On October 28, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Economy Lee Hyoung Il met with Head of Asia Pacific at Bloomberg Bing Li, to discuss ways to cooperate in advancing Korea’s financial markets.
During the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Lee explained that the Korean government has continued to improve market accessibility for foreign investors following Korea’s inclusion in the World Government Bond Index (WGBI) in April 2026, and that Korea’s government bond market has gained international prominence and attracted growing interest from global investors. He also conveyed the need to review whether Korea’s classification as an emerging market in Bloomberg’s bond index* remains appropriate, given Korea’s standing in the global economy, the growth of its government bond market, and improvements in market accessibility. In particular, he highlighted that Korea is classified as an advanced economy by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank and has made significant progress in improving market accessibility in recent years. He requested Bloomberg’s continued attention and cooperation to ensure that these achievements are fully reflected in its future review of country classifications.
* The Bloomberg Global Aggregate Index is one of the world’s three major global bond indices. Korea has been included in the index since 2002.
Deputy Prime Minister Lee also emphasized the importance of communication with global investors so that the government’s efforts to improve foreign exchange and capital market regulations can lead to increased investment. He called on Bloomberg to support communication between the government and markets through its various channels, including financial information services and media.
In response, Bing Li acknowledged the importance of continued communication and cooperation with the Korean government and reaffirmed Bloomberg’s commitment to working together to enhance global investor’s understanding of Korea’s financial markets and strengthen the connection between the government and markets.
Please refer to the attached files.
