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  • KOSPI Hits Record High for First Time in Two Months on Chip Optimism, Foreign Buying
    KOSPI Hits Record High for First Time in Two Months on Chip Optimism, Foreign Buying South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI closed at a record high, lifted by expectations of a semiconductor upturn and renewed foreign inflows. The Korea Exchange said the KOSPI finished Monday at 6,388.47, setting new intraday and closing records for the first time since February. The previous closing high was 6,307.27 on Feb. 26. Market capitalization also hit an all-time high of 5,236 trillion won. The index had slid sharply in March amid heightened U.S.-Iran tensions, but has rebounded this month as optimism over chip earnings and improved foreign demand supported a steady rise. Analysts cited expectations for a recovery in the semiconductor cycle, driven by expanding global demand for artificial intelligence memory and stronger forecasts for first-quarter results, which helped improve investor sentiment. Foreign investors, who had been net sellers in February and March, turned net buyers this month. About 5.6 trillion won flowed into the electrical and electronics sector, highlighting purchases concentrated in large-cap shares. The KOSPI has gained 26.4% in April, the highest among Group of 20 markets despite geopolitical risks in the Middle East. Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 15.2%, Turkey’s BIST 100 gained 13.2%, India’s BSE Sensex added 9.1% and the S&P 500 climbed 8.9%. Since the start of the year, the KOSPI is up 52%, also the strongest among major markets. Turkey followed at 29%, with Brazil up 22% and Japan up 17%. The exchange said continued government efforts to modernize capital markets, growth in the AI industry and improving chip earnings are supportive factors. It added that profit-taking after the recent run-up and uncertainty in the Middle East remain negative factors.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-21 17:58:36
  • Margin Debt Hits Record 34 Trillion Won as Stocks Rally; Analysts Warn of Volatility
    Margin Debt Hits Record 34 Trillion Won as Stocks Rally; Analysts Warn of Volatility The KOSPI closed at 6,388.47 on April 21, setting a record high, as outstanding margin loans also climbed to an all-time peak. With expectations for further gains, retail investors have increasingly used leverage to take part in the rally. The rapid inflow of funds, however, is also heightening concerns about bigger swings ahead. According to the Korea Financial Investment Association on April 21, outstanding margin loans totaled 34.2592 trillion won as of April 17. The balance rose broadly across both markets — 23.6256 trillion won in the KOSPI and 10.6336 trillion won in the KOSDAQ — surpassing the previous record of 34.0279 trillion won. The pace of growth has been steep. After first exceeding 30 trillion won at the end of January, the balance expanded to 32.6690 trillion won in February and 33.6945 trillion won in March, reaching the 34 trillion won range this month. Sideline cash flowing toward equities has also increased quickly. Investor deposits stood at 121.8173 trillion won the same day, up 11.5283 trillion won from the end of March. Compared with about 87 trillion won at the end of last year, that is an increase of more than 30 trillion won in roughly four and a half months. Money market fund balances were 258.8434 trillion won, holding near record levels, while CMA balances rose to 117.2523 trillion won, continuing an uptrend from the mid-110 trillion won range. The moves have been linked to improving sentiment. Expectations for renewed talks between the United States and Iran have eased geopolitical uncertainty, strengthening retail investors’ appetite for risk assets and lifting demand for margin trading. Margin loans typically expand quickly in rising markets, and the recent index gains appear to have encouraged leveraged bets. Analysts cautioned that heavier leverage can amplify volatility. Margin loans can fuel gains in an up market, but in a downturn they can trigger forced selling, adding to downward pressure. Brokerage analysts said sentiment has improved, but volatility tied to external factors remains a risk. Han Ji-young, a researcher at Kiwoom Securities, said U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks have been thrown into confusion by conflicting statements from both sides since last weekend. She added that markets should keep open the possibility of a two-week extension of the ceasefire negotiation deadline. Seo Sang-young, a researcher at Mirae Asset Securities, said President Donald Trump has suggested the chance of extending the ceasefire is low and indicated the possibility of renewed clashes if talks fail, while Iran has officially maintained distrust and a hard-line stance. As a result, he said, markets are staying cautious rather than fully relieved. 2026-04-21 16:46:02
  • HYBE Shares Turn Lower After Report of Arrest Warrant Request for Bang Si-hyuk
    HYBE Shares Turn Lower After Report of Arrest Warrant Request for Bang Si-hyuk HYBE shares turned lower during trading after news that police requested an arrest warrant for Chairman Bang Si-hyuk, weighing on investor sentiment and erasing most early gains. As of 2:10 p.m., HYBE was down 2.16% from the previous session at 249,500 won, according to the Korea Exchange. The stock opened up 1.18% at 258,000 won from the prior close and rose early before reversing into negative territory. Earlier in the day, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Financial Crime Investigation Division said it had requested an arrest warrant for Bang on allegations of fraudulent unfair trading. The request came about five months after Bang was first questioned in mid-November last year. Police allege Bang misled HYBE investors in 2019 by saying there were no plans for an initial public offering, prompting them to sell stakes to a specific private equity fund, and then proceeded with a listing. Police also said they believe Bang received about 30% of post-IPO sale profits under a nonpublic contract with the private equity side, generating gains of about 200 billion won. Under South Korea’s Capital Markets Act, it is illegal to obtain financial gains through false statements or improper schemes involving financial investment products, including unlisted shares. If the violation results in profits of 5 billion won or more, the penalty is life imprisonment or at least five years in prison. 2026-04-21 14:21:24
  • South Korean investors surge amid unprecedented stock-market boom
    South Korean investors surge amid unprecedented stock-market boom SEOUL, March 18 (AJP) - More South Koreans have begun investing in the stock market amid a recent unprecedented rally, with the number of investors rising by 330,000 over the past year. According to a report released by the Korea Securities Depository on Wednesday, the number of shareholders in about 2,727 listed companies stood at 1.46 million. As the number of listed companies increased 1.5 percent and shareholders grew 2.3 percent from a year earlier, investors held a total of about 117.4 billion shares, averaging 8,066 shares each. Some 812 companies were listed on the country's benchmark KOSPI, 1,802 on the junior KOSDAQ, and 113 on KONEX, a board under KOSDAQ for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and venture companies. The number of investors on KOSPI rose 1.0 percent to 12.61 million, while those on KOSDAQ increased 5.7 percent to 8.55 million. KONEX remained near 50,000, almost unchanged from a year earlier. Individuals made up 99.1 percent of investors, with corporations at 0.4 percent and foreigners at 0.2 percent. About 25 percent of investors held shares in Samsung Electronics, making it the most widely owned stock with 4.61 million shareholders, followed by Kakao (1.60 million), SK hynix (1.19 million), Naver (1.16 million), and Doosan Enerbility (1.11 million). On KOSDAQ, EcoPro BM ranked first with 508,908 shareholders, followed by EcoPro (488,951), SemiFive (411,562), Alteogen (274,634), and Hurim Robot (250,313). The number of companies in which foreigners owned more than 50 percent of shares rose by six from a year earlier to 38, evenly split between KOSPI and KOSDAQ with 19 each. Foreign investors held the largest stakes in S-Oil (74.3 percent), KB Financial Group (72.2 percent), and Hana Financial Group (67 percent). By age, those in their 50s were the largest group of individual shareholders with 3.33 million, accounting for 23.1 percent, followed by those in their 40s with 3.12 million and those in their 60s with 2.20 million. By gender, male investors accounted for 51.5 percent, while female investors made up 48.5 percent. Among regions, Gyeonggi Province had the highest number of investors, followed by Seoul and Busan. About 4.59 million investors or 31.5 percent owned shares in only one company, 2.43 million or 16.7 percent held shares in two companies, and 1.55 million or 10.7 percent held shares in three or more. 2026-03-18 15:54:57
  • Lee to visit Singapore and the Philippines next week
    Lee to visit Singapore and the Philippines next week SEOUL, February 27 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung is set to embark on a trip to Singapore and the Philippines next week, Cheong Wa Dae said on Friday. According to presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung, Lee is scheduled to depart for Singapore on Sunday for a summit with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During his three-day stay there, Lee will also meet with ceremonial head of state Tharman Shanmugaratnam. Lee will then attend a joint event between the two countries to discuss exchanges and expand cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI)-related areas, while meeting with people working in the field. Kang described Singapore as a transportation, logistics and financial hub that leads regional free trade, expressing expectations that Lee's trip will strengthen cooperation in trade, investment and infrastructure while expanding collaboration into "promising future sectors" such as AI and nuclear energy. After wrapping up his itinerary there, Lee will travel to Manila for a summit with Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr., and will attend a business forum and other events. Calling the Philippines a longtime partner as South Korea's first Southeast Asian country to establish diplomatic relations, Kang said that the archipelagic country was also the first Asian country to send the largest number of troops to aid South Korea during the Korean War. She added that Lee's summit, slated for March 3, would be even more meaningful as it marks the 77th anniversary of bilateral relations. Kang also expressed hope that the visit will deepen the two countries' cooperation across various sectors including defense, trade, nuclear energy, shipbuilding and critical minerals. She added that the Philippines, which assumed the rotating chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year, followed by Singapore next year, will help further foster the visions of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) established in October 2024. 2026-02-27 11:04:19
  • North Korean leader visits family mausoleum with newly-elected party members
    North Korean leader visits family mausoleum with newly-elected party members SEOUL, February 27 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited his family's mausoleum as soon as the country's key party congress wrapped up, state media reported on Friday. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, Kim paid his respects at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun where the embalmed bodies of the two Kim seniors lie in state, accompanied by key party officials and other members who were newly elected at the country's ninth party gathering the previous day. KCNA said participants "solemnly reaffirmed" their resolve to fulfill their tasks set out by the party. In a closing statement earlier, Kim declared that policies and decisions made at the weeklong party congress will be "brilliantly carried out without fail." Held almost every five years, the party congress brings together a large number of party members and other representatives from across the country to review the past five years and set the direction for domestic and foreign policy for the next five years. This year's gathering ran for seven days from Feb. 19 and concluded with a military parade and other commemorative events. 2026-02-27 10:18:37
  • Kim Jong-un unanimously re-elected to lead North Koreas Workers Party
    Kim Jong-un unanimously re-elected to lead North Korea's Workers' Party SEOUL, February 23 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was unanimously re-elected general secretary of the ruling Workers' Party, state media reported on Monday. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, the unanimous decision was made the previous day during the fourth day of the party's ongoing ninth congress, which began last Thursday. Lauding Kim, KCNA said the country's "revolutionary armed forces," under his leadership, are able to respond proactively to "any threat of invasion" and are prepared for "any form of war." Held once every five years, the rare gathering typically runs several days, bringing together party members and other representatives from across the country to vote for the party's top post. Participants also review the past five years and set the direction for domestic and foreign policy over the next five years. 2026-02-23 09:20:18
  • North Korea hails deployment of multiple rocket launchers ahead of party congress
    North Korea hails deployment of multiple rocket launchers ahead of party congress SEOUL, February 19 (AJP) - North Korea deployed some 50 multiple rocket launchers, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Thursday. According to KCNA, a ceremony for the deployment of a 600-mm large-caliber multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) "took place with splendor" in Pyongyang the previous day, with Kim Jong-un in attendance, accompanied by Workers' Party officials, munitions industry workers and other military personnel. In a speech, Kim said, "It can be said to be a weapon that has virtually no difference from a high-precision ballistic missile in terms of precision and power," hailing it as "the one and only weapon in the world, has completely changed the role and conception of artillery accepted by modern warfare." He described it as incorporating artificial intelligence-based technology and a compound guidance system, making it "appropriate for a special attack" to carry out a "strategic mission." He added, "I am sure that no other countries in the world would be able to attain the technology that can match this class of weapon system within several years to come." "Self-reliant defense capability is our lifeline and a source of our strength, and uninterrupted upgrading and rapid reinforcement of the means is our invariable target," he stressed. He also hinted that plans to further strengthen the country's defense capabilities including the development of new weapons, will be announced at the upcoming party congress, which is expected to be held later this month. 2026-02-19 14:13:16
  • Kim Yo-jong strikes conciliatory tone again over Seouls regret on drone incursions
    Kim Yo-jong strikes conciliatory tone again over Seoul's regret on drone incursions SEOUL, February 19 (AJP) - Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, once again struck a positive note toward South Korea. In a statement carried on Thursday by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim said she "highly appreciates" South Korea's Unification Minister Chung Dong-young's expression of regret the previous day over drones allegedly sent by civilians to the North, as well as his pledge to prevent a recurrence. It was Kim's another reply to Chung, who made similar remarks last week. In a briefing on Wednesday, Chung again stressed that the South would take steps to prevent such incidents. He also pledged to pursue the restoration of the 2018 inter-Korean military pact, scrapped in 2024 under the previous administration's hardline stance toward the North, as part of efforts that had aimed to ease military tensions between the two Koreas. But Kim warned that any future violation, regardless of who is responsible, would result in "terrible consequences," calling her words not a threat but a "clear warning." Pundits believe Kim's statement was also intended to justify tougher measures along the border. 2026-02-19 09:27:40
  • Trump responds to letter urging protection for North Korean POWs in Ukraine
    Trump responds to letter urging protection for North Korean POWs in Ukraine SEOUL, February 10 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump has responded to a letter calling for protection of North Korean prisoners of war held in Ukraine, a civic group that assists North Korean defectors said on Tuesday. According to the Emergency Committee for the Free Repatriation of North Korean Soldiers, led by defector-turned-lawmaker Thae Yong-ho, its U.S.-based affiliated group, Free Joseon, sent a letter to Trump last month urging that the POWs' free will be respected and that they be protected under the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits forced repatriation. Trump sent a reply last Sunday to Peter Oh, a defector-turned-reporter for Radio Free Asia who also leads Free Joseon, thanking him for "taking the time to share" the story. "Your words are a powerful reminder of the strength, resilience, and spirit of the American people. It is because of proud, hardworking citizens like you that I will never stop fighting to protect our values, defend our freedoms and put America first," he added. The committee said Trump's letter did not contain any specific plans or steps to resolve the issue of North Korean POWs. Two wounded North Korean soldiers who were captured while fighting for Russia in its war against Ukraine in January last year remain held there, despite having expressed their wish to go to South Korea in interviews with South Korean media. 2026-02-10 14:15:28