Where to Find Korean Financial Statements

DART (Data Analysis, Retrieval and Transfer System)

DART (dart.fss.or.kr) is Korea’s official financial disclosure system — equivalent to the US SEC EDGAR. All Korean listed companies must file reports here.

DART now offers an English interface and many large companies file English versions of their reports.

Key Report Types

Korean Name English Name Frequency
사업보고서 Annual Report Yearly
반기보고서 Semi-annual Report Every 6 months
분기보고서 Quarterly Report Every 3 months
공정공시 Fair Disclosure As needed

Key Financial Terms

Income Statement (손익계산서)

Korean English
매출액 Revenue / Sales
영업이익 Operating Income
당기순이익 Net Income
EPS (주당순이익) Earnings Per Share

Balance Sheet (재무상태표)

Korean English
자산총계 Total Assets
부채총계 Total Liabilities
자본총계 Total Equity
부채비율 Debt-to-Equity Ratio

Key Ratios

Korean English What to Look For
PER P/E Ratio Lower = cheaper
PBR P/B Ratio Below 1 = undervalued
ROE Return on Equity Higher = better
DIV Dividend Yield Higher = more income

Using DART API for Automated Data

DART provides a free API for programmatic access:

import requests

DART_API_KEY = "your_dart_api_key"

def get_company_financials(corp_code):
    url = "https://opendart.fss.or.kr/api/fnlttSinglAcntAll.json"
    params = {
        "crtfc_key": DART_API_KEY,
        "corp_code": corp_code,
        "bsns_year": "2024",
        "reprt_code": "11011",  # Annual report
        "fs_div": "CFS"  # Consolidated financial statements
    }
    res = requests.get(url, params=params)
    return res.json()

Tips for Foreign Investors

  1. Use Google Translate on DART pages for Korean text
  2. Check IR pages — most large Korean companies have English IR sections
  3. Use financial data services like FnGuide or KRX Market Data for pre-translated data
  4. Focus on numbers — financial ratios are universal regardless of language