Korean investors return to U.S. stocks without deserting KOSPI SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) -South Korea’s campaign to draw investor money back home has failed to break the country’s appetite for U.S. stocks, with overseas buying resuming in June and accelerating through early August, even without easing up on buying at home. Nonfinancial corporations and other investors — a Bank of Korea category that includes households and companies outside the financial sector — sold a net $525.7 million of overseas equities in the sec August 10, 2026

Product recalls rise for 1st time in 3 years SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) - The number of product recalls in South Korea rose last year for the first time in three years, the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) said on Monday. The customer watchdog, which compiled and analyzed recall data from various government agencies for last year, found that the total number of recalls reached 2,656, up 119 cases or 4.7 percent from a year earlier. It was the first increase since 2022, when the number of recalls stood at 3,586 before shrinkin August 10, 2026

KAIST president unveils AI native campus vision SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) - Artificial intelligence will run through teaching, research, administration and campus energy systems at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology under a plan its new president set out Monday, one that treats AI as a shared tool for every field of study rather than the property of specialists. Bae Choong-sik presented the plan at his inauguration as the 18th president of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), held at August 10, 2026

BOK revamps monetary bonds as market liquidity thins SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) - The Bank of Korea is out to sharpen the appeal of its policy bonds by concentrating issuance into fewer, larger benchmark securities, as outstanding central-bank debt falls below 100 trillion won ($70.6 billion) while government bonds increasingly dominate Korea’s public fixed-income market. The overhaul will also divide early redemptions into a predictable schedule and a more discretionary operation, giving the central bank greater flexibility to ma August 10, 2026

BIGBANG to reunite solo colors on 20th-anniversary single 'BiiiG' SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) - K-pop super group BIGBANG will release a new digital single, "BiiiG," on Aug. 19, marking the group's first new song in more than four years and tying the comeback directly to its 20th anniversary. YG Entertainment unveiled the release poster through its official channels Monday. The single will arrive two days before BIGBANG opens its 20th-anniversary world tour, "XX : COSMOS," with three concerts at Goyang Stadium from Aug. 21 to August 10, 2026

HS-748 presidential aircraft exhibition opens in Seoul SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) - South Korea's National Aviation Museum will open a special exhibition Tuesday tracing the more than five-decade history of the HS-748, the country's first aircraft purchased specifically for presidential use. Titled "Final Flight, New Beginning: Presidential Aircraft HS-748," the exhibition will run from Aug. 11, 2026, through July 31, 2027, at the museum in western Seoul. It chronicles the aircraft's service as a presidential plane fro August 10, 2026

No longer a 'dad phone'? Samsung's Fold8 finds younger, female buyers SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Z Fold8 is drawing a younger and more female customer base than its predecessors, early sales data showed, offering signs that the premium foldable is moving beyond its traditional image as a productivity-focused device favored largely by older male users. Consumers in their teens through 30s accounted for more than half of Fold8 purchases through Samsung's Korean online store during the preorder period, according to the August 10, 2026

KOSDAQ-listed biotech Alteogen rallies on BlackRock stake SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) — Shares of South Korean biotech firm Alteogen jumped more than 15 percent Monday after BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, disclosed that its combined holdings in the company had crossed 5 percent. As of 11:17 a.m., Alteogen was trading at 346,500 won ($244.74), up 13.77 percent from the previous session. The rally followed a regulatory filing submitted Friday by BlackRock Fund Advisors, which showed that the firm and its affiliated ent August 10, 2026

KickFlip's Donghyeon to release 'Breathe' with Britain's Etham SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) - K-pop artist Donghyeon of KickFlip is turning a fan moment into an official collaboration, teaming up with British singer-songwriter Etham for a new single, "Breathe," JYP Entertainment said Monday. The song will be released on major streaming platforms at 1 p.m. (0400 GMT) on Aug. 14. The pairing came together after Donghyeon posted a cover of Etham's "12:45 (Stripped)" on KickFlip's official Instagram account on Aug. 8. Eth August 10, 2026

Nearly 1 in 8 Koreans live outside conventional homes SEOUL, August 10 (AJP) - Nearly one in eight South Koreans living alone resides in motels or other quarters not classified as housing, with the share approaching one in five among those in their 20s and 30s, although the country's housing supply continues to grow far faster than its population. Nearly 975,000 one-person households lived in "non-housing living quarters" in 2025, accounting for 11.8 percent of all one-person households and nearly twice the 6.1 percent August 10, 2026