Shares of chip parts maker jump on strong Q2 earnings SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - Shares of semiconductor parts maker Wonik QnC rose on Wednesday after it posted a more than twofold increase in second-quarter operating profit from a year earlier. Its shares closed 5.31 percent higher at 31,750 won (US$22.44). The gain came as consolidated operating profit jumped 119.1 percent from a year earlier to 30.9 billion won ($21.8 million) for the period between April and June, according to its preliminary earnings report released the same day. August 12, 2026

Pandemic hangover? Young Koreans opt solo as socializing gets pricey SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - For Jin, a corporate worker in his 30s, some friendships have simply become too expensive to maintain. “I feel uncomfortable meeting friends who want to eat somewhere expensive every single time,” he said. “I also don’t like taking turns paying for meals. Splitting the bill is just easier.” HJ Kim, 32, has reached much the same conclusion. What bothers her is not merely the price of dinner, but the invisible accounting that c August 12, 2026

Demand for Korea's 1-yr central bank bond hits 29-mo low SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - Demand for South Korea's one-year central bank bond fell to a 29-month-month low Wednesday as bids missed the planned issuance, signaling that the enlarged supply could not clear at the yield the Bank of Korea was prepared to pay. The weakness lay not in participation but in the size of the bids, as 15 institutions took part, one more than in July, even as their combined orders fell 41.2 percent. The BOK received 500 billion won in bids for 700 billio August 12, 2026

Shares of internet infrastructure firm fall despite strong Q2 earnings SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - Shares of KOSDAQ-listed internet service provider KINX fell on Wednesday even after it posted a more than 50 percent jump in second-quarter operating profit. Its shares closed 6.99 percent lower at 151,600 won (US$107.14). The decline came despite a 51.15 percent jump in consolidated operating profit from a year earlier to 8.82 billion won ($6.2 million) for the period between April and June, according to its preliminary earnings report released the same day August 12, 2026

KOSPI leads Asian rally on institutional buying SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark stock index surged Wednesday on institutional chase after a potential generous payouts by chip bellwethers. The KOSPI gained 233.51 points or 3.68 percent to 6,579.04 as Samsung Electronics climbed 16,000 won, or 6.7 cent, to 255,500 won and SK hynix 5.5 percent,to 1.504 million won. The advance far outpaced gains across the region, where Japan's Nikkei 225 added 0.8 percent to 67,524.06 and Shanghai's composite inde August 12, 2026

Samsung Securities liable for phantom-share losses, top court rules SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - South Korea's Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that Samsung Securities was vicariously liable for employee negligence behind its 2018 "phantom-share" debacle, broadening the legal basis for compensation while leaving a 1.87 billion won ($1.3 million) award to the National Pension Service unchanged. A four-justice panel of the Supreme Court, with Justice Oh Kyeong-mi as the justice in charge, rejected appeals from both sides and upheld a lower cour August 12, 2026

Samsung Elec payout hopes lift KOSPI more than 2% SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) -Seoul's main index jumped more than 2 percent in early trade Wednesday as foreign and institutional money returned to large-cap stocks on speculation that chip bellwethers could sharply increase shareholder payouts. The KOSPI traded at 6,484.59, up 2.2 percent from Tuesday's close of 6,345.53, while the junior KOSDAQ reversed course and fell 1.5 percent to 845.18. The rally was narrow. Decliners outnumbered advancers 473 to 357 on the main board, w August 12, 2026

KOSDAQ roars back as leveraged bets unwind SEOUL, August 11 (AJP) — South Korea's long-neglected KOSDAQ is suddenly outrunning its bigger sibling and major stock markets around the world, gaining 19 percent in the first seven trading sessions of August as investors look beyond the leveraged chip trade that dominated the first half. The junior market closed Tuesday at 857.84, up 19.2 percent from 719.76 at the end of July. The benchmark KOSPI, by contrast, has lost 3.8 percent over the same period to 6,345.53. August 11, 2026

KOSPI closes higher as record August exports lift chip stocks SEOUL, August 11 (AJP) - South Korean stocks closed higher on Tuesday, buoyed by record exports in early August that lifted semiconductor shares, although lingering uncertainty over the Strait of Hormuz limited gains. The benchmark KOSPI rose 0.73 percent to 6,345.53, extending gains for a second straight session. The index opened 0.95 percent lower at 6,240.06 before reversing course, though gains remained limited through much of the session. The turnaround came after stronger e August 11, 2026

Korea's won, bonds buck global trend after stocks dominate H1 SEOUL, August 11 (AJP) - The KOSPI and chip stocks sucked up capital and attention in the first half, but as the second half gets under way, it is the Korean won and bonds that are bucking the global trend and gaining ground. Whether that strength can last is less certain. Their divergence from U.S. markets rests partly on short-covering in bonds and expectations of corporate dollar conversions supporting the won — forces that could prove temporary. The U.S. 10-year Treasur August 11, 2026