Chip equipment maker rides surprise rally in tandem with Moderna's triple-digit surge SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - Shares of semiconductor equipment maker N2TECH hit their daily limit on Thursday as investors rushed into related South Korean stocks following Moderna's positive results from a late-stage cancer vaccine clinical trial. N2TECH's shares closed at 1,925 won on the junior KOSDAQ, up 29.98 percent from the previous session. The stock opened at 1,831 won and fell as low as 1,646 won before rebounding to the daily limit. The rally came after U.S. biotec August 20, 2026

SK hynix turns AI windfall into shares with new bonus deal SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - SK hynix is spreading the gains from its AI memory boom across employees and shareholders, striking a tentative deal to pay 60 percent of performance bonuses in company shares just a day after unveiling a record 40 trillion won ($28.6 billion) share buyback. The two moves underscore how surging profits and cash flow are giving the world's leading HBM supplier room to simultaneously reward workers and shareholders while continuing massive investment in August 20, 2026

NCT 127 to open pop-up store in Seoul to promote new album SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - K-pop boy group NCT 127 will open a pop-up store in Seoul next week to promote the release of their seventh full-length album, their agency SM Entertainment said on Thursday. NCT 127's upcoming album "BLINGY" is set for release on Aug. 24 with nine tracks, including the title song of the same name. The pop-up store, called "NEO LOST&FOUND CENTER," will open the following day and run through Sept. 1 in Seoul's hip district o August 20, 2026

Hot Stock: SK hynix surges over 10% on 40 trillion won buyback plan SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - Shares of SK hynix surged more than 10 percent Thursday afternoon after the chipmaker announced a 40 trillion won ($28 billion) share buyback plan the previous day. Its shares traded at 1,676,000 won around 3 p.m., up 11.73 percent or 176,000 won from the previous session. The stock climbed as high as 1,720,000 won during intraday trading. The sharp rebound came a day after the shares tumbled 9.75 percent to 1,500,000 won amid a broader selloff in semicon August 20, 2026

US Treasury boosts bond buybacks as long-term yields surge SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - The U.S. Treasury has calmed a surge in long-term borrowing costs by doubling buybacks of longer-dated bonds, but the move does little to address the forces behind the selloff as Washington continues to run large deficits and federal debt pushes past US$40 trillion. The Treasury said it would raise individual buybacks in the 10-to-20-year and 20-to-30-year sectors to at least $4 billion from $2 billion, with the higher limits applying from Sept. 9 through No August 20, 2026

LG Electronics takes materials business offshore with marine restoration project Courtesy of LG Electronics SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - LG Electronics is expanding its push into functional materials beyond home appliances, deploying a proprietary mineral-releasing material in a four-year marine restoration project as it seeks to develop the technology into a new business-to-business growth engine. The company said Thursday it signed an agreement with South Korea's Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, South Gyeongsang Province and the Korea Fisheries Resources Agency August 20, 2026

BIGBANG's new single sweeps music charts immediately after release SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - K-pop group BIGBANG swept major music charts with their first new single in more than four years, their agency YG Entertainment said on Thursday. The digital single "BiiiG," released the previous day, reached No. 1 on Melon's Top 100 chart within an hour of its release. The track also topped other major music charts including Bugs, Genie and Vibe later that day. "BiiiG" is a high-energy hip-hop track built around a heavy August 20, 2026

NCT Dream members renew contracts with SM Entertainment SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - All six members of NCT Dream have renewed their contracts with SM Entertainment, the talent agency said on Thursday. According to SM Entertainment, Chenle, Haechan, Jaemin, Jeno, Jisung and Renjun decided to remain with the agency based on their mutual trust and commitment to the group, with Haechan having already completed his contract renewal. NCT Dream debuted in August 2016 as a subunit of NCT, releasing songs including "Hot Sauce," "He August 20, 2026

Kookmin students win grand prize at Korea AI content festival SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - A music video created by Kookmin University students, depicting a man who tries to break off his relationship with the robots that think for him, then orders another one, has won the top prize in its category at a South Korean competition for work made using artificial intelligence solutions. The film, titled "Epos," was made by five undergraduates in Kookmin University's Department of AI Design working under the team name Holy. It beat 255 o August 20, 2026

South Korea's net foreign assets shrink as stock rally boosts foreign-held shares SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - South Korea's net foreign assets fell sharply to US$64 billion in the second quarter, as a stock market rally boosted the value of South Korean shares held by foreign investors, even as the country's net debt balance improved. The country's net international investment position or net IIP fell by $689.5 billion from $753.6 billion at the end of March, according to preliminary data released by the Bank of Korea on Thursday. "What matters, August 20, 2026