Hanwha Systems to equip ROK Navy support ships with EO/IR systems SEOUL, August 14 (AJP) - Hanwha Systems will install new electro-optical and infrared observation systems on four Republic of Korea Navy support and rescue ships, expanding technology originally developed for military helicopters into naval applications. The company said Friday that it signed a contract with the Defense Agency for Technology and Quality in July and has begun development. The project covers one logistics support ship, two surface rescue ships and one submarine rescue ship. The August 14, 2026

Korea's game groups press for production and e-sports tax breaks SEOUL, August 14 (AJP) - South Korea's game industry associations urged the government to extend tax relief to game production costs and e-sports tournaments, arguing that the country's most lucrative cultural export remains shut out of incentives its rivals take for granted. Five bodies, including the Korea Game Developers Association, the Korea Association of Game Industry and the Korea e-Sports Association, said in a joint statement on Friday that games account for about 60 percent o August 14, 2026

SK hynix surges as KOSPI extends fifth-day rally SEOUL, August 14 (AJP) - Seoul's memory trade ran into a fifth straight session Friday, with SK hynix jumping more than 5 percent after a U.S. flash memory maker's long-term margin targets pushed investors to reprice the storage cycle. The KOSPI traded at 6,944.14, up 1.9 percent, after pushing back above the 7,000 line early in the session and then slipping under it. The index added 130.80 points. Foreigners bought a net 572.8 billion won ($404.3 million) of Seoul shares, while indiv August 14, 2026

KOSPI recovers above 6,800 as foreign buying fuels broader tech rally SEOUL, August 13 (AJP) - South Korean stocks jumped more than 3 percent on Thursday as foreign investors returned to the market, extending the rally for a fourth straight session, with an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven rebound spreading beyond Samsung Electronics and SK hynix to chip equipment makers and other technology shares. The benchmark KOSPI closed at 6,813.34, up 234.30 points or 3.56 percent from the previous session. The index climbed as high as 6,895.63 during the day before par August 13, 2026

Nexon Q2 profit slips even as MapleStory powers record first half SEOUL, August 13 (AJP) - Nexon revealed that its second-quarter operating profit fell 17 percent from a year earlier, a decline that underscored tough comparisons for the Tokyo-listed South Korean game maker even as booming demand for its MapleStory franchise drove record first-half sales. Quarterly revenue edged up 2 percent to 121.1 billion yen ($759 million), while operating income slipped to 31.3 billion yen from 37.7 billion yen a year earlier. Net income jumped 77 percent to 29.6 billion August 13, 2026

HMM's Q2 profit jumps 52% as early peak season lifts freight rates SEOUL, August 13 (AJP) - South Korea's HMM, the country's largest container carrier, announced that second-quarter operating profit surged about 52 percent from a year earlier, as an early peak season and firmer freight rates powered a sharp recovery despite costlier fuel. According to regulatory filings released Thursday, operating profit jumped about 52 percent to 354.1 billion won ($248.7 million) and revenue surged about 30 percent to 3.40 trillion won, as peak-season demand arrived August 13, 2026

KOSPI surges 4.1% , outperforms in Asia amid chip-led rally SEOUL, August 13 (AJP) - South Korean stocks surged Thursday morning, with the benchmark KOSPI jumping more than 4 percent above the 6,800 mark as foreign investors piled into semiconductor heavyweights, extending a rapid rebound from last month's market rout. The KOSPI stood at 6,847.66 as of 10:30 a.m., up 4.1 percent from the previous session. The index climbed as high as 6,895.63 after touching a low of 6,773.92, leaving an intraday trading range of 121.71 points. Foreign investors w August 13, 2026

LG Innotek enters MSCI Korea, four exit SEOUL, August 13 (AJP) —LG Innotek will enter the MSCI Korea Index at the end of this month as the country's sole addition in the global index provider's August review, setting up potential passive-fund buying as four Korean companies are pushed out. LG Innotek shares rose following the announcement, trading 3.81 percent higher at 626,000 won ($443) on Thursday morning. MSCI said LG Innotek will be added to its Korea Standard Index, while HLB, LG Display, POSCO International and August 13, 2026

Hyundai Rotem, KAI team up to home-grow fighter jet SEOUL, August 13 (AJP) - Hyundai Rotem has agreed to team up with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) to develop homegrown aviation weapons technology including a long-range air-to-air missile for the county's KF-21 fighter jet. Hyundai Rotem said Thursday it signed a memorandum of understanding with KAI the previous day at KAI's headquarters in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, to combine its guided weapon and propulsion technologies with KAI's aircraft platform expertise. The part August 13, 2026

Demand for Korea's 1-yr central bank bond hits 29-mo low SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - Demand for South Korea's one-year central bank bond fell to a 29-month-month low Wednesday as bids missed the planned issuance, signaling that the enlarged supply could not clear at the yield the Bank of Korea was prepared to pay. The weakness lay not in participation but in the size of the bids, as 15 institutions took part, one more than in July, even as their combined orders fell 41.2 percent. The BOK received 500 billion won in bids for 700 billion won ($494 mi August 12, 2026