Kazakhstan defies regional slowdown in ADB outlook SEOUL, July 10 (AJP) - Kazakhstan's economy is set to keep growing at a steady pace over the next two years even as the Asian Development Bank trims forecasts for much of the surrounding region, according to the bank's Asian Development Outlook released this week. The Asian Development Bank kept its projections for Kazakhstan unchanged in the July edition of the report, with gross domestic product expected to expand 4.8 percent in 2026 and 4.5 percent in 2027. The economy July 10, 2026

Lee begins 2nd day of visit after sharing vision for 'golden' era with Mongolian leader SEOUL, July 10 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung is set to begin the second day of his three-day state visit to Mongolia by visiting a memorial honoring independence activist Lee Tae-jun who practiced medicine there. Lee arrived in Ulaanbaatar the previous day, marking the first such visit to Mongolia by a South Korean president in about 15 years. Lee is then scheduled to hold a luncheon meeting with South Korean residents there, before meeting with Mongolia's parli July 10, 2026

SK hynix ADR debut sends KOSPI past 7,500 and boosts Asia SEOUL, July 10 (AJP) - The KOSPI surged past the 7,500 line at Friday's open, hours before SK hynix's American depositary receipts begin trading on the Nasdaq in the largest ADR offering ever brought to the U.S. market. The main index in Seoul jumped 235.48 points, or 3.2 percent, to 7,527.39 in the first minutes of trade. SK hynix rose 3.1 percent to 2,254,000 won ($1,497) and Samsung Electronics gained 3.6 percent to 288,000 won ($191), with the chipmaker's sale of July 10, 2026

Seoul to seek US understanding over Gwangju military airport tapped for chip hub SEOUL, July 10 (AJP) -South Korea will seek U.S. understanding over plans to redevelop Gwangju Military Airport, a facility earmarked to support U.S. air operations during a military contingency, after the site was selected for a massive new semiconductor cluster. The issue could require close coordination with Washington because the airport retains a wartime role under the South Korea-U.S. alliance even as Seoul prepares to relocate the base and turn the land into the centerpiece o July 10, 2026

US wants Korean chipmakers to make memory in US: Lutnick SEOUL, July 10 (AJP) -The United States is ratcheting up pressure on South Korea's memory chipmakers to expand manufacturing in the United States after Seoul unveiled nearly 1 quadrillion won ($650 billion) in new domestic semiconductor investment plan last week. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Thursday he wants both Samsung Electronics and SK hynix to build memory chip production facilities on U.S. soil. The two do not run memory operations in the U.S. Spea July 10, 2026

Hanwha QCells builds one of largest US renewable complexes SEOUL, July 10 (AJP) - Hanwha Solutions' QCells division has completed engineering, procurement and construction work on part of the Atlas Energy Park in Arizona, one of the largest renewable energy projects ever undertaken in the United States, and recently sold some of the assets. Located in La Paz County, the complex will comprise 14 solar and energy storage projects, with 2.8 gigawatts of solar generation and 5.7 gigawatt-hours of storage capacity due to come online by 2028. July 10, 2026

Monsoon downpours leave one missing, force 700 people to evacuate nationwide SEOUL, July 10 (AJP) - Torrential monsoon rains that battered South Korea's central region and other parts of the country over the last two days left one person missing and damaged more than 4,000 facilities, government authorities said on Friday. Fire officials and other emergency workers have been searching for a man in his 70s who was swept away by floodwaters while crossing a stream in Yeongju, North Gyeongsang Province the previous day. Landslides were also reported in s July 10, 2026

SK hynxi ADR priced at $149 per share for Fri Nasdaq debut-report SEOUL, July 10 (AJP) - SK hynix's American depositary receipts (ADRs) will be priced at $149 each when they debut on the Nasdaq on Friday, about 3 percent above Thursday's closing price of the chipmaker's common shares in Seoul, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. One ADR represents one-tenth of a common share, according to SK hynix's filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Following the reported pricing, SK hynix shares ros July 10, 2026

Koreans don't fight summer. They accessorize it SEOUL, July 9 (AJP) — When Europe melts, people flock to rivers, lakes and public fountains. When South Korea swelters, shoppers head to Olive Young and Daiso. To withstand increasingly early, longer and more punishing summers, Europeans seek out whatever water they can find. Koreans, long accustomed to humid East Asian heat, have developed another survival strategy: buying a growing arsenal of cooling products that seems to evolve every summer. July 9, 2026

KOSPI paradox – few winners among retail investors SEOUL, July 09 (AJP) — "I demand a refund," wailed a day trader on social media after SK hynix shares plunged from their near 3 million won peak in June. Memes of disbelief, despair and fury quickly spread across Korean investing forums. The complaint captured the contradiction of this year's Korean stock market. The benchmark KOSPI nearly doubled through June to become one of the world's best-performing equity markets, yet a large majority of retail inv July 9, 2026