Samsung, Lotte vie for CDMO supremacy as K-bio storms BIO USA SEOUL, June 22 (AJP) - South Korean chips are not the only hot-selling commodities in the United States. Biopharmaceutical heavyweights have descended on the Pacific coast city of San Diego, turning the world's largest biotech gathering into a proving ground for the country's fast-expanding contract manufacturing ambitions. The 2026 BIO International Convention, known as BIO USA, runs from Monday through Thursday at the San Diego Convention Center under the theme "Dr June 22, 2026

TWICE's Dahyun wins rising star award for first TV drama role SEOUL, June 22 (AJP) - Dahyun of K-pop girl group TWICE won the Rising Star Award at the Global OTT Awards 2026 for her performance in JTBC's "Love Me," her first television drama, JYP Entertainment said Monday. Dahyun received the award Saturday at the Busan Cinema Center's outdoor theater in Busan, South Korea. The Global OTT Awards recognize streaming platforms, creators and productions across 14 competitive categories and five invitational ca June 22, 2026

Netflix classroom drama mirrors reality as 300 teens admit to online gambling SEOUL, June 22 (AJP) -In one episode of Netflix's "Teach You a Lesson," an ordinary high school student falls into a vicious cycle of online gambling and criminal networks as he struggles to pay off mounting debt. A recent survey on school gambling suggests the hit Korean drama, which explores the social problems increasingly dominating classrooms, may be uncomfortably close to reality. Nearly 300 South Korean teenagers voluntarily admitted to illegal online gambl June 22, 2026

Starbucks Korea closes early for a crash course in democracy history SEOUL, June 22 (AJP) -Contemporary South Korean history spanning the country's democracy movements from the 1960s to the 1980s has become mandatory study material across Starbucks Korea's more than 2,000 outlets, as well as for the C-suite of retail giant Shinsegae, including Chairman Chung Yong-jin, following last month's "Tank Day" controversy. Chung and executives from companies under Shinsegae's E-Mart division will watch a two-hour recorded lecture June 22, 2026

Hanwha Aerospace earns highly stable credit rating from S&P SEOUL, June 22 (AJP) - Hanwha Aerospace has received an A- credit rating from S&P Global Ratings, making it the first South Korean defense and aerospace company to reach that level. An A- rating generally indicates a high level of financial stability and reliability and is held by major global defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems. Hanwha Aerospace expects the rating to help bolster its credibility and competitiveness in overseas bids by puttin June 22, 2026

SK hynix premium eclipses Samsung in AI stock hierarchy SEOUL, June 22 (AJP) - Investors are willing to pay more than twice as much for each won of SK hynix's assets than Samsung Electronics', a premium that pushed the pure-play chipmaker past the country's corporate titan on Monday. SK hynix's market capitalization reached 2,080.4 trillion won ($1.4 trillion) at Monday's record closing of 2,925,000 won, up 5.8 percent, edging past Samsung Electronics' 2,066.7 trillion won. It was the first time Samsung had r June 22, 2026

Kakao Games names co-CEOs as LY takeover takes hold SEOUL, June 22 (AJP) - Kakao Games installed a co-chief executive structure, appointing Line Games veteran Kim Tae-hwan and company insider Lee Si-woo to steer the games publisher into a new chapter under its Japanese backer. The appointments, ratified at an extraordinary shareholders' meeting at the Kakao AI Campus in Yongin, south of Seoul, follow the firm's acquisition by a special purpose vehicle funded by LY, or Line Yahoo, the operator of the Line messenger. Kim spe June 22, 2026

CJ Olive Young sees 11-fold jump in repeat foreign shoppers SEOUL, June 22 (AJP) - CJ Olive Young, South Korea's largest beauty retail chain, said on Monday the number of foreign tourists who returned to South Korea to shop during its seasonal sale events has risen 11-fold over the past three years. The company said the figure was based on an analysis of foreign customer data conducted with Global Tax Free, which it described as the country's largest tax refund operator. The analysis compared foreign tourists who visited South Kore June 22, 2026

KOSPI and Nikkei extend record-setting rally SEOUL, June 22 (AJP) -South Korean and Japanese stocks extended their record-setting rallies Monday, propelled by semiconductor shares ahead of Micron Technology's fiscal third-quarter earnings this week that could set the tone for the next leg of gains for Korean memory giants Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. The earnings report, due June 24, is being closely watched as a barometer of global artificial-intelligence spending and demand for high-bandwidth memory, an area dominat June 22, 2026

More civil servants to face questioning over ballot shortage in local elections SEOUL, June 22 (AJP) - More civil servants are set to undergo questioning on Monday over irregularities and disruptions caused by a shortage of ballot papers during this month's local elections. About eight local government officials are set to appear for questioning by a joint task force of investigators formed to probe the June 3 local elections. They are believed to have handled ballot distribution at two polling stations in southern Seoul where the shortage occurred. June 22, 2026