China's silver export curb adds cost pressure on Korea' tech activities SEOUL, January 02 (AJP) - China’s move to tighten controls on silver exports is set to add fresh cost pressure on South Korean industries heavily reliant on the precious metal, at a time when prices are already surging on strong demand from high-tech and clean-energy sectors. From Jan. 1, exporters in China must obtain government approval to ship silver overseas, after Beijing added the metal to its “2026 List of Goods Subject to Export Licensing Administration.” January 2, 2026

KOSPI kicks off new year while most Asian markets stay closed SEOUL, January 2 (AJP) - Most Asian bourses remained closed for New Year celebrations on Friday, while South Korea's stock market opened an hour later than usual, amid expectations of reaching a new all-time high for the year. With Taiwan's TAIEX and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index open, South Korea's benchmark KOSPI opened higher, up 0.57 percent at 4,238. Having already surpassed its previous intraday peak, attention now turns to whether it can close above its record h January 2, 2026

Son of Mirae Asset founder moves to core Mirae unit to renew speculation on generational shift SEOUL, January 01 (AJP) -Park Jun-beom, the eldest son of Mirae Asset Chairman Park Hyun-joo, has moved from Mirae Asset Venture Investment to Mirae Asset Securities, the core unit of South Korea's top asset managing conglomerate, renewing speculation about a generational shift under making despite the founder's long-stated opposition to hereditary succession. Mirae Asset Securities said Thursday that Park, previously a senior investment reviewer at Mirae Asset Venture Inve January 1, 2026

Stock boom, currency bust: Korea's uneven market rally may spill into 2026 SEOUL, December 31 (AJP) - Roaring stock prices and a tumbling currency defined South Korea’s financial markets in 2025 — a divergence that may persist well into next year. The benchmark KOSPI closed the year Tuesday at 4,214.17, up 75.6 percent from a year earlier, while the tech-heavy KOSDAQ jumped 37 percent to 925.47. Both far outperformed regional peers, powered by surging demand for semiconductors, shipbuilding and defense-related stocks. Chipmakers were the u December 31, 2025

Korea's inflation holds near 2% target in 2025, but everyday prices stay close to 3% SEOUL, December 31 (AJP) - South Korea’s headline inflation remained broadly anchored near the central bank’s target in 2025, easing to a five-year low of 2.1 percent for the full year, even as households continued to face elevated price pressures in daily expenses hovering near 3 percent — a gap likely to widen further amid persistent weakness in the won. The consumer price index rose 2.3 percent in December from a year earlier, slowing slightly from the 2.4 per December 31, 2025

Korea's Digital Asset Basic Act faces delay amid dispute over stablecoin rules SEOUL, December 31 (AJP) -South Korea’s government is preparing a Digital Asset Basic Act that would introduce stronger investor protections, including no-fault liability for damages and safeguards to prevent losses stemming from stablecoin issuers’ failures, but the legislation is stalemated by disagreements over stablecoin guidelines. According to financial authorities and National Assembly officials on Tuesday, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) is drafting the December 31, 2025

IPO pipeline packed for KOSDAQ, KOSPI candidates stay on hold 2025 SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) - South Korea’s initial public offering market staged a belated rebound in the second half of the year, as the KOSPI’s surge past the 4,000 mark revived investor appetite and unleashed a rush of new listings — particularly on the tech-heavy KOSDAQ. A total of 77 companies went public this year, including seven on the KOSPI and 70 on the KOSDAQ. Companies raised a combined 4.56 trillion won ($3.15 billion), up 14.9 percent from a year earlie December 30, 2025

Asian stocks end 2025 quietly as Korean chipmakers steal the spotlight SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) - Asian equities wrapped up the final trading session of 2025 mostly flat on Tuesday, while South Korean semiconductor shares closed the year in celebratory fashion, hitting fresh all-time highs. Korea’s benchmark KOSPI slipped 0.15 percent to finish at 4,214.17. Despite the modest pullback, the index logged a surge of more than 75 percent from the final trading day of last year — the strongest annual performance among major Asian stock markets December 30, 2025

KOSPI posts world's fastest gains in 2025, but capital outflows cloud celebration SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) - South Korea emerged as the world’s best-performing equity market in 2025, with its benchmark KOSPI surging nearly 76 percent over the year. Yet the historic rally came with a paradox: while stock prices soared to record highs, outbound investment overwhelmed domestic buying, leaving the won among the weakest currencies in the region. The KOSPI closed at 4,214.17 on Dec. 30, the final trading day of the year, nearly doubling from 2,399.49 at the end December 30, 2025

Korea's foreign money deposits rise on weak won, BOK revises M2 definition SEOUL, December 30 (AJP) -South Korea’s resident foreign-currency deposits rose in November as companies held on to dollar and euro assets amid expectations that the won’s weakness would persist, highlighting deeper structural pressures in the currency market even as authorities revise how monetary liquidity is measured. According to the Bank of Korea, foreign-currency deposits held at domestic banks totaled $103.55 billion at the end of November, up $1.71 billion from a December 30, 2025