Retail investors pour over 200 trillion won into stocks despite sharp market decline SEOUL, August 9 (AJP) - Individual investors poured money into the highly volatile stock market in recent months, with their net purchases exceeding 200 trillion South Korean won (about US$142 billion) this year, data from the Korea Exchange showed on Sunday. Their cumulative net purchases of domestic stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) totaled 201.85 trillion won during the first seven months of this year, more than 15 times the 13.16 trillion won recorded during the same perio August 9, 2026

Korean ants suffer twice as losses become fake spectacle SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) - Forty years of savings. Gone. A leveraged bet on SK hynix. A 78.7 percent loss. Some 2.2 billion won ($1.5 million) wiped out. A brokerage screenshot appeared to prove every painful detail. The post, uploaded to local community platform Danggeun on July 30, claimed an investor had gone bankrupt after pouring four decades of savings into a leveraged exchange-traded fund tied to SK hynix. It was devastating…except that it was also fake. Th August 7, 2026

KOSPI extends losses as SK hynix tumbles on Nvidia memory concerns SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) - South Korean stocks fell for a second straight session Friday, dragged down by SK hynix as renewed Strait of Hormuz concerns and weakness in United States tech shares fueled foreign selling. The benchmark KOSPI closed 0.60 percent lower at 6,258.77, extending Thursday's 4.58 percent drop. The index opened 1.09 percent higher at 6,365.07 and climbed as high as 6,415.60 before reversing course. It briefly fell to 6,158.73 before paring losses toward the August 7, 2026

Won rallies to 10-month high, bonds flat before U.S. jobs SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) - The South Korean won strengthened to its highest level in about 10 months on Friday, buoyed by heavy local dollar supply, while Korean government bond yields barely moved as investors waited for U.S. employment data later in the day. The won closed daytime trading at 1,416.1 per dollar, strengthening 7.7 won from the previous session despite higher oil prices and a firmer dollar overseas. Exporter dollar selling, custody-related flows and expectations o August 7, 2026

CJ ENM Q2 operating profit rises as TVING, commerce offset SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) - CJ ENM's second-quarter operating profit rose even as revenue declined, as a turnaround in its media platform business and stronger commerce earnings offset a sharp slump in film and drama Operating profit rose 16.9 percent from a year earlier to 33.4 billion won, topping the FnGuide consensus of 31.1 billion won by roughly 7.6 percent and rebounding sharply from just 1.5 billion won in the first quarter. The operating margin widened to 2.8 percent August 7, 2026

YG Entertainment shares rise on new album revenue SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) — Shares of YG Entertainment rose Friday after the K-pop agency reported a 31 percent jump in second-quarter operating profit, driven by new releases from its groups TREASURE and BABYMONSTER. As of 1:42 p.m., shares of the company were trading 1.11 percent higher at 41,050 won, after rising as much as 3.20 percent to an intraday high of 41,900 won. Operating profit for the April-June period rose 31.2 percent from a year earlier to 10.97 billion won ($ August 7, 2026

Hanwha Solutions and OCI shares benefit from U.S. solar curbs SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) —Shares of South Korean solar producers gained upside momentum after the United States erected new price and tariff barriers against low-cost polysilicon and solar imports, raising expectations that Korean producers could gain ground as Washington pushes more of the solar supply chain onto U.S. soil. As of 10:56 a.m., Hanwha Solutions was trading at 32,750 won, up 7.73 percent from the previous session. The stock had surged as much as 26.81 percent to an August 7, 2026

FTC weighs penalties over government bond bid collusion SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) -South Korea's antitrust regulator is preparing to rule on allegations that 15 banks and securities firms colluded in government bond auctions involving 76.2 trillion won ($53.6 billion), a case that could produce the largest cartel penalty ever imposed in the country. Examiners at the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) allege that the primary dealers, or PDs, coordinated bidding yields and exchanged detailed information ahead of Korean Treasury bond auctions bet August 7, 2026

Semiconductor parts maker Dongwon Parts seeks KOSDAQ listing SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) — South Korean semiconductor parts maker Dongwon Parts has launched its initial public offering (IPO) process, seeking a KOSDAQ listing after a sharp rise in earnings driven by stronger demand from global chip equipment makers. The company said Friday it submitted a preliminary listing application to the Korea Exchange (KRX), with Samsung Securities serving as the lead underwriter. Revenue rose to 92.3 billion won ($64.7 million) last year from 59.5 b August 7, 2026

Seoul rebound fragile on SK hynix lag SEOUL, August 07 (AJP) -The KOSPI struggled to claw back into positive territory Friday as heavyweight SK hynix remained under foreign attack, leaving the market's rebound on shaky footing. By 9:45 a.m. the KOSPI was 0.20 percent lower at 6,284.46 after opening higher. Samsung Electronics rose 2.82 percent to 237,000 won ($166), double the 1.40 percent gain that lifted SK hynix to 1,516,000 won ($1,064), even though SK hynix fell far harder on Thursday. Foreign investors turn August 7, 2026