Kiwoom Securities System Error Triggers Forced Sales Despite Margin Deposits

*Editor's Note: 'AI PRISM' (Personalized Report & Insight Summarizing Media) is an "AI-based customized news recommendation and summarization service" developed with support from the Korea Press Foundation. It selects and provides six customized news items by reader type.

1. Up to Two Weeks of Short-Term Parental Leave Allowed; Forex Market Opens 24 Hours

- Key Summary: The government will convert the foreign exchange market to a 24-hour operating system on weekdays starting in the second half of the year. Trading hours, currently from 9 a.m. until 2 a.m. the following day, will expand from July 6 to year-round operation (excluding January 1 and weekends), allowing foreign investors and import-export companies to place currency exchange orders at real-time rates even in the early morning. In addition, from August 20, a new system will be established allowing workers with children aged 8 or younger to take short-term parental leave once a year in units of one or two weeks. Along with this, the Noran Umbrella Deduction contribution limit will rise to 18 million won per year, and system changes closely tied to office workers' daily lives—such as the integration of the KTX and SRT booking apps—will be implemented in stages.

2. The Sweet Illusion of Principal Protection

- Key Summary: While the 2025 retirement pension management return recorded a record-high 6.47%, an "average trap" has emerged in which half of subscribers still remain at returns in the 2% range. This is the result of tying up 74% of accumulated funds in principal-guaranteed products such as deposits and savings. A survey by the Mirae Asset Investment and Pension Center also found that 63.4% of subscribers holding only principal-guaranteed products had never tried funds or ETFs (exchange-traded funds). According to the analysis, even if prices rise just 3% per year, asset value will shrink by half after 30 years, and after 60 years the purchasing power of 100 million won today will fall to about 16.5 million won. In contrast, the top 10% of subscribers by returns invested 84% of their accumulated funds in performance-based products, filling 67% of the increase with investment returns.

3. NH Investment & Securities Launches Co-CEO System: 'Faster Decisions, Shared Responsibility'

- Key Summary: NH Investment & Securities held an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders on the 30th to officially appoint Shin Jae-wook and Bae Kwang-soo as co-CEOs, launching a new management system. CEO Shin Jae-wook will oversee investment banking (IB), asset management operations, and institutional sales, while CEO Bae Kwang-soo will handle wealth management (WM), digital channels, and the research division, with terms running until March 2028. In their inaugural addresses, the two CEOs presented the establishment of an integrated deal pipeline and the introduction of a joint evaluation system as core management directions to strengthen synergy between business divisions. However, it is reported that concerns over fairness between business divisions and the "silo phenomenon" within the organization were also raised at the shareholders' meeting.

4. [Exclusive] Woori Financial Grooms Female Leaders; Department Head Ratio to 30% by 2040

- Key Summary: Woori Financial Group announced through its "2025 Sustainability Management Report" that it has raised its 2040 target for the female executive ratio from 15% to 20%, and the female department head ratio from 23% to 30%. Currently, of Woori Bank's 23 total executives, four (17.3%) are women, while at Woori Card, two of 17 (11.7%) are women. Woori Financial Group Chairman Yim Jong-yong is putting weight on nurturing female talent, inviting about 80 female department heads from 17 affiliates to a "Female Leader Networking Day" in March. Woori Financial also announced that it provided 13 trillion won in ESG (environmental, social and governance) related financing last year.

5. KB Launches Customized Financial Products for 'Gig Workers'

- Key Summary: KB Financial Group will successively introduce financial products dedicated to "gig workers," such as delivery riders and designated drivers, starting in July. KB Kookmin Bank will launch the "KB Free N Account," which offers interest of up to 1.4% per year and recognizes irregular income such as platform settlement payments as salary records. In the third quarter, it will also introduce a Smile Microcredit product providing up to 5 million won for purchasing delivery motorcycles. KB Kookmin Card unveiled the "KB On The Go Check Card," which includes discount benefits on fuel and telecom fees, and KB Insurance is operating a rider offering a 5% premium discount to those who complete safety training. In line with the growing trend of platform workers, the financial sector continues to launch customized products.

6. Kiwoom Securities System Error Triggers Forced Sales Despite Margin Deposits

- Key Summary: At Kiwoom Securities (039490.KS), an incident occurred in which forced sales were executed in some accounts due to a system error, even though investors had deposited margin funds. It was determined that although margin was paid to maintain the collateral ratio, the forced sales occurred because the deposits were not reflected in the system in time. Kiwoom Securities has a policy to compensate for the difference between the forced-sale price and the repurchase price, but existing valuation losses are excluded from compensation, and some investors continue to object. A Kiwoom Securities official explained that "the deposit amount was not reflected due to a temporary processing delay" and that compensation is under way.