news highlight

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  XIIlab rises after winning NVIDIA-backed AI vision challenge SEOUL, September 9 (AJP) - South Korean artificial intelligence startup XIIlab rose nearly 5 percent Wednesday after winning a computer vision competition that tested whether models trained on synthetic images could perform effectively in real-world conditions. Shares traded at 11,760 won ($8.46) as of 2:09 p.m. on the KOSDAQ, up 4.91 percent from the previous close of 11,210 won. The stock opened at 11,800 won and climbed as high as 12,690 won during the session before giving back part of its September 9, 2026
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  ROBOTIS surges 22% on Goldman Sachs' 630,000-won target SEOUL, September 4 (AJP) — Shares of South Korean robotics company ROBOTIS jumped more than 22 percent Friday after Goldman Sachs rated the stock a buy and set a 630,000-won target price, citing strong demand for its robot actuators. Its shares closed at 304,500 won ($225), up 22.54 percent from the previous session's close of 248,500 won, according to Korea Exchange data. The stock opened at 267,000 won and fell as low as 265,000 won and climbed as high as 315,000 won during the sess September 4, 2026
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  Sky Labs doubles on KOSDAQ debut SEOUL, September 04 (AJP) - South Korean digital healthcare company Sky Labs doubled from its initial public offering (IPO) price on its KOSDAQ debut Friday after briefly surging to nearly three times the offering price. As of 2:20 p.m., shares traded at 20,000 won ($14.40), double its 10,000 won offering price. The stock opened at 8,500 won and fell as low as 8,200 won. It later climbed to an intraday high of 28,750 won, 187.5 percent above the IPO price. The sharp reversal made the company o September 4, 2026
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  Solution firm LaonPeople surges on gov't-led physical AI project SEOUL, September 3 (AJP) - Artificial intelligence (AI)-related solution company LaonPeople surged to its daily trading limit on Thursday after being selected for a government-backed physical AI project aimed at developing autonomous manufacturing technology. Its shares jumped 29.84 percent to 3,220 won (US$2.35) on the junior KOSDAQ as of around 2:40 p.m., reaching the market's daily price ceiling. The rally came after the company said it had been selected for a research project led by th September 3, 2026
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  Airbility raises 6.5 billion won to shoot down drones with drones SEOUL, September 01 (AJP) - A Seoul aerospace startup has closed a Series A round to build small aircraft that hunt other aircraft, betting that the cheapest way to stop an incoming attack drone is another drone rather than a missile. Airbility said Tuesday that the 6.5 billion won ($4.7 million) round was led by Sazze Partners, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm, with existing backer Stonebridge Ventures returning and the Industrial Bank of Korea joining as a new shareholder. Cumulative fun September 1, 2026
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  Margin debt swells back as investors rotat into KOSDAQ SEOUL, September 1 (AJP) - South Korean margin borrowing rose for a ninth straight trading day and returned to the levels of mid-July as investors migrated to KOSDAQ outperforming the main index since last month. Outstanding margin loans across the two markets stood at 33.34 trillion won ($24.36 billion) as of Aug. 28, up 8.96 billion won ($6.5 million) from a day earlier, according to the Korea Financial Investment Association (KOFIA). The increase was driven by KOSDAQ stocks, where margin b September 1, 2026
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  Sky Labs cuts IPO price ahead of KOSDAQ debut SEOUL, August 31 (AJP) - South Korean digital healthcare company Sky Labs will make its KOSDAQ debut Friday after setting its offering price at the bottom of its proposed range, with more than 60 percent of institutional orders coming in below the minimum price sought by the company. The company is scheduled to list on Sept. 4 at an offering price of 10,000 won ($7.20) per share, with Korea Investment & Securities serving as the lead underwriter. Retail subscriptions were held on Aug. 26 an August 31, 2026
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  Y-Biologics expands employee share ownership after KOSDAQ listing SEOUL, August 31 (AJP) - South Korean antibody drug developer Y-Biologics has completed its third employee share purchase since its KOSDAQ listing, bringing the shareholding ratio among employees to about 65 percent of its workforce. The company said Monday that employees bought shares on the open market this month through its Employee Stock Ownership Association (ESOA), which enables employees to acquire and hold shares in their employer. The latest round follows two previous purchases since t August 31, 2026
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  PARU extends rally after share consolidation SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) - South Korean renewable energy company PARU surged for a second straight session Friday after trading resumed following a two-for-one share consolidation. Shares of PARU closed 10.82 percent higher at 1,475 won ($1.08) on the KOSDAQ on Friday, after rising as high as 1,630 won in early trading. The gains followed a 29.98 percent surge Thursday, when the stock hit its daily upper limit on the first session after trading resumed. According to a regulatory filing on DART, August 28, 2026