ETF boom pushes public funds to overtake private funds for 1st time SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) - South Korea's public investment funds overtook private funds in total assets for the first time in the first half of this year, driven by surging demand for exchange-traded funds (ETFs) as retail investors poured money into the stock market. According to the Korea Financial Investment Association (KOFIA) on Friday, public funds jumped 47.3 percent from the end of last year to 897.4 trillion won (US$646 billion), while private funds grew 9.2 percent to 837. July 31, 2026

Won visits 9-month high on suspected Seoul-Tokyo intervention SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) -The South Korean won briefly climbed to its strongest level against the dollar in nine months on Friday as traders speculated that Seoul and Tokyo had stepped into currency markets to head off yen carry-driven capital flight ahead of the Bank of Japan's policy decision. The won strengthened to 1,418 per dollar around 6 a.m., its strongest level since Oct. 20, 2025, before easing to around 1,435 by midday. The Korean currency since mid-July has staged a July 31, 2026

SK's Chey buys first SK hynix stake before 20% rebound SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) —SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won made his first direct purchase of SK hynix shares just one day before the AI memory giant rebounded more than 20 percent, turning his buy-the-dip move into an immediate paper gain. A regulatory filing with the Financial Supervisory Service on Thursday showed Chey purchased 3,620 common shares of SK hynix earlier in the day at an average price of 1,353,677 won per share. The investment was worth about 4.9 billion won ($3.5 July 31, 2026

South Korea opens door to three more tech firms on KOSDAQ SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) — South Korea moved three more technology companies a step closer to the stock market after the Korea Exchange approved their preliminary applications for a KOSDAQ listing. The Korea Exchange's KOSDAQ Market Division said Thursday that Melcon, a manufacturer of precision temperature and humidity control equipment, Lablup, an artificial intelligence infrastructure software developer, and MBD, a medical device company, had passed the exchange's list July 31, 2026

KOSPI gains 15% on chip turbocharge SEOUL, July 31 (AJP) -South Korean chip stocks staged an epic rebound on a wave of foreign buying Friday, with SK hynix and Samsung Electronics surging more than 20 percent and propelling the benchmark KOSPI nearly 15 percent higher after this week's rout. The KOSPI jumped 14.9 percent to 6,427.25 as of 9:30 a.m., recouping much of the roughly 18 percent it had lost over the previous four trading sessions. The country's two AI memory champions turbocharged the recovery July 31, 2026

Won hits strongest level in about 5 months after Fed sends mixed signals SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) - The South Korean won strengthened to its highest level in about five months on Thursday, while government bond yields rose as currency and fixed-income markets drew contrasting signals from the Federal Reserve's latest policy decision. The won closed daytime trading at 1,437.4 per dollar, strengthening by 9.3 won from the previous session's close of 1,446.7. The currency traded between 1,435.9 and 1,447.7 during the session before returning below th July 30, 2026

KOSPI extends losses as chipmakers' strong earnings fail to lift sentiment SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) - South Korean stocks extended losses for a third straight session on Thursday, with the benchmark KOSPI hovering around 5,600 points despite strong foreign and institutional buying, as retail investors sold shares following this week's market rout. The index opened higher and appeared likely to climb back above 6,000 points, but fell in afternoon trading as concerns over semiconductor demand, renewed tensions in the Middle East and a weak overnight session July 30, 2026

Seoul's ETF fallout leaves a costly lesson and search for accountability SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) - Funeral flowers stood outside the National Assembly, while online protesters called for the "death of single-stock leveraged ETFs." Seoul authorities have been rolling out one emergency action after another for damage control as the epic downward spiral in chip stocks themed around single-stock leveraged ETFs hemorrhaged investors from pensioners to teenagers. The public anger soon evolved into a broader debate over who should bear responsibility July 30, 2026

Most Korean jobseekers feel "on hold" rather than unemployed SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) —Active jobseekers theoretically fall under the "unemployed" in South Korea, but most of them see themselves as being "on hold" or in "rest mode," reflecting a growing sense of uncertainty and defeat rather than withdrawal from the labor market, a survey showed. According to a survey of 1,412 job seekers conducted by career platform Saramin, 63.3 percent said they considered themselves to be in a "resting" or &quo July 30, 2026

KOSPI continues to slide on chip flight despite record earnings SEOUL, July 30 (AJP) -SK hynix continued to skid on Thursday, dragging the benchmark KOSPI lower despite renewed buying by foreign and institutional investors. The Seoul benchmark opened higher after plunging 17 percent over the previous two sessions, but selling in heavyweight chip stocks quickly erased the gains. As of 9:50 a.m., the KOSPI was down 0.74 percent at 5,621.47. Samsung Electronics rose 1.0 percent on record second-quarter operating profit of 89.49 trillion won ($6 July 30, 2026