Earnings by asset managers in South Korea soared during the third quarter of fiscal 2013 from a year earlier, largely due to a rise in commission income, the financial regulator said Tuesday. A total of 84 asset management companies posted a combined net profit of 129 billion won (US$120 million) in the October-December period, rising 30.5 percent from 98.9 billion won three months earlier, according to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). The companies close their books on March 31.