Republic of Korea

The financial stability assessment under the Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) forKorea was carried out in close collaboration with the authorities. The assessment included top- down (TD) and bottom-up (BU) stress testing of Korea's commercial banks and certain non-bank depository institutions (NBDIs); and evaluation of the potential contagion across banks (stemming both from funding pressures and potential defaults). The FSAP team did not have access to confidential supervisory data for the stress tests and the contagion analyses.2 The practice of withholding information in the conte

The financial stability assessment under the Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) forKorea was carried out in close collaboration with the authorities. The assessment included top- down (TD) and bottom-up (BU) stress testing of Korea's commercial banks and certain non-bank depository institutions (NBDIs); and evaluation of the potential contagion across banks (stemming both from funding pressures and potential defaults). The FSAP team did not have access to confidential supervisory data for the stress tests and the contagion analyses.2 The practice of withholding information in the conte

This Financial System Stability Assessment report on the Republic of Korea highlights that the Korean economy is experiencing a modest recovery, helped by supportive monetary and fiscal policies and buoyant exports. GDP growth is expected to rebound to 2.8 percent in 2013, and strengthen further to 3.7 percent in 2014, in view of the projected global recovery and a gradual pickup in domestic demand. Inflation has fallen to 0.7 percent in October 2013 from 4.2 percent in 2011. With stronger exports and muted domestic demand, the current account surplus has widened and is expected to reach about

This paper discusses key findings of the Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes for the Republic of Korea. Responsibilities, objectives, and powers related to banking supervision are clearly defined in the Republic of Korea. The legal framework currently in place reasonably provides the necessary powers to authorize the establishment of banks, conduct ongoing supervision, address compliance with laws and regulations, as well as undertake corrective actions to address safety and soundness concerns. Authorization processes are generally thorough but there is room to require formal appro

EXECUTIVE SUMMARYKorea has a well-developed payment, clearing, and settlement infrastructures. BOK-WIRE+ is the real-time interbank gross payment and settlement system, and the backbone of the infrastructure where the final payments of various markets are settled. It is operated by the Bank of Korea (BOK). The Korea Exchange (KRX) is the main player in the securities and derivatives market, operating three exchanges and offering clearing and settlement services for all securities and derivatives traded on the KRX. While the authorities have decided to establish a central counterparty (CCP) for

SUMMARY, KEY FINDINGS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS The Republic of Korea has a moderate level of compliance with the Basel Core Principles for Effective Banking Supervision (BCP). Building upon the 2003 FSAP recommendations, the authorities have taken resolute steps to strengthen the regulation and supervision of the banking sector. However, the assessment identified gaps that need to be addressed and although the Republic of Korea counts with a strong-albeit overly complex-regulatory framework and with thorough supervisory practices, a number of areas require attention so that the Republic of Ko