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  Korea's inflation holds near 2% target in 2025, but everyday prices stay close to 3% SEOUL, December 31 (AJP) - South Korea’s headline inflation remained broadly anchored near the central bank’s target in 2025, easing to a five-year low of 2.1 percent for the full year, even as households continued to face elevated price pressures in daily expenses hovering near 3 percent — a gap likely to widen further amid persistent weakness in the won. The consumer price index rose 2.3 percent in December from a year earlier, slowing slightly from the 2.4 per December 31, 2025
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  KAIST nuclear engineering professor named head of Korean Nuclear Society SEOUL, December 31 (AJP) - Choi Sung-min, a professor of the Department of Nuclear and Quantum Engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), will assume office as new president the prestigious Korean Nuclear Society, effective Jan. 1. Choi earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nuclear engineering from Seoul National University, before completing a master’s degree and a doctorate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technolo December 31, 2025
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  MASGA shipbuilding push lifts outlook for Korean yards SEOUL, December 31 (AJP) - South Korea’s shipbuilding industry is expected to gain momentum next year as a bilateral initiative with the United States aimed at revitalizing American shipbuilding moves toward full implementation, industry officials said on Wednesday. The project, dubbed MASGA, short for “Make American Shipbuilding Great Again,” is designed to support Washington’s efforts to rebuild domestic shipbuilding capacity. South Korean yards are wid December 31, 2025
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  Korea's Digital Asset Basic Act faces delay amid dispute over stablecoin rules SEOUL, December 31 (AJP) -South Korea’s government is preparing a Digital Asset Basic Act that would introduce stronger investor protections, including no-fault liability for damages and safeguards to prevent losses stemming from stablecoin issuers’ failures, but the legislation is stalemated by disagreements over stablecoin guidelines. According to financial authorities and National Assembly officials on Tuesday, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) is drafting the December 31, 2025
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   New physician shortage forecast shows Korea's medical standoff remains unresolved SEOUL, December 31 (AJP) -South Korea could face a shortage of up to about 11,000 doctors by 2040, according to a new government-backed projection, underscoring brewing healthcare crisis rooted in delayed medical reform after a year-long fallout from mass walkouts by doctors. The estimate was released Tuesday by the physician workforce supply-and-demand projection committee, an independent body under the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The panel projected that physician demand will December 31, 2025
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  Public bike stations close ahead of New Year's Eve bell-ringing ceremony SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) - The Seoul Metropolitan Government will temporarily close 16 public bike rental stations near Bosingak Pavilion from 7 p.m. on December 30 to 8 a.m. on January 1 in preparation for large crowds expected at the New Year's Eve bell-ringing ceremony. The measure aims to ensure public safety and prevent accidents as thousands gather for the traditional event. The bell-ringing ceremony, held at midnight on January 1, marks the end of the year and welcomes December 30, 2025
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  IPO pipeline packed for KOSDAQ, KOSPI candidates stay on hold 2025 SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) - South Korea’s initial public offering market staged a belated rebound in the second half of the year, as the KOSPI’s surge past the 4,000 mark revived investor appetite and unleashed a rush of new listings — particularly on the tech-heavy KOSDAQ. A total of 77 companies went public this year, including seven on the KOSPI and 70 on the KOSDAQ. Companies raised a combined 4.56 trillion won ($3.15 billion), up 14.9 percent from a year earlie December 30, 2025
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  State creditor bank demands more aggressive output cut from Korean naphtha makers SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) -The government is intensifying pressure on South Korea's major petrochemical producers to further reduce naphtha cracking capacity during the prolonged industrial slump, demanding more aggressive streamlining from Hanwha, DL and Lotte tenants of Yeocheon complex, industry sources said. According to the sources on Tuesday, Lee Bong-hee, executive vice president and head of corporate finance at the Korea Development Bank (KDB), visited Yeocheon NCC on December 30, 2025
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  Asian stocks end 2025 quietly as Korean chipmakers steal the spotlight SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) - Asian equities wrapped up the final trading session of 2025 mostly flat on Tuesday, while South Korean semiconductor shares closed the year in celebratory fashion, hitting fresh all-time highs. Korea’s benchmark KOSPI slipped 0.15 percent to finish at 4,214.17. Despite the modest pullback, the index logged a surge of more than 75 percent from the final trading day of last year — the strongest annual performance among major Asian stock markets December 30, 2025
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  PHOTOS:KOSPI tops 2025 performance SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) - South Korea’s stock market wrapped up the year on a strong note despite a slight pullback on the final trading day. On Monday, the benchmark KOSPI closed at 4,214.17, down 6.39 points, or 0.15 percent, from the previous session. The tech-heavy KOSDAQ ended at 925.47, down 7.12 points, or 0.76 percent. For the full year, the KOSPI and KOSDAQ jumped roughly 75 percent and 36 percent, respectively, marking significant annual gains. In the afterno December 30, 2025