suddenly returned home from the G7 Summit in Canada due to the escalating crisis between Israel and Iran.
A presidential office official, speaking to reporters in Calgary, Canada where the G7 Summit was held, said 'The summit was essentially scheduled, but we are still confirming the situation with the breaking news of Trump's early return.'
The official added, 'The summit was scheduled and the time was confirmed, so we are monitoring the situation a bit further to see how things progress.'
Read More: [EINFOMAX](https://news.einfomax.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=4360497)
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10:26 - Bond Brokers Secretly Exchanging Profits and Losses...Illegal Practices Exposed
Source: EINFOMAX
The industry views the illegal practice of bond brokers secretly exchanging profits and losses through off-exchange trading with disparate bid-ask spreads as a common loophole. ◇ Exposure of Profit-Loss Sharing Among Bond Brokers...KB Securities Files Criminal Complaint According to the financial investment industry on the 17th, KB Securities completed a criminal complaint against an employee of the KB Securities A Bond Sales Department on the 13th. (Referring to the exclusive report by Yonhap Infomax titled '
Read More: [EINFOMAX](https://news.einfomax.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=4360496)
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10:26 - KB Securities Broker Caused 400 Million Won Loss by 'Selling Low, Buying High'
Source: EINFOMAX
A bond broker (intermediary) at KB Securities was found through an internal audit to have caused the company a loss of nearly 400 million won by repeatedly selling bonds at low prices to bond brokers at other securities firms and then buying them back at higher prices in the over-the-counter market.
According to the financial investment industry on the 17th, an employee of the KB Securities A Bond Sales Department was found to have sold government and corporate bonds at low prices to bond brokers at other securities firms from January to March of this year, and then bought them back at higher prices.
KB Securities has internally determined that the employee's breach of duty resulted in a loss of nearly 400 million won for the company. At the time, the quoted prices or market reference rates were reportedly used in the transactions.
Read More: [EINFOMAX](https://news.einfomax.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=4360495)
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10:17 - Moves to 'Brake' Corporate Spin-offs...
Source: EINFOMAX
Recently, there have been signs of brakes being applied to corporate spin-off decisions. This is due to concerns that spin-offs and the like may undermine shareholder value.Experts believe that if spin-offs and the like continue to threaten shareholder value, they will face opposition voices at any time. They also diagnosed that with the revision of the Commercial Act, the directors' duty of loyalty to shareholders will be realized, and the trick of increasing the controlling power of the largest shareholder through corporate spin-offs, etc. may not be tolerated.◇ Criticism Spreading that Spin-offs Increase Controlling Power of Largest ShareholdersAccording to the relevant industry on the 17th, Must Asset Management expressed opposition to the decision of Pharma Research [214450] to spin off on the 16th.
Read More: [EINFOMAX](https://news.einfomax.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=4360493)
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10:15 - Petrochemical Industry Faces Challenges Amid Israel-Iran Conflict
Source: EINFOMAX
As the petrochemical industry continues to face a downturn, the surge in oil prices due to the Israel-Iran conflict has increased cost burdens, dampening hopes for a recovery in performance.Amid the recession, some domestic companies are showing signs of consolidation to survive, but it is expected to take a long time for the effects to materialize.According to the Yonhap Infomax futures current price (screen number 7229) on May 17, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil for July delivery traded at $73.27 per barrel, up $1.50 from the previous day.WTI prices rose nearly $5 on May 13, crossing the $70 per barrel mark.
Read More: [EINFOMAX](https://news.einfomax.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=4360492)
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10:13 - Roller Coaster Oil Prices Watched by SK On Amid Trade War and Conflict
Source: EINFOMAX
International oil prices have been on a roller coaster ride. After plunging in early April due to the trade war, international oil prices have recently surged due to the outbreak of military conflict between Israel and Iran. SK On is closely monitoring oil prices. This is because the performance of SK Trading International, a raw materials trading company that SK On absorbed last year to 'support batteries', could be affected. Oil prices are also closely related to the spread of electric vehicles. According to Yonhap Infomax (screen number 6525) on the 17th, on the New York Mercantile Exchange, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil for July delivery closed at $72.98 per barrel, up $4.94 (7.26%) from the previous day.
Read More: [EINFOMAX](https://news.einfomax.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=4360491)
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10:03 - LG CNS Invests in US Robotics Firm Skilled AI, Aiming to Lead in Industrial Humanoids
Source: EINFOMAX
LG CNS [064400] announced on the 17th that it has signed a strategic cooperation agreement and made an investment in Skilled AI, a US artificial intelligence (AI) robotics company, marking the first such partnership in Korea.The investment was made through LG's corporate venture capital firm, LG Technology Ventures. The specific investment amount was not disclosed.Skilled AI was co-founded by Dipak Pathak and Abhinav Gupta, renowned professors in computer science and robotics at Carnegie Mellon University. The company has recently attracted investments from Samsung Electronics, SoftBank, and NVIDIA, with an estimated company valuation of around $4.5 billion (approximately 6 trillion won).
Read More: [EINFOMAX](https://news.einfomax.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=4360488)
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09:55 - HMM Achieves 'Top 1%' EcoVadis ESG Rating for 2 Consecutive Years
Source: EINFOMAX
HMM announced on the 17th that it has received the 'Platinum' rating, awarded only to the top 1%, in the environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) assessment by EcoVadis for the second consecutive year. EcoVadis, a global ESG assessment agency based in France, evaluates the ESG performance of over 100,000 companies annually. The assessment covers 4 areas: environment, labor & human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement. Based on the results, companies are rated as Platinum (top 1%), Gold (top 5%), Silver (top 15%), or Bronze (top 35%). The EcoVadis ESG assessment is an important criterion for global companies in managing their supply chains and selecting partners.
Read More: [EINFOMAX](https://news.einfomax.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=4360487)
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09:54 - National Planning Commission to Receive Government Ministry Reports Starting Tomorrow, Finance Ministry and Financial Services Commission on the 18th and 19th
Source: EINFOMAX
The National Planning Commission will receive business reports from government ministries over the next three days starting tomorrow. According to the National Planning Commission on the 17th, the Ministry of Economy and Finance will report on the 18th at 10 AM, and the Financial Services Commission will report on the 19th at 10 AM.
The National Planning Commission plans to receive reports from the relevant government ministries divided into 7 subcommittees: ▲National Planning ▲Economy 1 ▲Economy 2 ▲Social 1 ▲Social 2 ▲Politics & Administration ▲Foreign Affairs & Security.
This round of reporting is the first step for the National Planning Commission to review the current status, response to issues, and implementation of government pledges. The National Planning subcommittee will receive a report from the Office of Government Policy Coordination on the 18th, and the Economy 1 subcommittee will receive a report on the 1st.
Read More: [EINFOMAX](https://news.einfomax.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=4360486)
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## 📚 TAIL
### Direct Sources
• Policy & Economy: [YNA Economy](https://www.yna.co.kr/rss/economy.xml)
• Bond & Forex: [Einfomax Markets](https://news.einfomax.co.kr/rss/S1N16.xml)
• Corporate Credit: [TheBell Financial](https://www.thebell.co.kr/free/index.asp)
### Intelligence Summary
• Articles Analyzed: 252
• Active Sources: YNA, EINFOMAX, THEBELL
• Analysis Time: 509.5s
• Coverage Period: Last 24 hours
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