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

Uzbekistan formalizes Termez Dialogue to anchor South Asian trade integration SEOUL, June 01 (AJP) - Uzbekistan is establishing the Termez Dialogue as a permanent interregional forum to anchor its expanding economic integration with South Asian consumer markets. The institutionalization marks a structural shift in Eurasian supply chains, transforming neighboring Afghanistan from a source of geopolitical instability into a primary commercial transit bridge. The policy evolution moves the region away from isolated cross-border trade toward a comprehensive model of economic June 1, 2026

Samsung's shipment of HBM4E samples seen as strategic move ahead of Jensen Huang's Seoul visit SEOUL, June 1 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics' shipment last week of next-generation High Bandwidth Memory 4E (HBM4E) samples is widely seen as a strategic overture to Nvidia, just ahead of chief executive Jensen Huang's visit to South Korea, multiple experts said. In a timed move, Samsung announced last Friday that it has begun shipping the industry's first 12-layer HBM4E samples to global customers. The rollout comes just days before Huang's upcoming visit to Seoul, following his June 1, 2026

AI wealth gap reaches city halls as Korea's chip hubs reap tax windfall SEOUL, May 29 (AJP) - South Korea's artificial intelligence boom is creating winners far beyond the stock market, with cities hosting semiconductor plants emerging as some of the biggest beneficiaries of a tax windfall fueled by record earnings at Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. The central government is expected to collect tens of trillions of won in additional tax revenue this year as the AI-driven semiconductor boom boosts corporate profits and equity valuations. At the local level, th May 29, 2026

The wildcard in Team Taegeuk Warriors  SEOUL, May 29 (AJP) - When Hong Myung-bo named his squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup last month, most of the coverage landed in the same place: Son Heung-min, captain, icon, almost certainly making his fourth and final appearance at the tournament. The farewell tour angle wrote itself. But scroll past the familiar names — Son, Lee Kang-in, Kim Min-jae, Hwang Hee-chan — and one entry reads differently. Bae Jun-ho, 22, Stoke City, attacker. Not a household name. Not yet a guarantee May 29, 2026

The world is getting thinner on a needle, and Korea wants in SEOUL, May 29 (AJP) - South Korean companies have a knack for catching up — and then overtaking. Their latest target is a class of drugs first designed to manage blood sugar that has since become the most coveted weight-loss tool on the planet, reshaping pharmacy shelves, celebrity bodies, and the business model of personal trainers everywhere. The drugs, known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, mimic a gut hormone that curbs appetite and slows digestion. Marketed by Denmark's Novo Nordisk May 29, 2026