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  OPINION: Why FX stability is a must for South Korea South Korea is one of the world’s most open economies, with trade accounting for roughly 75% of GDP, and it depends entirely on imports for energy. In this structure, exchange-rate stability is not merely an economic policy issue but a matter of national resilience. When the won weakens, import prices rise, energy and raw-material costs surge, and pressure mounts on both corporate competitiveness and household finances. The won–dollar exchange rate has recently st January 9, 2026
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  OPINION: The won's slide is about confidence, not crisis The won traded around 1,360 per U.S. dollar when the Lee Jae Myung government took office in early June 2025. It weakened into the 1,470s in November and the 1,480s in December. Although it has since eased back to the 1,440s, the exchange rate — along with real estate — has emerged as one of the most visible risk factors confronting the new administration. A high exchange rate itself is not new. The won remained weak throughout the Yoon Suk Yeol government. What req January 9, 2026
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  S. Korean startups urged to rethink global scale-up as a process of repetition and trust LAS VEGAS, January 08 (AJP) - “Global-ready is not about translating slides into English,” one Silicon Valley investor said. “It is about proving demand, again and again.” That message shaped discussions on Korean startups’ global expansion at the AJP Global Innovation Growth Summit 2026 (GIGS 2026), held on Jan. 7 (local time) at the Planet Hollywood Hotel in Las Vegas. Investors stressed that success in overseas markets is determined less by techn January 8, 2026
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  Seoul opens 'climate shelters' for rest during extreme weather SEOUL, January 08 (AJP) - Seoul has rolled out a network of “Climate Companion Shelters” to protect residents from extreme weather, offering rest and evacuation spaces during cold waves and heat waves. The program aims to reduce weather-related health risks by providing easily accessible refuges across the city. The city has established 450 shelters in partnership with the private sector, focusing on facilities commonly used in daily life, including convenience stor January 8, 2026
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  Busan revives as a global tourist magnet SEOUL, January 08 (AJP) - Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city after Seoul, is enjoying a tourism revival as its beach-rich coastline draws a record number of foreign visitors and the city rolls out a packed calendar of international events to sustain the momentum. According to the Korea Tourism Organization and Busan metropolitan, 3,349,219 foreign tourists visited Busan in the first 11 months of 2025, surpassing the 3-million mark for the first time. Foreign visitors spe January 8, 2026
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  North Korea's Rodong Sinmun becomes accessible in South Korea SEOUL, January 08 (AJP) - Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Workers' Party of Korea, has been reclassified from "special materials" to "general materials," making it accessible without identity verification or special procedures. The newspaper, classified as subversive publication in 1970, can now be viewed at the National Assembly Library, National Library of Korea, national university libraries, and the Ministry of Unification's North Korean M January 8, 2026
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  Growing strawberries year-round, even in desert with Korea's smart farming SEOUL, January 08 (AJP) - Strawberries are no longer a spring fruit in Korea. They have become seasonless — and in fact, their peak arrives in icy-cold winter. From strawberry cakes to lattes, the fruit dominates winter menus. "Orders are pouring in because it's winter strawberry season. We go through 10 kilograms of strawberries a day," said the owner of a café in downtown Seoul. Winter strawberries grown in greenhouses are known to be especially sweet January 8, 2026
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  Tax may be one reason Koreans prefer overseas ETFs over home-based ones SEOUL, January 08 (AJP) - Authorities have blamed overseas securities investment for the stubborn weakness of the Korean won and have rolled out incentives to encourage capital to return home. But for many individual investors, tax treatment remains a decisive reason to stick with foreign exchange-traded funds (ETFs). An investor who generates 30 million won ($20,691) in profits from Korea-listed ETFs within a pension account would take home about 19.1 million won after tax. That January 8, 2026
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  South Korean street-food chain captivates Singaporean palates with tailored approach SEOUL, January 8 (AJP) - Snack-food chain Ssada Gimbap has achieved 4 billion won ($3 million) in annual sales in Singapore in just three years since making its entry into the Southeast Asian country. According to the affordable street-food chain, the key to its success lies in its deliberate strategy of gradually opening outlets in key locations. Starting with its first outlet in Bukit Timah, home to one of the largest South Korean communities there, in June 2023, the chain grad January 8, 2026
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  Shipbuilders lift South Korean stocks as Asian markets trade mixed SEOUL, January 08 (AJP) - Asian equities were mixed on Thursday, while South Korean stocks ended marginally higher as a sharp rally in shipbuilding shares offset weakness in technology-heavy stocks. In Seoul, the benchmark KOSPI edged up 0.03 percent to close at 4,552.37, finishing largely flat as gains among shipbuilders countered declines elsewhere. Buying in the sector was driven by rising expectations of large shipbuilding and offshore project orders linked to Canada. The t January 8, 2026