91.   S and P lowered Korean bank ratings last week and placed them on credit-watch with negative implications.

92.   Talaie said the Korean bank earmarked a short-term credit for five Iranian banks, and the amount of credit will be increased in the future.

93.   The German bank has expressed its willingness to invest in Korea Exchange Bank, said Hong Young-chul, a spokesman for the Korean bank.

94.   The South Korean reports said the U.S. banks are interested in taking over the ailing Korean banks by themselves or forming joint ventures with South Korean conglomerates.

95.   The spokesman said most Japanese banks were leaning away from this proposal because it would cut off the relationship with Korean banks.

96.   They banned Lee and a former Korean bank official, identified as Lee Jae-do, from leaving the country.

97.   Those conditions include reforms to make layoffs easier so that foreigners can take over Korean banks and corporations.

98.   With credit ratings down, Korean banks, unable to borrow abroad, swarmed into the domestic foreign exchange market, fueling a currency crisis.

99.   With Korean banks struggling under their own debts, government efforts to restructure the debt-ridden industries has been stalling.

100.   With their ratings down, Korean banks could no longer borrow abroad.