IMF revision lowers Korea's current-account benchmark *The issue note reflects the author’s views and not necessarily the official position of the BOK SEOUL, October 6 (AJP) — An IMF demographic-model revision lowered South Korea’s estimated current-account norm by 1.10 percentage points, the largest decline among 26 economies, according to a Tuesday issue note from The Bank of Korea (BOK). Kim Min, an economist at the BOK’s International Department who authored the note, isolated the effect by comparing the revised model October 6, 2026

LG Electronics supplies cockpit for Renault's first SDV SEOUL, October 06 (AJP) - LG Electronics will supply an integrated cockpit system for Renault Group's New Traffic E-Tech Electric, the automaker's first commercial software-defined vehicle in Europe, according to the company on Tuesday. The system combines the vehicle's instrument cluster and infotainment functions under a unified interface, allowing driving information, navigation and media functions to be managed together. LG said the integrated architecture can also simplify comp October 6, 2026

LG Electronics lands 5-GW AI data center cooling deal in America SEOUL, October 06 (AJP) -LG Electronics is expanding its cooling business on the back of the AI data center boom, securing a long-term deal to supply systems for 5 gigawatts of capacity in North America as cooling becomes critical to keeping increasingly powerful AI processors from overheating and sustaining their performance under heavy computing loads. LG's U.S. unit signed a long-term supply agreement with AIR Control Concept, a North American data center infrastructure company, to pro October 6, 2026

Seoul stocks stall at 7,000 as Nasdaq rally skips memory SEOUL, October 06 (AJP) - An all-time closing high on the Nasdaq failed to lift South Korea's benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) as Seoul reopened after a long holiday weekend. Foreign investors sold, and SK hynix tracked weak US memory peers rather than Nvidia. The KOSPI stood at 7,000.99 as of 9:27 a.m. after opening higher, down 2.75 points or less than 0.1 percent. Wall Street's rally came alongside U.S. 10-year Treasury yields at their highest since 2002, and the October 6, 2026

Seoul stocks reclaim 7,000 as foreigners sell sixth day SEOUL, October 02 (AJP) - South Korea's main stock index closed back above 7,000 on Friday for the first time since before the Chuseok holiday even as foreign investors sold for a sixth straight session. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) rose 32.4 points, or 0.5 percent, to 7,003.7. Individuals sold a net 1.72 trillion won ($1.27 billion) and foreigners 143.8 billion won ($106.5 million). Institutional investors bought 381.4 billion won ($282.4 million). The group includes pens October 2, 2026

Seoul stocks stall as Samsung Electronics buyback winds down SEOUL, Oct. 2 (AJP) — The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) crawled toward 7,000 on Friday despite collective selling by foreign, institutional and retail investors. The market's floor now rests on corporate buying that Samsung Electronics has nearly finished. The main index in Seoul rose 11.7 points, or 0.2 percent, to 6,983.0. Foreign investors net sold 216.1 billion won ($159.0 million), putting them on course for a sixth straight session of selling. Samsung Electronics ha October 2, 2026

AJP Factbox: How big is South Korea's 2026 chip bonanza? SEOUL, October 02 (AJP) -South Korea’s chip bonanza has compressed almost two years of exports into nine months. Semiconductor shipments reached $340.3 billion in January–September 2026, nearly twice the $173.4 billion exported during all of 2025, according to provisional government data. September alone brought in a record $60.3 billion—nearly three times January’s monthly total and up 262.8 percent from a year earlier. Chips generated 49.9 percent of Korea’s good October 2, 2026

Seoul bourse mostly flat despite US deal and Micron earnings SEOUL, October 01 (AJP) - Korean investors turned to U.S.-linked energy and semiconductor themes Thursday morning after Seoul and Washington laid out $142 billion energy project plans including eight nuclear reactors under South Korea's U.S. investment package. The benchmark KOSPI stood at 6,821.60 as of 10:40 a.m., down 0.2 percent from the previous session after moving between a high of 6,854.21 and a low of 6,765.06. Retail investors bought 322.9 billion won ($237 million) worth of KOSP October 1, 2026

Korea breaks ground on Boston-style biotech hub SEOUL, September 30 (AJP) - Construction of a state-backed lab complex for South Korean biotech startups began Wednesday in Incheon, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups said, with 60 companies due to move in on completion in November 2028. The K-Bio Lab Hub, modeled on Boston's LabCentral incubator, carries a total cost of 217.3 billion won ($160.4 million). Yonsei University is supplying the site on its Songdo campus, and Incheon city is funding construction. Fifty units for early-stage fi September 30, 2026

Japan leads Asian stocks while Korean bonds rebound SEOUL, September 30 (AJP) -Japanese shares led East Asian markets Wednesday as Seoul and Shanghai managed only modest gains amid a continued rise in U.S. Treasury yields, with the 30-year yield reaching a 24-year high. Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 1.2 percent to 66,271.28 as of midday. South Korea’s KOSPI edged up 0.1 percent, while the Shanghai Composite gained 0.3 percent to 3,842.30. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 0.25 percent to 24,463.22. The subdued regional performance fo September 30, 2026