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  KOSPI recovers early losses, buoyed by surge in foreign buying SEOUL, January 21 (AJP) - South Korean stocks reversed early losses Wednesday morning, buoyed by strong foreign buying and a sharp rebound in the won, even as global markets remained cautious amid lingering trade uncertainty from U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff pressures. As of 10:40 a.m., just a few hours into the day's trading, the benchmark KOSPI was up 0.43 percent at 4,907.1, rebounding from an earlier 0.6 percent decline. The KOSPI 200 rose 0.9 percent to 715.3, s January 21, 2026
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  KOSPI catches its breath after two-week rally SEOUL, January 20 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark KOSPI pulled back on Tuesday, ending its year-opening rally, as selling pressure in major technology and auto shares outweighed gains in select growth and thematic stocks. The index fell 0.4 percent to close at 4,885.8, snapping a 13-session winning streak that included a series of record highs. Despite the pullback, it briefly climbed to an intraday high of 4,935.48, extending its run of fresh peaks before momentum faded in late January 20, 2026
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  Korea Exchange cleans out zombie stocks as KOSPI rallies to new heights SEOUL, January 20 (AJP) - South Korea’s stock market is extending its red-hot rally into the new year while quietly pushing out near-defunct companies, using favorable market momentum to rationalize both its main and secondary bourses. According to data from the Korea Exchange (KRX) as of Tuesday, five companies — Pureunsonamu, Intromedic, Well Biotec, Kukbo and PharmAbcine — are currently undergoing delisting procedures. Of the five, Well Biotec and Kukbo are l January 20, 2026
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  Asian markets track Wall Street pullback; KOSPI pauses after 12-day rally SEOUL, January 20 (AJP) — Asian markets moved lower on Tuesday, tracking an overnight retreat on Wall Street, with South Korea’s KOSPI taking a breather after a 12-day uninterrupted rally. As of 11:20 a.m., the benchmark KOSPI was down 0.61 percent at 4,874.83, pulling back after touching an intraday record high of 4,923.53 earlier in the session. The tech-heavy KOSDAQ bucked the trend, rising 0.45 percent to 971.48. Retail investors absorbed selling pressure from i January 20, 2026
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  South Korean stocks extend rally to 12th session on robotics surge SEOUL, January 19 (AJP) - South Korean stocks extended their rally to a 12th consecutive session on Monday, driven by strong gains in robotics-related shares. The benchmark KOSPI rose 1.32 percent to close at 4,904.7, marking another record high after maintaining gains throughout the session. The tech-heavy KOSDAQ advanced 1.4 percent to 968.4, while the KOSPI 200 climbed 1.3 percent to 713.96. Foreign investors led the advance. In the KOSPI market, foreigners posted net purcha January 19, 2026
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  IMF flags structural FX fragility in Korea, citing shallow market and equity-heavy exposure SEOUL, January 19 (AJP) - South Korea’s foreign exchange vulnerability has drawn renewed scrutiny from the International Monetary Fund, not because of short-term external debt — the trigger during the late-1990s liquidity crisis — but due to the country’s unusually large foreign equity exposure relative to the depth of its FX market. According to an IMF assessment released Sunday, South Korea’s foreign-exposed assets amount to roughly 25 times its ave January 19, 2026
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  Hot Stock: Robotics emerge as retail favorite as U.S. tariff risks weigh on chip heavyweights SEOUL, January 19 (AJP) - Shares of robotics and automation companies surged Monday as investor funds rotated out of semiconductor stocks and into so-called “physical AI” plays, amid renewed uncertainty over U.S. semiconductor trade policy. Hyundai Motor jumped 12.5 percent to 465,000 won ($315.3), while Doosan Robotics soared 20.13 percent to 108,600 won, sharply outperforming the broader market as sentiment toward chipmakers weakened on tariff concerns. The shift January 19, 2026
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  KOSPI bucks global stock weakness on robotics-led rally SEOUL, January 19 (AJP) — Asian stock markets opened the week on a weaker footing amid rising geopolitical uncertainty, as tensions flared between the European Union and the United States over Greenland. South Korean stocks, however, moved against the regional trend, buoyed by strong gains in robotics-related shares. The benchmark KOSPI opened at 4,829.40, down 0.23 percent from the previous close, but quickly reversed course. As of 11:10 a.m., the index was up 0.9 percent a January 19, 2026
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  KOSPI stretches rally to 11 sessions, with gains now eclipsing past cycles SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - South Korean stocks extended their historic advance on Friday, pushing the KOSPI up for an 11th consecutive session and underscoring a rally that has grown not only longer, but materially stronger than previous market upswings. The benchmark index rose 0.9 percent to close at 4,840.7, marking a 13.8 percent gain since Jan.2 as the market continued to notch new highs with near-daily regularity entering the new year. The KOSDAQ added 0.4 percent to 954.6, w January 16, 2026
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  East Asian rate decoupling: A tale of four economies SEOUL, January 16 (AJP) - East Asia is no longer a monolith but a disparate economic powerhouse that accounts for roughly a quarter of global GDP and a third of world trade. For years, the combined output of its leading quartet—China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan—has surpassed that of the euro zone, underpinned by an export engine that remains the envy of the West. Beneath this shared headline strength, however, a deep monetary divergence is taking hold. Nowhere is th January 16, 2026