Tomorrow, Nov 12
  • Tokyo7°/16°
Economy

South Korea hits 15 banks and brokers with record $1.2bn fine for rigging government bond auctions

Korea's competition watchdog says the dealers that buy the government's bonds swapped and fixed their bids for three and a half years, pushing up the rate the state paid. The fine is more than double Korea's previous cartel record, and about three times, at today's exchange rates, what Europe charged banks in a similar case.

Download

Read the story → Nov 11, 2026

More Economy

EconomyOctober 2026 CPI: Why there is no annual inflation rate, and what it would likely be
EconomyNaver Pay–Upbit merger: Korea's antitrust staff see competition risks, even in a won stablecoin that doesn't exist yet
EconomyThe US and Europe held. Britain raised rates. The minutes give three reasons
EconomyKorea's regulator says Baemin and Coupang stopped restaurants from selling cheaper on other apps. Europe fought the same fight over hotel apps a decade ago
EconomyDominant firms charging Koreans more than buyers abroad could face penalties under a proposed competition rule
EconomyFor the first time, more than half of Korean employees earn 3 million won or more a month

More episodes

HealthEbola travel rules: who must sign the new US attestation form, what happened to the green card ban, and why WHO objects
TechAn OpenAI agent broke into Australia's Medicare portal. Who's the criminal?
The HOLT JournalA plastic spoon in your brain?
The HOLT JournalDo ultra-processed foods make you eat more and gain weight? What three diet trials found
The HOLT JournalThe investors who traded the least earned the most: what 66,465 households taught us about trading
PoliticsTwo in three South African councils have no majority... and the coalition law missed the election
SportsThe regular-season winner almost never loses the Korean Series... But this year was different
HealthKorea plans to gradually expand blood pressure and diabetes care from 19 areas to the whole country and all ages
The HOLT JournalNo insulin, no drugs: an implant used electricity to bring blood sugar back to normal in diabetic mice
The HOLT JournalPeople who slept under 6 hours caught colds nearly twice as often
SocietyHungary makes public the names of about 60,000 communist-era secret police informers
The HOLT JournalIcy water for 60 seconds or 90? Asked to repeat one, 7 in 10 picked 90