KOSPI gains 15% on chip turbocharge SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) -South Korean chip stocks staged an epic rebound on a wave of foreign buying Friday, with SK hynix and Samsung Electronics surging more than 20 percent and propelling the benchmark KOSPI nearly 15 percent higher after this week's rout. The KOSPI jumped 14.9 percent to 6,427.25 as of 9:30 a.m., recouping much of the roughly 18 percent it had lost over the previous four trading sessions. The country's two AI memory champions turbocharged the recovery July 31, 2026

Won hits strongest level in about 5 months after Fed sends mixed signals SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) - The South Korean won strengthened to its highest level in about five months on Thursday, while government bond yields rose as currency and fixed-income markets drew contrasting signals from the Federal Reserve's latest policy decision. The won closed daytime trading at 1,437.4 per dollar, strengthening by 9.3 won from the previous session's close of 1,446.7. The currency traded between 1,435.9 and 1,447.7 during the session before returning below th July 30, 2026

KOSPI extends losses as chipmakers' strong earnings fail to lift sentiment SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) - South Korean stocks extended losses for a third straight session on Thursday, with the benchmark KOSPI hovering around 5,600 points despite strong foreign and institutional buying, as retail investors sold shares following this week's market rout. The index opened higher and appeared likely to climb back above 6,000 points, but fell in afternoon trading as concerns over semiconductor demand, renewed tensions in the Middle East and a weak overnight session July 30, 2026

Seoul's ETF fallout leaves a costly lesson and search for accountability SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) - Funeral flowers stood outside the National Assembly, while online protesters called for the "death of single-stock leveraged ETFs." Seoul authorities have been rolling out one emergency action after another for damage control as the epic downward spiral in chip stocks themed around single-stock leveraged ETFs hemorrhaged investors from pensioners to teenagers. The public anger soon evolved into a broader debate over who should bear responsibility July 30, 2026

Most Korean jobseekers feel "on hold" rather than unemployed SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) —Active jobseekers theoretically fall under the "unemployed" in South Korea, but most of them see themselves as being "on hold" or in "rest mode," reflecting a growing sense of uncertainty and defeat rather than withdrawal from the labor market, a survey showed. According to a survey of 1,412 job seekers conducted by career platform Saramin, 63.3 percent said they considered themselves to be in a "resting" or &quo July 30, 2026

KOSPI continues to slide on chip flight despite record earnings SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) -SK hynix continued to skid on Thursday, dragging the benchmark KOSPI lower despite renewed buying by foreign and institutional investors. The Seoul benchmark opened higher after plunging 17 percent over the previous two sessions, but selling in heavyweight chip stocks quickly erased the gains. As of 9:50 a.m., the KOSPI was down 0.74 percent at 5,621.47. Samsung Electronics rose 1.0 percent on record second-quarter operating profit of 89.49 trillion won ($6 July 30, 2026

Seoul mulls 20% cap on single-stock leveraged ETFs SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) -South Korea's financial authorities are moving toward tougher curbs on single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds, proposing to limit such products to a fixed share of retail investors' portfolios after a sharp selloff exposed the risks of heavy speculation in semiconductor stocks. At an emergency meeting among key financial policymakers on Wednesday, Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol, Bank of Korea Gov. Shin Hyun-song, Financial Services Commission C July 30, 2026

KOSPI rolls back to April, KOSDAQ to January 2025 levels as AI rally unravels SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - It's only Wednesday, but South Korea's main bourse has already lost nearly 20 percent from its recent high, with the KOSPI retreating to early-April levels and the KOSDAQ to January 2025 as investors interpreted SK hynix's record second-quarter earnings as evidence that the AI-driven semiconductor boom may be maturing. The benchmark KOSPI closed 5.98 percent lower at 5,663.24, while the tech-heavy KOSDAQ fell 6.12 percent to 662.68 after both index July 29, 2026

Fed, BOJ policy paths may be behind foreign exodus from Korean equities SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - Foreign investors have sold nearly 20 trillion won ($14.5 billion) worth of South Korean equities this month, including about 10 trillion won this week, extending first-half outflows of roughly 170 trillion won as global investors reposition portfolios ahead of diverging monetary paths in the United States and Japan rather than simply locking in profits after Seoul's year-long rally. The sustained selling suggests global liquidity conditions—not dom July 29, 2026

South Korea's birthrate rises for 23rd straight month SEOUL, July 29 (AJP) - South Korea's birthrate continued to show signs of recovery in May, with the number of newborns increasing for the 23rd straight month, according to data released by the Ministry of Data and Statistics on Wednesday. Some 23,160 babies were born in May, up 13.6 percent from a year earlier. The country’s total fertility rate, which measures the average number of children a woman is expected to have over her lifetime, also rose to 0.85 from 0.75 a year July 29, 2026