KOSPI extends chip rout as Samsung Electronics steadies SEOUL, July 14 (AJP) -The bear loomed over the Seoul bourse for a second straight session Tuesday after a devastating Black Monday rout. The KOSPI stood at 6,790.55 shortly after the open, down 0.2 percent. The index shed 16.38 points from Monday's close, recovering from a drop of nearly 2 percent in the first minutes of trade. The two chipmakers that drove Monday's plunge split at Tuesday's open. SK hynix fell another 1.7 percent to 1,813,000 won ($1,211), while July 14, 2026

Seoul bourse enters a technical bear phase SEOUL, July 14 (AJP) -South Korean stocks has entered a technical bear market on Tuesday after the benchmark KOSPI fell nearly 30 percent from its June peak above the 9,000 mark, as a brutal selloff in semiconductor shares deepened on renewed concerns that the artificial intelligence boom may be nearing an earnings peak. The benchmark KOSPI plunged 8.95 percent to close at 6,806.93, its lowest level in 48 trading sessions and the fourth-largest one-day point decline on record. The July 14, 2026

Financial watchdog urges asset managers to improve transparency SEOUL, July 13 (AJP) - Financial watchdog Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) on Monday urged asset managers to improve disclosure practices by providing clearer information on voting rights and strengthening internal controls. It also called for an end to misleading or exaggerated advertisements for exchange-traded fund (ETF) to better protect investors. In a meeting with the head of the Korea Financial Investment Association and CEOs of 20 asset management firms, FSS chief Lee Cha July 13, 2026

KOSPI suffers worst session in months as chip stocks tank SEOUL, July 13 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark KOSPI suffered one of its worst sessions on record Monday as the unwinding of the semiconductor trade that fueled this year's rally turned into panic selling, sending the index below 7,000 points for the first time in more than two months. The index shed 669.01 points or 8.95 percent to close at 6,806.93. The crash, which forced the Korea Exchange to halt trading for 20 minutes, was driven by the same two stocks that had fuel July 13, 2026

Patriotic retail investors on buying spree to rescue beloved brands from delisting SEOUL, July 13 (AJP) - In a market usually driven by earnings, valuations and future prospects, some South Korean retail investors are making room for something more sentimental: trying to save the companies they grew up with. From a beloved penmaker to a well-known seafood brand, individual investors have rushed to buy shares of struggling companies facing possible delisting. Their buying spree has sent stock prices sharply higher as they try to save familiar brands from disappeari July 13, 2026

KOSPI falls below 7,000 as chip stocks nosedive SEOUL, July 13 (AJP) - South Korean stocks plunged sharply on Monday afternoon, with the benchmark KOSPI falling below the 7,000 level for the first time in more than two months as heavy selling in semiconductor heavyweights triggered another market-wide selloff. As of 1:30 p.m., the KOSPI was trading at 6,880.97, down 7.96 percent, while the junior KOSDAQ fell 4.33 percent to 801.20. The KOSPI's drop below 7,000 marked its first breach of the level since May 4, extending a s July 13, 2026

KOSPI opens higher despite SK hynix's retreat after record-setting Nasdaq debut SEOUL, July 13 (AJP) - South Korean shares opened higher on Monday as gains in Samsung Electronics and battery and defense stocks offset a decline in SK hynix, whose shares retreated after its record-setting Nasdaq debut last Friday. The benchmark KOSPI added 14.24 points or 0.2 percent, to 7,490.18 in early trade. SK hynix fell 3.1 percent to 2,113,000 won (US$1,408.10), giving back part of the run-up into its American depositary receipt (ADR) listing, which raised $26.5 billion July 13, 2026

SK hynix ETF frenzy heads to Wall Street after record ADR debut SEOUL, July 13 (AJP) -A wave of leveraged exchange-traded funds tied to SK hynix's newly listed American depositary receipts is set to hit Wall Street this week, extending the AI chipmaker's explosive rise from South Korea's stock market to the world's largest financial market and raising fresh concerns that the trading frenzy which reshaped Seoul could spread to New York. At least six ETF products from U.S. issuers including Leverage Shares, ProShares, GraniteShar July 13, 2026

SK hynix's record Nasdaq debut lifts everything in Seoul except SK hynix SEOUL, July 10 (AJP) - South Korean stocks surged on Friday after SK hynix priced the largest United States listing ever by a foreign company, but the company that supplied the spark closed lower while the rest of the market rallied around it. The main index in Seoul added 184.03 points to 7,475.94, up 2.5 percent. The close understates the session. The KOSPI jumped more than 5 percent past the 7,700 line at midday, forcing the Korea Exchange to halt program buy orders for the July 10, 2026

SK hynix ADR: An epic Korea Inc. drama from penny stock to blockbuster SEOUL, July 10 (AJP) - Few Korean stocks have rewarded investors—or punished them—as dramatically as SK hynix. The memory chipmaker, whose Nasdaq American depositary receipts became the largest U.S. equity offering ever by a foreign issuer this week, once traded at just 135 won, making it one of the cheapest technology shares on the Korea Exchange and a dismal reminder of Korea Inc.'s collapse in the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis. Its fortunes have rid July 10, 2026