KOSPI tumbles below 9,000 as Wall Street tech selloff hits Seoul rally SEOUL, June 23 (AJP) — South Korean stocks succumbed to foreign-led profit-taking Tuesday, pushing the benchmark KOSPI back below the 9,000 mark and sending the won toward 1,540 per dollar, as a broad correction in artificial intelligence stocks spread across Wall Street and Asia. As of 9:56 a.m., the benchmark KOSPI fell 1.73 percent to 8,957.02, while the junior KOSDAQ sank 3.40 percent to 935.47. The correction followed a record-setting streak in Seoul that had propelled June 23, 2026

SK hynix edges out Samsung Elec as No. 1 as KOSPI hits new high SEOUL, June 22 (AJP) - South Korea's Kospi closed at a fresh record on Monday, rising 62.1 points, or 0.7 percent, to 9,114.6, as SK hynix overtook Samsung Electronics in market capitalization on a common-share basis for the first time in 25 years and seven months. The index swung between an intraday low of 8,900.7 and a high of 9,253.0 before settling higher. Retail investors were net buyers of 2.12 trillion won, while institutions bought 330.6 billion won. Foreigners sold 2.54 June 22, 2026

SK hynix premium eclipses Samsung in AI stock hierarchy SEOUL, June 22 (AJP) - Investors are willing to pay more than twice as much for each won of SK hynix's assets than Samsung Electronics', a premium that pushed the pure-play chipmaker past the country's corporate titan on Monday. SK hynix's market capitalization reached 2,080.4 trillion won ($1.4 trillion) at Monday's record closing of 2,925,000 won, up 5.8 percent, edging past Samsung Electronics' 2,066.7 trillion won. It was the first time Samsung had r June 22, 2026

KOSPI and Nikkei extend record-setting rally SEOUL, June 22 (AJP) -South Korean and Japanese stocks extended their record-setting rallies Monday, propelled by semiconductor shares ahead of Micron Technology's fiscal third-quarter earnings this week that could set the tone for the next leg of gains for Korean memory giants Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. The earnings report, due June 24, is being closely watched as a barometer of global artificial-intelligence spending and demand for high-bandwidth memory, an area dominat June 22, 2026

Korea's baffling vitals: an economy puffing hot and cold SEOUL, June 22 (AJP) -The South Korean economy is running hot and cold — and the honest answer to whether the hot part is real isn't yes or no. It's that the boom is genuine and the headline numbers are still misleading you about what it means for the economy as a whole. By the headline numbers, Asia's fourth-largest economy is doing exceedingly well, seemingly unfazed by nearly four months of disruption to the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint for roughly a fifth o June 22, 2026

KOSPI gives up record rally as profit-taking, Gulf jitters cool momentum SEOUL, June 19 (AJP) — South Korea's benchmark KOSPI surrendered a record-breaking rally Friday, retreating sharply from an all-time high above 9,300 as investors rushed to lock in profits after one of the fastest market surges in the country's history. The KOSPI closed down 0.13 percent at 9,052.42 after soaring nearly 3 percent earlier in the session and briefly crossing the 9,300 threshold for the first time ever. The benchmark later reversed course, falling as June 19, 2026

Won swings near 1,540 before ending flat; bonds weaken on hawkish Fed SEOUL, June 19 (AJP) - The Korean won erased most of its intraday losses Friday after briefly approaching the 1,540 level against the dollar, while government bonds weakened as a hawkish Federal Reserve outlook kept pressure on Seoul’s financial markets. The won closed daytime trading at 1,527.0 per dollar, up 0.1 won from the previous session, according to Seoul foreign exchange market data. The currency came under heavy pressure early in the session as the dollar strength June 19, 2026

Korean frenzy over SpaceX pours another $1 billion into stock SEOUL, June 19 (AJP) - South Korean retail investors can't get enough of SpaceX, pouring another $1 billion into the stock as money floods out of semiconductor plays and into Wall Street's hottest new trade. According to data from Korea Securities Depository as of Friday, Korean investors purchased a net $346.9 million worth of SpaceX shares on Monday alone, equivalent to about 528.8 billion won. Gross purchases reached $376.6 million, while selling totaled just $29.7 mil June 19, 2026

KOSPI, Nikkei extend record-setting run SEOUL, June 19 (AJP) — Seoul's stock market pushed deeper into uncharted territory on Friday, with the KOSPI testing new highs and total market capitalization reaching a record $5.2 trillion, propelled by the extraordinary ascent of SK hynix, whose market value alone exceeded $1.3 trillion and helped Seoul outshine Tokyo's simultaneous record-setting rally. The KOSPI stood at 9,371.8, up 307.9 points, or 3.4 percent intraday while the Nikkei traded at 71,632.4, up 578 June 19, 2026

KOSPI extends historic rally beyond 9,200 as chip giants lead charge SEOUL, June 19 (AJP) -South Korean stocks extended their record-breaking rally Friday, with the benchmark KOSPI surging further above the 9,000-point mark as a global semiconductor boom, aggressive foreign buying and renewed optimism over artificial intelligence demand continued to fuel gains. The benchmark KOSPI opened at 9,292.71, up 2.53 percent from the previous session, extending its record-breaking rally after closing above the 9,000-point mark for the first time a day earli June 19, 2026