Won holds at 1,478 as strong dollar offsets BOK hike; bond yields climb SEOUL, July 20 (AJP) - The South Korean won ended nearly unchanged Monday as a strong dollar and renewed U.S.-Iran tensions offset support from the Bank of Korea’s interest-rate increase last week. Government bond yields rose as investors continued to price in the possibility of further monetary tightening. The won closed the daytime trading session at 1,478.4 per dollar, up 0.1 won from the previous session. The currency showed little reaction to the BOK’s decis July 20, 2026

Bio, fashion IPOs seek to inject life into subdued KOSDAQ SEOUL, July 20 (AJP) — South Korea's KOSDAQ, which turned 30 this month but has fallen 14 percent this year while the KOSPI has surged more than 60 percent, will look to a handful of biotechnology and fashion IPOs this week to revive its subdued listing market. The listings come as the KOSDAQ's fundraising market remains sluggish. Only 25 companies debuted on the exchange in the first half, down from 37 a year earlier, while total IPO proceeds fell to 740 billion won ( July 20, 2026

Blackstone buys Busan-based actuator maker Futronic SEOUL, July 20 (AJP) -Blackstone has bought a majority stake in South Korean actuator and motion-control technology company Futronic in a deal that values the Busan-based company at about 1 trillion won ($720 million), according to multiple local media outlets. The two companies are yet to announce the deal or disclose the financial terms. The investment is being made in partnership with Futronic founder and Chairman Ko Jin-ho, who will remain chairman and chief executive off July 20, 2026

Four in 10 Korean listed firms face weaker Q2 SEOUL, July 20 (AJP) —Nearly four out of 10 South Korean listed companies are expected to post weaker second-quarter earnings than previously anticipated as the economic fallout from the prolonged Middle East conflict spread across much of corporate Korea, with the windfall from the semiconductor and stock market rally largely confined to a handful of industries. According to financial data provider FnGuide, operating profit forecasts for the April-June quarter were revised l July 20, 2026

KOSPI avoids Asian rout on foreign buying SEOUL, July 20 (AJP) -South Korea's main stock market, home to Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, received a marginal hit Monday as it returned from a holiday, after a broad AI-led selloff Friday across global markets after Chinese startup Moonshot AI unveiled its open-source Kimi K3 model, a release many investors likened to a new "DeepSeek moment." Returning from a one-day holiday on Friday for Constitution Day, Seoul's market opened less panicky than regional July 20, 2026

Small-, mid-cap stocks outperform as chip rout weighs on Korea's blue chips SEOUL, July 18 (AJP) - South Korea's small- and mid-cap stocks outperformed large caps this month as a sharp selloff in semiconductor shares weighed on the broader market and prompted retail investors to rotate into theme stocks and defensive sectors. The KOSPI large-cap index fell 20.6 percent between July 1 and July 16, underperforming the benchmark KOSPI's 19.5 percent decline over the same period, according to Korea Exchange data. The KOSPI mid-cap index lost 6.2 July 18, 2026

Authorities halt new single-stock leveraged products amid chip-driven market volatility SEOUL, July 16 (AJP) - South Korea will temporarily halt new listings of single-stock leveraged products and ban advertising for existing ones, tightening regulations after their rapid growth raised concerns that they could amplify market swings in the country's semiconductor-heavy stock market. The minimum deposit required to trade domestic and overseas single-stock leveraged products will be tripled to 30 million South Korean won from 10 million won, with investors required to July 16, 2026

FSS chief warns of greater market volatility after BOK's rate hike SEOUL, July 16 (AJP) - Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) chief Lee Chan-jin on Thursday warned that market volatility could intensify after the Bank of Korea (BOK) raised its benchmark interest rate. It also called for financial institutions to strengthen their preparedness against potential risks. The warning followed the central bank's decision to raise its benchmark rate by 25 basis points earlier in the day, a move Lee said was largely in line with market expectations. July 16, 2026

BOK's rate hike sends KOSPI down 6% SEOUL, July 16 (AJP) - South Korean stocks led declines across Asia on Thursday after the Bank of Korea (BOK) raised its benchmark interest rate, while renewed selling in semiconductor shares deepened losses across the region. The benchmark KOSPI fell 6.37 percent or 463.81 points to close at 6,820.60, giving up the previous day's gains and slipping back below the 7,000 mark. The BOK raised its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 2.75 percent, its first rate increas July 16, 2026

KOSDAQ-listed battery materials maker seeks Nasdaq debut through SPAC merger SEOUL, July 16 (AJP) - South Korean battery materials maker Enchem on Thursday unveiled its plans to list its U.S. affiliate on Nasdaq through a merger, aiming to tap U.S. capital markets for its North American expansion. The announcement of the plan sent its shares up 17.99 percent to 25,250 won, after the KOSDAQ-listed stock climbed as high as 26,900 won earlier in the day. Under the plan, its U.S. affiliate Enchem America will merge with TLGY Acquisition Corp., a Nasdaq-listed July 16, 2026