Won stays firm as Korean bond yields jump SEOUL, August 18 (AJP) - The South Korean won edged higher against the dollar on Tuesday as foreign equity purchases and exporter dollar sales outweighed renewed Middle East concerns, while government bond yields rose sharply after a surge in U.S. long-term rates and a domestic 10-year debt auction. The won closed daytime trading at 1,411.8 per dollar, strengthening by 1.2 won from the previous session's close of 1,413. The currency opened at 1,417.0 and briefly strengthened August 18, 2026

KOSPI wipes out early gains to close below 7,000 after weeklong rally SEOUL, August 18 (AJP) - South Korean stocks surrendered sharp early gains on Tuesday as rising global bond yields and institutional selling erased a semiconductor-led rally, while trading remained subdued. The benchmark KOSPI closed at 6,869.83 points, down 1.55 percent from the previous session, ending a five-session winning streak. The index opened at 7,127.77 and surged more than 3 percent to an intraday high of 7,216.62 before reversing course and falling as low as 6,788.78. August 18, 2026

Vascular disease biotech firm makes strong KOSDAQ debut SEOUL, August 18 (AJP) - South Korean biotech firm Ingenia Therapeutics made its KOSDAQ debut on Tuesday. Its shares closed at 17,990 won (US$12.70) on their first day of trading, up 49.92 percent from the offering price of 12,000 won. The strong debut may have been supported by the firm's plans to develop more drugs and pursue additional global licensing deals. It develops treatments aimed at restoring damaged small blood vessels by modifying signals in the cells that form t August 18, 2026

Global regulators to share climate policies at Seoul conference next month SEOUL, August 18 (AJP) - Industry experts and regulators from global financial institutions will gather for a conference in Seoul hosted by the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) next month, the South Korea's financial watchdog said on Tuesday. Under the theme "Future Climate Finance in the Era of Green Transition," the conference will be held at Ewha Womans University in western Seoul on Sept. 2. to discuss how the financial sector can support efforts to cut carbon August 18, 2026

South Koreans turn to bank savings amid stock market swings SEOUL, August 18 (AJP) - South Koreans are moving more of their money into bank deposits as stocks tumble and higher interest rates make saving more attractive, prompting major banks to compete for customers with promotional offers. Major banks are competing for customers with promotional offers, with Shinhan, NH NongHyup, Hana and Woori offering higher interest rates on savings accounts. Woori Bank recently drew customers with a limited-time deposit offer capped at 1 trillion wo August 18, 2026

SK hynix weighs options for California-based subsidiary amid rumors of US listing SEOUL, August 18 (AJP) - SK hynix appears to be considering various options to strengthen its U.S. subsidiary Solidigm amid growing rumors of a potential U.S. listing. According to a corporate disclosure to the Korea Exchange last week, SK hynix said it had been exploring ways to strengthen its California-based semiconductor subsidiary's competitiveness including a possible U.S. listing. However, an SK hynix spokesperson declined to provide additional details, telling AJP that & August 18, 2026

Chip rally pushes KOSPI past 7,200 SEOUL, August 18 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark KOSPI opened 3.3 percent higher on Tuesday, led by SK hynix and Samsung Electronics, which extended a two-week rally driven by foreign investors, even as most stocks on the main board declined. The index opened at 7,211 on Tuesday, up 233.06 points, in its first session since Friday after Monday's substitute holiday for Liberation Day. Decliners outnumbered advancers 630 to 234, even as the large-cap KOSPI 200 rose 4 percen August 18, 2026

Korean retail investors reload on risk at home, abroad SEOUL, August 15 (AJP) - South Korean retail investors are edging back into risk after July's market washout, with brokerage cash returning above 100 trillion won, margin borrowing rising for a seventh straight session and traders piling back into a triple-leveraged U.S. semiconductor fund. Investor deposits — cash sitting in brokerage accounts and available for securities purchases — rose to 100.07 trillion won ($70.6 billion) on Aug. 13, up 91.9 billion won from August 15, 2026

Samsung, hynix literally 'people's stocks' with entries near 1 in 4 Koreans SEOUL, August 15 (AJP) - Minority-shareholder entries at Samsung Electronics and SK hynix nearly doubled from a year earlier to 11.43 million at the end of June, a tally equivalent to about 22 percent of South Korea's population, underscoring how the first-half chip frenzy dramatically broadened ownership of the country's two memory giants. Minority shareholders held nearly seven out of every 10 shares in both chipmakers — 66.24 percent of Samsung Electronics and 67 August 15, 2026

Chey divorce returns to court, buying time on record payout SEOUL, August 15 (AJP) —South Korea's biggest divorce settlement is heading back to the Supreme Court, giving SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won more time to raise the 944 billion won ($669 million) in cash he has been ordered to pay his former wife while deferring immediate pressure on his corporate holdings. Chey filed another appeal Friday against the Seoul High Court's property-division ruling in his divorce from Roh Soh-yeong, director of Art Center Nabi, extending August 15, 2026