Korea's leverage in humanoid as it becomes auto battle: CLSA SEOUL, June 23 (AJP) - The race to build humanoid robots is no longer a contest over engineering prowess but a battle over who can manufacture them at scale and deploy them reliably. That gives automotive powerhouses such as South Korea a strategic advantage, according to Hong Kong-based Citic CLSA. The transition is pulling automakers and auto suppliers — including Hyundai Motor Group and Hyundai Mobis — into what was once viewed primarily as a rivalry among robotics June 23, 2026

Won weakens on Fed jitters, bond yields fall as safety bid offsets FX pressure SEOUL, June 23 (AJP) - The Korean won weakened against the dollar on Monday as the Federal Reserve’s hawkish stance kept pressure on Asian currencies, while government bond yields fell as a sharp stock selloff pushed investors toward safer assets. The won ended the daytime session in Seoul at 1,538.90 per dollar, weakening by 1.90 won from the previous session. The currency came under pressure as investors reassessed the Fed’s policy path after its June meeting delive June 23, 2026

Fair in Seoul highlights data protection amid rising security concerns SEOUL, June 23 (AJP) - A fair to raise awareness of the protection and security of personal information is currently underway at COEX in southern Seoul. The two-day fair, hosted by the Personal Information Security Fair & CPO Workshop (PIS FAIR) in cooperation with the Personal Information Protection Commission, kicked off on Monday, bringing together some 89 organizations along with around 4,000 privacy-related workers, data protection managers, and information security profess June 23, 2026

KOTRA forms task force to seize Middle East rebuilding, export openings SEOUL, June 23 (AJP) - South Korea's state trade promotion agency is mobilizing to help domestic firms recover exports and stake out early positions in Middle East reconstruction markets, betting that a fragile US-Iran ceasefire will reopen commercial doors across the region. The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, known as KOTRA, said it convened an emergency review meeting on Tuesday chaired by president Kang Kyung-sung to map its response to the truce between Washington June 23, 2026

Team Korea throws gas project to sweeten sub pitch to Canada SEOUL, June 23 (AJP) - The Canadian submarine contest is getting bigger and bigger as decision day nears, with Team Korea led by Hanwha Ocean throwing in a $16 billion floating liquefied natural gas project and pitching a broader economic partnership that could help Ottawa reduce its dependence on the United States as an energy market to counter Germany's NATO leverage. The Korean team is targeting a strategic vulnerability. Canada is the world's fifth-largest natural gas June 23, 2026

Central banks recalibrate post-rate messaging SEOUL, June 23 (AJP) - The dot plot, long one of the U.S. Federal Reserve's most influential communication tools, is undergoing a rethink just as South Korea's central bank is embracing it, highlighting a broader dilemma confronting policymakers worldwide: how to guide markets without locking themselves into a path they may later regret. The divergence underscores a new reality for central banks. Inflation, exchange rates and interest-rate expectations have become harder to June 23, 2026

KOSPI crashes nearly 10 percent amid broad Asian retreat SEOUL, June 23 (AJP) - South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI crashed nearly 10 percent, far outpacing declines in Japan and China as investors rushed to unwind positions after record-setting streaks. The KOSPI fell 9.99 percent or record 910.71 points to 8,203.84, instantly wiping out gains of last seven trading sessions. The junior KOSDAQ plunged 7.94 percent to 891.52. Foreign and local institutions offloaded more than 4 trillion won worth on the KOSPI while retailers scooped the June 23, 2026

When elections falter, trust becomes real test of democracy SEOUL, June 23 (AJP) - Democracy rarely fails all at once. More often, it unravels gradually through procedural confusion, administrative breakdowns, allegations of irregularities, and a slow erosion of public trust in the systems meant to ensure fairness and transparency. South Korea's June 3 local elections, marked by irregularities and disruptions, is an uncomfortable reminder that even mature democracies can be fragile and that public trust, once strained, is difficult to June 23, 2026

Researchers develop device to cut data center energy use SEOUL, June 23 (AJP) - As the explosive growth of artificial intelligence services drives up power consumption and creates heavy data traffic jams in global computing facilities, finding ways to process more information with less electricity has become a pressing global challenge. To tackle this infrastructure problem, a team of South Korean researchers has developed a new optical modulator, a key communication component that converts electrical signals into light waves to transmit d June 23, 2026

Homeplus pays April, May wages as Express sale proceeds SEOUL, June 23 (AJP) - Homeplus, the South Korean hypermarket chain mired in court-led rehabilitation, paid its long-overdue April and May wages, drawing on funds widely believed to have come from the sale of its supermarket unit. Industry reports say the cash-strapped retailer disbursed the unpaid 75 percent of April salaries along with full May wages and shutdown allowances to all employees on Tuesday morning. The company declined to identify the source of the funds, though pro June 23, 2026