Sky Labs cuts IPO price ahead of KOSDAQ debut SEOUL, August 31 (AJP) - South Korean digital healthcare company Sky Labs will make its KOSDAQ debut Friday after setting its offering price at the bottom of its proposed range, with more than 60 percent of institutional orders coming in below the minimum price sought by the company. The company is scheduled to list on Sept. 4 at an offering price of 10,000 won ($7.20) per share, with Korea Investment & Securities serving as the lead underwriter. Retail subscriptions were held August 31, 2026

South Korea expands financial education for soldiers SEOUL, August 31 (AJP) - South Korea will step up financial education for young soldiers as higher military pay and savings programs leave them with more money to manage, while concerns grow over exposure to online gambling, risky investments and high-interest loans. The Financial Services Commission (FSC) said Monday its Financial Education Council approved a plan to strengthen financial training for military personnel, with the Ministry of National Defense (MND), Financial Supervi August 31, 2026

Korean chip stocks reverse a 3% morning plunge SEOUL, August 31 (AJP) - Korean semiconductor stocks absorbed the full force of Friday's selloff in New York technology shares and then reversed it inside a single session, pulling the main index in Seoul back into positive territory from a loss of more than 3 percent earlier in the day. The reversal was not a verdict on the U.S. Federal Reserve. It was concentrated in a handful of memory and component names, and the broader market did not follow them. The KOSPI ended 31.14 p August 31, 2026

FSS to hold public hearing before toughening financial consumer rights SEOUL, August 31 (AJP) -South Korea's financial watchdog will put its consumer protection efforts under public scrutiny next month as regulators face mounting criticism over safeguards surrounding leveraged single-stock ETFs, which intensified a retail investment frenzy before the market rout left individual investors nursing heavy losses. The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) said Monday it will hold a public forum on Sept. 17 in Seoul with about 250 participants, including August 31, 2026

Samsung, SK hynix dominate Korea's stock-rich C-suite SEOUL, August 31 (AJP) -Nine out of 10 stock-rich C-suite executives are affiliated with Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, underscoring the sharp rise of the stock-market stature of South Korea’s two chipmakers. A total of 398 executives at listed companies affiliated with Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor and LG held shares worth more than 1 billion won ($720,000) as of Aug. 24, according to a report released Monday by corporate analysis firm Korea CXO Research Institute. Their comb August 31, 2026

Hot Stock: SK Innovation up 6% on $1 billion U.S. battery deal SEOUL, August 31 (AJP) - Shares of South Korean energy company SK Innovation jumped nearly 6 percent Monday after its battery unit SK on secured a major order for energy storage system (ESS) batteries in the U.S. Shares traded 5.65 percent higher at 123,500 won ($89.57) as of 10:44 a.m. on the KOSPI, standing out in a bearish market with the key index losing nearly 2 percent. The stock opened at 119,300 won and rose as high as 125,300 won in early trading. The rally came after S August 31, 2026

Y-Biologics expands employee share ownership after KOSDAQ listing SEOUL, August 31 (AJP) - South Korean antibody drug developer Y-Biologics has completed its third employee share purchase since its KOSDAQ listing, bringing the shareholding ratio among employees to about 65 percent of its workforce. The company said Monday that employees bought shares on the open market this month through its Employee Stock Ownership Association (ESOA), which enables employees to acquire and hold shares in their employer. The latest round follows two previous purch August 31, 2026

Rate-hike fears drag KOSPI, Nikkei down 2% SEOUL, August 31 (AJP) - Korean stocks opened sharply lower Monday as a hawkish turn by Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh knocked the chip trade that has carried the market all year. The KOSPI, the main index in Seoul, was down 2.0 percent in early trading. The index shed 138.63 points to 6,650.25. Tokyo took the same blow. The Nikkei 225 was down 1,375.83 points at 65,029.73. The fall of about 2.1 percent left the region's two big chip-exposed markets moving together. August 31, 2026

Pump prices fall for 15th straight week as fuel caps remain SEOUL, August 29 (AJP) - Pump prices fell slightly this week, extending their decline for a 15th consecutive week, while the government kept its fuel price ceilings unchanged in an effort to limit the impact of volatile global oil prices. According to the Korea National Oil Corporation's website Opinet on Saturday, the average retail price of gasoline at gas stations nationwide stood at 1,861.3 won (US$1.35) per liter in the fourth week of August, down 1.2 won from the previous August 29, 2026

PARU extends rally after share consolidation SEOUL, August 28 (AJP) - South Korean renewable energy company PARU surged for a second straight session Friday after trading resumed following a two-for-one share consolidation. Shares of PARU closed 10.82 percent higher at 1,475 won ($1.08) on the KOSDAQ on Friday, after rising as high as 1,630 won in early trading. The gains followed a 29.98 percent surge Thursday, when the stock hit its daily upper limit on the first session after trading resumed. According to a regulatory fi August 28, 2026