Culture ministry, YouTube pledge closer ties on Korean creator content SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) - Korea's culture ministry and YouTube agreed Monday to strengthen cooperation around Korean creators, signaling that short-form and creator-led video are being treated less as a side channel and more as a growing part of the country's content industry. Kim Young-soo, first vice minister of culture, sports and tourism, met with YouTube Vice President of Product Woojin Kim at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul to discuss ways to support You August 10, 2026

Naver, education institute team up on AI textbooks for seniors SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) - Naver announced Monday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Institute for Lifelong Education (NILE) to jointly develop AI and digital literacy content tailored to senior citizens, as part of a broader push to narrow South Korea's digital divide. The agreement revealed Monday was signed on Aug. 7 at Naver's headquarters in Bundang, the company said. It aims to strengthen everyday AI and digital competency among seniors and other digitall August 10, 2026

South Korea warns of new voice-phishing scam laundering stolen funds SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) — South Korean scammers are using loan offers to gain access to low-credit borrowers’ bank accounts and launder money stolen through voice phishing, the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) warned Monday. The warning came after the regulator found that criminal groups were increasingly using gift certificates to move stolen funds instead of transferring the money or withdrawing it from ATMs, making the proceeds harder to trace. The scheme begins with people wh August 10, 2026

Seoul rebounds on Samsung Electronics payout hopes SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) - Seoul stocks opened sharply higher on Monday as a brokerage note arguing Samsung Electronics is preparing a shareholder return package more than ten times its current size pulled buyers back into chip shares after a week that stripped 5.1 percent off the market. The KOSPI rose 61.76 points to 6,320.53 in early trading, a gain of 1.0 percent. The bounce was stronger on the junior market, where the KOSDAQ climbed 3.1 percent to 823.38, and it extended across the regi August 10, 2026

KOSPI extends losses as SK hynix tumbles on Nvidia memory concerns SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) - South Korean stocks fell for a second straight session Friday, dragged down by SK hynix as renewed Strait of Hormuz concerns and weakness in United States tech shares fueled foreign selling. The benchmark KOSPI closed 0.60 percent lower at 6,258.77, extending Thursday's 4.58 percent drop. The index opened 1.09 percent higher at 6,365.07 and climbed as high as 6,415.60 before reversing course. It briefly fell to 6,158.73 before paring losses toward the close. Foreig August 7, 2026

CJ ENM Q2 operating profit rises as TVING, commerce offset SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) - CJ ENM's second-quarter operating profit rose even as revenue declined, as a turnaround in its media platform business and stronger commerce earnings offset a sharp slump in film and drama Operating profit rose 16.9 percent from a year earlier to 33.4 billion won, topping the FnGuide consensus of 31.1 billion won by roughly 7.6 percent and rebounding sharply from just 1.5 billion won in the first quarter. The operating margin widened to 2.8 percent from 2.2 percent August 7, 2026

New U.S. envoy meets Seoul's national security adviser SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) -South Korean national security adviser Wi Sung-lac met United States Ambassador Michelle Steel on Aug. 4 in their first encounter since she took up the post in Seoul last month, the presidential office confirmed Friday. The two exchanged greetings and views on ways to advance the alliance, according to the office. Wi heads the National Security Office, the body inside the presidential compound that coordinates foreign policy, defense and intelligence for President Lee Ja August 7, 2026

Hanwha Solutions and OCI shares benefit from U.S. solar curbs SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) —Shares of South Korean solar producers gained upside momentum after the United States erected new price and tariff barriers against low-cost polysilicon and solar imports, raising expectations that Korean producers could gain ground as Washington pushes more of the solar supply chain onto U.S. soil. As of 10:56 a.m., Hanwha Solutions was trading at 32,750 won, up 7.73 percent from the previous session. The stock had surged as much as 26.81 percent to an intraday hi August 7, 2026

Naver's Q2 operating profit misses consensus as costs outpace sales SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) - Naver's second-quarter operating profit fell short of market expectations despite stronger-than-expected revenue, as spending on artificial intelligence, marketing, sports broadcasting and payment infrastructure squeezed margins. Operating profit for the April-June period came to 520.3 billion won ($346 million), down 0.2 percent from a year earlier and 4 percent from the previous quarter. It was 8.1 percent below the FnGuide consensus of 566.2 billion won. The op August 7, 2026

Seoul rebound fragile on SK hynix lag SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) -The KOSPI struggled to claw back into positive territory Friday as heavyweight SK hynix remained under foreign attack, leaving the market's rebound on shaky footing. By 9:45 a.m. the KOSPI was 0.20 percent lower at 6,284.46 after opening higher. Samsung Electronics rose 2.82 percent to 237,000 won ($166), double the 1.40 percent gain that lifted SK hynix to 1,516,000 won ($1,064), even though SK hynix fell far harder on Thursday. Foreign investors turned buyers at t August 7, 2026