S. Korea to launch national humanoid robot challenge SEOUL, August 25 (AJP) - South Korea will select a flagship humanoid robot platform through a national competition as it seeks a foothold in a field increasingly seen as AI's next frontier, the science ministry said. The Ministry of Science and ICT unveiled Tuesday the "Next-X Humanoid Challenge" at a meeting held to gather feedback on its AI humanoid roadmap at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology in Seoul. Domestic robots will compete through a public call and evaluati August 25, 2026

LG H&H shares up on Avon exit SEOUL, August 25 (AJP) — Shares of LG Household & Health Care (LG H&H) rose Tuesday as investors approved of its decision to shed loss-making Avon North America and concentrate resources on faster-growing K-beauty brands. LG H&H shares were up 1.4 percent at 320,500 won ($232) as of 2 p.m., outperforming a declining KOSPI. The exit is expected to improve North American earnings by removing an unprofitable operation and freeing marketing and investment resources for brands wit August 25, 2026

KOSPI extends losses on deepening chip selloff SEOUL, August 25 (AJP) - South Korean stocks fell more than 3 percent Tuesday morning as foreign investors took their cue from an overnight rout in U.S. chip stocks to dump Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. The benchmark KOSPI opened at 6,539.37, down 2.35 percent from Monday's close, and extended its decline to 6,490.65, down 3.08 percent, as of 10:22 a.m. The junior KOSDAQ fell 2.9 percent to 789.48. Selling was broad, with 247 stocks advancing and 610 declining, while 41 were unchanged. August 25, 2026

BOK allocates 20 billion won for flood-hit Gyeongnam SMEs SEOUL, August 25 (AJP) - The Bank of Korea on Tuesday allocated 20 billion won ($14.5 million) in emergency funding to support small and medium-sized businesses hit by torrential rain in South Gyeongsang Province. The funds will be drawn from reserves under the central bank's Bank Intermediated Lending Support Facility and assigned to its Gyeongnam branch, the BOK said. Eligible businesses must have received official certification of flood damage from a local government or administrative o August 25, 2026

Samsung buyback disappointment pushes KOSPI down 3.1% SEOUL, August 24 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark KOSPI plunged 3.1 percent Monday as Samsung Electronics' record shareholder-return plan disappointed investors, triggering heavy selling in large-cap technology stocks even as the broader KOSDAQ market rose. The KOSPI shed 215.99 points to 6,696.96. Foreign investors sold a net 3.68 trillion won ($2.66 billion) and institutions sold 1.29 trillion won ($936 million), while individuals bought 3.32 trillion won ($2.40 billion). Samsung Ele August 24, 2026

Won hits 11-month high, Korean bonds rally as stocks tumble SEOUL, August 24 (AJP) - The South Korean won strengthened to an 11-month high against the dollar on Monday. Government bonds also rallied as stocks tumbled and foreign investors bought bond futures. The won strengthened 4.1 won from the previous session to close daytime trading at 1,382.4 per dollar, compared with Friday's 1,386.5. The currency briefly strengthened to 1,376.5 during the session and extended its advance for a seventh straight trading day, the longest such streak since Dece August 24, 2026

Korea's Q1 payroll gains skew older while youth jobs slump SEOUL, August 24 (AJP) - South Korea's payroll job growth accelerated in the first quarter, but positions held by younger workers continued to shrink to highlight an uneven labor-market recovery concentrated among older workers and service industries. The number of wage-worker jobs stood at 20.828 million in the first quarter, measured as of February, up 292,000 or 1.4 percent from a year earlier, the Ministry of Data and Statistics said Monday. The increase widened from just 15,000 a yea August 24, 2026

Samsung Electronics slumps, SK hynix rises after record payout SEOUL, August 24 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics fell almost 6 percent at Monday's open as investors sold into the largest shareholder return package a Korean company has ever approved, dragging the KOSPI down while the rest of the market climbed. The index shed 76.68 points to 6,836.27, a fall of 1.1 percent. The drag was almost entirely one stock. SK hynix rose 1.4 percent, the junior KOSDAQ market gained 1.5 percent, and shipping and non-ferrous metal shares led broad advances across the ma August 24, 2026

KOSPI rises on hopes for Samsung's huge shareholder return package SEOUL, August 21 (AJP) - South Korean stocks extended their gains on Friday, with the benchmark KOSPI closing above 6,900 points. The index recovered from a sharp drop in morning trading as expectations for higher shareholder returns at Samsung Electronics and SK hynix helped offset pressure from rising U.S. Treasury yields. The KOSPI closed at 6,912.95, up 0.88 percent or 60.37 points from the previous session. It marked a second straight day of gains after the index surged 5.89 percent the pr August 21, 2026

Senior bureaucrat named new trade minister SEOUL, August 21 (AJP) - Senior trade official Park Jung-sung was appointed South Korea's new trade minister, Cheong Wa Dae said on Friday. In a press briefing, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said Park is "the right person to maximize the national interest while maintaining continuity in negotiations amid urgent trade issues with the U.S." Park's appointment comes about a week after his predecessor was sacked for unknown reasons, as Seoul faces mounting pressure from August 21, 2026