Korea asks Bloomberg to review emerging-market tag in bond index

South Korea's finance minister asked Bloomberg on Wednesday to review the country's classification as an emerging market in its global bond index, citing Korea's advanced-economy standing and recent gains in market access.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Lee Hyoung-il raised the request in a meeting with Bing Li, Bloomberg's Asia-Pacific representative, according to the finance ministry. Lee said the consistency of Korea's emerging-market designation in the Bloomberg Global Aggregate Index, one of the three major global bond benchmarks, warranted examination. Korean debt has been included in the index since 2002.

Lee pointed to Korea's inclusion in the World Government Bond Index in April 2026 as a turning point, saying the government has steadily improved foreign investors' access to its bond market since then and that international interest in Korean government debt is rising. He also noted that the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank classify Korea as an advanced economy, and asked that those gains be reflected in Bloomberg's country-classification review.

Lee stressed that communication with global investors is essential if the government's reforms to foreign-exchange and capital-market rules are to translate into actual investment, and asked Bloomberg to use its financial information services and media channels to help bridge the government and the market.

"I share the importance of continued communication and cooperation with the Korean government, and will continue working to raise global investors' understanding of the Korean financial market and to connect the government and the market," Bing said, according to the ministry.