Small-, mid-cap stocks outperform as chip rout weighs on Korea's blue chips SEOUL, July 18 (AJP) - South Korea's small- and mid-cap stocks outperformed large caps this month as a sharp selloff in semiconductor shares weighed on the broader market and prompted retail investors to rotate into theme stocks and defensive sectors. The KOSPI large-cap index fell 20.6 percent between July 1 and July 16, underperforming the benchmark KOSPI's 19.5 percent decline over the same period, according to Korea Exchange data. The KOSPI mid-cap index lost 6.2 July 18, 2026

Samsung's rebate drive sparks estimated $2.9 bln sales, doubles voucher payout SEOUL, July 18 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics' nationwide rebate campaign, launched as part of its pledge to share the benefits of its semiconductor windfall with the public, generated an estimated 4 trillion won ($2.9 billion) in sales, industry estimates showed Friday, prompting the company to more than double the value of vouchers it plans to distribute. Samsung is expected to issue more than 800 billion won ($580 million) worth of digital Onnuri gift certificates under the c July 18, 2026

TSMC lifts forecasts as AI demand cools peak fears SEOUL, July 17 (AJP) - TSMC reported record second-quarter earnings and raised its annual revenue and capital spending forecasts, signaling confidence that artificial intelligence demand will keep powering the chip industry and tempering fears that the AI boom is nearing a peak. The world's largest contract chipmaker said Thursday that net profit for the April to June quarter jumped 77.4 percent from a year earlier to NT$706.56 billion ($22 billion), comfortably beating the NT$6 July 17, 2026

Chey urges patience on SK hynix as AI demand set to surge SEOUL, July 17 (AJP) - Chey Tae-won, chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), said that investors in SK hynix would be wiser to hold their shares than to trade them, arguing that memory chips remain indispensable to the artificial intelligence boom. "I don't know where the stock will be next month either, but the best way to preserve your wealth is to sit tight rather than buy and sell," Chey said Friday during an AI dialogue at the KCCI summer fo July 17, 2026

US caps foreign student visas at four years in sweeping overhaul SEOUL, July 17 (AJP) - The United States will limit foreign students, exchange visitors and journalists to fixed periods of stay under a sweeping rule finalized by the Department of Homeland Security, ending a decades-old system that let them remain as long as they kept up their studies or work. Under the rule, students on F visas and exchange visitors on J visas will be admitted for the length of their program, up to a maximum of four years, after which they must apply to U.S. Citi July 17, 2026

Lee names Dec. 3 'National Sovereignty Day' SEOUL, July 17 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung said he would designate every Dec. 3 as "National Sovereignty Day," vowing to preserve the spirit of the mass protests that turned back an attempted power grab so that it endures for generations to come. The date marks the night in 2024 when lawmakers rushed to parliament to overturn a short-lived martial law declaration, an episode Lee's supporters have cast as a peaceful democratic uprising they call the "Revolution July 17, 2026

North Korea condemns 'warmonger' South over RIMPAC role SEOUL, July 17 (AJP) - North Korea denounced South Korea's leading role in the U.S.-led Rim of the Pacific naval exercise, branding Seoul a "puppet warmonger" and warning of "proportional" countermeasures against the drill's participants. In a commentary carried by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Friday, Pyongyang cast the biennial exercise as a rehearsal for war that was dragging the Pacific into dangerous turbulence, and said regional July 17, 2026

Samsung's internal divide mirrors Korea's widening chip boom gap SEOUL, July 16 (AJP) - "This is not an issue of money," shouted Koo Jung-hwan, secretary-general of Samsung Electronics' Donghaeng union, before more than 5,000 employees gathered outside the company's Suwon campus Thursday, exposing a widening divide that increasingly mirrors South Korea itself, where the AI-driven semiconductor boom is creating winners and losers even within the country's biggest company. The demonstration, one of Samsung's largest labo July 16, 2026

Job fair in Seoul helps young people discover career paths SEOUL, July 16 (AJP) - Many job seekers and recent graduates have been flocking to an annual job fair in Seoul this week. The four-day fair, organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOC), kicked off at aT Center in Yangjae, southern Seoul earlier this week and runs through Friday, featuring more than 150 booths. Held under the slogan "Discover Yourself, Open Your Future," the fair offers a wide range of career-related programs including July 16, 2026

Former K-pop idols face tough job market once spotlight fades SEOUL, July 16 (AJP) - K-pop's global rise has drawn a steady stream of young people hoping to become idols. But rising to stardom is only part of the story. When groups disband or contracts expire, many former performers must enter a job market where years of training and stage experience do not fit neatly into a conventional resume. They also face a difficult employment climate. As of February 2026, South Korea's employment rate for people aged 15 to 29 stood at 43.3 perce July 16, 2026