Financial Markets in Korea

Book excerpt: The Korean economy has achieved outstanding development not only in its real economy but also in the financial sector. Driven by the expansion in economic size and by the government’s policies to foster the capital markets and increase their openness, the Korean financial market has grown by more than 17 times over the past two decades since the 1990s. Financial market quality has also been greatly enhanced due to efforts to develop the financial infrastructure and improve the transaction techniques. As a result, global interest in the Korean financial market has increased significantly. In reflection of this upgraded international standing of the Korean financial market, the Bank of Korea now publishes this English edition of ?Financial Markets in Korea? for the first time. Initially published in 1999, this book has been revised every two to three years. This English edition is published along with the 2012 revision. Although its arrival is somewhat late, we hope that it will serve readers as a solid introduction to the overall Korean financial market. This book provides an overview of the Korean financial market structure, and of recent developments related to the individual markets. Chapter 1 introduces the structure and size of the financial market as a whole, while Chapters 2 through 4 describe the funding, capital and financial derivatives markets respectively, covering their trading terms and conditions, participants,transaction mechanisms and recent developments. Detailed explanations of recent major issues concerning the financial markets, including notable developments and institutional changes, are also available in the Boxes included throughout the text. It is hoped that this book will provide readers good guidance for a better understanding of Korea’s financial markets. Money markets Ⅰ. Overview Ⅱ. Call market Ⅲ. Repurchase agreement (RP) market Ⅳ. BOK repurchase agreement (RP) market Ⅴ. Certificate of deposit (CD) market Ⅵ. Commercial paper (CP) market Capital markets Ⅰ. Overview Ⅱ. Bond market Ⅲ. Monetary Stabilization Bond market Ⅳ. Asset-backed securities (ABS) market Ⅴ. Stock market Financial derivatives markets Ⅰ. Overview Ⅱ. Equity derivatives market Ⅲ. Interest rate derivatives market Ⅳ. Foreign exchange derivatives market Ⅴ. Credit derivatives market Ⅵ. Derivatives-linked securities market