SK hynix buyback, foreign buying send KOSPI up nearly 6% SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - South Korean stocks rebounded sharply on Thursday, as a record share buyback plan sent SK hynix surging and foreign investors piled back into the country's semiconductor heavyweights following the previous day's rout. The benchmark KOSPI closed at 6,852.58 points, up 5.89 percent from the previous session, after rising as high as 6,904.55 during the day, as sharp gains in SK hynix and Samsung Electronics helped the index recover from Wednesday's August 20, 2026

Will Trump's joint drill reduction revive talks with North Korean leader? SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - U.S. President Donald Trump's abrupt call to scale back a joint military exercise with South Korea has quickly moved from presidential rhetoric to security concerns, amid growing signs that he is seeking another face-to-face meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise (UFS), which began earlier this week and was originally scheduled to run for 11 days through Aug. 27, is being cut to five days and end on Friday. August 20, 2026

Won extends gains, bonds end mixed SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - The South Korean won extended its gains against the U.S. dollar on Thursday, while government bond yields ended mixed as longer maturities drew support from a decline in U.S. Treasury yields. The won strengthened 5.1 won from the previous session to close daytime trading at 1,392.6 per dollar, compared with Wednesday's close of 1,397.7. It marked the second straight daytime close below 1,400 and the lowest closing level since Sept. 23, 2025, with the August 20, 2026

Chip equipment maker rides surprise rally in tandem with Moderna's triple-digit surge SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - Shares of semiconductor equipment maker N2TECH hit their daily limit on Thursday as investors rushed into related South Korean stocks following Moderna's positive results from a late-stage cancer vaccine clinical trial. N2TECH's shares closed at 1,925 won on the junior KOSDAQ, up 29.98 percent from the previous session. The stock opened at 1,831 won and fell as low as 1,646 won before rebounding to the daily limit. The rally came after U.S. biotec August 20, 2026

SK hynix turns AI windfall into shares with new bonus deal SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - SK hynix is spreading the gains from its AI memory boom across employees and shareholders, striking a tentative deal to pay 60 percent of performance bonuses in company shares just a day after unveiling a record 40 trillion won ($28.6 billion) share buyback. The two moves underscore how surging profits and cash flow are giving the world's leading HBM supplier room to simultaneously reward workers and shareholders while continuing massive investment in August 20, 2026

NCT 127 to open pop-up store in Seoul to promote new album SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - K-pop boy group NCT 127 will open a pop-up store in Seoul next week to promote the release of their seventh full-length album, their agency SM Entertainment said on Thursday. NCT 127's upcoming album "BLINGY" is set for release on Aug. 24 with nine tracks, including the title song of the same name. The pop-up store, called "NEO LOST&FOUND CENTER," will open the following day and run through Sept. 1 in Seoul's hip district o August 20, 2026

Hot Stock: SK hynix surges over 10% on 40 trillion won buyback plan SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - Shares of SK hynix surged more than 10 percent Thursday afternoon after the chipmaker announced a 40 trillion won ($28 billion) share buyback plan the previous day. Its shares traded at 1,676,000 won around 3 p.m., up 11.73 percent or 176,000 won from the previous session. The stock climbed as high as 1,720,000 won during intraday trading. The sharp rebound came a day after the shares tumbled 9.75 percent to 1,500,000 won amid a broader selloff in semicon August 20, 2026

US Treasury boosts bond buybacks as long-term yields surge SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - The U.S. Treasury has calmed a surge in long-term borrowing costs by doubling buybacks of longer-dated bonds, but the move does little to address the forces behind the selloff as Washington continues to run large deficits and federal debt pushes past US$40 trillion. The Treasury said it would raise individual buybacks in the 10-to-20-year and 20-to-30-year sectors to at least $4 billion from $2 billion, with the higher limits applying from Sept. 9 through No August 20, 2026

LG Electronics takes materials business offshore with marine restoration project Courtesy of LG Electronics SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - LG Electronics is expanding its push into functional materials beyond home appliances, deploying a proprietary mineral-releasing material in a four-year marine restoration project as it seeks to develop the technology into a new business-to-business growth engine. The company said Thursday it signed an agreement with South Korea's Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, South Gyeongsang Province and the Korea Fisheries Resources Agency August 20, 2026

BIGBANG's new single sweeps music charts immediately after release SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - K-pop group BIGBANG swept major music charts with their first new single in more than four years, their agency YG Entertainment said on Thursday. The digital single "BiiiG," released the previous day, reached No. 1 on Melon's Top 100 chart within an hour of its release. The track also topped other major music charts including Bugs, Genie and Vibe later that day. "BiiiG" is a high-energy hip-hop track built around a heavy August 20, 2026