Korea's July exports set 20-day record on chip strength SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) -South Korea is set to extend its record-setting export streak in July, with chip-led outbound shipments surging 52.3 percent in the first 20 days to a record $54.93 billion for the period, preliminary customs data showed Tuesday. Exports totaled $54.93 billion from July 1 to 20, while imports increased 20.0 percent from a year earlier to $42.72 billion, generating a trade surplus of $12.22 billion. Final monthly trade data will be released by the Ministry of Trade, Industr July 21, 2026

KOSPI tests newly formed floor around 6,500 with retail return SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark KOSPI tested a newly formed floor around the 6,500 mark Tuesday as retail investors returned, helping stabilize the market after Monday's rout. The benchmark index traded around 6,530 after the opening bell, swinging between gains and losses after tumbling 4.5 percent on Monday to close at 6,516.30, its steepest one-day decline this year. Early optimism that the selloff was easing faded as foreign buying quickly lost momentum. Overseas in July 21, 2026

Won holds at 1,478 as strong dollar offsets BOK hike; bond yields climb SEOUL, July 20 (AJP) - The South Korean won ended nearly unchanged Monday as a strong dollar and renewed U.S.-Iran tensions offset support from the Bank of Korea’s interest-rate increase last week. Government bond yields rose as investors continued to price in the possibility of further monetary tightening. The won closed the daytime trading session at 1,478.4 per dollar, up 0.1 won from the previous session. The currency showed little reaction to the BOK’s decision Thursday to ra July 20, 2026

Blackstone buys Busan-based actuator maker Futronic SEOUL, July 20 (AJP) -Blackstone has bought a majority stake in South Korean actuator and motion-control technology company Futronic in a deal that values the Busan-based company at about 1 trillion won ($720 million), according to multiple local media outlets. The two companies are yet to announce the deal or disclose the financial terms. The investment is being made in partnership with Futronic founder and Chairman Ko Jin-ho, who will remain chairman and chief executive officer to lead the July 20, 2026

BOK to expand CBDC-linked deposit-token trial in Sept SEOUL, July 20 (AJP) - The Bank of Korea is preparing to begin the second phase of its deposit-token trial as early as September, expanding the experiment to peer-to-peer transfers, biometric authentication and government-fund disbursement. The central bank, the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service are building the required systems and completing regulatory procedures for the next phase of Project Hangang, according to financial industry sources. Under the projec July 20, 2026

Four in 10 Korean listed firms face weaker Q2 SEOUL, July 20 (AJP) —Nearly four out of 10 South Korean listed companies are expected to post weaker second-quarter earnings than previously anticipated as the economic fallout from the prolonged Middle East conflict spread across much of corporate Korea, with the windfall from the semiconductor and stock market rally largely confined to a handful of industries. According to financial data provider FnGuide, operating profit forecasts for the April-June quarter were revised lower for 94 July 20, 2026

KOSPI avoids Asian rout on foreign buying SEOUL, July 20 (AJP) -South Korea's main stock market, home to Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, received a marginal hit Monday as it returned from a holiday, after a broad AI-led selloff Friday across global markets after Chinese startup Moonshot AI unveiled its open-source Kimi K3 model, a release many investors likened to a new "DeepSeek moment." Returning from a one-day holiday on Friday for Constitution Day, Seoul's market opened less panicky than regional peers as renew July 20, 2026

BOK's rate hike sends KOSPI down 6% SEOUL, July 16 (AJP) - South Korean stocks led declines across Asia on Thursday after the Bank of Korea (BOK) raised its benchmark interest rate, while renewed selling in semiconductor shares deepened losses across the region. The benchmark KOSPI fell 6.37 percent or 463.81 points to close at 6,820.60, giving up the previous day's gains and slipping back below the 7,000 mark. The BOK raised its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 2.75 percent, its first rate increase in three and July 16, 2026

KOSPI slips below 7,000 again as Morgan Stanley sparks chip sell-off SEOUL, July 16 (AJP) - South Korean stocks swung sharply lower shortly after the market opened on Thursday, giving up much of the previous session's explosive gains as investors cashed in on the rally following another overnight sell-off in U.S. semiconductor shares. Fresh concerns over artificial intelligence (AI)-related infrastructure spending, sparked by a cautious report from U.S. investment bank Morgan Stanley, added to the pressure on technology stocks. Investor sentiment weakened fu July 16, 2026

BOK delivers its first hike since January 2023 SEOUL, July 16 (AJP) - As widely expected, the Bank of Korea (BOK) on Thursday bumped up its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 2.75 percent for the first time in three and a half years to contain imported price pressure and feverish leveraged investment. A combination of factors shifted the central bank toward a tightening bias after it had kept the policy rate unchanged since cutting it to 2.50 percent in May last year. Consumer prices rose 3.2 percent from a year earlier in June, July 16, 2026