SK nears call on SK Siltron sale as AI lifts valuations SEOUL, July 27 (AJP) - SK Group will decide this week on whether to proceed with the sale of semiconductor wafer maker SK Siltron after surging semiconductor demand prompted a reassessment of the deal. The group's board is scheduled to discuss the proposed sale on Friday, industry sources said. The meeting comes more than seven months after Doosan was named the preferred bidder, with negotiations yet to be finalized. The prolonged negotiations have raised questions about wh July 27, 2026

AI deal euphoria steadies KOSPI and lifts KOSDAQ SEOUL, July 27 (AJP) -The big-tech-studded AI spectacle President Lee Jae Myung wrapped up in San Francisco last Friday helped South Korean shares recover on Monday, though the rebound fell well short of offsetting the nearly 6 percent plunge in the previous session. The KOSPI rose 0.7 percent, or 44.9 points, to 6,735.5, led by SK hynix and Samsung Electronics after their AI partnerships with Nvidia and Broadcom. The tech-heavy KOSDAQ outperformed, climbing 3.2 percent to 772.0, July 27, 2026

FSS flags settlement-date pitfall for overseas stock tax breaks SEOUL, July 27 (AJP) —South Korean investors may lose part of their tax breaks on overseas stock sales if transactions settle after program deadlines, even when the trades themselves were executed on time, the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) warned Monday. The regular reminded that capital gains tax deductions under the Repatriation Individual Account (RIA) program are determined by the settlement date rather than the trade date, meaning investors who sell too close to t July 27, 2026

KOSPI leads Asian retreat on oil jitters, capping sidecar-ridden week SEOUL, July 24 (AJP)— South Korean stocks suffered another sharp selloff Friday as surging oil prices driven by escalating Middle East tensions and mounting interest-rate concerns fueled broad risk aversion, sending both the KOSPI and KOSDAQ into sell-side sidecars for a fifth consecutive trading session. The benchmark KOSPI closed at 6,690.62, down 5.72 percent, and the junior KOSDAQ fell 5.32 percent, to 748.22, as foreign and institutional investors accelerated selling desp July 24, 2026

Chey divorce ruling may speed up SK Siltron sale SEOUL, July 24 (AJP) - SK Group's long-stalled sale of wafer maker SK Siltron may be back on track now that chairman Chey Tae-won owes his former wife 944 billion won, about $640 million at current rates, with a board meeting next week shaping up as the decision point. The Seoul High Court ordered Chey on Friday to pay the sum to Roh So-yeong, director of the Art Center Nabi, in the retrial of their property division suit, plus five percent annual interest from the day after t July 24, 2026

Won breaks from yen as SK hynix dollar flows reshape FX outlook SEOUL, July 24 (AJP) - "Excess volatility is undesirable." That identical message from the U.S. Treasury Department applied to both the South Korean won and Japanese yen in its latest semiannual currency report to Congress, even as it kept both countries on its monitoring list. Treasury said recent depreciation pressures were not in line with South Korea's strong economic fundamentals and reiterated that foreign-exchange intervention should be reserved only for epis July 24, 2026

SK to delist EV charging subsidiary ahead of planned sale SEOUL, July 24 (AJP) - SK Inc. launched a tender offer for minority shareholders of its electric vehicle charging subsidiary SK Signet as it moves to delist the company ahead of a planned sale, according to a company disclosure on Friday. SK is offering 8,200 won (US$5.90) per common share for up to 10.07 million shares, equivalent to 25.07 percent of the company's fully diluted share count. The tender offer runs from Friday through Aug. 24, with settlement scheduled for Aug. 26 July 24, 2026

KOSPI opens lower as US announces new tariffs amid oil market jitters SEOUL, July 24 (AJP) - Seoul stocks opened sharply lower on Friday after Washington announced a 12.5 percent tariff on South Korean and Japanese exports over "dubious" forced labor concerns, hitting a market already unsettled by a Middle East supply shock that pushed Brent crude back above US$100 a barrel. The benchmark KOSPI dropped 2.2 percent in early trade to 6,939.11, giving up the 7,000 line it had reclaimed only days earlier, while the Nikkei 225 fell 2.5 percent in July 24, 2026

Stricter cash requirements for leveraged ETFs to take effect late this month SEOUL, July 24 (AJP) - South Korea is set to introduce tougher minimum deposit requirements for single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETFs) late this month, requiring retail investors to hold at least 30 million won (US$20,300) in cash for new or additional purchases. The Financial Services Commission said Friday that it moved up the implementation date from early August to July 31 after consultations with financial authorities and the securities industry. The measure is July 24, 2026

Won surges amid foreign inflows as stronger-than-expected GDP SEOUL, July 23 (AJP) - The South Korean won strengthened sharply against the dollar on Thursday as foreign investors poured more than 2 trillion won into local shares following stronger-than-expected economic growth and renewed optimism over artificial intelligence-related chip demand. Government bond yields, by contrast, ended little changed as the prospect of further monetary tightening was offset by buying interest after their recent climb. The won gained 13.3 won to close day July 23, 2026