South Korea's import prices surge to 9-month high on weak won

SEOUL, November 14 (AJP) - South Korea’s import prices rose in October to their highest level in nine months, pushed up by a sharp depreciation of the won. Export prices climbed even more steeply, reflecting both currency effects and strengthening demand for semiconductors and metals. Data released Friday by the Bank of Korea showed that import prices increased 1.9 percent in October from the previous month, the fastest pace since January, after modest 0.3 percent gains i

November 14, 2025

Asian markets drop on Wall Street losses, diminished Fed cut hopes

SEOUL, November 14 (AJP) - Asian stock markets declined broadly on Friday morning, dragged lower by renewed concerns over U.S. interest rates and a downturn in global technology shares. In South Korea, the benchmark Kospi dropped 2.5 percent to 4,066.30 as of 11:22 a.m., while the tech-heavy Kosdaq slipped 1.3 percent to 906.20. The country’s three most valuable companies — each with a market capitalization exceeding 100 trillion won, or about $68.6 billion — all

November 14, 2025

North Korea slams G7 statement on denuclearization

SEOUL, November 14 (AJP) - North Korean on Friday denounced a recent joint statement by the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) countries earlier this week. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui expressed "strong dissatisfaction and regret" over what she described as "hostile acts" by the G7 ministers in condemning the statement. The statement came on Wednesday, after the ministers wrappe

November 14, 2025

TRAVEL: Gyeongju's historic sites draw visitors amid autumn foliage

GYEONGJU, November 14 (AJP) - South Korea's southeastern city of Gyeongju used to be the most popular field trip destination for students. Once the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla that thrived for over 1,000 years, the city, home to numerous national treasures, still attracts hordes of visitors and tourists. Among its many landmarks, the most iconic are Bulguksa temple and Cheomseongdae observatory. The temple, one of the country&

November 14, 2025

Foreign investors extend buying spree in Korean stocks but retreat from bonds

SEOUL, November 14 (AJP) - Foreign investors extended their months-long buying streak in South Korean equities in October, even as they pulled back from the country’s bond market, according to data released Friday by the Financial Supervisory Service. Overseas investors purchased a net 4.2 trillion won ($3.1 billion) in Korean stocks last month, marking the sixth straight month of net inflows. The bulk of the buying was concentrated in the benchmark KOSPI market. By the en

November 14, 2025

Samsung, Hanwha chiefs to visit UAE next week for AI, defense collaboration

SEOUL, November 14 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan are among a group of prominent South Korean executives traveling to the United Arab Emirates next week, industry sources said on Friday. The two leaders are expected to attend the Korea-UAE Business Round Table on Nov. 19, an event organized by the Korea Economic Association and KOTRA. The gathering follows last month’s APEC meeting in Gyeongju, where South Kor

November 14, 2025

OPINION: South Korea needs AI strategy that matches its demographic crisis

South Korea is confronting a demographic reckoning unlike anything in its modern history. The country’s fertility rate fell to a record low of 0.75 in 2024 — the lowest in the world — and its working-age population has been shrinking since 2020. By next year, older adults will make up more than 20 percent of the population, a figure expected to reach 34.4 percent by 2040. These shifts threaten to upend the foundations of the nation’s economic growth, strain

November 14, 2025

PHOTOS: Korean traditional dance's modern resurgence

SEOUL, November 13 (AJP) - Korean traditional dance is finding fresh resonance with the public, as a new generation of young choreographers reimagines age-old movements for the era of social media and digital platforms. Their works, which recast the breath, rhythm and restraint of classical Korean dance in contemporary form, have been circulating widely online, drawing viewers who might never have encountered the tradition onstage. That momentum has also spilled onto television

November 14, 2025

Asian shares end Thursday with modest gains

SEOUL, November 13 (AJP) - Major Asian markets in South Korea, Japan, and China closed modestly higher on Thursday, buoyed by relief over the normalization of U.S. government operations after the longest shutdown in American history. South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI added 0.5 percent to close at 4,170.63, while the secondary KOSDAQ advanced 1.3 percent to 918.37. The partial U.S. government shutdown ended late Wednesday after 43 days, as the House passed a temporary spending b

November 13, 2025

Korea's poetic way to authenticate test-takers for college entry exam

SEOUL, November 13 (AJP) - Poet Ahn Gyu-rye may not be widely known, but to the half million South Korean youths who sat for Thursday’s once-a-year college entrance exam Suneung, the line “Youth, like waves of springing green” from poem Morning Walk will likely remain etched as a final memory of the day. Suneung is a cruel make-or-break ritual that can shape a student’s entire adult trajectory in Korea, a society long obsessed with a handful of elite universi

November 13, 2025