Largest Credit Rating
Firm Born
KED specializes on providing credit info for small and medium firms

Korea Enterprise Data Co. opened for business in March under the government policy for support of small and medium firms to provide credit information and evaluate credit ratings.
The credit company was set up jointly by 11 financial firms including the Industrial Bank of Korea, the Korea Development Bank, the Korea Credit Guarantee Co. and five nationwide commercial banks and others, capitalized at 71.7 billion won, making it the largest credit ratings firm in the country.
The company also has 8 regional offices with some 400 credit analysts, to provide speedy and correct services including financial counseling.
KED has many products to offer including Cretop, which provides credit ratings, financial deals, financial and management situations on the Internet. The company also has Kibo-line offering products based on technology evaluation and information on start-ups, in addition to the Comprehensive Corporate Management Report dubbed C3 providing credit ratings put together after analyzing credit risks for sales and buyers and management analyzes.
The company also issues the Electronic Credit Certificate (A2). It also issues the Business Risk Report (BRR) recommending reform plans after analyzing credit conditions of both domestic and foreign firms.
Cretop is a storage site of many credit reports on various firms including economic information and is accessible through the Internet as its DB is available online and offline.
The Electronic Credit Report includes credit reports on small and medium firms that deal with large firms and is available electronically.
The Comprehensive Corporate Management Report deals with credit ratings evaluated after analyzing corporate performances including market risks.
With the Office of Supply evaluating the qualifications of bidders, suppliers and service providers based on credit reports issued by credit ratings firms from July 1, KED advises its potential customers to use its services to be able to meet the requirements of the supply office.
KED plans to integrate its database with those of its stakeholders including the five nationwide commercial banks and the IBK, KDB and KCGF and collectively manage information on the government and public institutions to lead the way for a credit-based society and risk management.
It will also forge tie-ups with global credit rating firms including Coface of France in a bid to make itself a global credit rating firm.
KED has become a member of Credit Alliance on May 9. CA has more than 4,500 corporate information in 140 countries, in confirmation of its high public trust and importance.
The company as the first Commercial CB plans to expand its DB for small and medium firms and import know-how and advanced credit rating technique from advanced credit rating firms overseas through international cooperation.
There currently are 2.95 million small and medium firms in the country, taking up 99.8 percent of total number of business firms in the country. They have 10.39 million workers on their payroll, accounting for 86.7 percent of total employment.
From 1997 to 2002, the number of employees working for small and medium firms increased 2.12 million while those employed by big firms dropped by 1.25 million during the same period.
By sector, manufacturers employed 2.674 million, followed by wholesalers with 2.374 million. SMEs accounted for 42.2 percent of exports in 2002 and the share has been rising steadily since 1998.
KED plans to collect credit information from 1.1 million business firms that maintain financial relations with financial companies and continue to collect them until the number reaches 3 million firms. nw

President Pae Young-shik of Korea Enterprise Data Co.