Samsung Elec payout hopes lift KOSPI more than 2% SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) -Seoul's main index jumped more than 2 percent in early trade Wednesday as foreign and institutional money returned to large-cap stocks on speculation that chip bellwethers could sharply increase shareholder payouts. The KOSPI traded at 6,484.59, up 2.2 percent from Tuesday's close of 6,345.53, while the junior KOSDAQ reversed course and fell 1.5 percent to 845.18. The rally was narrow. Decliners outnumbered advancers 473 to 357 on the main board, while the large August 12, 2026

Youth job drought deepens, fall largest in 5 years SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) -South Korea's youth employment fell for a 45th straight month in July and the youth jobless rate posted its sharpest rise in more than five years, as hiring droughts in manufacturing and professional services deepened despite booming exports, government data showed Wednesday. The number of employed people aged 15 to 29 fell by 191,000 from a year earlier to 3.44 million, while their employment rate dropped 1.6 percentage points to 44.2 percent, according to the Minis August 12, 2026

KOSPI closes higher as record August exports lift chip stocks SEOUL, August 11 (AJP) - South Korean stocks closed higher on Tuesday, buoyed by record exports in early August that lifted semiconductor shares, although lingering uncertainty over the Strait of Hormuz limited gains. The benchmark KOSPI rose 0.73 percent to 6,345.53, extending gains for a second straight session. The index opened 0.95 percent lower at 6,240.06 before reversing course, though gains remained limited through much of the session. The turnaround came after stronger export figures August 11, 2026

Samsung brings cross-device gaming lineup to Gamescom 2026 SEOUL, August 11 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics will showcase a gaming lineup spanning PCs, consoles and mobile devices at Gamescom 2026 in Cologne, Germany, as the South Korean tech giant seeks to connect its hardware portfolio across gaming platforms. The world's largest gaming exhibition will run from Aug. 26 to 30, with about 1,500 software, hardware and game content companies expected to participate. Last year's event drew 360,000 visitors, according to Samsung. Samsung's booth w August 11, 2026

Chip surge drives Korea's record early-August exports SEOUL, August 11 (AJP) - South Korea's exports jumped 45.3 percent from a year earlier to $21.29 billion in the first 10 days of August, the highest for any Aug. 1-10 period, customs data showed Tuesday. The figure surpassed the previous early-August record of $15.6 billion set in 2022. Both periods contained seven working days, with average daily exports also rising 45.3 percent to $3.04 billion. Semiconductor exports soared 155.4 percent to $9.95 billion, marking a record for the early- August 11, 2026

KOSPI reverses early losses as KOSDAQ extends recent rally SEOUL, August 11 (AJP) - South Korean stocks reversed early losses Tuesday morning, with the benchmark KOSPI edging higher and the junior KOSDAQ gaining more than 1 percent as buying in construction and semiconductor equipment shares offset pressure from higher oil prices and renewed tensions between the U.S. and Iran. The main index traded 0.3 percent higher at 6,321 as of around 10:30 a.m., after falling more than 1 percent earlier in the session. It moved between a low of 6,213.78 and a high August 11, 2026

CJ CheilJedang's Q2 operating profit slides on costs, weak home market SEOUL, August 11 (AJP) - CJ CheilJedang, South Korea's largest food and bioscience group, announced that its second-quarter operating profit fell sharply as sluggish domestic demand and oil-driven increases in packaging and raw material costs squeezed margins. According to regulatory filings released Tuesday, consolidated revenue edged up 1.7 percent from a year earlier to 7.36 trillion won (about $5.19 billion) in the April-June quarter, while operating profit dropped 27.1 percent to 257.6 August 11, 2026

NHN Q2 operating profit surges 164% on payment, tech growth SEOUL, August 11 (AJP) - South Korean internet firm NHN announced that its second-quarter operating profit jumped 164 percent from a year earlier, powered by robust demand across its payment, cloud and gaming businesses. According to regulatory filings released Tuesday, operating profit reached 57.9 billion won ($40.9 million) on a consolidated basis, while revenue climbed 25.3 percent to 757.9 billion won. Net profit rose 159 percent to 29.1 billion won. Payments, NHN's largest segment t August 11, 2026

Webtoon Entertainment takes majority stake in RI Games SEOUL, August 11 (AJP) - Webtoon Entertainment is buying its way into the business of turning its own comics into games and films, ending years in which the company handed its biggest hits to outside studios and collected a fee while somebody else kept the franchise. The Nasdaq-listed operator of Naver Webtoon disclosed two deals on Monday alongside second quarter results. It agreed to buy a 60 percent stake in RI Games Holdings for about $100 million in cash, paid across two closings, and sign August 11, 2026

KOSDAQ surges as leveraged ETF frenzy cools SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) -South Korea's junior market staged a strong comeback Monday, leaping nearly 7 percent to push its gain so far this month toward 20 percent. The KOSDAQ closed at 854.47, up 55.66 points, or 7.0 percent. Its bigger sibling KOSPI added 40.89 points to close at 6,299.66, up 0.7 percent, with the advance built on utilities, defense, shipbuilding and battery names rather than semiconductors. The broader spread of gains came as a speculative frenzy in single-stock leverage August 10, 2026