Aju Press - Asia News Hub

Journalist

Ryu Yuna류윤아

ReporterFinancial Supervisory Service (FSS) & finance, capital markets, Southeast Asian affairs

Yuna Ryu covers finance, capital markets and Southeast Asian affairs.
She is drawn to the questions that numbers raise and the stories that data alone cannot answer.
Prior to journalism, she worked at Hyundai Motor Company and the Singapore Chamber of Commerce, focusing on business strategy and international affairs. She has also hosted diplomatic receptions and international conferences as an MC.

Ryu holds a master's degree in Media and Communication from Korea University, where her research focused on neuroscience-based studies of media effects. "Beyond every statistic is a human story waiting to be heard."

Latest by Ryu Yuna

Korean jobseekers face an AI test with no rulebook SEOUL, September 01 (AJP) - AI literacy is becoming the latest addition to the long list of so-called "specs" young South Koreans need to compete for already-scarce entry-level jobs. The problem is that employers themselves are still figuring out what they want. SK hynix is removing its traditional personal-statement questions from applications in the second half of this year. Instead, applicants will be asked to describe how they have used AI in projects, research and problem-solving. During interviews in November, candidates will use a large language model, or LLM, on a computer to work through an assigned problem and then present how they reached their answer. The chipmaker is less interested in AI proficiency itself than in how candidates use the technology to solve problems and explain their reasoning. The change also reflects how generative AI has eroded the value of the written personal statement, long a staple of South Korean recruitment. As more applicants use AI to draft their essays, employers have less reason to rely on the writing alone to distinguish among candidates. Jinyoung Kim, an economics professor at Korea University, said the shift was largely inevitable. "Self-introduction essays have lost much of their value as a way to tell candidates apart because most people are using AI to write them these days," Kim said. "Basing interviews on them no longer makes much sense. Testing how applicants use AI is a way to gauge productivity, and I see it as a change that is hard to avoid." The new hurdle is emerging just as young Koreans are finding it increasingly difficult to gain a foothold in the labor market. The employment rate for South Koreans aged 15 to 29 fell 1.6 percentage points from a year earlier to 44.2 percent in July, extending its decline to 27 consecutive months, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics' July employment report released Aug. 12. The number of employed young people fell by 191,000 to 3.441 million, marking the 45th straight month of decline, while the youth unemployment rate rose 1.3 percentage points to 6.8 percent. The squeeze is also evident at major companies. Leaders Index, a South Korean corporate research firm, found that new hires at 113 large companies that disclosed hiring figures fell 15.3 percent to 92,680 in 2025 from 109,456 in 2023. Across 132 companies, employment of workers aged 30 and under dropped 13.8 percent to 230,434 over the same period. The outlook for the second half is somewhat brighter, although companies remain cautious about the scale of recruitment. Incruit, a South Korean human resources technology company, surveyed 600 companies between July 1 and Aug. 3 and found that 74.3 percent of large companies had decided to hire in the second half, up 14.6 percentage points from a year earlier. Among those with confirmed hiring plans, however, only 14.5 percent expected to recruit 100 or more employees, down 6.4 percentage points from last year. For job seekers, AI is already deeply embedded in the application process. A July survey by South Korean recruitment platform CATCH found that 98 percent of 1,025 Generation Z job seekers were using AI when applying for jobs. Some 84 percent used it to draft self-introduction essays and 67 percent to generate possible interview questions. Yet only 66 percent said they were building AI-related experience. The gap suggests that while AI has become routine for preparing applications, fewer job seekers have experience demonstrating how they can use it in actual work. Simply saying they have used AI may therefore no longer be enough. Increasingly, applicants are being asked to show what they can do with it. That pressure is also feeding demand for AI-related credentials. South Korea's Private Qualification Information Service, a government-run database for privately issued qualifications, listed 1,292 registered private qualifications with "AI" in their names as of Tuesday. Yet there is no common standard for determining which of those credentials reflect the skills employers actually want. In the absence of one, companies are developing their own tests. KT, a major South Korean telecommunications company, opened applications Aug. 25 for college graduates in network infrastructure operations, business consulting and sales, and consumer marketing and sales. Rather than testing AI knowledge alone, KT said it will give applicants work-related situations and assess how they use AI during the problem-solving process. The approach resembles that of SK hynix. Both are focusing less on familiarity with a particular AI tool than on how applicants apply the technology to a problem. But there is no single method for measuring that ability. Employers are experimenting with everything from job simulations and AI aptitude tests to project-based assessments, effectively leaving each company to decide which elements of AI use matter most. At the same time, AI appears to be raising expectations for entry-level workers. PwC's 2026 Global AI Jobs Barometer found that U.S. entry-level jobs most exposed to AI were seven times more likely to require skills such as leadership, creativity and face-to-face communication — capabilities traditionally associated with more experienced workers. For applicants, the absence of a clear standard can add another layer of pressure to an already demanding hiring process. Alongside foreign-language scores, internships and certificates, they may now feel compelled to build AI projects or take AI courses without knowing which experiences employers will ultimately value. Kim acknowledged that learning another skill could add to the burden but viewed the shift as difficult to avoid if AI becomes a basic workplace tool. "I think it can be fair because AI is already widely used among young people," he said. Fairness, however, is only part of the problem. A more fundamental question is what AI literacy should mean in the first place. The issue is being debated globally. On June 18, the OECD and European Commission released an AI Literacy Framework for primary and secondary education, offering a common reference for the knowledge, skills and attitudes students need to understand and use AI responsibly. The framework treats AI literacy as more than the ability to operate AI tools. Learners are expected to understand how AI works, critically evaluate its output and make informed judgments about its risks and limitations. It sets out 19 competencies across four areas covering how learners engage with, create with, manage and shape AI. The framework was designed for education rather than recruitment, but it illustrates how broadly AI literacy can be defined — and why it is difficult to reduce to a single certificate or test score. Kim cautioned against treating overseas frameworks as a benchmark for Korean hiring while the technology itself continues to evolve rapidly. "I do not think we can treat that as an established standard yet," he said. "Nor do I see much reason to benchmark overseas frameworks at this point. No one really knows where AI is headed, whom it will replace or whom it will assist." That leaves employers with a contradiction: AI skills are becoming more important in hiring even as the criteria for judging them remain unsettled. If using an LLM eventually becomes as routine as working with a spreadsheet or searching the internet, knowing how to use AI alone may cease to distinguish one candidate from another. Recent hiring practices suggest the emphasis may instead move toward what workers do after AI generates an answer — whether they can verify the result, detect errors and make the final judgment rather than simply accept what the technology produces. "I think this will continue to evolve," Kim said. "Even the people who built AI are not certain how widely it will be used or where it is headed." The standard is still taking shape. For Korean graduates, the test has already begun. AJP Takeaways • SK hynix is replacing traditional personal-statement questions in its second-half 2026 recruitment with assessments of how applicants use AI to solve problems, including an LLM-based task and presentation during November interviews. • AI is becoming a new hiring requirement as South Korea's youth job market weakens, with the employment rate for people aged 15 to 29 falling to 44.2 percent in July and major companies reducing recruitment from 2023 levels. • South Korean employers including SK hynix and KT are developing their own AI-based hiring assessments because there is no common standard for determining what AI literacy means or which AI qualifications matter. • The OECD and European Commission's AI Literacy Framework defines AI literacy broadly to include understanding, critical evaluation and judgment, suggesting employers may increasingly value candidates' ability to verify and interpret AI output rather than simply operate AI tools. 2026-09-01 16:41:29
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 borrowing jumped 101.71 billion won to 6.95 trillion won. By contrast, borrowing tied to KOSPI-listed shares fell 92.75 billion won to 26.39 trillion won. Margin financing allows investors to borrow money from brokerages to buy stocks. A higher balance therefore indicates that more borrowed money is being used for stock investments. That divergence was mirrored in the market on Aug. 28. The KOSPI lost 1.79 percent to 6,788.88, while the junior KOSDAQ edged up 0.09 percent to 838.41. The data showed borrowing increased for KOSDAQ stocks while declining for large-cap shares. Cash waiting on the sidelines also increased sharply. Investor deposits at brokerages rose by 3.10 trillion won from a day earlier to 99.81 trillion won as of Aug. 28. The deposits include cash set aside to buy stocks and money from recent stock sales that has not yet been withdrawn, meaning a substantial amount of cash remains available for investment. Riskier short-term trading indicators, meanwhile, eased. Unpaid stock purchases fell to 930.30 billion won as of Aug. 28. These trades occur when investors buy stocks without having enough cash in their accounts to cover the full purchase and fail to pay the remainder by the settlement deadline. Forced liquidations tied to such unpaid trades also fell sharply, to 4.80 billion won from 24.87 billion won a day earlier. The ratio of forced liquidations to unpaid settlement balances fell to 0.5 percent from 2.2 percent, according to KOFIA. The KOSPI has gained 3.4 percent to finish August at 6,820 from the previous month wherease the KOSDAQ soared 15.91 percent to 834.3. Korean shares recovered on Monday, with the KOSPI closing 0.46 percent higher at 6,820.02. The benchmark extended those gains slightly on Tuesday, rising 0.11 percent to 6,827.46 as of 10:23 a.m. AJP Takeaways • Margin borrowing rose for a ninth straight trading day to 33.34 trillion won as of Aug. 28. • Borrowing increased by 101.71 billion won on the KOSDAQ while falling by 92.75 billion won on the KOSPI. • Investor deposits approached 100 trillion won, while unpaid balances and forced liquidations declined. 2026-09-01 11:11:52
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 and 27, drawing an overall competition ratio of 2.85 to 1. The subdued response comes as several newly listed companies have struggled in their first sessions, weighing on sentiment toward upcoming offerings. KIDO Industrial, an industrial safety equipment maker, Nearthlab, a drone technology company, and Haechitech, a semiconductor equipment maker, all ended their first trading day below their respective IPO prices. Sky Labs develops wearable devices that allow users to measure health indicators through a ring worn on the finger. Its flagship product, Cardio Tracker (CART), is an artificial intelligence-powered, ring-shaped cuffless blood pressure monitor designed to continuously monitor blood pressure without a conventional arm cuff. According to the company, CART has undergone clinical validation and received regulatory approvals in South Korea, Europe and Britain. It is used to collect blood pressure data in hospitals and patients' daily lives. The company plans to use the technology to measure a broader range of health indicators, including pulse, respiratory rate and body temperature. It also plans to track blood oxygen levels and expand its medical data business. AJP Takeaways • Sky Labs is scheduled to list on the KOSDAQ on Sept. 4, 2026, with an offering price of 10,000 won per share. • More than 60 percent of institutional investors' bookbuilding orders for Sky Labs were submitted below the lower end of the proposed price range. • Sky Labs develops a ring-type wearable that measures blood pressure and plans to expand into broader health monitoring and medical data services. 2026-08-31 17:38:03
South Korea expands financial education for soldiers SEOUL, August 31 (AJP) - South Korea will step up financial education for young soldiers as higher military pay and savings programs leave them with more money to manage, while concerns grow over exposure to online gambling, risky investments and high-interest loans. The Financial Services Commission (FSC) said Monday its Financial Education Council approved a plan to strengthen financial training for military personnel, with the Ministry of National Defense (MND), Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) and other agencies taking part. The initiative will move beyond lecture-style instruction and focus more on practical skills, including one-on-one financial counseling, debt management and help with savings and investment decisions. The focus reflects the importance of military service in shaping young people's financial habits. For many, it is the first time they regularly receive a salary and build substantial savings. Habits formed during that period can continue to influence spending, saving and investment decisions after they leave the military. The need for better guidance has grown as higher military pay and government-backed savings programs give young soldiers more money to manage. At the same time, authorities said they are increasingly exposed to online gambling, risky investments such as cryptocurrency, misleading investment information and high-interest loans. Outstanding military loans from the 30 largest moneylenders registered with the FSC stood at 44.4 billion won ($32.2 million) at the end of 2025. In the same year, 432 military personnel received help with repaying about 10.2 billion won ($7.4 million) in debt through the Credit Counseling and Recovery Service. To address those risks, the government will expand one-on-one counseling on managing salaries and expenses, planning savings and handling larger sums of money. Those struggling with credit or debt will receive separate support, starting with an online assessment and followed by phone counseling. Private channels will also be available for debt-related questions that may be difficult to raise openly. The government also plans to make the training easier to access through short-form videos and entertainment-style content. One model is a military finance program produced for Korean Forces Network (KFN) TV that uses real financial concerns raised by soldiers and has experts suggest possible solutions. More attention will also be given to investment and borrowing risks. Beginning in the second half of 2026, financial industry groups will run on-site programs using real cases to explain online gambling and debt-financed investing. The programs will also cover the risks of cryptocurrency, leveraged products and high-interest loans. Current and former financial industry employees, analysts and private bankers will also be brought in to teach basic asset management, investing and credit management. To encourage participation, the government is considering awards and certificates for those who take an active part, along with possible financial benefits tied to healthy saving and money-management habits. The MND already provides at least two hours of financial education a year for military personnel, while the FSS and other public agencies offer training at military bases. However, the FSC said the current system relies heavily on lectures and public institutions and provides little incentive to take part voluntarily. The new approach is intended to give young people a more active role in solving their own financial problems instead of simply receiving information. The government will gradually roll out new content, counseling services and industry-led programs. It will review feedback from military personnel and instructors as the measures expand. The filing said the broader goal is to help young people build better financial habits during military service, improve their money-management skills and prepare for life after discharge. AJP Takeaways • The Financial Services Commission approved a plan on Aug. 31, 2026, to expand practical financial education and one-on-one counseling for South Korean military personnel. • The Financial Services Commission said outstanding military loans from the 30 largest registered moneylenders totaled 44.4 billion won ($32.2 million) at the end of 2025. • The Credit Counseling and Recovery Service helped 432 military personnel repay about 10.2 billion won ($7.4 million) in debt in 2025. 2026-08-31 16:18:42
FSS to hold public hearing before toughening financial consumer rights SEOUL, August 31 (AJP) -South Korea's financial watchdog will put its consumer protection efforts under public scrutiny next month as regulators face mounting criticism over safeguards surrounding leveraged single-stock ETFs, which intensified a retail investment frenzy before the market rout left individual investors nursing heavy losses. The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) said Monday it will hold a public forum on Sept. 17 in Seoul with about 250 participants, including consumers, financial industry officials, representatives from related institutions and outside experts. The event comes as investor protection has moved to the center of the regulatory debate following the controversial introduction of leveraged products tied to individual stocks. Their rapid uptake among retail investors raised questions over whether warnings, education and other safeguards were sufficient for products capable of magnifying losses as well as gains. The event will review progress under a reform plan introduced on Dec. 22 last year that focuses on preventing consumer harm before it occurs, rather than addressing losses afterward. The plan covers investment, insurance and other financial products from their design and sale to how they are managed after purchase. It aims to give consumers clearer information about risks such as potential investment losses and limits on insurance coverage, while providing early warnings when stock-linked products are at risk of principal losses. It also includes measures to combat illegal private lending, voice phishing, insurance fraud and investment scams, while improving transparency around loan rates and other financial practices. At the first session, the FSS will review the measures it has taken so far and the progress made. Financial firms will share examples of how they have improved the way financial products are developed and sold and strengthened internal controls. Experts will assess those efforts and offer recommendations on how the regulatory framework should develop further. The second session will focus on remaining challenges. Panelists will include members of the FSS' Financial Consumer Protection Advisory Committee, as well as representatives from the legal community, media, civic groups and the public. Participants will also be invited to share their experiences and raise questions directly with FSS executives during an open discussion. The forum is intended to give the regulator a clearer picture of consumers' concerns and priorities as it considers what should come next. Anyone can apply to attend from Aug. 31 through Sept. 8, with attendees selected at random. The two-hour event, scheduled from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., will be livestreamed on the FSS' official YouTube channel. Presentation materials, panel discussions and the question-and-answer session will later be available on its website. The FSS said it will continue seeking feedback from consumers as it works to strengthen protections across the financial sector. AJP Takeaways • The Financial Supervisory Service will hold a public forum on Sept. 17 to review its consumer protection efforts and seek feedback on future measures. • The regulator's plan aims to prevent harm before it occurs by strengthening protections around financial products, including clearer risk information and earlier warnings about possible losses. • About 250 participants, including consumers, financial industry officials and outside experts, are expected to attend, with applications open through Sept. 8. 2026-08-31 15:52:41
Samsung, SK hynix dominate Korea's stock-rich C-suite SEOUL, August 31 (AJP) -Nine out of 10 stock-rich C-suite executives are affiliated with Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, underscoring the sharp rise of the stock-market stature of South Korea’s two chipmakers. A total of 398 executives at listed companies affiliated with Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor and LG held shares worth more than 1 billion won ($720,000) as of Aug. 24, according to a report released Monday by corporate analysis firm Korea CXO Research Institute. Their combined holdings were valued at 1.05 trillion won. Samsung Electronics accounted for 256 of the 398 executives, or 64.3 percent of the total, while SK hynix had 107, or 26.9 percent. Together, the two chipmakers accounted for 363 executives. That was 91.2 percent of those with shareholdings worth more than 1 billion won. The gap was even wider by group. Samsung affiliates had 269 executives above the threshold and SK had 122, meaning the two conglomerates together represented 98.2 percent of the total. Hyundai Motor Group had just four, while LG had three. The research institute attributed much of the gap to differences in compensation practices. Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have increasingly paid part of employee and executive performance bonuses in company shares, helping executives build larger holdings. The impact was clear over the past three months. The number of Samsung Electronics executives with holdings worth more than 1 billion won jumped 50.6 percent to 256 from 170 on May 13. At SK hynix, the figure rose 21.6 percent to 107 from 88. Combined, the number rose 40.7 percent even as share prices fell over the same period. Samsung Electronics shares dropped 9.5 percent and SK hynix fell 15.4 percent. At the top of the list, 12 executives held company shares worth at least 10 billion won. Six were from Samsung, five from SK and one from Hyundai Motor Group, while none came from LG. Samsung Electronics President Roh Tae-moon topped the list with 124,280 shares valued at about 31.94 billion won based on the company's Aug. 24 closing price of 257,000 won. He was the only executive outside the controlling families of the four groups with more than 30 billion won in company shares. SK hynix President Kwak Noh-jung ranked second with holdings worth 23.92 billion won. SK Square Chief Investment Officer Song Jason followed with 18.31 billion won. Samsung Electronics President Park Hak-kyu held 18.08 billion won, while Hyundai AutoEver executive Suh Dong-kwon had 16.55 billion won. The institute examined 62 listed affiliates of the four groups and calculated the value of common shares held by executives named in their first-half regulatory filings using Aug. 24 closing prices. AJP Takeaways • Samsung Electronics and SK hynix executives account for 91.2 percent of executives outside the controlling families at South Korea’s four biggest groups with company shares worth more than 1 billion won. • Their numbers rose 40.7 percent over three months even as both chipmakers’ share prices fell, pointing to the effect of stock-based compensation. • Samsung Electronics President Roh Tae-moon topped the ranking with holdings worth about 31.94 billion won. 2026-08-31 12:11:36
Hot Stock: SK Innovation up 6% on $1 billion U.S. battery deal SEOUL, August 31 (AJP) - Shares of South Korean energy company SK Innovation jumped nearly 6 percent Monday after its battery unit SK on secured a major order for energy storage system (ESS) batteries in the U.S. Shares traded 5.65 percent higher at 123,500 won ($89.57) as of 10:44 a.m. on the KOSPI, standing out in a bearish market with the key index losing nearly 2 percent. The stock opened at 119,300 won and rose as high as 125,300 won in early trading. The rally came after SK on said it signed a five-year deal with U.S. energy storage company NeoVolta Power to supply 9 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) pouch battery cells from 2027 through 2031. LFP is a battery chemistry known for relatively low cost, safety and long life. The agreement is estimated to be worth about 1.5 trillion won ($1.09 billion). The cells will be produced at SK on's plant in Georgia, with the long-term order expected to help raise utilization at its U.S. facilities. NeoVolta Power, a subsidiary of NeoVolta, manufactures energy storage systems at a facility in Pendergrass, Georgia. The partnership could expand further, with an additional 9 GWh supply agreement planned for this year. If completed, the two deals would bring the total volume to 18 GWh. The deal also supports SK on's push beyond electric vehicle batteries and into energy storage. ESS systems store electricity and release it when needed, and the battery maker is targeting 20 GWh of new orders in the global market this year. Higher oil prices also provided support for SK Innovation, which operates refining and petrochemical businesses. Brent crude rose about 1.4 percent to $89.38 a barrel in Asian trading Monday after U.S. forces struck Iranian launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz. The gains marked a rebound after recent pressure on the stock. SK Innovation said on Aug. 25 that it would absorb SK IE Technology (SKIET), a battery materials subsidiary it spun off in 2019. Shares fell for two consecutive sessions following the announcement before recovering some of the losses. AJP Takeaways • SK Innovation shares traded 5.65 percent higher at 123,500 won ($89.57) as of 10:44 a.m. on the KOSPI. • SK On agreed to supply NeoVolta Power with 9 GWh of LFP battery cells over five years from 2027, with the contract estimated by industry sources at about 1.5 trillion won ($1.09 billion). • SK On plans to produce the cells in Georgia and is pursuing further cooperation that could expand its business with NeoVolta Power to 18 GWh. 2026-08-31 11:17:41
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 the company listed on the KOSDAQ in December 2023. To encourage participation, the firm has continued to offer employees opportunities to acquire shares after the listing, providing support including low-interest loans and flexible repayment periods. The initiative is intended to give employees a direct a stake in the company's long-term growth and align their interests with its performance. The latest purchases follow open-market buying by CEO Park Young-woo, who has been acquiring shares since June. Shares, however, traded 4.36 percent lower at 8,560 won ($6.21) as of 9:36 a.m. Monday on the KOSDAQ. They opened at 8,740 won and fell as low as 8,440 won in early trading. Y-Biologics develops antibody-based therapeutics through its proprietary drug pipeline and partnerships with other drug developers. The biotech firm aims to broaden its portfolio and strengthen its position in the global antibody therapeutics market. AJP Takeaways • Y-Biologics completed its third employee share purchase since its KOSDAQ listing in December 2023, with about 65 percent of employees now owning company shares. • Y-Biologics supports employee purchases through measures including low-interest loans and flexible repayment periods. • Y-Biologics develops antibody-based drug candidates through its proprietary discovery technologies, internal pipeline and strategic partnerships. 2026-08-31 10:04:41
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, trading resumed Thursday after the company completed the listing procedures related to the consolidation. PARU consolidated every two common shares into one, raising the face value of each share to 1,000 won from 500 won and reducing the number of issued shares to 20.90 million from 41.80 million. The company said the move was aimed at stabilizing its share price and enhancing shareholder value. Trading had been suspended since Aug. 4 while the consolidation process was completed. PARU, founded in 1993, develops renewable energy equipment and printed electronics technologies. Its solar business includes tracking systems that adjust the position of solar panels to follow the sun and improve power generation efficiency. The company has spent more than three decades developing technologies in renewable energy and related fields. It has expanded its business both at home and overseas, drawing on experience in clean energy projects and advanced manufacturing technologies. PARU said it aims to strengthen its renewable energy business while pursuing new technologies focused on cleaner energy and improved efficiency. The company has also emphasized responsible management and environmental, social and governance practices as part of its long-term growth strategy. AJP Takeaways • PARU closed 10.82 percent higher Friday, extending its rally to a second session after trading resumed following a share consolidation. • The company combined every two common shares into one, halving the number of issued shares to 20.90 million while raising the face value per share to 1,000 won. • Founded in 1993, PARU develops renewable energy and printed electronics technologies, including solar tracking systems designed to improve power generation efficiency. 2026-08-28 17:37:51
Is KOSPI party over, or moving to Wall Street? SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) — South Korea's stock-market party is thinning fast. Average daily trading across the country's two equity platforms has nearly halved from June's 99.39 trillion won ($72.2 billion), cash parked in brokerage accounts has retreated sharply from its peak and the KOSPI's share turnover has sunk to the lowest level this year. Yet the missing activity does not look like a wholesale flight from Korean equities. Foreign investors still own nearly 40 percent of the KOSPI by market value, only modestly below their share near the June peak. Korean investors, meanwhile, were already deeply invested abroad before the latest slowdown and now hold more than $185 billion in U.S. stocks alone. An analyst at a South Korean brokerage said the recent increase in overseas investment does not necessarily indicate a structural shift away from the domestic market. “We have continued to see money move back and forth between Korean and overseas stocks,” he said. “At this point, it looks more like rotation within the market. Retail investors are very sensitive to returns, and recent volatility in the Korean market has also played a role.” The emerging picture, then, is less one of a party abruptly ending than of the KOSPI moving from a speculative frenzy into a plateau around 7,000, while Korean investors spread more of their money between Seoul and Wall Street. The change in market velocity is unmistakable. With investors able to trade Korean stocks on both the Korea Exchange (KRX) and alternative trading platform Nextrade (NXT), combined average daily trading value fell from 99.39 trillion won in June to 66.25 trillion won in July and 50.74 trillion won from Aug. 3 through Thursday. That represents a 48.9 percent decline from red-hot June. The fall cannot be explained by investors simply shifting trades from the KRX to NXT. Average daily turnover on the KRX dropped 46.5 percent to 32.28 trillion won this month from 60.36 trillion won in June, while NXT turnover fell 52.7 percent to 18.46 trillion won from 39.03 trillion won. The contrast becomes even starker against individual days near the height of the rally. The KOSPI closed at 9,052.42 on June 19 after touching an intraday record of 9,385.59. Trading value reached about 67.26 trillion won that day. By Thursday, when the index closed at 6,912.37, KOSPI turnover was just 22.5 trillion won — roughly one-third of the June 19 level. Market participation indicators tell much the same story. The average daily turnover ratio of KOSPI-listed shares fell to 0.54 percent from Aug. 1 through Aug. 26, the lowest this year. The ratio had risen from 0.86 percent in January to 1.74 percent in March before retreating to 1.13 percent in May, 0.81 percent in June and 0.72 percent in July. Retail trading has cooled almost as quickly. Average daily trading value by individual investors on KRX markets fell to 24.05 trillion won through Thursday from 46.77 trillion won in June, a 48.6 percent drop. Cash waiting for the next trade is also disappearing. Investor deposits at brokerage firms, a widely followed gauge of money available to buy stocks, approached 140 trillion won on June 4 as the KOSPI raced through successive milestones. The balance had fallen to 98.92 trillion won as of Aug. 26, nearly 30 percent below the June peak. Comparable data put the balance at about 102.5 trillion won on Aug. 25, after dipping into the 97 trillion won range earlier in August. The shrinking pool of trading cash is important because it suggests the slowdown is broader than investors merely waiting for a better entry point while keeping their money inside securities accounts. Still, Wall Street cannot account for all the missing money. Korean investors' U.S. stock holdings reached $185.6 billion as of Aug. 24, up 8.3 percent from $163.6 billion a month earlier, according to Korea Securities Depository (KSD) data. Net buying has also revived. Korean investors returned to net purchases of U.S. equities worth about $633 million in June after selling in April and May, before purchases surged to $4.64 billion in July. Recent buying has remained aggressive, particularly in technology and semiconductor-related assets. Leveraged semiconductor exchange-traded funds, memory-chip investments and major U.S. technology companies have ranked among the most heavily purchased securities. The analyst also pointed to the exchange rate as another factor supporting overseas investment. “Investors who had been concerned about the exchange rate are feeling less burdened about investing overseas as the won has strengthened,” he said. The currency has appreciated into the 1,370-per-dollar range from above 1,400 earlier this month, reducing the amount of won Korean investors need to acquire the dollars required for U.S. investments. The scale of Korea's overseas portfolio is already far larger than the latest monthly flows suggest. Bank of Korea data show Korean residents held a record $3.08 trillion in external financial assets at the end of June. Securities investments alone amounted to $1.38 trillion, up $142.7 billion during the second quarter as overseas equity markets rallied. The BOK's June balance-of-payments financial account also captured the two-way movement of capital. Net financial assets increased by a record $46.71 billion during the month. Korean residents increased overseas portfolio assets by $3.56 billion overall, with overseas equity investment rising $7.53 billion. Foreign portfolio investment in Korea, by contrast, decreased by $26.32 billion, including a record $31.61 billion decline in foreign investment in Korean stocks. Large foreign selling flows, however, have not translated into anything resembling foreign abandonment of the Korean market. Foreign investors' share of KOSPI market capitalization stood at about 39.49 percent in the latest reading, compared with a peak of 41.58 percent in late June. Foreigners therefore remain enormous owners of Korean stocks even after months of net selling. Earlier in August, their market-cap share was still around 39 percent despite cumulative selling that had exceeded 160 trillion won during the year. The distinction between flow and stock helps explain what is happening. Foreign investors have taken profits and reduced positions, but they have not deserted the KOSPI. Korean retail investors are trading far less at home and buying more U.S. stocks, but the increase in Wall Street purchases is nowhere near large enough to explain the entire collapse in Seoul turnover or brokerage deposits. The investor who appears to be leaving fastest is therefore the marginal trader — the investor who chased momentum, traded frequently or kept large sums immediately available during the extraordinary climb toward 9,000. The underlying pool of capital remains much larger and more patient. The KOSPI itself reflects the transition. Thursday's 6,912.37 close was 23.6 percent below its June 19 close and more than 26 percent below the record intraday high, but it was also about 22 percent above the July 29 close of 5,663.24. Instead of continuing either the June melt-up or July collapse, the index has increasingly gravitated toward the high-6,000 range, repeatedly approaching 7,000 without decisively breaking through it. The next test may therefore be less about whether Korean investors have fallen out of love with stocks than whether the KOSPI can attract enough fresh money to escape its new plateau. A sustained move above 7,000 accompanied by recovering turnover, rising investor deposits and broader foreign buying would suggest the party has merely taken an intermission. Another run at 7,000 on thin volume would tell a different story. The music may still be playing in Seoul, but many of the partygoers are no longer dancing — and a growing number are keeping Wall Street within walking distance. AJP Takeaways • KOSPI trading activity has nearly halved from June, with combined average daily turnover on the KRX and Nextrade falling 48.9 percent as South Korea's stock-market frenzy cools. • Korean investors are increasing U.S. equity exposure, with U.S. stock holdings reaching $185.6 billion in August and July net purchases surging to $4.64 billion. • Foreign investors have sold heavily but have not abandoned South Korea, retaining about 39.5 percent of KOSPI market capitalization compared with roughly 41.6 percent near the June peak. • The KOSPI increasingly looks to be forming a plateau around 7,000, leaving trading volume, brokerage deposits and foreign inflows as key signals for whether Seoul's rally can restart. 2026-08-28 17:04:46