KOSPI extends chip rout as Samsung Electronics steadies SEOUL, July 14 (AJP) -The bear loomed over the Seoul bourse for a second straight session Tuesday after a devastating Black Monday rout. The KOSPI stood at 6,790.55 shortly after the open, down 0.2 percent. The index shed 16.38 points from Monday's close, recovering from a drop of nearly 2 percent in the first minutes of trade. The two chipmakers that drove Monday's plunge split at Tuesday's open. SK hynix fell another 1.7 percent to 1,813,000 won ($1,211), while Samsung Elect July 14, 2026

Seoul sends presidential chief to Qatar for emir's funeral SEOUL, July 14 (AJP) -President Lee Jae Myung on Tueday sent a message of condolence following the death of former Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and dispatched his chief of staff, Kang Hoon-sik, as a special envoy to attend the funeral. According to the presidential office, Kang departed for Doha Tuesday to personally deliver Lee's condolences on behalf of the South Korean government and is scheduled to return on Thursday. Seoul typically sends cabinet ministers or other July 14, 2026

KOSPI suffers worst session in months as chip stocks tank SEOUL, July 13 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark KOSPI suffered one of its worst sessions on record Monday as the unwinding of the semiconductor trade that fueled this year's rally turned into panic selling, sending the index below 7,000 points for the first time in more than two months. The index shed 669.01 points or 8.95 percent to close at 6,806.93. The crash, which forced the Korea Exchange to halt trading for 20 minutes, was driven by the same two stocks that had fueled the rally i July 13, 2026

KOSPI falls below 7,000 as chip stocks nosedive SEOUL, July 13 (AJP) - South Korean stocks plunged sharply on Monday afternoon, with the benchmark KOSPI falling below the 7,000 level for the first time in more than two months as heavy selling in semiconductor heavyweights triggered another market-wide selloff. As of 1:30 p.m., the KOSPI was trading at 6,880.97, down 7.96 percent, while the junior KOSDAQ fell 4.33 percent to 801.20. The KOSPI's drop below 7,000 marked its first breach of the level since May 4, extending a steep correctio July 13, 2026

KOSPI opens higher despite SK hynix's retreat after record-setting Nasdaq debut SEOUL, July 13 (AJP) - South Korean shares opened higher on Monday as gains in Samsung Electronics and battery and defense stocks offset a decline in SK hynix, whose shares retreated after its record-setting Nasdaq debut last Friday. The benchmark KOSPI added 14.24 points or 0.2 percent, to 7,490.18 in early trade. SK hynix fell 3.1 percent to 2,113,000 won (US$1,408.10), giving back part of the run-up into its American depositary receipt (ADR) listing, which raised $26.5 billion in the larges July 13, 2026

Unionized workers at Hyundai Motor begin partial strike as wage talks stall SEOUL, July 13 (AJP) - Unionized workers at Hyundai Motor began a partial strike on Monday after wage negotiations with management broke down. The walkout marks the union's first strike this year and the second consecutive year it has gone on strike. Under the three-day strike plan, which runs through Wednesday with two-hour partial strikes each day, production staff on the morning shift will stop work two hours early at 1:30 p.m., while workers on the afternoon shift will also end their sh July 13, 2026

SK hynix's record Nasdaq debut lifts everything in Seoul except SK hynix SEOUL, July 10 (AJP) - South Korean stocks surged on Friday after SK hynix priced the largest United States listing ever by a foreign company, but the company that supplied the spark closed lower while the rest of the market rallied around it. The main index in Seoul added 184.03 points to 7,475.94, up 2.5 percent. The close understates the session. The KOSPI jumped more than 5 percent past the 7,700 line at midday, forcing the Korea Exchange to halt program buy orders for the 34th sidecar of July 10, 2026

Samsung SDI cells win two-thirds of Korea's first AI-powered grid ESS project SEOUL, July 10 (AJP) - Batteries made by Samsung SDI have been selected for the majority of South Korea's first government-backed program to build artificial-intelligence-powered energy storage systems along regional distribution lines. Six of the nine operators chosen for the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment's 2026 AI-based ESS deployment project will use Samsung SDI cells, industry sources said Friday. One operator opted for LG Energy Solution cells and two turned to SK On. July 10, 2026

Korea, Mongolia expand cooperation in critical minerals, AI, finance SEOUL, July 10 (AJP) - South Korea and Mongolia agreed to expand cooperation in critical minerals, artificial intelligence, renewable energy and healthcare, while strengthening ties in central banking and trade finance. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yun-cheol held separate meetings Thursday with Mongolian First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy and Development Minister Jadamba Enkhbayar and Finance Minister Zagdjav Mendsaikhan during President Lee Jae Myung&rsquo July 10, 2026

Lee's approval rating edges down to 53% SEOUL, July 10 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating edged down slightly this week after a brief rebound last week. In a survey of more than 1,000 adults nationwide conducted by pollster Gallup Korea earlier this week, 53 percent of respondents gave a positive rating to Lee's job performance, down 1 percentage point from a week earlier. But his disapproval rating also fell 1 percentage point to 35 percent, with 12 percent undecided. Among those who approved of Lee, the mos July 10, 2026