Celltrion posts record preliminary second-quarter profit on biosimilar demand SEOUL, July 03 (AJP) - Celltrion announced that its preliminary second-quarter operating profit surged 77.3 percent from a year earlier to 430 billion won ($280 million), the biosimilar maker's strongest quarterly showing on record, pending final audited results. According to regulatory filings released Friday, preliminary revenue climbed 35.2 percent to 1.3 trillion won, with the operating margin widening to about 33 percent from 25 percent a year earlier as newer, higher-margi July 3, 2026

Korea's FX reserves edge up in June as ranking slips SEOUL, July 03 (AJP) -South Korea's foreign exchange reserves rose slightly in June, helped by a stronger dollar, but its global ranking slipped one notch, reflecting the cost of defending a stubbornly weak won, central bank data showed Friday. The country's foreign exchange reserves stood at $427.36 billion at the end of June, up $370 million from $426.99 billion in May, when the coffers shrank by $880 million, according to the Bank of Korea. The U.S.. dollar averaged July 3, 2026

Turkiye marks 10th anniversary of National Day with events SEOUL, July 02 (AJP) - Turkiye will hold thousands of commemorative events across all 81 provinces and in cities on four continents this month to mark 10 years since a faction of the Turkish military tried to seize power on the night of July 15, 2016. The scale of the campaign reflects how deeply that night is woven into the country's modern identity, remembered less as a crisis than as the moment ordinary citizens stood between their government and a takeover. The Presidency& July 2, 2026

Tech expo in Seoul showcases cutting-edge quantum technologies SEOUL, July 2 (AJP) - A tech expo dubbed "Quantum Korea" kicked off its three-day run at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul on Thursday. Under the theme "Quantum in Action, Grand Challenges for Innovation," the expo, now in its fourth year, runs until Saturday, bringing together about 56 companies and research institutions from 12 countries to showcase the latest advances in quantum technologies. Booths from South Korean institu July 2, 2026

Investigators inspect ballot-counting site in southern Seoul after monthlong blockade SEOUL, July 2 (AJP) - A parliamentary committee investigating ballot shortages that disrupted last month's local elections broke into a venue in southern Seoul on Thursday, after the site had been blocked by protesters for nearly a month. Committee members managed to enter an indoor handball gymnasium within the Olympic Park in Songpa, which served as a ballot-counting site on the June 3 election day, after police cleared access routes and dispersed protesters who had been block July 2, 2026

Climate forum in Seoul frames clean energy shift as security challenge SEOUL, July 02 (AJP) - South Korean lawmakers, German diplomats and climate experts on Thursday framed the transition to clean energy as no longer just an environmental issue, but a matter of national security, industrial competitiveness and global trade strategy. The remarks came at 2026 Climate Talks Seoul, held at the Conrad Seoul hotel in Yeouido and co-hosted by the German Embassy in Seoul, Rep. Kim Gunn’s office and the National Assembly Global Diplomacy and Security F July 2, 2026

i-dle to return with new EP 'We made' SEOUL, July 02 (AJP) - K-pop girl group i-dle will release its ninth EP, "We made," on July 6, led by the summer single "Gimme Dat Love," the group's agency Cube Entertainment said Thursday. The five-track EP will arrive on major streaming platforms at 6 p.m. Monday. It includes the title track, pre-release single "Crow," "Mono" featuring British artist skaiwater, "Morning" and "Love Is Pain." "Gimme Dat L July 2, 2026

Korea-Japan weak currency coupling tells different stories SEOUL, July 02 (AJP) - For South Korean policymakers battling a persistently weak won, the culprit is relatively straightforward: heavy foreign selling of Korean equities and an insatiable domestic appetite for dollar-denominated assets. The picture is more puzzling in Japan. Despite record foreign buying of Japanese stocks this year, the yen has continued to languish near multi-decade lows, defying the conventional expectation that capital inflows should support a country's July 2, 2026

AI panic sweeps Asia, hitting Seoul hardest SEOUL, July 02 (AJP) - South Korean stocks led Asia's selloff on Thursday as another wave of panic over artificial intelligence and semiconductor valuations rattled investors, dragging the benchmark KOSPI below the 8,000 mark and the junior KOSDAQ below 900. The benchmark KOSPI tumbled 7.89 percent to close at 7,648.09, its first finish below 8,000 in 15 trading sessions. The index opened down 4.46 percent at 7,933.10, briefly recovered above 8,100 during the session, but sell July 2, 2026

Seoul tanks again, so who pays for the leverage party? SEOUL, July 02 (AJP) - A gambler should know the risks. Reckless leveraged bets often end badly. But when a debt-fueled stock frenzy unravels and defaults pile up, South Korea faces a familiar question: who should bear the cost — individual investors or regulators? Another painful correction hit the Seoul stock market, which until just a week ago had appeared almost invincible after an extraordinary 18-month rally. The KOSPI tumbled nearly 8 percent on Thursday, while the K July 2, 2026