Samsung DX union elects new chief, sets sights on joint bargaining SEOUL, September 28 (AJP) - A union representing workers in Samsung Electronics' Device eXperience (DX) division has elected a new chairman, with its incoming leadership set to push for joint wage bargaining with the company's Device Solutions (DS) division. Son Yong-ho was elected chairman of the Samsung Electronics Donghaeng Union, receiving 9,777 votes, or 54.2 percent of ballots cast, the union said Monday. Ahn Young-deuk was elected senior vice chairman. Voter turnout September 28, 2026

South Korea leads foreign arrival growth in Asia SEOUL, September 28 (AJP) -South Korea sustained double-digit growth in foreign visitors through August this year even as other major Asian travel destinations including Japan and Thailand saw declines, government data showed Monday. Foreign arrivals reached a record 15.05 million in the first eight months, up 21.6 percent from 12.38 million a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. August alone drew 2.25 million visitors, up 23.3 percent from a September 28, 2026

KOSPI drops below 7,000 as chip shares slide, U.S. yields stay high SEOUL, September 28 (AJP) - South Korean stocks fell more than 1 percent Monday morning, dropping below 7,000 as the market reopened after Chuseok, the traditional Korean Thanksgiving holiday, and foreign investors sold semiconductor heavyweights amid elevated U.S. Treasury yields. The benchmark KOSPI stood at 6,936.34 as of 10:56 a.m. (0156 GMT), down 2.04 percent from its pre-holiday close of 7,080.92. The index opened 0.33 percent lower at 7,057.86 before extending losses and f September 28, 2026

Newlywed debt more than doubles in South Korea as home loans rise SEOUL, September 28 (AJP) — South Korean newlyweds are taking on increasingly heavy debt early in married life amid high housing costs. The median outstanding loan balance for first-marriage couples reached 179 million won ($131,900) in 2024, more than double the 2016 level. The median balance rose 5.0 percent from a year earlier and was 130.1 percent higher than 77.78 million won in 2016, when comparable data were first compiled, according to data from the Korean Statistical September 28, 2026

Seoul demands Kyiv apology over North Korean POW disclosure SEOUL, September 28 (AJP) -Seoul has officially demanded that Kyiv explain and apologize for revealing the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea, warning that the alleged breach of a confidentiality agreement could seriously damage bilateral ties, a presidential spokesman said Sunday. The unusually sharp rebuke escalated a dispute over whether the two governments had agreed to keep the transfer secret. The presidential office said Ukraine itself had requested September 28, 2026

LG Elec joins Nvidia network for AI data-center cooling SEOUL, September 27 (AJP) — LG Electronics has joined Nvidia's official partner network for power and cooling, expanding its reach to customers building artificial intelligence data centers. The company is listed under the Power and Cooling category of the Nvidia Partner Network (NPN), which connects customers with companies providing hardware, software, infrastructure and services for Nvidia's computing platforms. The listing follows a series of Nvidia qualificat September 27, 2026

Samsung plans DX town hall amid bonus dispute SEOUL, September 27 (AJP) — Samsung Electronics plans to hold an October town hall for all employees in its Device eXperience division, with compensation and business conditions expected to dominate discussions, industry sources said Sunday. Roh Tae-moon, Samsung Electronics' co-chief executive and head of the DX division, is expected to lead the meeting alongside other senior executives. The company previously shared plans for the town hall during a closed management b September 27, 2026

Korea's single-stock leveraged ETF trading falls below one-tenth after curbs SEOUL, September 27 (AJP) — Average daily trading in South Korean single-stock leveraged and inverse ETFs fell to less than one-tenth of pre-rule levels in the month after tighter cash-deposit requirements took effect, Korea Exchange data showed Sunday. Daily trading value across 16 ETFs tracking leveraged or inverse moves in Samsung Electronics and SK hynix shares dropped to 990 billion won ($729 million) from 12.25 trillion won in the preceding period, according to data subm September 27, 2026

Korea's 5-year overseas chip tech leak tally more than triples SEOUL, September 27 (AJP) — South Korea detected 40 cases of semiconductor technology being leaked overseas from 2021 to 2025, more than triple the 12 cases recorded during the previous five years, government data showed Sunday. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) detected 107 industrial technology leaks overseas during the latest five-year period, according to Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR) data provided to Rep. Koo Ja-geun. The total was 7 percent h September 27, 2026

Korea's Q3 profit estimates rise, chip forecasts climb SEOUL, September 27 (AJP) — Third-quarter operating-profit estimates for South Korean listed companies rose over the past three months, with forecasts for chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK hynix revised higher even as nearly half of covered firms saw cuts, FnGuide data showed Sunday. Among 232 companies with third-quarter estimates from at least three brokerages, 127, or 55 percent, had their operating-profit forecasts raised as of Sept. 21, while estimates for 105 compani September 27, 2026