Korea's FX deposits stretch $14 billion September SEOUL, October 28 (AJP) — South Korea's resident foreign currency deposits at foreign exchange banks stretched by $14.09 billion in September on burgeoning dollar revenue for the Korean Inc. and bond proceeds ,central bank data showed Wednesday. The deposits stood at $154.71 billion at the end of September, up from $140.62 billion a month earlier, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). Dollar-denominated deposits increased by $12.99 billion to $132.90 billion, accou October 28, 2026

Samsung Electro-Mechanics Q3 more than doubles SEOUL, October 28 (AJP) -Samsung Electro-Mechanics which recently entered strategic partnership with Nvidia to supply ABF substrates for AI processors reported a 165.5 percent jump in third-quarter operating profit Wednesday as the electronic components maker expands its foothold in the artificial intelligence chip supply chain. Operating profit reached 691 billion won ($516 million) on revenue of 3.76 trillion won, up 30.3 percent from a year earlier, according to its preliminary October 28, 2026

KOSPI briefly touches above 6,000 on 8% surge in chip stocks SEOUL, October 28 (AJP) -The KOSPI briefly touched above 6,000 as 8-percent surge in bellwether memory chip stocks drew strong buying from foreign and institutional capital. As of 11:10 a.m., KOSPI was trading 5.96 percent higher at 5,974.34. with SK hynix and Samsung Electronics both 8 percent higher at 1,4510,000 won and 239,500, respectively, as investors were relieved of chip boom peak-out after SK hynix said its HBM and DRAM supplies for the next three years have already been b October 28, 2026

Hanwha Ocean Q3 operating profit jumps 68% despite naval ship losses SEOUL, October 28 (AJP) - South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean reported a 67.6 percent increase in third-quarter operating profit from a year earlier, driven by higher-priced commercial ship orders, despite an operating loss in its naval shipbuilding division. The company said Tuesday that its consolidated operating profit reached 485.7 billion won ($363.5 million) in the July-September period, up from 289.8 billion won a year earlier. Revenue rose 12.9 percent to 3.41 trillion October 28, 2026

Hoarding bans on urea, syringes to be lifted later this week SEOUL, October 28 (AJP) - South Korea will lift its temporary bans on hoarding diesel exhaust fluid, urea, syringes and medical needles later this week. After a meeting at the government complex in Seoul on Wednesday, the Ministry of Finance and Economy said they would expire at the end of this month, as supplies have remained stable following disruptions caused by the prolonged conflict in the Middle East earlier this year. The ministry said the decision was based on recent supp October 28, 2026

KAIST catalyst cuts precious metal in hydrogen production by 75% SEOUL, October 28 (AJP) - Researchers in South Korea have built a catalyst that performs about as well as a commercial platinum catalyst while using a quarter of the expensive precious metal such catalysts depend on. In a lab electrolyzer, the new catalyst carried 9.82 amperes of current per square centimeter of electrode at 2.0 volts and 80 degrees Celsius. A commercial platinum catalyst loaded with four times as much precious metal reached 9.77 amperes under the same conditions. October 28, 2026

Stem cells could restore lost brain function, scientist says SEOUL, October 28 (AJP) - Human stem cells could offer new treatments for intractable neurological disorders by replacing the cells those diseases destroy, a leading U.S. stem cell scientist said Wednesday at BIX 2026, South Korea's annual biotech convention in Seoul. Sally Temple, co-founder and chief scientific officer of Luxa Biotechnology LLC, said in her opening keynote that stem cell research is driving "a remarkable change" in how scientists approach neurodegene October 28, 2026

South Korea's rice output to hit six-year low as prices hold firm SEOUL, October 28 (AJP) - South Korea's rice production is expected to fall to its lowest level in six years in 2026, with harvest-season prices projected to remain steady or rise slightly from a year earlier despite weaker consumer demand. According to the Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI) on Wednesday, average farmgate rice prices during the October-December harvest season are expected to remain at or slightly above last year's level of 57,735 won per 20 kilograms. October 28, 2026

Korea's biotech chief urges state help as BIX 2026 opens SEOUL, October 28 (AJP) - The head of South Korea's biotech industry group called on the government Wednesday for support that drug developers can actually feel, as BIX 2026, the country's annual biotech convention, opened at COEX in Seoul. "The technology we have is nothing original. It is just one of the many ADCs out there," said Ko Han-sung, chairman of the Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization. Ko said AI has made even fundraising difficult for biot October 28, 2026

Kookmin chip researcher makes Stanford top 2% list for 6th year SEOUL, October 28 (AJP) - A Kookmin University engineer who works on stacking chip layers without damaging the layers below them has been named among the world's most-cited researchers for the sixth consecutive year. Choi Sung-jin, a professor in the university's Department of Electronics Engineering, appeared on both lists of the 2026 "World's Top 2% Scientists" ranking compiled by Stanford University and Elsevier, the Dutch academic publisher. In applied ph October 28, 2026