[Edaily Reporter Kim Kook Bae ] Amid the Bank of Korea’s admission that it failed to adequately warn of the risks associated with single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETFs), data shows that the net trading volume of financial investment products by employees of the Financial Stability Bureau in the first half of this year increased approximately 53-fold compared to the same period last year.

According to response materials submitted by the Bank of Korea to Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Kim Tae-nyeon on the 13th, the net transaction value of financial investment products by the Financial Stability Bureau in the first half of this year was 274.2 million won. This is approximately 52.7 times higher than the 5.2 million won recorded during the same period last year. This figure includes transactions by the Financial Inspection Office. The number of buy and sell transactions also increased from 68 to 224.

These figures are based on a compilation of transaction reports submitted by employees authorized to access Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) information, in accordance with the Bank of Korea’s internal regulations. They do not represent the trading activity of all employees, and the report does not specify the number of employees required to report, individual transaction details, or the specific securities traded.

The net transaction value of the Financial Stability Bureau rose from 5.2 million won in the first half of last year to 69.1 million won in the second half, and reached 274.2 million won in the first half of this year. In 2024, the figures were 100,000 won in the first half and 23.5 million won in the second half.

The Bank of Korea’s assessment of financial market risks became a point of contention during the recent parliamentary audit. Governor Shin Hyun-song apologized during the National Assembly audit on the 12th, stating, “We failed to issue sufficient warnings regarding single-stock leveraged ETFs. I apologize to the public.” He also acknowledged that the assessment included in the Financial Stability Report last June “was not appropriate given the circumstances at the time.”

In its Financial Stability Report released on June 24, the Bank of Korea outlined the expected benefits of introducing single-stock leveraged ETFs. It believed this would help prevent the outflow of domestic investment funds overseas and increase the inflow of foreign capital by narrowing the regulatory gap with overseas-listed ETFs. This assessment differed from the statement made two days earlier, on June 22, by Lee Chan-jin, Chairman of the Financial Supervisory Service, who said, “I am personally reflecting on whether I should have done everything in my power to block [the introduction of the ETF].”

A similar trend was observed in the Financial Markets Bureau. Net trading volume in the first half of this year totaled 219.5 million won, approximately 24 times the 9.1 million won recorded in the same period last year. The number of buy and sell transactions rose from 19 to 59. In contrast, net trading volume in the Monetary Policy Bureau decreased from 54.1 million won to 2.1 million won during the same period.