KOSPI remains down 4 percent as KOSDAQ edges higher SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - South Korean stocks were split Wednesday morning, with the KOSPI down more than 4 percent while the KOSDAQ edged higher. The benchmark KOSPI stood at 6,575.02 as of 10:30 a.m., down 4.34 percent. It had fallen as low as 6,400.81 shortly after the open before recovering some ground, with a high of 6,614.39. A sell-side sidecar was triggered shortly after the opening bell as KOSPI 200 futures tumbled, following an overnight selloff in U.S. chip stocks and August 19, 2026

LG Energy Solution's battery plant in Michigan begins production SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - LG Energy Solution (LGES) has begun full operations at its plant in Lansing, Michigan, strengthening its production network for energy storage systems (ESS) to meet growing demand across North America, the company said on Wednesday. The facility is LGES' seventh such plant in North America and will serve as a combined manufacturing hub for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries for ESS and nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) batteries for electric vehicles, August 19, 2026

LG shifts board leadership to independent directors ahead of tighter ESG rules SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - LG Group has shifted the chairmanship of the boards at 11 major listed affiliates to independent directors, stepping up corporate governance changes as South Korea moves toward mandatory environmental, social and governance disclosures. LG Corp., the group's holding company, said it recently published its 2025 ESG report outlining sustainability performance and future plans across compliance, climate change and workplace safety. The report covers LG Co August 19, 2026

Researchers find technique to boost water-based battery performance SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - Developing safe and affordable batteries is essential for operating large-scale energy storage systems, but current water-based models struggle to store energy quickly and in large volumes. To resolve this, researchers have designed a new electrode material that increases both energy capacity and charging speeds by utilizing particles previously thought to degrade battery performance, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology said Wednesday. C August 19, 2026

FSS launches hiring drive for entry-level positions SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) launched a hiring drive to recruit about 95 new employees for next year, the financial regulator said on Wednesday. It will accept applications for entry-level positions through Sept. 7 to recruit candidates who can better respond to emerging regulatory challenges. Applicants must select one of seven fields including business administration, law, economics, information technology (IT), statistics, financial engineer August 19, 2026

Kookmin University joins $1.2 mln project to develop vehicle security chip SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - A government-funded project has picked Kookmin University to build two of the main defenses for a new chip meant to keep hackers out of cars. The project runs from July this year to December 2030, four years and six months, on a budget of 10 billion won ($7.07 million). Kookmin University gets 1.7 billion won of that. The Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Foundation of Korea are paying for the work. Ranix, a Seoul chip design company August 19, 2026

Samsung Display takes aim at foldables' dim spot with new OLED technology SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - Samsung Display has developed a new OLED technology aimed at tackling a persistent weakness of foldable screens, uneven brightness around curved and folded areas, as the display maker looks to improve image consistency across the next generation of flexible devices. The company said Wednesday it will unveil its 7.6-inch "Wide View" display for the first time at IMID 2026, a four-day display industry conference running through Friday at BEXCO in B August 19, 2026

KOSPI plunges 7% as sell sidecar triggered SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - South Korean stocks plunged on Wednesday, triggering a sell-side trading curb as surging global bond yields battered chip shares. The Korea Exchange activated a sell-side sidecar at 9:06 a.m. after KOSPI 200 futures fell 6.02 percent from the previous session's reference price. The benchmark KOSPI was down 6.74 percent at 6,407.14 at the time. The sidecar temporarily halts program sell orders for five minutes when KOSPI 200 futures fall at least 5 p August 19, 2026

South Korea, US cut short joint exercise after Trump order SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - South Korea and the U.S. will end their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise nearly a week earlier than planned, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said on Wednesday. The development follows U.S. President Donald Trump's order to scale back the exercise. The JCS said the allies agreed to adjust the UFS schedule to run from Aug. 17 through Aug. 21. The exercise had originally been scheduled to continue through Aug. 27. The decision came a August 19, 2026

LG Electronics brings next-gen 5G to European cars in SDV push SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - LG Electronics has begun supplying its latest 5G telematics technology for a mass-produced vehicle in Europe, marking the region's first deployment of the R16 standard as the Korean electronics maker strengthens its position in the shift toward software- and AI-defined vehicles. The company said Wednesday its new smart telematics solution has been installed in a European automaker's production model, though it did not identify the customer or vehic August 19, 2026