HOT STOCK: SpaceX suppliers Korea in focus after historic debut SEOUL, June 12 (AJP) - The historic Nasdaq debut of SpaceX has turned investor attention to the Korean companies inside its supply chain, with KOSDAQ-trading HVM and Sphere among the names positioned to benefit as the world's most valuable private space company enters the public market. HVM, which has supplied specialty metals to SpaceX directly since 2023, manufactures the high-strength alloys and titanium used in rockets and spacecraft, one of the few Korean firms with a co June 12, 2026

KOSPI jumps 7 percent at open, lands above 8,300 SEOUL, June 12 (AJP) - The KOSPI lands above 8,300 by leaping over 7 percent at the open Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump again claims a peace deal is close and much-hyped SpaceX IPO winds down. A quarter past the opening at 9:00 a.m. in Seoul, the KOSPI gained 7.78 percent to 8,373.11, more than eclipsing the previous 4.5 percent fall and extending this week's bout of violent swings from 4 to 8 percent. Samsung Electronics rose 10.0 percent to 329,000 won ($217) and June 12, 2026

SpaceX blasts off in $1.8 trillion IPO, likely extend global capital drain through June SEOUL, June 12 (AJP) -Elon Musk's SpaceX blasted off in the world's largest and most spectacular market debut, vacuuming up tens of billions of dollars from investors worldwide and underscoring why Seoul and other Asian markets had been rattled throughout the IPO week. SpaceX on Thursday sold all 555,555,555 shares offered in its initial public offering at $135 apiece, raising $75 billion and valuing the rocket and satellite company at about $1.77 trillion. They go straigh June 12, 2026

KOSPI claws back early rout, but SpaceX liquidity fears keep Korea on fragile ground SEOUL, June 11 (AJP) — After another volatile day — swinging between losses and gains more than 50 times — South Korean shares managed to end higher on Thursday. But with the market's fear gauge touching a record high intraday, the rebound underscored the panic behind foreign capital outflows and aggressive retail bargain hunting. The KOSPI rose 33.13 points, or 0.43 percent, to close at 7,763.95. The index opened 2.86 percent lower at 7,509.62 and b June 11, 2026

FOMO stock bet fuels household loans in Korea in May SEOUL, June 11 (AJP) - Bank loans rose sharply in May as South Koreans frantically borrowed out of the fear of missing out (FOMO) on record stock bull and for housing on expectations for rate hikes, central bank data showed Thursday. Bank household loans increased by 6.9 trillion won ($4.52 billion) in May, widening from a 2.1 trillion won gain in April and exceeding the 5.2 trillion won increase recorded a year earlier, according to the Bank of Korea. The sharpest turnaround cam June 11, 2026

Korea's job decline exposes weakness beneath chip boom SEOUL, June 11 (AJP) - South Korea’s employment rate fell by the steepest pace in five years as weakness in manufacturing and youth hiring exposed the limited spillover from a recovery increasingly driven by memory chip exports. According to data released Thursday by Ministry of Data and Statistics, the employment rate for people aged 15 and older fell 0.5 percentage point to 63.3 percent, marking the sharpest decline since February 2021. The number of employed people a June 11, 2026

SpaceX debut drains capital from South Korea as KOSPI falls for 2nd day SEOUL, June 11 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark KOSPI opened about 4 percent lower on Thursday, falling for a second straight session as foreign investors pulled money out ahead of SpaceX's record Nasdaq listing slated for Friday. The index dropped 316.2 points to 7,414.6 within minutes of morning trading, pulling further away from the 8,000 level it had only reclaimed days earlier. Investors see the world's largest-ever IPO acting as a magnet for global capital, drawi June 11, 2026

Risks remain for South Korea's historic stock market rally, expert warns SEOUL, June 10 (AJP) - South Korea's stock market has seen one of the fastest rallies in modern history, driven initially by major governance reforms that helped boost long-undervalued South Korean stocks. Many economists now say the rally will only last if the country strengthens institutions, encourages greater corporate innovation, and expands its economy beyond semiconductors. Similar remarks were made by Kim Sei-wan, president of the Korea Capital Market Institute during June 10, 2026

Korea's defense of won falls short against foreign capital exodus SEOUL, June 10 (AJP) - South Korean authorities this year have been employing every tool in the playbook to bolster the Korean won, dangerously flirting around post-2008 crisis levels — from a $65 billion FX swap arrangement with the National Pension Service and suspected smoothing operations to a rare joint probe into foreign exchange activities at major banks. But so far, all have proved of little avail. Each measure has offered short-term relief, only to wear off with every June 10, 2026

KOSPI back in downward spiral and foreign capital exits Asia ahead of SpaceX debut SEOUL, June 10 (AJP) - South Korea's main KOSPI extended a volatile week, losing 4.5 percent Wednesday to a finish under 8,000 as renewed U.S. military strikes on Iran and looming blockbuster debut of SpaceX triggered a broad exit by foreign and local institutions. The selling was led by foreign investors, who dumped a net 2.77 trillion won of Korean shares, the heaviest single-day foreign outflow of this entire turbulent stretch, with institutions selling another 2.27 trillion June 10, 2026