Authorities halt new single-stock leveraged products amid chip-driven market volatility SEOUL, July 16 (AJP) - South Korea will temporarily halt new listings of single-stock leveraged products and ban advertising for existing ones, tightening regulations after their rapid growth raised concerns that they could amplify market swings in the country's semiconductor-heavy stock market. The minimum deposit required to trade domestic and overseas single-stock leveraged products will be tripled to 30 million South Korean won from 10 million won, with investors required to provide the July 16, 2026

KOSDAQ-listed biotech Alteogen slides amid rival technology concerns SEOUL, July 16 (AJP) - Shares of South Korean biotech company Alteogen have fallen sharply this week after Samsung Bioepis filed a patent application for a similar drug-delivery technology. The move raised concerns that Samsung Bioepis could challenge Alteogen with a competing technology that converts intravenous drugs into subcutaneous injections. Both companies, however, dismissed the concerns, saying the market reaction was excessive and the technologies are not direct competitors. Samsung July 16, 2026

South Korea and Saudi Arabia to Establish Joint Fund for AI and Semiconductors South Korea and Saudi Arabia are set to enhance cooperation in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital innovation, focusing on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups.According to the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Deputy Minister Noh Yong-seok met with Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Al-Swaha in Seoul on the afternoon of July 16 to discuss collaboration in digital innovation.The meeting was initiated at the request of the Saudi July 16, 2026

KOSPI slips below 7,000 again as Morgan Stanley sparks chip sell-off SEOUL, July 16 (AJP) - South Korean stocks swung sharply lower shortly after the market opened on Thursday, giving up much of the previous session's explosive gains as investors cashed in on the rally following another overnight sell-off in U.S. semiconductor shares. Fresh concerns over artificial intelligence (AI)-related infrastructure spending, sparked by a cautious report from U.S. investment bank Morgan Stanley, added to the pressure on technology stocks. Investor sentiment weakened fu July 16, 2026

Seoul stocks soar as cooling U.S. inflation, chip optimism fuel broad rally SEOUL, July 15 (AJP) — South Korean stocks staged a powerful rebound Wednesday as softer-than-expected U.S. inflation and renewed optimism over the artificial intelligence semiconductor cycle triggered a broad-based buying spree led by SK hynix and Samsung Electronics. As of 9:57 a.m., the benchmark KOSPI surged 6.81 percent to 7,323.60, while the tech-heavy KOSDAQ jumped 5.39 percent to 826.24, recovering sharply after recent market volatility. The rally tracked overnight gains on Wall July 15, 2026

Stricter delisting rules rattle KOSDAQ-listed companies SEOUL, July 14 (AJP) - South Korea's tougher delisting rules are starting to shake up the stock market sooner than expected. Less than two weeks after the new delisting regulations took effect on the South Korean bourse earlier this month, several companies listed on the junior KOSDAQ have already been flagged as at risk of being placed on the Korea Exchange's watchlist. Under the regulations, which took effect July 1, companies whose market capitalization remains below 20 billion won July 14, 2026

Tycoons' stock wealth falls 6 trln won without Samsung, SK chiefs SEOUL, July 14 (AJP) - The combined stock wealth of South Korea’s major business group chiefs jumped by more than 29 trillion won ($19.6 billion) in the second quarter, but the headline increase masked losses across most of the group as gains were overwhelmingly concentrated in Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won. Excluding Lee and Chey, the value of shares held by the remaining 44 group leaders fell by 5.97 trillion won, or 8.6 percent, between th July 14, 2026

Koreans raid retirement savings to chase the stock bull SEOUL, July 14 (AJP) — South Koreans are dipping into pension and long-term funds to join the stock market rush, risking their retirement nest eggs as they chase short-term returns. The number of Koreans cashing out private retirement savings plans jumped 62.7 percent in the first five months of the year from a year earlier, while fund redemptions rose 47.3 percent, according to data submitted by the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) and the Korea Securities Depository (KSD) released T July 14, 2026

IBK Industrial Bank to Support 103 Innovative Startups in Second Half of 2026 IBK Industrial Bank announced on July 13 that it will select and support 103 innovative startups through its startup incubation platform, IBK ChangGong, in the second half of 2026.According to the bank, this round of recruitment includes companies with technological prowess and innovation in areas such as semiconductor production process analysis, wireless power system development, private space services, wearable medical device development, and artificial intelligence (AI) security platforms.IB July 13, 2026

Team Sparta Targets Japanese Corporate Training Market with AX Expertise AI upskilling company Team Sparta announced that executives from the Japan Computer System Sales Association (JCSSA) visited its headquarters in Seoul. They shared experiences on AI transition (AX) corporate training and operating AI-native organizations.The JCSSA is an association of major computer system sales and IT solution companies across Japan, visiting South Korea as part of an exchange of information between the IT industries of both countries.Team Sparta is targeting the Japanese corpo July 10, 2026