ROBOTIS surges 22% on Goldman Sachs' 630,000-won target SEOUL, September 4 (AJP) — Shares of South Korean robotics company ROBOTIS jumped more than 22 percent Friday after Goldman Sachs rated the stock a buy and set a 630,000-won target price, citing strong demand for its robot actuators. Its shares closed at 304,500 won ($225), up 22.54 percent from the previous session's close of 248,500 won, according to Korea Exchange data. The stock opened at 267,000 won and fell as low as 265,000 won and climbed as high as 315,000 won d September 4, 2026

Sky Labs doubles on KOSDAQ debut SEOUL, September 04 (AJP) - South Korean digital healthcare company Sky Labs doubled from its initial public offering (IPO) price on its KOSDAQ debut Friday after briefly surging to nearly three times the offering price. As of 2:20 p.m., shares traded at 20,000 won ($14.40), double its 10,000 won offering price. The stock opened at 8,500 won and fell as low as 8,200 won. It later climbed to an intraday high of 28,750 won, 187.5 percent above the IPO price. The sharp reversal made September 4, 2026

Korea's state bank workers join union strike opposing to relocation SEOUL, September 04 (AJP) -Whether South Korea's financial regulators and state-run policy banks will be swept into a second round of public-sector relocations starting next year remains undecided, but the possibility has become a major flashpoint for financial workers, drawing about 15,000 union members to central Seoul on Friday. The Korean Financial Industry Union staged a sit-in along Sejong-daero in Gwanghwamun, its first such action in about a year, with workers from the September 4, 2026

Chip stocks rebound to support KOSPI SEOUL, September 04 (AJP) -Seoul stocks opened sharply higher Friday as Samsung Electronics and SK hynix pulled out of a two-session slide after remarks from a U.S. Federal Reserve governor cut market-implied odds of an American rate hike this month to roughly a coin flip. The KOSPI, the benchmark index of the Korea Exchange, rose 90.59 points, or 1.4 percent, to 6,670.07 in early trade, while the KOSDAQ, the secondary board for smaller and technology-heavy companies, gained 2.3 per September 4, 2026

KOSPI loses cash and conviction SEOUL, September 03 (AJP) -The KOSPI's summer hangover has followed it into September. Money is leaving South Korea's stock market, retail investors are nursing losses and foreign funds remain hesitant. Increasingly, the buyers keeping the market afloat are the companies themselves. The benchmark KOSPI managed a 0.26 percent gain Thursday to 6,579.48 despite net selling by all three major investor groups. Retail investors sold 955 billion won, foreigners 419.5 billion won September 3, 2026

Won hits 14-month high, Korean bonds rebound SEOUL, September 03 (AJP) - The South Korean won climbed to a 14-month high against the dollar Thursday, while government bonds rallied as global yields eased after a sharp selloff. The won ended daytime trading at 1,359.3 per dollar, strengthening 0.7 percent from Wednesday and marking its strongest close since July 2, 2025. It touched 1,355.9 during the session, the strongest intraday level since July 3 last year. Exporter dollar selling added to broader weakness in the U. September 3, 2026

Korean FX authorities reportedly absorb $20 billion SK hynix funds SEOUL, September 03 (AJP) - South Korea's foreign-exchange authorities reportedly absorbed about $20 billion of SK hynix's U.S. share proceeds off market, while the won closed Thursday at its strongest level in about 14 months. The Foreign Exchange Stabilization Fund, or FESF, bought about $20 billion in dollars repatriated after SK hynix raised $26.5 billion through an American depositary receipt offering in July, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing a source with direct know September 3, 2026

Solution firm LaonPeople surges on gov't-led physical AI project SEOUL, September 3 (AJP) - Artificial intelligence (AI)-related solution company LaonPeople surged to its daily trading limit on Thursday after being selected for a government-backed physical AI project aimed at developing autonomous manufacturing technology. Its shares jumped 29.84 percent to 3,220 won (US$2.35) on the junior KOSDAQ as of around 2:40 p.m., reaching the market's daily price ceiling. The rally came after the company said it had been selected for a research pro September 3, 2026

KOSPI edges higher despite selling across the board SEOUL, September 3 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark KOSPI closed higher on Thursday, even though individual investors, foreigners and institutions all pulled money out of the main board. It was the third time in four sessions that the index rose as all three major investor groups were net sellers. The index rose 16.76 points or 0.3 percent to close at 6,579.48. Underneath the gain was a rotation rather than a recovery. Shipbuilders, insurers and banks were bought hard, the s September 3, 2026

AI spending binge steepens Korea's bond curve SEOUL, September 03 (AJP) - As the race for AI supremacy sends government and corporate spending into the stratosphere, investors are demanding more to lend for decades — a shift showing up starkly in South Korea, where yields have risen progressively faster toward the long end of the government bond curve. The yield chart over the past year shows an increasingly steep repricing toward longer maturities. The 30-year yield has climbed the most, touching a record 4.751 percent i September 3, 2026