KOSPI leaps to new four-digit milestone SEOUL, June 18 (AJP) -South Korea's benchmark KOSPI crossed another four-digit threshold on Thursday, racing from 7,000 to 9,000 in less than two months in one of the fastest equity rallies in its history. The index closed 2.4 percent higher at 9,072.86, up nearly 50 percent from 6,191.92 just two months ago. The latest milestone arrived in 22 trading sessions after KOSPI first broke above 8,000 on May 15. The pace itself has become the story. The benchmark June 18, 2026

Hormuz to reopen, but the war has redrawn Asia's energy map for good SEOUL, June 18 (AJP) - The Strait of Hormuz may reopen within the next 60 days under a U.S.-Iran deal, and oil prices have already retreated close to prewar levels. But Asia's energy order will not return to what it was. The war taught the region a costly lesson: dependence on a single supplier and a single shipping lane is no longer a risk worth taking. Brent crude fell below $79 a barrel on Thursday, its lowest level since early March and nearly 40 percent below its wartime June 18, 2026

Researchers develop stretchable self-powered wearable sensor SEOUL, June 18 (AJP) - Wearable health monitors, artificial skin, and soft robots require sensors that can stretch naturally with human movement without needing constant battery replacements. To meet this need, researchers in South Korea have created a self-powered sensor that generates its own electricity and can stretch up to 668 percent without losing performance, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology said Thursday. Conventional stretchable sensors often rely o June 18, 2026

More South Koreans live alone as one-person households surpass 8 million SEOUL, June 18 (AJP) - More South Koreans are living alone, with one-person households exceeding 8 million, according to statistical data released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on Thursday. Single-person households increased by 212,000 to 8.22 million last year, topping 8 million for the second consecutive year and setting a new record. Among them, the number of employed increased by 98,000 to 5.20 million. By age, those in their 30s accounted for the largest p June 18, 2026

Lee to brief on outcomes of his recent trip to Europe SEOUL, June 18 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung will brief on the outcomes of his recent trip to Europe, Cheong Wa Dae said on Thursday. Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said Lee, who has just returned from the trip, will provide reporters with explanations at a press briefing scheduled for 2 p.m. on Friday. He is expected to highlight several key achievements from the trip including his meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, during which he sought the pope's supp June 18, 2026

Michelle Steel confirmed as US Ambassador to Seoul SEOUL, June 18 (AJP) - Rep. Michelle Steel was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Wednesday as ambassador to South Korea, filling a diplomatic post that has been vacant for more than a year. The Senate approved Steel's nomination by a vote of 55-39, completing the confirmation process a little more than two months after President Donald Trump nominated her on April 13. Steel will formally take up the position after receiving her commission from Trump and completing diplomatic pr June 18, 2026

Korean Wave's expanding global impact highlighted in Paris SEOUL, June 18 (AJP) - Government officials and industry leaders gathered this week in France to discuss the global popularity of South Korean films and dramas, American streaming giant Netflix said on Thursday. The gathering, attended by officials from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency, took place at the Palais des Congrès de Paris on Tuesday as part of an event marking the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Kor June 18, 2026

U.S. Senate panel moves to allow overseas construction of noncombat naval ships SEOUL, June 18 (AJP) - A U.S. Senate panel is seeking to allow some noncombat Navy vessels to be built at shipyards in allied countries, a move that could create opportunities for South Korean shipbuilders. According to a summary of the fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act released by the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, the bill would authorize the procurement of up to two bulk fuel carriers or strategic sealift vessels from overseas shipyards. The proposal June 18, 2026

KOSPI runs toward new threshold of 9,000, Nikkei hits fresh high SEOUL, June 18 (AJP) - South Korea's monthly renewal of four-digit KOSPI headlines continued Thursday, with the benchmark index running toward the 9,000-point threshold as investors shrugged off an unexpectedly hawkish U.S. Federal Reserve meeting overnight and doubled down on semiconductor and artificial intelligence plays. As of 10:30 a.m., the KOSPI stood at 8,920.98, up 0.64 percent, after climbing as high as 8,975.52 earlier in the session, a fresh intraday record and withi June 18, 2026

Fed's tightening signal barely dents Asian rally SEOUL, June 18 (AJP) - The U.S. Federal Reserve's signal of joining a global tightening path to contain post-war inflation went largely unnoticed in Asia, where markets remained engrossed in AI fever and the prospect of the Strait of Hormuz reopening. Seoul authorities assessed the Fed's decision as part of a broader shift among major central banks toward tighter monetary policy, following recent rate increases by the European Central Bank and the Bank of Japan. Markets r June 18, 2026