KOSPI heads back south on overnight Wall Street tech retreat SEOUL, August 06 (AJP) — The roller-coaster ride in Seoul headed back south Thursday, as South Korean stocks tracked an overnight pullback in U.S. tech shares that spread across the region's semiconductor sector. The KOSPI fell 4.13 percent to 6,325.82 as of 10:08 a.m. local time, with losses deepening as the session wore on. Foreign investors were the biggest sellers, offloading a net 1.14 trillion won ($798 million) in shares. Retail investors bought a net 995.6 billion August 6, 2026

South Korean investors turn cautious after leveraged ETF frenzy SEOUL, August 5 (AJP) - Just weeks ago, South Korea's stock market looked less like an equity market than a high-stakes casino as some observers put it. Retail investors poured hundreds of trillions of won into newly launched single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETFs) linked to the country's two major chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, fueling one of the sharpest boom-and-bust cycles in the country's stock market history. Circuit breakers were activ August 5, 2026

Korean won emerges as winner in U.S. "prosper-thy-neighbor" yen defense SEOUL, August 05 (AJP) - Currency intervention has long been viewed as a classic beggar-thy-neighbor policy, with governments weakening their currencies at the expense of trading partners. The latest U.S.-Japan operation appears to be doing the opposite, giving the South Korean won an unexpected tailwind alongside the yen. That raises an obvious question: Has Washington suddenly become more generous? Why would an administration that has championed "America First" intervene August 5, 2026

Won, Korean bonds rally as Middle East tensions ease SEOUL, August 05 (AJP) - South Korea’s won and government bonds rallied on Wednesday as optimism over a potential U.S.-Iran agreement pushed oil prices lower, easing inflation concerns and drawing investors back into local assets. The won closed the daytime session at 1,424.5 won to the dollar, strengthening by 8.0 won, or 0.56 percent, from Tuesday’s close of 1,432.5. The three-year Korean government bond yield fell 7.1 basis points to 3.669 percent, while the 10-y August 5, 2026

KOSPI rebounds above 6,500 as foreign investors return amid global chip rally SEOUL, August 5 (AJP) - South Korean stocks extended their rally on Wednesday, with the benchmark KOSPI climbing back above 6,500 as foreign investors returned to the market as net buyers. The rally was further supported by strength in global semiconductor shares and easing Middle East tensions. The KOSPI closed 3.76 percent higher at 6,598.26 after rising as much as 6,674.66 intraday. The surge triggered a buy-side sidecar early in the session, while the junior KOSDAQ gained 2.42 p August 5, 2026

Gold investment loses steam as investor sentiment cools SEOUL, August 5 (AJP) - Interest in gold investment in South Korea is rapidly losing steam after a record-breaking run that continued until earlier this year, with trading volume and value on the Korea Exchange (KRX) gold market falling to their lowest levels in recent months. According to data released by the Korea Exchange on Wednesday, the average daily trading volume of KRX gold spot products stood at 218,708 grams in July, down 51.6 percent from 451,831 grams in June. Average August 5, 2026

Bad loans at Korea's top banks hit 7-year high SEOUL, August 05 (AJP) -South Korea's five largest banks saw bad loans climb to a seven-year high in the second quarter, driven overwhelmingly by deteriorating corporate credit quality as stress spread across lenders' balance sheets. Loans classified as "estimated loss" — the weakest asset-quality grade and the portion banks consider effectively unrecoverable after accounting for collateral and expected recoveries — totaled 1.21 trillion won ($849 milli August 5, 2026

FSC pushes back on Bloomberg's 'uninvestable' claim SEOUL, August 05 (AJP) — South Korea's financial regulator has rejected a Bloomberg column that described the country as becoming "uninvestable," saying the assessment relied on inaccurate data and overlooked the country's economic fundamentals. The Financial Services Commission (FSC) in a statement released late Tuesday said there was no basis for concerns that South Korea could be regarded as an uninvestable market, saying the country has emerged as an ir August 5, 2026

Kakao Games trims losses, eyes recovery with new lineup SEOUL, August 05 (AJP) — Shares of South Korean game developer Kakao Games fell Wednesday morning trading after the company reported lower second-quarter revenue, although its operating loss narrowed from the previous quarter. According to a filing with the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) Wednesday, the company posted revenue of 75.0 billion won ($54 million), down 35.2 percent from a year earlier, while its operating loss narrowed to 23.0 billion won from 25.5 billion won August 5, 2026

Chip rebound lifts KOSPI and Nikkei more than 3% SEOUL, August 05 (AJP) - A 6-percent overnight surge in U.S. semiconductor shares and a looming index-weighting change at SK hynix drove the KOSPI, the main board of the Korea Exchange, up 3.8 percent on Wednesday, with Tokyo running the same trade. The main index in Seoul rose 240.20 points to 6,599.15 in the opening minutes. The specific catalyst is SK hynix's own share count. The company issued 17.79 million new shares in a 45.45 trillion won third-party allotment to Citi August 5, 2026