KOSPI's fragile rebound fails to calm jittery investors SEOUL, July 09 (AJP) - South Korean stocks snapped a three-day losing streak on Thursday, closing marginally higher after surrendering most of their early gains in a volatile session that underscored the fragility of investor sentiment. The benchmark KOSPI closed at 7,291.91, up 0.62 percent. The index opened 3.31 percent higher and briefly climbed above the 7,500 level, but the early rally quickly faded after Bahrain and Kuwait sounded warning sirens and Qatar issued emergency se July 9, 2026

The mystery behind the near-flat Korea-U.S. sovereign yield gap SEOUL, July 09 (AJP) - Foreign appetite for South Korean sovereign bonds has stayed firm this year even as investors dumped Korean equities, but that has not stopped bond prices from falling. The spread between Korean and U.S. 10-year government debt has narrowed to less than 30 basis points, even though the policy-rate gap between the Bank of Korea and the Federal Reserve remains wider than 100 basis points. As of midday Thursday, Korea’s 10-year government bond yielded 4. July 9, 2026

Korea pivots to U.S. warship market after Canada setback SEOUL, July 09 (AJP) - South Korea's shipbuilders wasted no time dwelling on their loss in Canada's multibillion-dollar submarine contest, shifting their focus to the far larger U.S. naval market as Presidents Lee Jae Myung and Donald Trump elevated shipbuilding cooperation to the highest political level. The issue featured prominently during a reception and dinner hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, wher July 9, 2026

Convenience store chain CU opens 600th store in Mongolia SEOUL, July 9 (AJP) - Convenience store chain CU has opened its 600th store in Mongolia, about eight years after entering the market, BGF Retail, which operates CU, said on Thursday. The 600th store, located in Bulgan province about 600 kilometers west of Ulaanbaatar, opened on June 26. Spanning about 281 square meters, it targets tourists and long-haul transport drivers. Unlike typical convenience stores, the store offers shower facilities for travelers, following a simi July 9, 2026

Vietnamese arrivals in Korea surpass Chinese for first time SEOUL, July 09 (AJP) - Viet Nam overtook China as the largest source of foreign arrivals in South Korea last year as Vietnamese workers continued to enter the country while more Chinese nationals left, government data showed Thursday. Figures released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics showed 98,000 Vietnamese nationals arrived in South Korea in 2025, edging past 94,000 arrivals from China. A year earlier, China still led by a wide margin, with 112,000 arrivals compared with V July 9, 2026

Summer rainy season starts in Korea SEOUL, July 09 (AJP) - Heavy rain fell across the Seoul metropolitan area and other parts of central South Korea on Wednesday as the country entered a period of so-called "monsoon heat," in which the rainy season overlaps with extreme summer temperatures. This year's monsoon arrived later than usual, causing the rainy season and heat wave to coincide. High humidity from persistent rainfall, followed by intense sunshine after the rain clears, is expected to drive the July 9, 2026

Korea's top court upholds ex-president's 7-year prison term SEOUL, July 9 (AJP) - Former President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to seven years in prison after the Supreme Court on Thursday found him guilty of obstructing investigators' attempt to arrest him following his botched martial law debacle in December 2024. Thursday's ruling marks the first final verdict among the eight separate trials Yoon is facing over his Dec. 3 declaration of martial law. It came after a lower court sentenced Yoon to five years in prison in January, b July 9, 2026

Naver poised to challenge Coupang on its specialty turf: logistics SEOUL, July 09 (AJP) - Naver, a distant No. 2 in South Korea's ecommerce market, is crossing into the one territory long dominated by Coupang as it prepares its first directly operated logistics network, abandoning the asset-light strategy that defined its shopping business for two decades. The move marks a wholesale reversal for the internet giant, which has long relied on outside partners to store, haul and deliver merchants' goods while focusing on search traffic and mark July 9, 2026

Torrential monsoon rain batters Seoul and much of Korea SEOUL, July 09 (AJP) -Torrential monsoon rains battered Seoul and central South Korea on Thursday, suspending Han River ferry services, triggering flood and landslide alerts, forcing evacuations and flooding roads and homes across the country. Seoul suspended operations at five Han River Bus piers from the first departure at 11 a.m. after heavy rain warnings were issued across the capital. Services were halted at Jamsil, Ttukseom, Seoul Forest, Oksu and Apgujeong piers, while the July 9, 2026

Rebellions targets Seoul IPO next year, weighs US listing SEOUL, July 09 (AJP) - South Korea's Rebellions, a Samsung-backed artificial intelligence chip startup, plans to list on the main KOSPI exchange in the first half of next year, seeking to ride surging investor appetite for AI hardware. The company aims to debut in the first or second quarter of 2027 and will complete all filing paperwork by year-end, though the final timing hinges on market conditions, CEO Park Sung-hyun said in an interview on Wednesday (local time). JP Morgan July 9, 2026