KOSPI tops 8,000 for first time as oil slump, Asia rally lift Seoul SEOUL, May 26 (AJP) - South Korean stocks broke through the 8,000 mark for the first time on Tuesday as the market reopened from a long holiday to a weekend slide in oil prices and record highs across Asia. The benchmark KOSPI traded at 8,105 as of around 10 a.m., up about 3.3 percent from Friday's close of 7,847.71, while the junior KOSDAQ stood at 1,184.76. It was the first time the index has opened and held above 8,000, after a brief touch on May 15 that ended in a steep sell May 26, 2026

KOSPI breaks 8,000 as oil retreat lifts Asia, though the rally rests on unfinished Iran deal SEOUL, May 26 (AJP) - South Korea's Kospi pushed above the 8,000 mark at Tuesday's open, reaching roughly 8,060 as the market reopened from a holiday to a weekend of falling oil prices and record highs across Asia, even as the diplomatic breakthrough driving the move remained far from settled. The benchmark traded about 2.7 percent above Friday's close of 7,847.71. It marked only the second time the index has crossed 8,000 and the first time it has opened and sustained t May 26, 2026

Asia AI boom lifts Nikkei to record high while KOSDAQ roars on retail frenzy SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) - Japan's main index touched new heights Friday as it led broad Asian gains refueled by AI hype, while Seoul's secondary bourse received a boost from a state-backed fund. The Nikkei 225 rose 2.68 percent to a record close of 63,339.07 amid reinforced momentum in AI- and semiconductor-related stocks following Nvidia's strong earnings. SoftBank Group surged more than 12 percent intraday after a near 20-percent jump in the previous session — the May 22, 2026

AJP Market Watch: AI boom runs into debt and FX markets in Korea, Japan SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) -Artificial intelligence is starting to look like a mixed blessing — at least for the currency and debt markets of Northeast Asia. Equity markets in both countries are on fire. The KOSPI is up more than 85 percent this year, the Nikkei 225 more than 22 percent. Both economies have outperformed expectations, with Japan's GDP expanding 2.1 percent on an annualized basis in the first quarter and Korea's 1.7 percent, as tech-heavy manufacturers ride th May 22, 2026

State-backed investment fund sparks frenzy as retail investors flood in SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) - A government-backed fund to invest in key strategic industries sparked a buying frenzy, with its online allocations selling out within minutes as soon as it became available on Friday. The fund, designed to invest in advanced industries such as artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductors as part of President Lee Jae Myung's push to shift household assets away from heavy reliance on real estate and into the stock market, attracted strong demand from reta May 22, 2026

South Korea opens AI-era national growth fund to retail investors SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) -South Korea began selling a retail slice of its flagship strategic-industry fund on Friday, inviting ordinary investors to back semiconductors, batteries, mobility and artificial intelligence alongside the government in exchange for income-tax breaks and a state-funded loss buffer under a mandatory five-year lockup. The retail tranche of the Public Growth Fund targets 600 billion won ($396 million) this year, with KB Asset Management raising 200 billion won as o May 22, 2026

KOSDAQ triggers buy-side sidecar, Samsung Elec briefly tests 300,000 SEOUL, May 22 (AJP) - South Korean stocks erased early gains and turned lower Friday morning as foreign investors took profits after earlier record-breaking rally, while biotech and secondary-battery shares powered rally on the KOSDAQ. The benchmark KOSPI rose 0.62 percent to 7,863.71 at the opening bell, after surging 8.42 percent Thursday in its biggest single-day point gain on record. However, the index later turned lower as foreign investors extended heavy selling. As of 9:57 May 22, 2026

KOSPI outperforms Asian peers with record point gain on Nvidia boost, Samsung labor deal SEOUL, May 21 (AJP) - South Korean stocks sharply outperformed regional peers Thursday, as Nvidia’s upbeat earnings and Samsung Electronics’ tentative labor deal triggered a powerful rally in Seoul’s chip-heavy market despite mixed trading across Asia. The KOSPI jumped 606.64 points, or 8.42 percent, to finish at 7,815.59, dwarfing other gains across Asia. Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose more than 3 percent, while Chinese and Taiwanese shares lost ground, undersco May 21, 2026

Korean capital return to home stock market a trickle versus Wall Street rush SEOUL, May 21 (AJP) - A South Korean government account designed to lure retail capital home from overseas markets has drawn nearly 2 trillion won ($1.33 billion) in its first two months, with investors cashing out of Nvidia and Tesla to buy Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, according to the Korea Financial Investment Association Thursday. Impressive in isolation, the return however is paltry against the roughly 300 trillion won Koreans now hold in Wall Street, a record set this mo May 21, 2026

KOSPI recovers above 7,600 as Samsung averts strike SEOUL, May 21 (AJP) - South Korean stocks sharply rebounded on Thursday as investor sentiment improved on growing optimism over artificial intelligence and easing geopolitical tensions. Sentiment was also boosted after Samsung Electronics struck a tentative deal following marathon last-minute negotiations over wages and performance bonuses, easing concerns over a possible large-scale strike at the country's biggest chipmaker. The benchmark KOSPI surged 6.62 percent to 7,685.9 May 21, 2026