Nongshim's new ad with Aespa draws 100 million views on YouTube SEOUL, September 10 (AJP) - Nongshim's latest global ad for its flagship Shin Ramyun, featuring K-pop girl group Aespa, has surpassed 100 million views on YouTube in just two weeks, the instant noodle giant said on Thursday. Released late last month, the ad reached the milestone in just two weeks, twice as fast as the first ad also featuring the quartet, which was released in November last year and took about a month to surpass 100 million views, reflecting the growing global September 10, 2026

SK hynix revises bonus deal, raises cash portion to 50% SEOUL, September 10 (AJP) - SK hynix and its labor union have reached a revised tentative wage agreement that increases the cash portion of employee performance bonuses, following the rejection of an earlier deal by union members. Under the revised agreement, 50 percent of the company's profit-sharing bonus, or PS, will be paid in cash and 50 percent in shares, compared with a 40-60 split under the previous proposal, said a company official. Of the total PS, 80 percent will September 10, 2026

Korea doubles disability care target, invoking 'Peter Pan' father SEOUL, September 10 (AJP) - South Korea will double state-funded daytime care for adults with developmental disabilities to 30,000 by 2030, in a plan the health ministry closed by invoking a father who died searching for a home for his autistic son. Jeon Gyeong-chul, who for 26 years raised a severely autistic son he called Peter Pan after the boy who never grew up, died on Sept. 5 at 63. Given about six months to live in April last year, he spent most of what remained looking for s September 10, 2026

Foldables flip the script in Apple VS Samsung Round 2 SEOUL, September 10 (AJP) - Nineteen years ago, Apple's iPhone rewrote the rules of the mobile phone industry, forcing Samsung Electronics and other handset makers into a frantic race to catch up. Round two is unfolding with the roles reversed. Apple has unveiled the iPhone Duo, its first foldable smartphone, entering a form factor Samsung helped bring into the mainstream with the original Galaxy Fold in 2019. This time, Samsung is the incumbent and Apple the latecomer. September 10, 2026

Korean brokerages' Q2 profit tops 5 tln won on trading boom SEOUL, September 10 (AJP) - South Korean brokerages posted a second straight record quarterly profit in the April-June period as a surging stock market drove trading fees and investment gains. Combined net profit at 61 securities firms reached 5.19 trillion won ($3.9 billion) in the second quarter, up 20.0 percent from 4.33 trillion won in the previous three months, according to preliminary data released Thursday by the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). Earnings jumped 82.1 pe September 10, 2026

BOJ September hike view hardens across major houses SEOUL, September 10 (AJP) — Expectations that the Bank of Japan (BOJ) will raise its policy rate this month have hardened across economists, markets and major financial houses, although some forecasters still favor an October move. A Reuters poll conducted from Sept. 1 to 8 showed 66 of 68 economists, or 97 percent, expecting the BOJ to raise its policy rate to 1.25 percent on Sept. 18. The figure was up sharply from 57 percent in the previous survey. The survey figure does September 10, 2026

Uzbekistan, Serbia sign environment pact SEOUL, September 10 (AJP) - Environmental protection was written into the package of agreements that lifted relations between Uzbekistan and Serbia to a strategic partnership this week, giving formal shape to environmental contacts that had been building since last year. Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Aleksandar Vucic signed a joint declaration establishing the partnership in Belgrade on Tuesday, at the close of the Uzbek president's first official visit to Serbia. The two sides excha September 10, 2026

Kia to unveil PBV at Germany's IAA SEOUL, September 10 (AJP) - Kia will unveil its large electric purpose-built vehicle (PBV) at this year's IAA Transportation, which kicks off in Germany next week. The automaker said Thursday that it will showcase the PV7 for the first time during the biennial trade show, which runs from Sept. 15 to 20 in Hanover, marking its second appearance since announcing plans to enter Europe's PBV market in 2024. Kia will display three variants of the PV7 at its 1,531-square-meter September 10, 2026

Oil surge, rate fears pull KOSPI below 7,000 SEOUL, September 10 (AJP) - South Korean stocks turned lower shortly after Thursday's opening bell as oil prices above $100 a barrel and rising U.S. Treasury yields outweighed gains in selected chip and financial shares. The benchmark KOSPI fell 1.66 percent to 6,934.42 as of 10:07 a.m., extending its decline after briefly climbing to an intraday high of 7,072.79 earlier in the session. The index later fell as low as 6,929.13, dropping back below the 7,000 mark. Selling by fo September 10, 2026

Korea targets Chinese tour demand for regional travel push SEOUL, September 10 (AJP) - South Korea will bring Chinese travel agencies to meetings with Korean tourism officials this week as part of a push to send more Chinese visitors beyond Seoul, the culture ministry said Thursday. The first Korea-China travel industry exchange will be held in Incheon on Thursday, followed by a regional tourism briefing and business-to-business travel market in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, on Friday. The program is hosted by the ministry and organ September 10, 2026