Bank of Korea staff stock trading rose sharply in first half of 2026

Reported stock trading by some Bank of Korea staff increased sharply in the first half of 2026.

Staff in the bank’s Financial Stability Department had net stock transactions worth 274.2 million won, compared with 5.2 million won in the same period a year earlier.

The figures cover only employees required to report trades because they can access financial supervisory information, not the department’s entire staff.

Trading also rose among staff in the Financial Markets Department, while it fell among staff in the Monetary Policy Department.

The increase has drawn criticism because the bank had been faulted for not adequately warning about the risks of single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds, which can magnify losses when a share price falls.

In a report published in June, the bank had described potential benefits of these funds, including attracting investment and increasing market participation.

Bank of Korea Governor Shin Hyun-song apologized to lawmakers, saying the bank had not given a sufficient warning; the figures alone do not show employees’ full investment activity or motives.