Mirae Asset faces investor fury and probe after SpaceX IPO allocation failure SEOUL, June 15 (AJP) — South Korea's second-largest brokerage house Mirae Asset Securities is under fire after failing to secure any shares in the blockbuster initial public offering of SpaceX, leaving Korean investors empty-handed in one of the world's most coveted listings. "Pathetic," one investor wrote on Mirae Asset's online forum. "Run before you get burned," another wrote Monday, referring to Mirae Asset Securities' own share price, June 15, 2026

South Korea, Cambodia seek to expand cooperation through FTA SEOUL, June 15 (AJP) - South Korea discussed ways to broaden economic and trade cooperation with Cambodia, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources said on Monday. Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo met with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol in Seoul and held talks on expanding bilateral economic cooperation and strengthening collaboration in future industries. The meeting was requested by Chanthol, who is in South Korea to attend an investment blitz slated to be held June 15, 2026

ASIA INSIGHT: End of 106-day war and beginning of new Middle East How US-Iran End of War Changes World Order June 15, 2026 is highly likely to be recorded as a turning point in modern Middle Eastern history. On this day, US President Donald Trump announced that negotiations to end the war between the United States and Iran had reached a final settlement, which was officially confirmed by the Iranian government and the mediating nation, Pakistan. Both sides are scheduled to sign a memorandum of understanding on the end of the war in Switzerlan June 15, 2026

After Hormuz relief, KOSPI's next target is developed-market status SEOUL, June 15 (AJP)-With the Gulf crisis moving toward resolution, South Korea's stock market faces next test: whether a chip-led rally can carry the KOSPI from one of the world's best-performing markets to a developed-market benchmark. Semiconductors can lift the index. They cannot, by themselves, make Korea a developed market. The KOSPI has surged 92.8 percent since end-2025, far outpacing Taiwan's 52.5 percent gain, Japan's 31.1 percent rise and the Dow& June 15, 2026

Starbucks Korea staff to undergo history training after 'Tank Day' controversy SEOUL, June 15 (AJP) - All employees of Starbucks Korea including its operator Shinsegae Group as well as other staff at its affiliates will undergo training to raise awareness of history and enhance social responsibility, the retail giant said Monday. The training is scheduled for Wednesday at its facility Shinsegae Namsan in central Seoul, where all Starbucks staff are expected to attend. It will include lectures delivered by Oh Je-yeon, a professor of Korean history at Sungkyu June 15, 2026

KOSPI, Nikkei jump on US-Iran war deal; China lags SEOUL, June 15 (AJP) -South Korean and Japanese markets surged around 5 percent in early Monday session as uncertainties over energy shocks from the prolonged blockade of the Strait of Hormuz were lifted upon the news of a peace deal between the United States and Iran. The KOSPI rose 415.20 points to 8,538.82, up 5.1 percent, by mid-morning. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 jumped 5.3 percent to a year-to-date high, while Chinese markets lagged, the Shanghai Composite gaining 0.6 percent; i June 15, 2026

Korea's main stock index jumps 5%, won sharply eases on Iran peace deal SEOUL, June 15 (AJP) -South Korean stocks roared at Monday's opening bell after the United States and Iran agreed to a ceasefire framework and announced plans to sign a permanent agreement later this week to guarantee toll-free passage through the Strait of Hormuz, reigniting a rally in the country's memory chip giants. The benchmark KOSPI surged 5.46 percent to 8,567.05 in early trading, comfortably outpacing the roughly 3 percent gain in Japan's Nikkei 225. Large-ca June 15, 2026

Yeon Sang-ho's latest zombie film draws 5 million in about a month SEOUL, June 15 (AJP) - Director Yeon Sang-ho's film "Colony" has attracted more than 5 million since it hit local theaters last month. According to data from the Korean Film Council on Monday, the zombie film drew about 301,000 moviegoers over the weekend, bringing its cumulative theater attendance to 5.21 million after topping the box office for the fourth consecutive week since its release on May 21. It became this year's second film to reach the milestone, fo June 15, 2026

US declares a peace deal with Iran "complete", reopening of Hormuz SEOUL, June 15 (AJP)-The United States and Iran have agreed to end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and U.S. President Donald Trump announced Sunday, a breakthrough that would close a conflict running since late February and restore a waterway critical to global oil supply. An official signing is set for Friday in Switzerland. The precise terms were not immediately confirmed, and the agreement has yet to be signed. Iran June 15, 2026

Huang's Taiwan and Korea tour highlights supply chain at the heart of AI era SEOUL, June 14 (AJP) -Every great technological pivot has its symbolic journey. Columbus crossing the Atlantic opened the age of exploration. Deng Xiaoping's Southern Tour set the course of China's economic reform. Steve Jobs unveiling the iPhone launched the smartphone era. Nvidia's chief Jensen Huang's late-May to early-June 2026 sweep through Taiwan and South Korea may well be remembered as a similarly defining moment in the history of the AI industry. Mu June 14, 2026