Foreign workers take on bigger roles in Korea's financial industry

Oleg Smagin's workday in Seoul looks much like that of his Korean colleagues. The 31-year-old Russian national works as a senior manager in JB Financial Group's AX Strategy Division at its Seoul office in Yeouido, the heart of Korea's financial district. His work involves market research, writing reports, attending meetings and keeping track of regulatory developments across the financial sector. He usually has lunch with his colleagues and joins after-work gatherings, a familiar part of Korean office culture. Having joined JB Financial in June 2025, Smagin focuses on finding new business opportunities related to digital assets. "My main task is to explore business strategies related to digital assets, particularly how assets such as stablecoins can be connected with existing financial services to create new products and services," Smagin said in a recent interview with The Korea Times, speaking in fluent Korean. Smagin first came to Korea as an exchange student in 2014 and eventually decided to settle here. His current role allows him to put his academic background in economics and previ