Won closes at 14-month high, bond yields little changed SEOUL, September 04 (AJP) - The South Korean won extended its rally to a 14-month high Friday, while government bonds ended little changed as investors stayed cautious ahead of U.S. employment data. The won strengthened 8.9 won from the previous session to close daytime trading at 1,350.4 per dollar, compared with Thursday's 1,359.3. The currency briefly entered the 1,340 range during the session, its strongest intraday level since early July 2025. Exporter dollar selling continued to sup September 4, 2026

Chip stocks lead KOSPI rebound as bank trade unwinds SEOUL, September 04 (AJP) - A signal from the U.S. Federal Reserve unwound a week of rate-driven positioning in Seoul on Friday, pulling money out of the bank stocks that had thrived on surging yields and back into memory chips. The KOSPI closed 1.6 percent higher, adding 107.73 points to 6,687.21 for a second straight gain after Wednesday's near 4 percent collapse. Samsung Electronics rose 2.2 percent to 255,500 won ($189) and SK hynix gained 3.2 percent to 1,647,000 won ($1,219). SK squa September 4, 2026

Police brace for huge crowds at annual fireworks festival this weekend SEOUL, September 4 (AJP) - More than 5,000 police officers and other security personnel will be deployed to manage crowds and respond to emergencies in Yeouido along the Han River this weekend, as about 1 million people are expected to gather for the annual Seoul International Fireworks Festival, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The festival, hosted by Hanwha Group, has drawn more than 1 million visitors every year since it began in 2000, as crowds gather along the Han River to w September 4, 2026

Korea's state bank workers join union strike opposing to relocation SEOUL, September 04 (AJP) -Whether South Korea's financial regulators and state-run policy banks will be swept into a second round of public-sector relocations starting next year remains undecided, but the possibility has become a major flashpoint for financial workers, drawing about 15,000 union members to central Seoul on Friday. The Korean Financial Industry Union staged a sit-in along Sejong-daero in Gwanghwamun, its first such action in about a year, with workers from the state lender September 4, 2026

World-OKTA meets in Santiago to revive small Latin American chapters SEOUL, September 04 (AJP) - The World Federation of Overseas Korean Traders Associations, known as World-OKTA, convened a gathering in the Chilean capital this week to shore up its smaller branches across Latin America. The meeting, hosted by the group's Santiago chapter, drew regional officers and branch presidents from across the continent, along with South Korean Ambassador to Chile Kim Hak-jae and other local dignitaries. "Latin America is a land of opportunity, but the sheer dist September 4, 2026

Seoul pushes back tougher delisting rules to July '27 SEOUL, September 04 (AJP) -South Korea will push back tougher delisting rules for the KOSPI and KOSDAQ to July 2027 from the scheduled January, delaying a planned increase in minimum market-capitalization thresholds as authorities seek to give the market more time to recover. The decision was made at a joint market review meeting chaired by Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol on Friday, where officials also assessed rising bond yields, vulnerable borrowers and risks in the mutual finance sector. Th September 4, 2026

Chip stocks rebound to support KOSPI SEOUL, September 04 (AJP) -Seoul stocks opened sharply higher Friday as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix pulled out of a two-session slide after remarks from a U.S. Federal Reserve governor cut market-implied odds of an American rate hike this month to roughly a coin flip. The KOSPI, the benchmark index of the Korea Exchange, rose 90.59 points, or 1.4 percent, to 6,670.07 in early trade, while the KOSDAQ, the secondary board for smaller and technology-heavy companies, gained 2.3 percent to 808. September 4, 2026

Korea-backed mega logistics center begins operations near Chicago SEOUL, September 03 (AJP) - A massive logistics center jointly developed by a South Korean logistics company and the Korea Ocean Business Corp. has begun full-scale operations in Elwood, Illinois, near Chicago, as Seoul expands its overseas logistics network. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said Thursday that the Elwood logistics center was built through a joint investment by the Korean logistics company and the state-run Korea Ocean Business Corp (KOBC). The facility sits on a 295,000-sq September 3, 2026

Korean FX authorities reportedly absorb $20 billion SK hynix funds SEOUL, September 03 (AJP) - South Korea's foreign-exchange authorities reportedly absorbed about $20 billion of SK hynix's U.S. share proceeds off market, while the won closed Thursday at its strongest level in about 14 months. The Foreign Exchange Stabilization Fund, or FESF, bought about $20 billion in dollars repatriated after SK hynix raised $26.5 billion through an American depositary receipt offering in July, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing a source with direct knowledge of the September 3, 2026

KOSPI edges higher despite selling across the board SEOUL, September 3 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark KOSPI closed higher on Thursday, even though individual investors, foreigners and institutions all pulled money out of the main board. It was the third time in four sessions that the index rose as all three major investor groups were net sellers. The index rose 16.76 points or 0.3 percent to close at 6,579.48. Underneath the gain was a rotation rather than a recovery. Shipbuilders, insurers and banks were bought hard, the semiconductor nam September 3, 2026