HD Hyundai to help modernize U.S. shipyard under deal with Fraser Industries SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) - HD Hyundai is moving to support the modernization of a U.S. shipyard as part of broader efforts to contribute to the revival of America’s shipbuilding industry. HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, the intermediate holding company of HD Hyundai’s shipbuilding business, said Thursday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Fraser Industries LLC on cooperation to modernize shipyards for the revitalization of the U.S. shipbuilding industry. July 30, 2026

BOK steps up vigilance on Fed uncertainty and Gulf risks SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) -South Korea's central bank said Thursday it would step up monitoring of domestic financial markets, citing mounting uncertainty over U.S. monetary policy and Middle East tensions layered on top of existing investor unease about a possible slowdown in artificial intelligence investment. The Bank of Korea (BOK) convened an emergency market review meeting at 8 a.m. local time, chaired by Deputy Governor Park Jong-woo, to evaluate global market developments following the U July 30, 2026

Eco-friendly cars to hit 4 million, half of new registrations in H1 SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) - The cumulative number of eco-friendly vehicles in South Korea is on track to reach 4 million, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Thursday. The number of registered eco-friendly vehicles including hybrids and electric vehicles increased sharply to 3.95 million as of the end of June, accounting for about 14.8 percent of all registered vehicles. The figure includes 2.81 million hybrids, 1.1 million EVs and 47,000 hydrogen vehi July 30, 2026

KOSPI continues to slide on chip flight despite record earnings SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) -SK hynix continued to skid on Thursday, dragging the benchmark KOSPI lower despite renewed buying by foreign and institutional investors. The Seoul benchmark opened higher after plunging 17 percent over the previous two sessions, but selling in heavyweight chip stocks quickly erased the gains. As of 9:50 a.m., the KOSPI was down 0.74 percent at 5,621.47. Samsung Electronics rose 1.0 percent on record second-quarter operating profit of 89.49 trillion won ($62.2 billion) w July 30, 2026

Korea's factory sentiment hits 4-year high on AI chip, shipbuilding boom SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) - South Korea's manufacturing confidence climbed to its highest level in more than four years in July as a wave of AI-related semiconductor investment, data-center construction and strong shipbuilding and defense orders boosted factory activity, Bank of Korea data showed Thursday. The manufacturing Composite Business Sentiment Index (CBSI) rose 2.0 points from June to 103.2, its highest reading since June 2022 and the third straight month above the long-term benchmark o July 30, 2026

Hanwha Solutions' Q2 profit more than triples on renewable energy strength SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - Hanwha Solutions said Wednesday its second-quarter operating profit more than tripled from the previous quarter, helped by stronger earnings from its renewable energy, chemical and advanced materials businesses. The company posted 4.58 trillion won ($3.2 billion) in consolidated sales and 306.5 billion won in operating profit in the April-June period. Sales rose 18 percent from 3.88 trillion won in the first quarter, while operating profit jumped 231 percent from 92.6 bil July 29, 2026

LG Electronics offers interim dividend and completes buyback SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - LG Electronics said Wednesday its board had approved an interim cash dividend of 500 won per common and preferred share and completed a previously announced 100 billion won share buyback as part of its shareholder return policy. The company set Aug. 13 as the record date for the interim dividend, with payments scheduled for Aug. 28. The total dividend payout amounts to about 89.7 billion won. LG Electronics said it has maintained a minimum annual dividend of 1,000 won pe July 29, 2026

Seoul office vacancy hits 5-year high on new downtown supply SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - Seoul's Grade A office vacancy rate rose to 5.8 percent in the second quarter, up 1.8 percentage points from the previous quarter and the highest level since the third quarter of 2021, according to a report released by Cushman & Wakefield Korea, the local arm of the global commercial real estate services firm. The increase was driven by new supply rather than falling demand. Two large towers, G1 Seoul in the Gongpyeong redevelopment zone and Rene Square near Eulji July 29, 2026

KOSPI regains ground after chip-stock sell-off, but recovery remains fragile SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - Seoul stocks opened higher on Wednesday after the previous day's rout, but gave up most of their early gains within the first hour, leaving the rebound looking less convincing. The KOSPI climbed back above 6,200 in early trade before fading to 6,078.77, up 0.9 percent. Samsung Electronics led the recovery, rising 3.9 percent to 228,500 South Korean won (US$157), while SK hynix barely moved, edging up 0.1 percent to 1,551,000 won. That divergence shaped the session, July 29, 2026

SK hynix rewrites record books, but misses lofty Q2 profit forecasts SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - SK hynix rewrote the record books in the second quarter as booming demand for artificial intelligence memory chips drove another quarter of historic earnings, though operating profit fell short of lofty market expectations. Operating profit for the April-June period came to 60.54 trillion won, up 61 percent from 37.61 trillion won recorded in the previous quarter. The figure fell short of the market consensus of approximately 64.1 trillion won, according to financial July 29, 2026