World Cup 26: Veterans steady, newcomers shine in Korea's first win SEOUL, June 12 (AJP) — South Korea's 2-1 comeback victory over Czechia in its opening Group A match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup was not the work of a single star. It was a victory built on balance — experienced leaders delivering in decisive moments while a new generation showed it was ready for football's biggest stage. Head coach Hong Myung-bo's side fell behind in the 58th minute when Ladislav Krejci powered home a header, but recovered through Hwang In-beom's equ June 12, 2026

Korea's ruling front humbles as approval rating droops in election aftermath SEOUL, June 11 (AJP) - The honeymoon period had been unprecedentedly longer for South Korean President Lee Jae Myung compared with past leaders, but it eventually came to an end. Just before departing for a European tour on Wednesday, Lee took time for a moment of self-reflection. In a post on X, he apologized to the public and pledged to "work harder" with greater modesty and openness after a string of polls showed his approval ratings falling sharply in the aftermath of the June 3 June 11, 2026

From chicken to K-pop: why Jensen Huang fell for Korea's soft power SEOUL, June 09 (AJP) — Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang surely knew how to mix business with pleasure. He returned home Tuesday with deals on not just memory chips for Nvidia's next-generation Rubin and Vera platforms, but also bags of HBM chip snacks to munch on and the lingering aftertaste of chicken, soju and Korean hospitality. Since his arrival last Friday, Huang dominated headlines and social media feeds, shuttling between beer and soju gatherings with Korean tech giants, a baseball sta June 9, 2026

Korea's Q1 GDP strongest in more than 5 yrs, nominal growth 50-yr high *Updated with additional data, comments, and market response SEOUL, June 09 (AJP) - South Korea's economy turned out strongest three-month performance in more than five years in the quarter ended March with nominal growth at a 50-year high, according to the finalized first-quarter figure, but the bigger surprise came from income — up record 9.2 percent — as booming chip prices amplified the gains from the AI-driven semiconductor boom. Real gross domestic product expanded 1.8 pe June 9, 2026

Fear of rate hikes drives corporate lending surge in Q1 SEOUL, June 8 (AJP) - Corporate loans in South Korea grew the most since the third quarter of 2022, as companies increased borrowing in the first three months of this year, according to data released by the Bank of Korea (BOK) on Monday. Outstanding industrial loans by deposit-taking institutions stood at 2,061.8 trillion won (US$1.33 trillion) at the end of March, up 35.6 trillion won from the previous quarter. The increase widened sharply from an 8.5 trillion won gain in the fourth quarter. June 8, 2026

Key highlights from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's Seoul itinerary SEOUL, June 8 (AJP) - Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang is in the final leg of his four-day visit to Seoul, which included meetings with business leaders, artificial intelligence (AI)-related startups and entrepreneurs, and researchers. His trip also featured a visit to T1 Base Camp, where he met T1 players including esports player Faker, as well as a television appearance and a ceremonial first pitch at a baseball stadium in Jamsil, southern Seoul. He also had another casual gathering over chicke June 8, 2026

Financial watchdogs step up warnings as won slides despite verbal interventions SEOUL, June 7 (AJP) - Financial authorities on Sunday issued their strongest warning yet over speculative trading and other suspicious activity, as the South Korean won's sharp decline pushed the won-dollar rate above 1,560. They vowed to step up inspections and scrutiny of illegal foreign exchange transactions by importers and exporters at an emergency meeting convened by Finance and Economy Minister Koo Yun-cheol, which was attended by key financial chiefs including Bank of Korea governor June 7, 2026

Won weakens further as KOSPI drops over 6% SEOUL, June 5 (AJP) - The South Korean won continued weakening on Friday, with the exchange rate climbing to 1,542 per dollar around noon, from the previous session's close of 1,529.70. The decline came less than a day after the exchange rate weakened past 1,540 won during extended trading, marking its highest intraday level since the global financial crisis. It appears to be largely due to a sharp sell-off in South Korean stocks. The country's benchmark KOSPI tumbled more than 6 perce June 5, 2026

Hawkish signals fail to curb won's slide SEOUL, June 4 (AJP) - Although the Bank of Korea (BOK) has effectively pivoted back toward monetary tightening, the won-dollar exchange rate is instead plunging to its weakest level since the global financial crisis. Downward pressure on the Korean won is intensifying as investors question how much domestic monetary policy can do on its own. A stronger greenback, surging oil prices and synchronized tightening fears among major central banks are adding to the strain. In the Seoul foreign exchan June 4, 2026

Shin's BOK signals active central bank intervention, putting monetary tightening and CBDC in spotlight SEOUL, June 02 (AJP) - The Bank of Korea (BOK) International Conference themed "Central Banks and the Future of Money," which ran from Monday to Tuesday, served as less of a purely academic event and more of a debut public stage highlighting the long-term vision of BOK Governor Shin Hyun-song. The central bank positioned staunch advocates of price and financial stability at the forefront while pitching a future monetary order centered around central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) as i June 2, 2026