This week's second circuit breaker triggered after 8% fall in KOSPI SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) -The second circuit breaker this week halted the KOSPI after the benchmark crashed more than 8 percent Friday, following a similar rout three trading on Tuesday, on heavy foreign and institutional selling over concerns of slowing memory demand amid broad chip-flation. The Korea Exchange suspended trading on the KOSPI market for 20 minutes at 12:10:12 p.m. after the benchmark remained more than 8 percent below the previous session's close for one minute. The KOSPI was June 26, 2026

Samsung SDS employees asked to replace cash bonuses with treasury stock SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) — Samsung SDS is seeking employee approval to replace cash performance bonuses with company stock after a landmark Supreme Court ruling recognized such bonuses as wages. According to multiple industry sources on Friday, the company has begun a vote on a proposal to abolish its current cash incentive program and instead award annual performance bonuses entirely in the form of Samsung SDS shares. The vote is scheduled to close on June 29. The proposal follows a Januar June 26, 2026

KOSPI and Nikkei under profit-taking pressure SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) — South Korean and Japanese shares fell Friday on broad profit-taking after the previous session's Micron Technology-fueled chip rally, while oil prices, which had returned to prewar levels, turned higher on reports of a suspected attack near the Strait of Hormuz. As of 10:16 a.m., the benchmark KOSPI was down 2.72 percent at 8,687.50. The junior KOSDAQ fell 1.08 percent to 878.20. Japan's Nikkei 225 declined 3.0 percent to 70,174.53. In Seoul, foreign inves June 26, 2026

Foreign 'Sell Korea' tops $30 bn in May, 10 times '25 outflow SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) — Foreign investors sold a record 47 trillion won ($30.5 billion) worth of Korean stocks in May, pushing their net sales in the first five months 10 times their 2025 annual outflow and explaining the stubbornly weak won versus the U.S. dollar, data showed Friday. Despite their heavy selling, their holdings in Korean shares and share in market cap surged to a record high to reflect their cherry-picking in heavyweight blue chips. According to data released Friday by June 26, 2026

Kazakhstan and China target $100bn in trade SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) - More than eight in every 10 containers shipped overland from China to Europe pass through Kazakhstan. That single statistic, more than any diplomatic formula, explains why the two countries spent this week in Urumqi pressing to deepen a commercial relationship already generating record numbers. On the sidelines of the 9th China-Eurasia Expo on Thursday (local time), Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin met with Ding Xue June 26, 2026

KOSPI, Nikkei 225 refueled by revived chip fever SEOUL, June 25 (AJP) — The KOSPI moved to the brink of reclaiming the 9,000-point milestone amid a tense market rivalry between the country's two chip heavyweights, while the junior KOSDAQ sank further as bets narrowed on chip infrastructure. The benchmark KOSPI closed up 5.42 percent at 8,930.30 after briefly climbing above the 9,000-point threshold during afternoon trading. Trading was volatile throughout the session. A buy-side sidecar was triggered shortly after the open amid a r June 25, 2026

Korea loses to South Africa, left waiting on third-place ranking SEOUL, June 25 (AJP) - South Korea failed to secure automatic qualification for the Round of 32 after losing 1-0 to South Africa in their final Group A match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday in Korea. South Korea lost at Monterrey Stadium in Mexico after conceding midway through the second half. In the other Group A match played at the same time, Mexico beat Czechia 3-0. The results sent Mexico through as Group A winners and South Africa as runners-up. South Korea finished third with th June 25, 2026

World Cup 26: Korea held by South Africa after disjointed first half SEOUL, June 25 (AJP) - South Korea went into halftime scoreless against South Africa on Thursday after a disjointed first half in which they struggled to beat pressure, move the ball through midfield and turn possession into meaningful chances. South Korea kicked off their final Group A match at Monterrey Stadium in Mexico knowing a draw would be enough to secure second place and a spot in the Round of 32. Opta’s pre-match model had given South Korea a 59.2 percent chance of winning, mor June 25, 2026

Chip rally resumes on hynix ADR news and Micron earnings, KOSPI up 5% SEOUL, June 25 (AJP) — South Korean stocks surged toward reclaiming the 9,000 milestone as chip stocks were refueled by multiple catalysts, from Micron Technology's blowout earnings to SK hynix's Nasdaq listing plan and Samsung Electronics' massive buyback program. The benchmark KOSPI opened 5.55 percent higher and was up 5.61 percent at 8,946.02 as of 9:36 a.m. The junior KOSDAQ opened 1.10 percent higher before easing to 913.47, up 0.46 percent. Samsung Electronics and SK h June 25, 2026

KOSPI rebounds day after record crash SEOUL, June 24 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark KOSPI rebounded 3.3 percent to close at 8,471.02 on Wednesday, standing apart from a mixed regional session a day after its record crash. The index rose 267.18 points, recovering less than a third of the 910.71 points it lost on Tuesday. The junior KOSDAQ gained 2.0 percent to 909.31. Samsung Electronics powered the bounce, jumping 9.8 percent after it was reported to be mulling a record buyback of $65 billion buyback scheme, while SK hynix ro June 24, 2026