news highlight

• 
  Samsung's non-chip employees to hold rally streak near chair's home SEOUL, September 05 (AJP) -Samsung Electronics' unionized employees in non-chip operations are planning a rally streak near Chairman Lee Jae-yong's residence in Hannam-dong, central Seoul, from Sept. 18, taking their demands for fairer compensation amid the chip windfall closer to the top of the C-suite. An official of Donghaeng union, largely made up of employees in the Device eXperience (DX) division told AJP Saturday that the protest will go on without a fixed end date September 5, 2026
• 
  Trump post turns up pressure on Seoul to arm Ukraine SEOUL, September 05 (AJP) -South Korea, already under U.S. pressure to contribute to security operations around the Strait of Hormuz, is facing a second test of its military restraint as President Donald Trump amplified a call for Seoul to provide Ukraine with Korean-made missile interceptors. Trump on Friday shared on Truth Social a Washington Post opinion column titled “How Trump can help Ukraine build its own Patriot missiles,” without adding any comment of his own September 5, 2026
• 
  Seoul court upholds record fine on UBS over naked short selling SEOUL, September 05 (AJP) -A South Korean court has upheld a 16.94 billion won ($12.2 million) penalty imposed on Credit Suisse for naked short selling, rejecting UBS's argument that shares used as collateral remained under the investment bank's ownership. The Seoul Administrative Court recently ruled against UBS in a lawsuit seeking to overturn the penalty imposed by the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), according to legal sources Friday. UBS inherited the case afte September 5, 2026
• 
  U.S. firms pledge $2 billion investment in Korea across chips and energy SEOUL, September 05 (AJP) - Four U.S. companies have pledged a combined $2 billion investment in South Korea spanning semiconductors, advanced display materials and offshore wind, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources said. The commitments were announced in Washington, D.C., on Thursday as Seoul seeks to deepen investment and supply-chain ties with the United States amid heightened uncertainty over global trade and industrial policy. The participating companies are ind September 5, 2026
• 
  Hyundai, POSCO break ground on $5.8 billion low-carbon steel mill in Louisiana SEOUL, September 05 (AJP) -A major multi-company Korean investment in the United States got underway Friday as Hyundai Steel and POSCO broke ground on a $5.8 billion electric-arc-furnace steel mill in Louisiana, designed to anchor a made-in-America automotive steel supply chain. Hyundai-POSCO Louisiana Steel, or HPLS, held a ceremonial groundbreaking in Donaldsonville, Ascension Parish, on Sept. 4, bringing together Hyundai Motor Group, POSCO and government officials from South Ko September 5, 2026
• 
  South Korea backs rules-based Arctic order at Japan research meeting SEOUL, September 04 (AJP) - Cooperation on the Arctic among South Korea, China and Japan matters more as the region warms and its politics harden, South Korea's ambassador for polar affairs told a research meeting in northern Japan this week. None of the three countries holds territory above the Arctic Circle. All three were admitted as observers to the Arctic Council, the main intergovernmental forum for the region, at a ministerial meeting in Kiruna, Sweden, in May 2013, alo September 4, 2026
• 
  Won closes at 14-month high, bond yields little changed SEOUL, September 04 (AJP) - The South Korean won extended its rally to a 14-month high Friday, while government bonds ended little changed as investors stayed cautious ahead of U.S. employment data. The won strengthened 8.9 won from the previous session to close daytime trading at 1,350.4 per dollar, compared with Thursday's 1,359.3. The currency briefly entered the 1,340 range during the session, its strongest intraday level since early July 2025. Exporter dollar sellin September 4, 2026
• 
  Chip windfall finally arrives on the FX front SEOUL, September 04 (AJP) - The South Korean won is looking entirely different from the first half, closing at its strongest level in 14 months Friday as a swelling current-account surplus increasingly offsets heavy overseas equity investment and other capital outflows, giving authorities room to absorb a reported $20 billion in dollars from SK hynix's landmark U.S. share sale without reversing the currency's rally. The dollar fell 8.9 won to close Friday's daytime tra September 4, 2026
• 
  Chip stocks lead KOSPI rebound as bank trade unwinds SEOUL, September 04 (AJP) - A signal from the U.S. Federal Reserve unwound a week of rate-driven positioning in Seoul on Friday, pulling money out of the bank stocks that had thrived on surging yields and back into memory chips. The KOSPI closed 1.6 percent higher, adding 107.73 points to 6,687.21 for a second straight gain after Wednesday's near 4 percent collapse. Samsung Electronics rose 2.2 percent to 255,500 won ($189) and SK hynix gained 3.2 percent to 1,647,000 won ( September 4, 2026