Journalist

Ryu Yuna
  • BTS Comeback D-46: world tour map affirming global reach
    BTS Comeback D-46: world tour map affirming global reach SEOUL, February 03 (AJP) - Nearly four years after stepping away as a full group for mandatory military service, BTS is returning with a touring footprint that underlines just how much ground it covered — and how much leverage it still holds — in the global live music economy. A yearlong world tour spanning 80-plus stadium shows in roughly 30 cities across five continents is taking shape, positioning BTS’s comeback as one of the largest live music undertakings in recent years. The opening statement will be characteristically symbolic: a kickoff performance in central Seoul’s Gwanghwamun area on March 31, set to stream live on Netflix — the platform’s first livestreamed concert originating from South Korea. The scale reinforces a long-standing narrative around BTS: that the group functions less as a touring act than as a global cultural asset. When CNN recently revisited “BTS in Numbers,” it highlighted how rare it is for artists to sustain tours of this magnitude. Historically, only a handful of legacy names — Elton John, Bruce Springsteen and the Rolling Stones — have pushed tours into triple-digit show counts over multiple years. BTS’s own benchmarks already place it in that company. Since debuting in 2013, the group has logged six No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, while its four-night stadium run in Los Angeles in 2021 generated $33.3 million from more than 200,000 tickets, then the highest-grossing Boxscore ever recorded by a non-English-language artist. At home, government estimates have pegged BTS’s economic contribution at $4.9 billion in 2019, cementing its status as a national soft-power asset. That demand was forged on the road. The “Love Yourself” World Tour (2018–2019) set an early global benchmark for non-English-language acts, grossing about $196.4 million across 42 shows and drawing an estimated 1.6 million fans worldwide, according to Billboard Boxscore. Sold-out stadium dates at venues such as London’s Wembley Stadium and Seoul’s Olympic Stadium signaled that BTS had crossed decisively into the top tier of global touring. The follow-up, “Permission to Dance On Stage” in 2022, was intentionally limited after pandemic disruptions but no less telling. A four-night run at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium attracted roughly 214,000 attendees, underscoring sustained demand even as the group prepared for enlistment. The upcoming 2026–2027 “Arirang” World Tour raises the bar again. Official schedules point to 82 shows across 34 cities in 23 countries, making it BTS’s most expansive itinerary to date. Early ticketing signals have been striking. In Mexico, local reports said as many as one million fans attempted to secure roughly 150,000 available seats, while rapid sellouts have been reported across parts of North America and Europe. Some industry reports have cited 41 major stadium dates selling out globally, with total ticket sales estimated at around 2.4 million, though final figures remain under review. HYBE said it is still in the process of aggregating ticket sales data and reviewing venue-level details, noting that assessments are ongoing to determine whether additional seats can be released at certain locations. The company added that it is still reviewing potential dates for stops in Japan and the Middle East, which have yet to be officially announced. Financial markets are watching closely. Analysts increasingly frame the tour not simply as entertainment, but as a large-scale global content business. Im Do-young of Daol Investment & Securities estimates that ticket revenue alone could reach 1.1 trillion to 1.2 trillion won, rising toward 1.5 trillion won when official merchandise sales are included, assuming the full schedule is completed. At that level, the tour would rank among the largest ever mounted by a single artist. At home, pricing will offer an early test of elasticity. BTS’s South Korea leg begins in April at Goyang Stadium, with tickets priced at 264,000 won for sound check, 220,000 won for General R, and 198,000 won for General S, according to Interpark. Positioned at the upper end of the stadium touring range, the shows will serve as a bellwether for how far premium pricing can stretch in a post-pandemic, post-inflation concert market. For the global live music industry, BTS’s return is more than a reunion tour. It is a stress test — of demand, pricing power and scale — unfolding in real time, with few modern precedents. 2026-02-03 17:06:59
  • Asian markets recover as Warsh shock fades, KOSPI surges above 5,100
    Asian markets recover as Warsh shock fades, KOSPI surges above 5,100 SEOUL, February 03 (AJP) -Asian markets recovered Tuesday, led by the Korean market erasing much of the previous session’s steep losses after a brief bout of panic triggered by the nomination of hawkish monetary policy advocate Kevin Warsh as the next U.S. Federal Reserve chair. The benchmark KOSPI surged 4.16 percent to move back above the 5,100 level, after briefly dipping below the 5,000 mark on Monday's slide of 5.26 percent . As of 10 a.m., the index was up 206.07 points at 5,156.74, prompting the activation of a buy-side sidecar. Gains were broad-based across sectors. Securities firms led the rally, jumping more than 9 percent, while electronics and electrical stocks climbed around 5 percent. Construction and financial shares rose over 4 percent, and distribution, machinery and equipment, telecommunications, and medical and precision instrument stocks advanced by roughly 3 percent. Heavyweights also traded firmly higher. SK Square gained 5.84 percent to 535,000 won, while Samsung Electronics and SK hynix each rose over 6 percent to 160,700 won, 898,000 won respectively. Samsung C&T climbed about 4.98 percent to 305,000 won, with Hanwha Aerospace and Doosan Enerbility up more than 4 percent to 1,285,000 won and 89,400 won each. Hanwha Ocean, KB Financial Group and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries posted gains of around 3 percent, trading at 139,500 won, 137,400 won and 574,000 won respectively. The rally extended to the auto sector, Hyundai Motor rose 1.67 percent to 486,000 won, Kia up 0.73 percent to 151,200 won. The tech-heavy KOSDAQ also advanced, rising 2.68 percent, or 29.45 points, to 1,127.81. Among large-cap stocks, Wonik IPS surged more than 12 percent to 114,500 won, while Rainbow Robotics jumped over 9.27 percent to 778,000 won. Samchundang Pharm rose around 13 percent to 527,000 won, Caregen gained 9.13 percent to 116,000 won and Medy-Tox affiliate Mezzion gained about 7.35 percent to percent 169.800 won. In the currency market, the won strengthened as the U.S. dollar slipped 6.1 won to 1,447.40 won. Elsewhere in Asia, Japanese shares were trading higher, with the Nikkei 225 Index gaining 2.96 percent to 54,212.79. The China’s Shanghai Composite rose 0.59 percent to 4,039.34. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index was trading up 0.69 percent to 26,959,76. 2026-02-03 10:51:30
  • Grammys 2026: tantalizingly within reach — and quietly setting the stage for BTS return
    Grammys 2026: tantalizingly within reach — and quietly setting the stage for BTS' return SEOUL, February 02 (AJP) - The door finally opened wider for K-pop at the Grammy Awards, but not quite wide enough to let it walk through with a haul of trophies. At the 68th ceremony, K-pop-linked artists and works appeared across multiple nominations, signaling growing institutional comfort with the genre. Yet when the night ended, the Grammys remained — as they have long been — tantalizingly within reach. The most symbolic breakthrough came not from a performance category, but from behind the scenes. “Golden,” an original song from Netflix’s animated film K-Pop Demon Hunters, won Best Song Written for Visual Media, marking the first Grammy victory tied to a Korean-origin music production. Crucially, the award recognized songwriting and production, not chart power or stage presence — a rare acknowledgment of Korean creators’ craft rather than their commercial momentum. Major U.S. outlets took note. The New York Times framed the win as a corrective to K-pop’s long absence from Grammy history, while AP News underscored its status as the first Grammy win by a K-pop-linked project. If the trophies were scarce, the visibility was not. ROSÉ delivered a polished live debut with Bruno Mars, performing “APT.” — the first main-stage Grammy performance by a K-pop female soloist. Despite nominations across three major fields, the song ultimately went home without a win, a reminder of how unforgiving the top Grammy categories remain. Rookie girl group KATSEYE also made its Grammy stage debut as part of the Best New Artist showcase, performing “Gnarly.” Formed through a hybrid K-pop training system backed by HYBE and Geffen Records, the group was nominated for Best New Artist, an award that went to Olivia Dean. The media reaction reflected a shift in tone rather than triumphalism. Cosmopolitan highlighted ROSÉ’s appearance as a milestone for K-pop soloists, while Pitchfork pointed to the density of competition in Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, where “APT.” and KATSEYE’s “Gabriela” faced off against mainstream heavyweights. The category ultimately went to Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo for “Defying Gravity” from Wicked — a result that underscored the category’s ceiling rather than K-pop’s shortcomings. Critics and fans largely agreed: the absence of trophies did little to dull the night’s significance. Two K-pop acts appearing in core Grammy contexts in the same year marked a clean break from the past. This was no longer about a singular breakthrough or novelty moment, but about sustained presence — a recalibration of how K-pop fits into the Grammy ecosystem. Much of that recalibration traces back to BTS. Through repeated nominations and high-profile standalone performances in the early 2020s, the group redefined how non-English-language artists could occupy the Grammy main stage. While a major Grammy win has so far eluded them, their groundwork made space for artists like ROSÉ, KATSEYE and Korean-produced content to be taken seriously within the institution. That context matters as BTS prepares a full-scale return in March. The group’s comeback tour — spanning 34 regions and more than 80 shows — has already sold out stadiums worldwide, with roughly 2.4 million tickets snapped up across 41 venues. Additional dates are being added amid explosive demand, drawing attention well beyond the music industry. Seen this way, the 2026 Grammys were less a verdict than a positioning exercise. The trophies remain just out of reach, but closer than ever. By the time BTS winds down its Arirang album tour and the next Grammy night arrives, the distance may no longer feel teasing — but measured in inches rather than miles. 2026-02-02 16:37:55
  • Hawkish Fed expectations weigh on markets, drag Korean shares lower
    Hawkish Fed expectations weigh on markets, drag Korean shares lower SEOUL, February 02 (AJP) – Asian stocks fell broadly after U.S. President Donald Trump nominated former Federal Reserve governor Kevin Warsh as the next Fed chair, prompting investors to scale back expectations for further interest-rate cuts. Warsh is widely viewed as an inflation hawk, and his nomination triggered a shift in rate expectations that rippled through financial markets. South Korean equities opened lower, U.S. stock futures weakened, gold and silver prices fell sharply, and the U.S. dollar strengthened. The dollar traded at 1,459.00 won, up 7.00 won from the previous session. South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI index stood at 5,157.36 as of 10:24 a.m., down 1.27 percent, while the tech-heavy KOSDAQ slipped 1.19 percent to 1,135.87. Stocks slid at the open as foreign investors stepped up selling amid a sharp rise in the won-dollar exchange rate. Losses narrowed later as individual investors moved in to buy on dips. Individual investors purchased a net 1.4755 trillion won worth of shares in early trading, while foreign and institutional investors sold a net 1.5 trillion won and 44.7 billion won, respectively. Most heavyweight stocks traded lower. Samsung Electronics fell 1.18 percent to 158,600 won, while chipmaker SK hynix dropped 2.86 percent to 26,000 won. Battery maker LG Energy Solution slipped 0.25 percent to 397,000 won. Financial and biotech shares also weakened, with Samsung Life Insurance down 1.33 percent to 185,800 won and Samsung Biologics losing 0.34 percent to 1,739,000 won. Automakers bucked the broader decline. Hyundai Motor rose 0.40 percent to 502,000 won, while Kia gained 1.51 percent to 154,900 won. Defense and aerospace stocks also edged higher, with Hanwha Aerospace up 0.08 percent at 1,301,000 won. Shipbuilders traded mixed. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries fell 0.52 percent to 572,000 won, while Hanwha Ocean climbed 1.73 percent to 140,900 won. 2026-02-02 10:45:49
  • SK hynix marches toward historic milestone in otherwise lackluster Asian market
    SK hynix marches toward historic milestone in otherwise lackluster Asian market SEOUL, January 30 (AJP) — SK hynix continued its relentless advance Friday, propelled by frenzied retail buying toward the symbolic 1-million-won milestone, even as broader Asian markets struggled for direction. The chipmaker's surge briefly lifted Korea's benchmark KOSPI above the 5,300 level earlier in the session, though the index later pared gains to finish nearly flat at 5,224.36. The junior KOSDAQ retreated 1.29 percent to 1,149.44, taking a breather after a stunning run earlier this week. The won weakened to 1,441 per dollar as the greenback strengthened globally. The move followed reports that former Federal Reserve governor Kevin Warsh is emerging as a leading candidate to become the next Fed chair, a development that pushed U.S. Treasury yields higher and added pressure on emerging-market currencies. Heavy retail buying offset selling by foreign investors and institutions. Individual investors snapped up a net 2.30 trillion won worth of shares, while foreigners and institutions sold a net 1.97 trillion won and 424.7 billion won, respectively. Market attention remained firmly on SK hynix, which continued to outperform on strong AI-related demand. The shares extended gains into afternoon trading, buoyed by rising interest from global retail investors and a target-price upgrade from Citigroup. Citing expectations of sharp increases in DRAM and NAND prices, Citi raised its target price to 1.4 million won. Despite intermittent profit-taking, strength in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and sustained AI-driven demand underpinned additional buying, sending the stock up 5.57 percent to close at 909,000 won. Gains, however, were largely confined to SK hynix. Most heavyweight stocks retreated, with Samsung Electronics edging down 0.12 percent to 160,500 won. Samsung Biologics slid 1.75 percent to 1,745,000 won, Samsung Life Insurance fell 1.93 percent to 188,300 won, and LG Energy Solution dropped 4.44 percent to 398,000 won. In the defense and aerospace sector, Hanwha Aerospace closed unchanged at 1,300,000 won. Shipbuilding stocks weakened, with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries falling 2.21 percent to 575,000 won and Hanwha Ocean down 2.40 percent to 138,500 won. Auto shares extended declines as tariff-related cost concerns continued to weigh on the sector. Hyundai Motor tumbled 5.30 percent to 500,000 won, while affiliate Kia slipped 1.48 percent to 152,600 won. Elsewhere in Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 dipped 0.10 percent to 53,322.85 amid unease over potential shifts in U.S. monetary-policy leadership. China’s Shanghai Composite fell 0.96 percent to 4,117.95. 2026-01-30 17:23:04
  • BTS Comeback D-50: How Koreas folk songs and heritage turned cool—and global
    BTS Comeback D-50: How Korea's folk songs and heritage turned cool—and global SEOUL, January 30 (AJP) — BTS has long stood for K-pop stardom, polished choreography and messages of resilience and love. But as the group matures, its center of gravity is shifting. The world’s most influential idol group is digging deeper into its Korean roots—and the global audience is following along. In the countdown to their long-awaited comeback, every move by the seven members is read as a cultural signal. Where they go, what they reference, even what they casually post now carries symbolic weight. RM’s recent visit to the National Folk Museum of Korea is a case in point—one quiet stop that set off a ripple effect far beyond museum walls. Interest in Korea’s traditional music and folk culture has been building steadily, fueled by BTS’s creative choices around comeback themes, song titles and locations. The museum itself leaned into that momentum. On Jan. 23, it announced a series of hands-on programs tied to a special exhibition on the cultural history of horses, running Jan. 24–25 and Feb. 7–8. The programs go well beyond passive viewing. Visitors can experience live performances of the Mongolian morin khuur (horse-head fiddle), make badges once used by secret royal inspectors of the Joseon dynasty, and practice calligraphy using brushes made from horsehair. In total, six interactive programs invite audiences to touch, hear and participate in history rather than simply observe it. To extend the experience online, the museum is also giving away a 2026 horse-themed calendar to the first 200 visitors who post photos of their visit on social media through Jan. 31—another nod to how heritage now travels through digital platforms. Attention surged after RM’s visit, drawing younger audiences who might not otherwise have stepped into a folk museum. The episode underscores a broader shift: when K-pop icons engage with traditional culture, museums stop feeling distant or static. Heritage becomes something you encounter, share and remix in everyday life. That same dynamic is at work in BTS’s decision to title its upcoming full-length album Arirang. The choice is more than nostalgic symbolism. It signals that Korea’s most iconic folk song—one shaped by migration, separation and endurance—is ready to speak in the language of global pop. The Guardian described the move as a cultural statement that places Korean tradition squarely on the world stage. Just as Arirang has been sung, adapted and reinterpreted across generations, Korea’s museums and cultural institutions are reactivating tradition through contemporary lenses. Rather than freezing the past behind glass, they are turning it into living content—experienced through performance, participation and platforms. As BTS’s comeback nears, tradition itself appears to be entering a new phase: preserved, reimagined and consumed globally. What began as a folk song or a museum visit now travels effortlessly across borders, proving that heritage, when given the right rhythm, can be as dynamic—and as global—as pop itself. 2026-01-30 15:26:15
  • Semiconductor rally lifts KOSPI to fresh record as SK hynix tops 900,000 won
    Semiconductor rally lifts KOSPI to fresh record as SK hynix tops 900,000 won SEOUL, January 30 (AJP) – Asian equities opened higher on Friday, with South Korean stocks leading the way. The KOSPI extended its rally to another intraday record, with SK hynix breaking above a new milestone. SK hynix shares climbed for a fourth straight session on Friday, breaking above the 900,000-won mark for the first time on record. As of 9:58 a.m. Seoul time, the stock was trading up 6.85 percent at 920,000 won. Improved investor sentiment followed its record earnings announced on Jan. 28, along with solid results from major U.S. technology companies overnight in New York and expectations of a red-hot earnings streak by the two memory behemoths as they report record results for 2025. The KOSPI was trading at 5,260.32 as of 10:48 a.m. local time, up 0.75 percent, while the tech-heavy KOSDAQ rose 0.11 percent to 1,165.74. Individual investors snapped up a net 312.5 billion won ($235 million), while foreign investors and institutions offloaded a net 102.2 billion won and 240.4 billion won, respectively. Among heavyweight stocks, Samsung Electronics rose 2.43 percent to 164,600 won, while LG Energy Solution fell 1.20 percent to 415,000 won. Samsung Life Insurance dropped 0.89 percent to 190,300 won, and Samsung Biologics slipped 0.73 percent to 1,763,000 won. Automakers traded lower, with Hyundai Motor falling 3.60 percent to 509,000 won and Kia sliding 0.97 percent to 153,400 won, as tariff-related cost pressures continued to weigh on the sector. Amid ongoing tariff headwinds, Hyundai Motor is accelerating efforts to expand production in the United States. The automaker plans to raise U.S. output to more than 1.2 million vehicles this year and increase the share of locally produced vehicles to 80 percent by 2030. The group sold 1.84 million vehicles in the U.S. last year, capturing an 11.3 percent market share, but produced only about 700,000 units locally, leaving around 60 percent of U.S. sales dependent on imports. As a result, Hyundai Motor’s tariff burden reached about 7.2 trillion won last year, contributing to a 24.2 percent drop in operating profit despite strong U.S. sales. Expanding U.S. production is widely seen as necessary to restore price competitiveness by reducing tariff, currency and logistics costs. Defense and aerospace shares declined, with Hanwha Aerospace down 0.62 percent at 1,292,000 won. Shipbuilders also traded lower. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries dropped 1.53 percent to 579,000 won, while Hanwha Ocean fell 2.04 percent to 139,000 won. Risk-off sentiment intensified after U.S. stocks fell sharply overnight on technology-led losses and renewed concerns over a potential artificial intelligence bubble. Adding to caution, the Trump administration again named South Korea a currency monitoring country in the U.S. Treasury Department’s latest semiannual report, pushing the dollar higher in early trading. The dollar was trading at 1,425.90 won, up 0.90 won from the previous day. Elsewhere in Asia, Japanese shares were higher, with the Nikkei 225 gaining 0.31 percent to 53,538.44. 2026-01-30 11:13:49
  • BTS Comeback D-51: Solo hits resurface as fans turn the wait into a global replay
    BTS Comeback D-51: Solo hits resurface as fans turn the wait into a global replay SEOUL, Jan. 29 (AJP) — As the countdown to BTS’s long-awaited full-group comeback hits D-51, fans have found a familiar way to pass the time: by sending the group’s solo catalog back up the charts. Across streaming platforms and social media, past releases by BTS members are enjoying a renewed surge, turning the pause before reunion into a rolling retrospective of individual careers that never truly went quiet. For V (Kim Taehyung), the moment has arrived in gold. Music Canada recently awarded Gold Single certifications to four of his solo tracks — “Christmas Tree,” “Slow Dancing,” “Love Me Again,” and “FRI(END)S” — underscoring his sustained pull in the Canadian market. Music Canada, formerly the Canadian Recording Industry Association, bases its certifications on combined digital downloads, streams and physical sales. Released on Christmas Eve in 2021, “Christmas Tree” made history as the first Korean original soundtrack to enter the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, debuting at No. 55. It also charted on Billboard’s Holiday Hot 100 and topped the Digital Song Sales chart, becoming an enduring seasonal staple rather than a one-off hit. Tracks from V’s first solo album Layover followed a similar path. “Slow Dancing,” built on a jazz-pop sensibility, and “Love Me Again,” a soul-tinged dance-pop track, both earned Gold certification. “Love Me Again” has since crossed the 1-billion-stream mark on Spotify, making it V’s first solo entry into the platform’s Billions Club — a milestone fans continue to celebrate online well after the number itself has passed. “FRI(END)S,” meanwhile, debuted on Billboard’s Hot 100 and entered the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart at No. 13, later gaining new exposure as background music for Amazon Prime Video’s hit series The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3. If V’s catalog is being rediscovered, Jung Kook’s never left rotation. His solo debut single “Seven” continues its remarkable longevity, ranking No. 77 on Spotify’s Weekly Top Songs Global chart for the Jan. 16–22 tracking period with more than 12 million weekly streams. Since its release in November 2023, the song has remained on the global chart for more than two years, logging 132 consecutive weeks — the longest run ever for a song by an Asian solo artist. With cumulative streams approaching 2.8 billion, “Seven” is now Spotify’s most-streamed song released in 2023. Jung Kook’s first full-length album, GOLDEN, is charting with similar persistence. The album ranked No. 81 on Spotify’s Weekly Top Albums Global chart during the same period, extending its streak to 116 consecutive weeks — also a first and longest for an Asian solo artist. Its cumulative streams have surpassed 6.6 billion, the highest total for a full-length album by an Asian artist on the platform. Across all credits, Jung Kook’s Spotify streams have now exceeded 10.3 billion, making him the fastest Asian artist — and the first K-pop soloist — to reach the milestone. “Seven” has also maintained long-running positions on Billboard’s Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts, setting record-length runs on both. Beyond charts, the song’s afterlife continues to play out in fan spaces. On YouTube, a recent comment under the official “Seven” music video — “2026 anyone?” — drew thousands of likes, capturing how listeners continue to revisit the track years after release. Short-form platforms tell a similar story. Fan-made dance covers and clips using tracks from GOLDEN, including “Standing Next to You” and “Seven,” have remained in steady circulation on Instagram Reels and TikTok well into January 2026. One widely shared meme thread — “I have never listened to Jung Kook” followed by “Yes, you have” — humorously captures how often his music surfaces across viral content. That visibility spiked again in late 2025, when Jung Kook posted a surprise TikTok dance to “FaSHioN” by boy group CORTIS. The clip exploded, passing 30 million views and 7.6 million likes in a single day and triggering a wave of reposts, reaction videos and dance challenges. Official accounts joined in. TikTok Korea welcomed him back with a playful comment, while CORTIS’s own account called the moment “like a dream.” The clip eventually surpassed 100 million views, joining several other Jung Kook TikToks to cross the same threshold. Together, these moments show how the BTS countdown has become something more than a wait. As D-51 ticks down, solo songs once released as individual statements are being pulled back into the spotlight — not as placeholders, but as proof that even in pause, the group’s cultural gravity continues to expand. 2026-01-29 17:43:16
  • KOSPIs bull run pushes South Korea to worlds 10th-largest stock market
    KOSPI's bull run pushes South Korea to world's 10th-largest stock market SEOUL, January 28 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark KOSPI continued its bull run, closing at 5,170.81, while the junior KOSDAQ also finished above the 1,100 level at 1,133.52. The weeks-long rally that began at the start of the new year has lifted South Korea's stock market to a valuation of $3.25 trillion, surpassing Germany's $3.22 trillion and making it the world's 10th-largest stock market, just behind Taiwan, according to Bloomberg's compiled data. Wednesday's rally was led by semiconductor-related shares. Shares of SK hynix closed up 5.13 percent at 841,000 won, buoyed by the chipmaker's fourth-quarter earnings that showed operating profit surged 137.2 percent to 19.17 trillion won on strong chip demand. Samsung Electronics closed up 1.82 percent at 162,400 won, Samsung Biologics rose 0.06 percent to 1,791,000 won, Samsung Life Insurance gained 2.73 percent to 192,200 won, and LG Energy Solution jumped 5.51 percent to 431,000 won. Defense and aerospace stocks also traded higher, with Hanwha Aerospace rising 4.72 percent to 1,288,000 won. But shipbuilding-related shares were mixed, with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries falling 0.34 percent to 586,000 won, while Hanwha Ocean rose 2.06 percent to 143,400 won. Auto-related stocks also traded mixed, with Hyundai Motor closing up 0.82 percent at 492,500 won, while its affiliate Kia fell 2.48 percent to 149,700 won. Individual investors snapped up a net 1.213 trillion won, while foreign investors and institutions sold a net 13.52 billion won and 1.0397 trillion won, respectively. Individual investors snapped up a net 1.213 trillion won, while foreign and institutional investors offloaded a net 13.52 billion won and 1.0397 trillion won, respectively. The won strengthened sharply against the dollar, trading around 1,420 per dollar, its strongest level in weeks. Elsewhere in Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.05 percent to 53,358.71 and China's Shanghai Composite gained 0.27 percent to 4,151.24. 2026-01-28 17:43:05
  • Kias Q4, 2025 profit slides nearly 30% as U.S. tariffs bite despite record sales
    Kia's Q4, 2025 profit slides nearly 30% as U.S. tariffs bite despite record sales SEOUL, January 28 (AJP) - Kia Corp., South Korea’s second-largest automaker, saw its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 operating profit fall by around 30 percent as higher U.S. tariffs dented the bottom line despite record-high sales volumes and revenue. In its earnings filing Tuesday, Kia disclosed consolidated operating profit for the October–December period at 1.84 trillion won ($1.3 billion), up 26 percent from the previous quarter but down 32.2 percent from a year earlier. Quarterly revenue reached 28.09 trillion won, slipping 2.1 percent quarter on quarter but rising 3.5 percent from the same period last year, marking the company’s best for a fourth quarter. The automaker’s operating margin narrowed to 6.6 percent in the quarter, while the full-year margin stood at around 8.0 percent. Profitability was squeezed by a sharp rise in costs. The cost-of-sales ratio climbed to 81.7 percent from 78.8 percent a year earlier, dragging the gross margin down to 18.3 percent from 21.2 percent. Selling and administrative expenses also increased, further weighing on earnings. For the full year, Kia posted operating profit of 9.08 trillion won, down 28.3 percent from 12.67 trillion won in 2024, even as annual revenue jumped 6.2 percent to a record 114.14 trillion won. Global vehicle sales reached an all-time high of 3.14 million units. Korean-made vehicles, which had previously enjoyed near-zero duties under a bilateral free trade agreement, were hit with a uniform 25-percent “reciprocal” tariff from spring last year under the Trump administration. Although a subsequent trade deal lowered the rate to 15 percent — in line with tariffs applied to European and Japanese vehicles and retroactive to November — Kia said inventories at its U.S. operations were subject to the 25-percent duty for about two months. Weaker sales volumes trimmed operating profit by an additional 13.2 billion won. These impacts were partially offset by favorable foreign-exchange effects from a weaker won, which lifted profit by about 42.4 billion won, as well as pricing adjustments, an improved model mix and cost-cutting efforts. Balance-sheet metrics improved despite softer earnings. Kia’s debt ratio fell 4.3 percentage points year on year to 61.8 percent, while net cash rose to 19.64 trillion won as borrowings declined. Equity increased by 5.35 trillion won to 61.19 trillion won. Return on equity, however, slipped to 12.8 percent, reflecting the earnings slowdown. Kia shares closed down 2.48 percent at 149,700 won. 2026-01-28 16:20:13