KOSPI and Nikkei under profit-taking pressure SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) — South Korean and Japanese shares fell Friday on broad profit-taking after the previous session's Micron Technology-fueled chip rally, while oil prices, which had returned to prewar levels, turned higher on reports of a suspected attack near the Strait of Hormuz. As of 10:16 a.m., the benchmark KOSPI was down 2.72 percent at 8,687.50. The junior KOSDAQ fell 1.08 percent to 878.20. Japan's Nikkei 225 declined 3.0 percent to 70,174.53. In Se June 26, 2026

Japanese defense minister to visit Seoul for talks this weekend SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) - Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi is set to visit to South Korea over the weekend for talks, the Ministry of National Defense said on Friday. Koizumi will arrive in Seoul on Saturday and hold talks with his South Korean counterpart Ahn Gyu-back the following day. Koizumi will arrive in Seoul on Saturday and hold talks with his South Korean counterpart Ahn Gyu-back in Seoul the following day, in what both sides describe as part of ongoing "shut June 26, 2026

World-OKTA signs MOU with Guangdong trade bodies ahead of October expo SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) - The World Federation of Overseas Korean Traders Associations (World-OKTA) signed a memorandum of understanding with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade's Guangdong committee and other global economic groups, laying the groundwork for a Korea-China trade expo set for Shenzhen in October. The agreement was sealed on the sidelines of the 2026 Invest Guangdong Promotion Conference, held Monday in Beijing. Through the pact, World-OKTA June 26, 2026

Eight more South Korean ships clear Strait of Hormuz after ceasefire SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) - Eight more South Korean-operated vessels stranded inside the Strait of Hormuz have safely passed through the strategic waterway following the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, leaving five left behind, according to South Korea's Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Friday. The ministry said the eight ships, carrying a total of 37 South Korean crew members, have resumed normal operations after transiting the strait. One of the vessels is bound for June 26, 2026

Nature debuts autonomous robotics conference at KAIST SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) - Nature will hold its first conference dedicated to autonomous robotics at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in the central city of Daejeon, South Korea, this October, bringing together some of the world's leading researchers to debate the future of intelligent machines, the prominent institute said Friday. The three-day event, titled "2026 Nature Conference: Autonomous Robotics," runs from October 13 to 15 on the Korea Adva June 26, 2026

Foreign 'Sell Korea' tops $30 bn in May, 10 times '25 outflow SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) — Foreign investors sold a record 47 trillion won ($30.5 billion) worth of Korean stocks in May, pushing their net sales in the first five months 10 times their 2025 annual outflow and explaining the stubbornly weak won versus the U.S. dollar, data showed Friday. Despite their heavy selling, their holdings in Korean shares and share in market cap surged to a record high to reflect their cherry-picking in heavyweight blue chips. According to data rel June 26, 2026

RIMPAC begins with S. Korean Navy taking first command role SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) - The U.S.-led Rim of the Pacific exercise, the world’s largest multinational maritime drill, has begun in and around Hawaii, with the South Korean Navy taking charge of a major command role for the first time. The biennial exercise, known as RIMPAC, began Wednesday and will run through July 31 in waters off Hawaii and across the Pacific, according to the U.S. Defense Department. About 30,000 personnel from multiple countries are taking part. The Pentag June 26, 2026

How leaders of two Koreas mark Korean War anniversary SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un marked the 76th anniversary of the 1950-53 Korean War by overseeing "tests of major weapons," state media reported on Friday. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, the tests were conducted the previous day to evaluate the accuracy and combat readiness of a 240-mm multiple rocket launcher system, a tactical ballistic missile and a 155-mm self-propelled howitzer, all of which have enough range to June 26, 2026

Kazakhstan and China target $100bn in trade SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) - More than eight in every 10 containers shipped overland from China to Europe pass through Kazakhstan. That single statistic, more than any diplomatic formula, explains why the two countries spent this week in Urumqi pressing to deepen a commercial relationship already generating record numbers. On the sidelines of the 9th China-Eurasia Expo on Thursday (local time), Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin met June 26, 2026

Seoul to freeze utility charges and lower pump price cap SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) -South Korea will freeze public utility rates in the second half and lower the ceiling on gasoline prices to help restore energy costs to pre-war levels and contain inflation under 3 percent, while rolling out 1 trillion won ($647 million) worth of fresh food discounts and aid for the self-employed to ese their burden from high prices, the government said Friday. The measures mark the first phase of the government's gradual rollback of emergency economic re June 26, 2026