Industry

  • Stocks at record highs, growth at 1%: Koreas market–economy divide widens
    Stocks at record highs, growth at 1%: Korea's market–economy divide widens SEOUL, January 22 (AJP) -Korean stock market pushed deeper into uncharted territory Thursday, with the KOSPI briefly climbing over the 5,000 mark before closing just below the milestone, a historic high unfolding even as economic growth remains stuck near 1 percent, highlighting a widening gap between buoyant asset prices and a fragile real economy. The growth outlook marks the weakest performance since the economy contracted 0.7 percent in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and t January 22, 2026
  • KOSPI catches its breath after two-week rally
    KOSPI catches its breath after two-week rally SEOUL, January 20 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark KOSPI pulled back on Tuesday, ending its year-opening rally, as selling pressure in major technology and auto shares outweighed gains in select growth and thematic stocks. The index fell 0.4 percent to close at 4,885.8, snapping a 13-session winning streak that included a series of record highs. Despite the pullback, it briefly climbed to an intraday high of 4,935.48, extending its run of fresh peaks before momentum faded in later trading. January 20, 2026
  • U.S. makes clear Taiwan chip tariff deal will not apply to South Korea
    U.S. makes clear Taiwan chip tariff deal will not apply to South Korea SEOUL, January 17 (AJP) - Washington has made clear that semiconductor tariffs and related exemptions will be set through country‑by‑country negotiations, meaning the criteria agreed with Taiwan will not be copied and applied automatically to South Korea. An administration official said on Friday that the U.S. would pursue "separate agreements for separate countries" when asked whether the semiconductor tariff waiver terms offered to Taiwan would also be granted to South Korea. This January 17, 2026
  • U.S. TSMC deal signals more deal-making for Seoul and pledges from chipmakers
    U.S. TSMC deal signals more deal-making for Seoul and pledges from chipmakers SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - In the tariff deal Seoul and Washington signed last October, South Korea was promised it would not be treated less favorably than Taiwan. But Taiwan’s newly secured tariff exemptions tied to expanded U.S. investment are now forcing Seoul and Korean chipmakers back to the negotiating table with fresh offers. Taiwan’s tariff outcome has been closely watched in Seoul, given the scale of its semiconductor trade with the United States. In last year’s negot January 16, 2026
  • Korean memory makers share boom year with employees in cash and stock rewards
    Korean memory makers share boom year with employees in cash and stock rewards SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) -South Korea’s two largest memory chipmakers, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are rolling out handsome cash and stock rewards for their employees amid red-hot earnings and extended stock rally. Samsung Electronics said its Device Solutions (DS) division, which oversees the company’s semiconductor operations, has set its excess profit incentive (OPI) at 47 percent of annual salary, according to an internal notice circulated this week. The rate applies across January 16, 2026
  • KOSPI soars above 4,800 for first time while Nikkei tumbles
    KOSPI soars above 4,800 for first time while Nikkei tumbles SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - Asian stock markets opened mixed in early trading on Friday, with South Korea's KOSPI hitting a fresh record high, while Japanese shares retreated on profit-taking. In Seoul, the benchmark index rose 0.95 percent to 4,841.81, surpassing the 4,800 level for the first time on record, while the tech-heavy KOSDAQ lagged, slipping 0.43 percent to 947.06 shortly after the day's trading began. Strong U.S. labor data kept the dollar firm, pushing the exchange rate for January 16, 2026
  • S. Korea leans on semiconductors as non-IT exports lose ground: BOK
    S. Korea leans on semiconductors as non-IT exports lose ground: BOK SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - South Korea’s exports remain resilient, but the country is steadily losing ground in global competitiveness in some sectors, according to a report released Friday by the Bank of Korea. While headline export figures have held up, shipments of major non-IT goods — excluding semiconductors — have been largely stagnant for years, deepening performance gaps across industries. South Korea’s share of the global export market has been on a downward tra January 16, 2026
  • Seoul market hits new high despite rate pause as regional peers falter
    Seoul market hits new high despite rate pause as regional peers falter SEOUL, January 15 (AJP) - Korean stocks surged to fresh highs on Thursday, extending a 10-session winning streak, even as most other Asian markets finished mixed amid cautious regional sentiment. In Seoul, the benchmark KOSPI jumped 1.58 percent to close at 4,797.6, edging closer to the symbolic 5,000-point mark. The tech-heavy KOSDAQ gained 1.0 percent to 951.2. The rally was led by heavyweight technology and auto shares. Samsung Electronics climbed 2.6 percent to 143,900 won, closing at a ne January 15, 2026
  • Asian markets mixed as KOSPI slips after earlier gain on semiconductor strength
    Asian markets mixed as KOSPI slips after earlier gain on semiconductor strength SEOUL, January 14 (AJP) - Asian markets opened mixed on Wednesday, as South Korean shares rose on early semiconductor and energy gains but slipped amid broader caution across the region. In Seoul, the benchmark KOSPI was down 0.4 percent at 4,673 and the tech-heavy KOSDAQ also fell 0.8 percent to 941.4 as of around 11 a.m., as initial gains shortly after trading began earlier in the day gave way to selective profit-taking. Semiconductor shares traded mixed, with Samsung Electronics rising 1 pe January 14, 2026
  • Trumps Taiwan chip big deal reshapes foundry race, puts Korea in strategic bind
    Trump's Taiwan chip 'big deal' reshapes foundry race, puts Korea in strategic bind SEOUL, January 13 (AJP) - After extracting concessions from Japan and South Korea, U.S. President Donald Trump is now pressing another semiconductor powerhouse — Taiwan — using trade leverage to pull advanced chip manufacturing onto U.S. soil. Under an emerging deal, Washington plans to cut tariffs on Taiwanese goods to 15 percent from 20 percent in exchange for a major expansion of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s U.S. manufacturing footprint, according to a report by January 13, 2026