WayV's Xiaojun to make solo debut SEOUL, October 26 (AJP) - K-pop boy group WayV's member Xiaojun will make his solo debut Monday with his first EP, "Hey, Somebody," SM Entertainment said. The five-track album will be released at noon, along with a music video for its title track of the same name. The mid-tempo title track centers on the journey from feeling like "nobody" to recognizing one's own worth. The album includes Chinese- and English-language versions of the song. October 26, 2026

Four in 5 migrant-origin population in South Korea in working age SEOUL, October 26 (AJP) -Migrant origin accounted for 5.4 percent of South Korea’s population last year, with more than four in five of working age to suggest their growing role in cushioning the country’s demographic decline. The migrant-background population rose by about 95,000, or 3.5 percent, to 2.81 million in 2025, according to census-based statistics released Monday by the Ministry of Data and Statistics. Its share of the total population increased from 5.2 perce October 26, 2026

Node.js flaw puts web servers on alert after PHP scare SEOUL, October 26 (AJP) - A newly disclosed flaw in Node.js, software that runs the back end of many websites, could let attackers seize servers remotely, the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) warned, days after a critical PHP bug sent web hosts scrambling for patches. "An attacker who can supply Brotli data that an application decompresses with node:zlib can corrupt process memory, leading to a crash, disclosure of process memory, or remote code execution," the October 26, 2026

SK hynix eyes near-80% margin as investors await bigger payouts SEOUL, October 26 (AJP) - SK hynix, South Korea’s leading supplier of memory crucial to artificial intelligence chips, is widely expected to deliver another earnings milestone this week with quarterly operating profit of about 77 trillion won ($58 billion) and a margin approaching 80 percent. The FnGuide consensus puts operating profit at about 77 trillion won on revenue of roughly 98 trillion won, translating into a staggering operating margin of about 79 percent for the qua October 26, 2026

Samsung SDI expands US energy storage push with Texas deal SEOUL, October 26 (AJP) - Samsung SDI has won a 1-gigawatt-hour (GWh) order to supply energy storage systems (ESS) to U.S. power producer Alpha Omega Power (AOP), the South Korean battery maker said Monday. The follow-on deal, signed through its U.S. subsidiary Samsung SDI America, lifts the total volume contracted with AOP to 1.5 GWh after an initial order late last year. AOP will deploy the systems, due for delivery by year-end, at a large-scale Texas power project set to break October 26, 2026

Seoul, Tokyo open lower; SK hynix gains before earnings SEOUL, October 26 (AJP) - South Korean stocks opened Monday slightly below Friday’s close as a fresh oil spike and a Goldman Sachs cut to its KOSPI target weighed on sentiment. But SK hynix climbed two days before its quarterly earnings, while Samsung Electronics slipped. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 11.47 points, or 0.2 percent, to 5,538.83 in early trade. Foreign investors were net buyers of 61.0 billion won ($46.1 million), but decliners outnum October 26, 2026

Hyundai Rotem rebuilds homes for Korean War veterans in Türkiye SEOUL, October 26 (AJP) - South Korean defense manufacturer Hyundai Rotem has renovated and rebuilt homes for Korean War veterans and their families in Türkiye, as part of a four-year initiative to honor foreign soldiers who fought alongside South Korea during the 1950-53 war. The company said Monday it held a completion ceremony for its "Heroes' Home" project in Hatay Province, Türkiye, on Thursday, marking the first stage of a housing assistance program sch October 26, 2026

Celltrion lands exclusive US deals for two biosimilars SEOUL, October 26 (AJP) - South Korea's Celltrion has won an exclusive U.S. supply contract for its allergy drug Omlyclo and autoimmune treatment Avtozma, edging out the original brands for preferred status at a major American health care group, the company said Monday. The contract, signed earlier this month by Celltrion's U.S. unit, covers Omlyclo's prefilled syringe and every intravenous and subcutaneous form of Avtozma. The group runs hospitals, insurers and a pha October 26, 2026

Korea's housing wealth gap widens to a record SEOUL, October 26 (AJP) -South Korea’s housing wealth gap widened to a record while income gains favored higher earners, deepening disparities between households at the top and bottom of the economic ladder. Average owner-occupied housing wealth among the top fifth of households ranked by assets reached 290.1 times that of the bottom fifth in 2025, according to figures from the Korean Statistical Information Service, or KOSIS. The ratio rose from 244.9 a year earlier to its October 26, 2026

Korea's effective exchange rate at two-year high on export boom SEOUL, October 26 (AJP) -South Korea’s nominal effective exchange rate has climbed to its highest level in about two years as booming exports and a large current account surplus underpin the won’s recovery. The won’s trade-weighted nominal exchange rate index reached 94.83 on Oct. 20, according to latest Bank for International Settlements posting. That was its highest reading since Oct. 9, 2024, when it stood at 94.91. The index measures the won against a ba October 26, 2026