KOSDAQ nearly 7% higher ahead of major infrastructure spending SEOUL, June 29 (AJP) -South Korea's junior KOSDAQ index stole the limelight amid broad retreat in Asia, gaining more than 6 percent Monday morning on expectations of the government's unveiling of mega industrial projects led by Samsung Electronics and SK Group expected to announce private-sector investments that could exceed 1 quadrillion won over the next decade. President Lee Jae Myung is set to chair a national briefing later in the day outlining the projects, which c June 29, 2026

Stocks become family business in Korea SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) - From cradle to grave. That's the extent of the stock craze sweeping South Korea. Active trading accounts have increased by more than 10 million this year, with even toddlers joining the market as parents increasingly open brokerage accounts in their children's names as part of long-term financial planning. Economists say the trend reflects a broader shift in how Korean households save and invest for the next generation, although some warn it could al June 26, 2026

Korea, Asia sink on Apple price shock SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) - Korea's KOSPI fell 5.8 percent Thursday as Apple's overnight price hikes on Macs and iPads and a report that OpenAI may delay its IPO until 2027 sent a second wave of selling through Asian technology stocks, with memory chipmakers in Seoul, semiconductor equipment names in Tokyo, and AI-linked equities in Shanghai all closing sharply lower. The KOSPI shed 519.09 points to close at 8,411.21. SK hynix led the decline, falling 8.4 percent, while Samsung E June 26, 2026

This week's second circuit breaker triggered after 8% fall in KOSPI SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) -The second circuit breaker this week halted the KOSPI after the benchmark crashed more than 8 percent Friday, following a similar rout three trading on Tuesday, on heavy foreign and institutional selling over concerns of slowing memory demand amid broad chip-flation. The Korea Exchange suspended trading on the KOSPI market for 20 minutes at 12:10:12 p.m. after the benchmark remained more than 8 percent below the previous session's close for one minute. June 26, 2026

Samsung SDS employees asked to replace cash bonuses with treasury stock SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) — Samsung SDS is seeking employee approval to replace cash performance bonuses with company stock after a landmark Supreme Court ruling recognized such bonuses as wages. According to multiple industry sources on Friday, the company has begun a vote on a proposal to abolish its current cash incentive program and instead award annual performance bonuses entirely in the form of Samsung SDS shares. The vote is scheduled to close on June 29. The proposal June 26, 2026

KOSPI and Nikkei under profit-taking pressure SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) — South Korean and Japanese shares fell Friday on broad profit-taking after the previous session's Micron Technology-fueled chip rally, while oil prices, which had returned to prewar levels, turned higher on reports of a suspected attack near the Strait of Hormuz. As of 10:16 a.m., the benchmark KOSPI was down 2.72 percent at 8,687.50. The junior KOSDAQ fell 1.08 percent to 878.20. Japan's Nikkei 225 declined 3.0 percent to 70,174.53. In Se June 26, 2026

Foreign 'Sell Korea' tops $30 bn in May, 10 times '25 outflow SEOUL, June 26 (AJP) — Foreign investors sold a record 47 trillion won ($30.5 billion) worth of Korean stocks in May, pushing their net sales in the first five months 10 times their 2025 annual outflow and explaining the stubbornly weak won versus the U.S. dollar, data showed Friday. Despite their heavy selling, their holdings in Korean shares and share in market cap surged to a record high to reflect their cherry-picking in heavyweight blue chips. According to data rel June 26, 2026

KOSPI, Nikkei 225 refueled by revived chip fever SEOUL, June 25 (AJP) — The KOSPI moved to the brink of reclaiming the 9,000-point milestone amid a tense market rivalry between the country's two chip heavyweights, while the junior KOSDAQ sank further as bets narrowed on chip infrastructure. The benchmark KOSPI closed up 5.42 percent at 8,930.30 after briefly climbing above the 9,000-point threshold during afternoon trading. Trading was volatile throughout the session. A buy-side sidecar was triggered shortly after t June 25, 2026

US assets make up nearly half of Korea's external financial holdings SEOUL, June 25 (AJP) - South Korea's financial exposure to the United States topped $1 trillion for the first time last year as Wall Street's rally deepened the country's tilt toward Uncle Sam assets. The Bank of Korea said Thursday that Korea’s external financial assets, excluding reserve assets, rose by $344.8 billion from a year earlier to $2.44 trillion at the end of 2025. The United States accounted for $1.15 trillion, or 47.1 percent of the total, t June 25, 2026

Chip rally resumes on hynix ADR news and Micron earnings, KOSPI up 5% SEOUL, June 25 (AJP) — South Korean stocks surged toward reclaiming the 9,000 milestone as chip stocks were refueled by multiple catalysts, from Micron Technology's blowout earnings to SK hynix's Nasdaq listing plan and Samsung Electronics' massive buyback program. The benchmark KOSPI opened 5.55 percent higher and was up 5.61 percent at 8,946.02 as of 9:36 a.m. The junior KOSDAQ opened 1.10 percent higher before easing to 913.47, up 0.46 percent. Samsung Elec June 25, 2026