New constitution frames Kazakhstan's Capital City Day SEOUL, July 06 (AJP) - President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev congratulated Kazakhstanis on Capital City Day on Monday, using the holiday message to spotlight the country's new constitution, which entered into force on July 1 and marks the most sweeping overhaul of Kazakhstan's political system since independence. The new charter, which Tokayev calls the People's Constitution, was approved by 87.15 percent of voters in a national referendum on March 15, with turnout of about July 6, 2026

South Korea picks Gwangju military airport site for Honam chip cluster SEOUL, July 06 (AJP) - South Korea will build its planned Honam semiconductor cluster on the site of the Gwangju military airport after the government selected the location as the preferred site for the project, the presidential office said on Monday. The decision was reached during a public-private review meeting on the government's three flagship regional development projects chaired by President Lee Jae Myung, Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik said. The government w July 6, 2026

Durability of Seoul's bull questioned as leverage exceeds retail trade SEOUL, July 06 (AJP) — As the KOSPI correction enters a third week, retail investors remain the primary buffer against relentless foreign selling, but much of their firepower is borrowed, raising questions about the durability of Seoul's record-setting bull market. Outstanding margin loans and stock-backed lending averaged a record 61.98 trillion won ($39.8 billion) per trading day during the April-June quarter, exceeding the combined average daily trading value of 52.5 July 6, 2026

Samsung Electronics awards up to 100% bonus to chip division for first half SEOUL, July 06 (AJP) - Samsung Electronics said on Monday it will pay performance bonuses of up to 100 percent of monthly base salary to employees in its semiconductor division for the first half of the year, ahead of its second-quarter earnings announcement. The company said its Memory Business will receive the maximum Target Achievement Incentive (TAI) payout of 100 percent of monthly base salary for a second consecutive half, reflecting improved earnings driven by higher high b July 6, 2026

Hanwha Ocean stock flies ahead of imminent Canada announcement SEOUL, July 06 (AJP) - From Hanwha Ocean's share price, investors appear to believe its victory—or at least a sizable share—in Canada's multibillion-dollar submarine program is all but assured. Hanwha Ocean ended Monday up 7.3 percent at 114,700 won after surging as much as 15 percent earlier while the benchmark KOSPI remained in negative territory, on expectations that its name will be called out by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney when he announces the prefe July 6, 2026

Seoul high school baseball team seeks forgiveness in Gwangju over May 18 taunts SEOUL, July 06 (AJP) -Kids or not, South Koreans are learning that mockery of historic tragedies comes with serious accountability, as Seoul-based Paichai High School's baseball team traveled to Gwangju on Monday to offer a formal apology to players of Gwangju Jeil High School and local residents and seek their forgiveness for taunting chants mocking the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement. The apology came one week after Paichai players shouted "Let's go to Star July 6, 2026

KOSPI slips as investors turn cautious ahead of Samsung's 2Q earnings results SEOUL, July 6 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark KOSPI surrendered an early gain of nearly 3 percent on Monday and ended lower, as foreign and institutional investors resumed selling ahead of Samsung Electronics' preliminary second-quarter earnings set to be announced on Tuesday, which are seen as a key test of whether last week’s chip selloff was excessive. The index shed 37.01 points, or 0.46 percent, to close at 8,051.33. The retreat masked a split in the chip trade July 6, 2026

LG Electronics seen posting solid Q2 on AI cooling, auto parts SEOUL, July 06 (AJP) - LG Electronics Inc. is set to deliver another strong quarter Tuesday as the Korean premium home appliance maker finds a robust position in the AI era through cooling systems essential for AI data centers and a resilient auto-parts business, making its earnings less dependent on consumer whims. According to FnGuide consensus, LG Electronics is estimated to have earned 1.02 trillion won ($666 million) in operating profit on revenue of 22.54 trillion won ($14.7 July 6, 2026

AI boom lifts KOSPI in H1 but focus shifts to earnings SEOUL, July 6 (AJP) - Artificial intelligence (AI) stocks were South Korea's biggest gainers in the first half of this year, as the AI rally spread beyond semiconductors into infrastructure such as power equipment and cables, according to a Korea Exchange analysis released Monday. Investors now watch whether second-quarter earnings will turn those expectations into results. Top gainers on the country's benchmark KOSPI for the first six months of this year included semiconduc July 6, 2026

Korea's Lee orders speed in "Chip Republic" projects SEOUL, July 06 (AJP) -South Korea's ambition to transform itself into a "Chip Republic" is expected to gain traction as President Lee Jae Myung on Monday ordered officials to fast-track implementation of the country's three AI mega projects, declaring that "speed is everything" in the global race for technological supremacy. "The outcome will depend on who moves faster," Lee said during a public-private review meeting on the projects at the pres July 6, 2026