S&P lifts Samsung outlook as AI memory boom gathers pace SEOUL, July 22 (AJP) — Global ratings agency S&P Global Ratings has made its call on Samsung Electronics, betting that an AI-driven memory supercycle will drive at least two more years of strong earnings growth. The agency revised its outlook on the chipmaker to positive from stable, saying favorable industry conditions, including strong demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and a prolonged supply shortage, are likely to support memory prices through 2027. "The positive outlook July 22, 2026

AI to cut 256,000 jobs annually in S. Korea: Report SEOUL, July 22 (AJP) - Artificial intelligence is expected to eliminate roughly 256,000 jobs a year in South Korea within a decade, a report released by the Korea Development Institute showed Wednesday. AI will concentrate pressure on professionals, office workers and sales staff rather than on the manual work that earlier waves of automation displaced. The scale is easier to read against what the institute expects the labor market to do otherwise. In its outlook published earlier this year, th July 22, 2026

Richest income rise while the rest 80% Korean families see fall Q1 SEOUL, July 22 (AJP) - South Korea’s top-income urban households gained purchasing power in the first quarter as public and private transfers increased, while real incomes fell across the remaining 80 percent amid weaker employment and business earnings. Real income, which adjusts household income for inflation, declined from a year earlier in each of the bottom four income quintiles, according to Ministry of Data and Statistics figures available through the Korean Statistical Information July 22, 2026

Korean stocks lead Asia as chip rally sends KOSPI above 7,000 SEOUL, July 22 (AJP) - Korean stocks led Asian markets by a wide margin Wednesday morning, driven by heavy foreign buying in semiconductor shares after a sharp overnight rally in U.S. chipmakers revived expectations for continued artificial intelligence infrastructure investment. The benchmark KOSPI was trading 5.6 percent higher at 7,125.8 as of 10:30 a.m., outperforming Japan's Nikkei 225, which gained 1.9 percent to 67,512.1. China's Shanghai Composite and Hong Kong's Hang Seng July 22, 2026

Korea's manufacturing share hits 10-year high on chip power SEOUL, July 22 (AJP) - Manufacturing accounted for 27.2 percent of South Korea’s real gross domestic product last year, the highest share in a decade, as the country’s industrial growth became increasingly concentrated in semiconductors and other electronics. Real value added generated by manufacturers rose 2.3 percent, or 14.5 trillion won, ($10 billion) from a year earlier to 632.4 trillion won in 2025, according to the National Assembly Budget Office’s Economic Overview of July 22, 2026

HMM Q2 profit seen jumping 80% on higher container freight rates: report SEOUL, July 22 (AJP) - HMM is expected to report a sharp improvement in second-quarter earnings as stronger container freight rates offset higher fuel costs, Shinhan Investment & Securities said Wednesday. The brokerage estimated HMM’s second-quarter revenue at 3.28 trillion won ($2.21 billion), up 25 percent from a year earlier, and operating profit at 420.6 billion won, up 80.4 percent. The estimate is also higher than the market consensus of 346.3 billion won in operating profit. July 22, 2026

AI-theme stocks turbocharge KOSPI above 7,100 mark SEOUL, July 22 (AJP) - AI-theme turbocharged South Korean chip and robotics stocks on Wednesday, sending both the main and secondary market indices well above 5 percent as big-tech earnings reaffirmed AI demand and investment. A buy-side sidecar was triggered on the KOSPI at 9:06:02 a.m., halting program buying for five minutes after the KOSPI 200 futures index surged 5.40 percent. As of 9:06 a.m., the KOSPI was up more than 6.1 percent at 7,155.5, while the tech-heavy KOSDAQ had climbed 4.2 July 22, 2026

KOSPI rebounds over 3% as chipmakers lead broad rally SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - South Korean stocks closed higher on Tuesday, with the benchmark KOSPI advancing more than 3 percent as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix led a rebound in semiconductor shares. The KOSPI rose 231.68 points or 3.56 percent to close at 6,747.95 as a buy-side sidecar was activated on the main bourse after the index's gains accelerated. It opened 0.58 percent higher at 6,553.88 and fell to an intraday low of 6,429.03 during early volatile trading before climbing as high a July 21, 2026

KAI pitches TF-50 for British trainer contract SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - South Korea's aerospace contractor Korea Aerospace Industries is pitching its TF-50 trainer jet for a Royal Air Force competition that has not yet formally launched, using this week's Farnborough International Airshow in Britain to make its case against rivals with a significant head start. Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) said Tuesday it is showcasing next-generation air combat systems and aerospace solutions at the airshow, running July 20 to 24, as part of a pu July 21, 2026

Lawmaker Kim Gunn seeks legal mandate to shield companies abroad SEOUL, July 21 (AJP) - A former diplomat turned lawmaker introduced legislation Tuesday that would give South Korean embassies and consulates an explicit legal mandate to help Korean companies navigate sudden regulatory changes and other obstacles overseas. Rep. Kim Gunn of the main opposition People Power Party proposed the bill, tentatively titled the Act on Support for Overseas-Expanding Companies by Diplomatic Missions, aiming to turn South Korea's overseas missions into more systematic July 21, 2026