Frenzied retail stock buying triggers Seoul warning on forced liquidation SEOUL, March 23 (AJP) - Leveraged stock buying by retail investors remained feverish on Monday despite 6-percent rout on escalating Gulf war fears, prompting the financial regulator to warn on forced liquidations. The Financial Supervisory Service issued a set of guidelines on Monday aimed at preventing disputes in margin trading, saying recent sharp swings in the domestic stock market had heightened the risk of forced sell-offs for investors using credit financing. “When March 23, 2026

Korean pet food firms push into Vietnam's booming market SEOUL, March 23 (AJP) — South Korean pet food companies are increasingly targeting Vietnam as a key growth market, capitalizing on the Southeast Asian country’s rapidly expanding pet economy and rising demand for premium pet care. Vietnam has quickly emerged as a strategic destination for Korean exporters. Korean-made pet food already accounts for an estimated 30-40 percent of purchases in some segments, underscoring strong brand recognition and consumer trust. Sou March 23, 2026

FX deposits fall for second month on overseas investment, import payments SEOUL, March 23 (AJP) - Resident foreign currency deposits in South Korea declined for a second straight month in February, as corporate demand for overseas investments and import settlements weighed on balances. According to data released Monday by the Bank of Korea (BOK), outstanding resident foreign currency deposits at foreign exchange banks stood at $117.53 billion at end-February, down $490 million from a month earlier. The decline follows a sharper $1.4 billion drop in Janu March 23, 2026

Asia markets slide as foreign flows unwind amid U.S. ultimatum on Iran SEOUL, March 23 (AJP) — A sharp pullback in foreign positioning rippled across Asian markets Monday after Washington issued a 48-hour ultimatum for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, prompting investors to cut exposure to risk-sensitive assets. Chip-heavy markets led regional losses. Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped below the 51,000 mark for the first time since Jan. 5, according to Kyodo News, dragged down by semiconductor stocks. Advantest plunged 6.76 percent, while Tok March 23, 2026

KOSPI sinks more than 6%, Korean won hits fresh 17-year low SEOUL, March 23 (AJP) - South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI tumbled at the open on Monday, triggering a sell-side sidecar as investor sentiment soured sharply on energy crisis after an U.S. ultimatum on Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. As of 9:54 a.m., Seoul's main index sank 6 percent 5,430.24, and the KOSDAQ nearly 5 percent to 1,105.33. Losers overwhelmed gainers by 859 to 57. The dollar hit 1,510.40, the first time above 1,510 since March of 2009 amid the global fi March 23, 2026

Shin nomination signals BOK shift toward financial stability, external shock shield SEOUL, March 22 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday nominated Shin Hyun-song, economic adviser and head of the Monetary and Economic Department at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), as the next governor of the Bank of Korea, tasked with navigating monetary policy amid the economic fallout from the Gulf war crisis. The presidential office said Shin’s combination of academic depth and policy experience makes him well suited to manage rising uncertainty linked to March 22, 2026

Retail inflows sustain KOSPI with bubble warning triggered SEOUL, March 22 (AJP) - South Korea’s stock market remains one of the world’s top performers over the past year, backed by heavy retail influx despite rapid foreign pullback due to the economy's heavy exposure to the crippled Strait of Hormuz, causing warnings of bubbly risks. The benchmark KOSPI hovers around 5,800 despite escalating oil prices and tensions in the Gulf after rising more than 150 percent in less than a year amid heavy swings since the war. It hel March 22, 2026

KOSDAQ shines alone; Nikkei suffers "Black Friday" on Gulf crisis, hawkish BOJ SEOUL, March 20 (AJP) — Asian equity markets showed mixed results with limited volatility on Friday, yet a sharp divide emerged between Seoul and Tokyo. While the tech-heavy KOSDAQ rallied by over 1 percent, Japanese stocks suffered a bruising "Black Friday" as monetary tightening fears gripped the Nikkei. The South Korean won showed no signs of recovery amidst the prolonged blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. Federal Reserve’s hawkish stance on int March 20, 2026

South Korea's digital payments surge, platform dominance intensifies SEOUL, March 20 (AJP) - Digital payment transactions in South Korea continued their steady upward trajectory last year, with both transaction volume and value rising from a year earlier. Notably, the dominance of tech platforms in simplified payment and remittance services has intensified, with their market share once again surpassing the 50 percent mark. According to data released by the Bank of Korea (BOK) on Friday, the average daily value of Payment Gateway (PG) services reach March 20, 2026

KOSPI defies broader trend as Asian markets decline amid oil-driven inflation fears SEOUL, March 20 (AJP) - Asian markets mostly fell on Friday, with South Korea's benchmark KOSPI the only major index to edge higher, as investors weighed rising oil prices against signs of easing tensions in the Middle East. Wall Street's three major indexes closed lower overnight but pared earlier losses, with the Dow Jones falling 0.44 percent and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq declining 0.27 percent and 0.28 percent, respectively. Markets initially came under pressure from March 20, 2026