Newly appointed BOK deputy governor signals focus on stability SEOUL, August 21 (AJP) - Seasoned foreign-exchange expert Kwon Min-soo was appointed senior deputy governor of the Bank of Korea. In his inaugural address on Friday, he highlighted inflation, household leverage, property prices and currency volatility, offering an early glimpse of a policy approach closely aligned with BOK governor Shin Hyun-song but shaped by his three decades of experience in foreign-exchange markets. Kwon said semiconductor strength had lifted growth beyond earlier expectati August 21, 2026

KOSPI opens lower as US yield worries return SEOUL, August 21 (AJP) - South Korean stocks opened lower on Friday, giving back some of the previous session's sharp gains as higher U.S. Treasury yields, rising oil prices and losses on Wall Street weighed on investor sentiment. The benchmark KOSPI traded at 6,808.63 points at around 9 a.m., down 0.64 percent from the previous session. The junior KOSDAQ also fell 3.53 percent to 811.22, with losses considerably steeper among smaller growth stocks. The decline came after the KOSPI surged August 21, 2026

SK hynix buyback, foreign buying send KOSPI up nearly 6% SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - South Korean stocks rebounded sharply on Thursday, as a record share buyback plan sent SK hynix surging and foreign investors piled back into the country's semiconductor heavyweights following the previous day's rout. The benchmark KOSPI closed at 6,852.58 points, up 5.89 percent from the previous session, after rising as high as 6,904.55 during the day, as sharp gains in SK hynix and Samsung Electronics helped the index recover from Wednesday's nearly 6 per August 20, 2026

Hot Stock: SK hynix surges over 10% on 40 trillion won buyback plan SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - Shares of SK hynix surged more than 10 percent Thursday afternoon after the chipmaker announced a 40 trillion won ($28 billion) share buyback plan the previous day. Its shares traded at 1,676,000 won around 3 p.m., up 11.73 percent or 176,000 won from the previous session. The stock climbed as high as 1,720,000 won during intraday trading. The sharp rebound came a day after the shares tumbled 9.75 percent to 1,500,000 won amid a broader selloff in semiconductor stocks. August 20, 2026

KOSPI rebounds sharply on SK hynix's buyback plan SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark KOSPI opened sharply higher Thursday, with SK hynix shares jumping more than 6 percent as the chipmaker began buying back 40 trillion won (US$28.8 billion) of its own shares. The index rose 159.10 points or 2.5 percent to 6,630.27 points shortly after the day's trading began. That recovered about two-fifths of the previous session's 398.66-point plunge, when the main index in Seoul fell 5.8 percent and the Korea Exchange triggered a August 20, 2026

Chip rout sends KOSPI down nearly 6% amid foreign selloff SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - South Korean stocks plunged nearly 6 percent on Wednesday, falling below 6,500 as a rout in U.S. chip shares hammered semiconductor heavyweights and triggered heavy foreign selling. The benchmark KOSPI closed at 6,471.17, down 5.80 percent from the previous session, after falling as low as 6,400.81 during the day. Losses were widespread, with just three stocks advancing against 703 decliners, while 32 finished unchanged. Foreign investors sold a net 3.49 trillion won August 19, 2026

Chinese FM Wang Yi arrives in Seoul for two-day visit SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Seoul on Wednesday for talks with his South Korean counterpart Cho Hyun. Wang's two-day visit marks his first trip to South Korea since September 2021 and the first meeting between the two countries' foreign ministers since they met in Beijing last September. During their talks, the two ministers are expected to discuss bilateral ties, the situation on the Korean Peninsula and other regional issues. They will also di August 19, 2026

AJP Fact Check: Trump's claims about two Koreas SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a reduction in joint military exercises with South Korea last Sunday, signaling the possibility of another summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The order came shortly before the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was pushing for another meeting with Kim, a move that could revive the personal diplomacy that defined his first term. Many observers see the push as driven by the upcoming U.S. midterm elections amid his sliding August 19, 2026

KOSPI remains down 4 percent as KOSDAQ edges higher SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - South Korean stocks were split Wednesday morning, with the KOSPI down more than 4 percent while the KOSDAQ edged higher. The benchmark KOSPI stood at 6,575.02 as of 10:30 a.m., down 4.34 percent. It had fallen as low as 6,400.81 shortly after the open before recovering some ground, with a high of 6,614.39. A sell-side sidecar was triggered shortly after the opening bell as KOSPI 200 futures tumbled, following an overnight selloff in U.S. chip stocks and a surge in lon August 19, 2026

FSS launches hiring drive for entry-level positions SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) launched a hiring drive to recruit about 95 new employees for next year, the financial regulator said on Wednesday. It will accept applications for entry-level positions through Sept. 7 to recruit candidates who can better respond to emerging regulatory challenges. Applicants must select one of seven fields including business administration, law, economics, information technology (IT), statistics, financial engineering and consum August 19, 2026