Global rating agencies have assigned the above long-term foreign currency ratings for the Republic of Korea. Links to the home pages of these agencies are provided below.

There are four local credit rating agencies: Korea Investor Services (KIS), Korea Ratings (KR), National Information & Credit Evaluation (NICE), and Seoul Credit Rating & Information (SCI). KIS is an affiliate of Moody’s, while KR is an affiliate of Fitch. SCI specializes in rating asset-backed securities. A link to a compilation of the basic profiles of selected domestic credit rating agencies in Korea is provided below.

Securities regulations in the Republic of Korea require issuers of non-guaranteed bonds to obtain ratings from at least two agencies. Issuance by a foreign corporation requires a credit rating report by a Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) -accredited rating agency.

Rating definitions and rating methodologies used by major global and local rating agencies can be found by following the links provided below.