KOSPI sinks more than 6%, erasing weekly gains in violent foreign selloff SEOUL, May 15 (AJP) — South Korean stocks suffered a brutal reversal Friday as the benchmark KOSPI plunged more than 6 percent, wiping out all gains made earlier this week after foreign and institutional investors rushed to lock in profits once the index briefly crossed the 8,000 mark. The KOSPI closed down 6.12 percent at 7,493.18 after swinging wildly between an intraday high of 8,046.78 and a low of 7,371.68. The selloff marked the first intraday drop of more than 6 pe May 15, 2026

KOSPI hits 8,000-point mark as Trump-Xi summit further fuels AI rally SEOUL, May 15 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark KOSPI rose above the 8,000-point mark for the first time on Friday, extending a powerful artificial intelligence (AI)-driven rally. Investor sentiment was further lifted by an ongoing summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, while overnight gains on Wall Street, led by technology stocks, also boosted momentum. As of 9:25 a.m., the KOSPI was trading at 8,032.67, up 0.64 percent, while the May 15, 2026

KOSPI closes at record high, approaches 8,000 on AI rally SEOUL, May 14 (AJP) - South Korea's main KOSPI extended its record-setting climb to outshine regional and global peers as it moved closer to a new four-digit milestone. The benchmark index touched a high of 7,991.04 before settling at 7,981.41 Thursday, up 137.40 points, or 1.75 percent from the previous session. Retail investors bought 1.84 trillion won ($1.26 billion) worth of shares and institutions added 190.6 billion won, while foreign investors sold 2.14 trillion wo May 14, 2026

Korea's gold restraint pays off amid Gulf crisis SEOUL, May 14 (AJP) - Restraint from joining the global gold rush may have worked in the favor of the Bank of Korea, as the country’s relatively low gold exposure helped shield South Korea from sharper foreign reserve losses during market turmoil triggered by the Iran war earlier this year. As oil prices surged following the outbreak of the conflict in late February, governments around the world drew down reserves in March to stabilize currencies and protect their economies. May 14, 2026

KOSPI nears 8,000 as AI frenzy shrugs off U.S. inflation shock SEOUL, May 14 (AJP) - South Korean stocks marched closer to the 8,000-point milestone on Thursday as investors brushed aside renewed U.S. inflation concerns and instead piled into artificial intelligence and semiconductor shares through the U.S.-China summit momentum. As of 10:34 a.m., the benchmark KOSPI was trading at 7,973.67, up 1.65 percent, while the tech-heavy KOSDAQ slipped 0.66 percent to 1,169.16. The rally closely followed another record-setting session on Wall Str May 14, 2026

KOSPI hits fresh high, fully recovering from previous losses as most Asian markets rally SEOUL, May 13 (AJP) - Asian stock markets largely shrugged off the overnight slump in Wall Street triggered by higher-than-expected U.S. consumer inflation. However, Taiwan's benchmark index, which is heavily reliant on the semiconductor industry, was the sole decliner among major Asian markets amid weaker U.S. market sentiment. The South Korean won ended at 1,494.5 per dollar, sharply down 15.5 won from the previous session. The global dollar strength was reignited as the U.S. May 13, 2026

Korea's M2 growth runs twice Japan's, deepening inflation and FX dilemma SEOUL, May 13 (AJP) - South Korea’s liquidity expanded sharply in March, with much of the abundance funneling toward the red-hot asset market rather than helping to bolster weakening economic fundamentals and creating a headache for monetary authorities battling looming imported energy-triggered inflation and a stubbornly weak currency. The M2 money supply reached 4,132.1 trillion won ($2.76 trillion) in March, up 5.6 percent from a year earlier, according to the Bank of Kor May 13, 2026

KOSPI briefly sinks to 7,400 level amid AI dividend shock and Samsung labor unrest SEOUL, May 13 (AJP) - South Korean shares extended losses for a second straight session Wednesday as fears of a monthlong strike at Samsung Electronics rattled investor sentiment after marathon government-mediated labor talks collapsed overnight. As of 10:20 a.m., the benchmark KOSPI was down 0.4 percent at 7,613.11 after briefly falling as low as 7,402. The junior KOSDAQ slipped 0.9 percent to 1,169.16. The decline followed an exceptionally volatile session Tuesday, when the K May 13, 2026

UPDATE: Job growth hits 16-month low in Korea in April, youth employment dips *Updated with additional information SEOUL, May 13 (AJP) — South Korea’s job growth slowed in April to its weakest pace since December 2024, when the country was grappling with the aftermath of the martial law episode, as the war in the Middle East dragged into a third month. The number of employed people aged 15 and older rose by 74,000 from a year earlier to 28.96 million in April, the Ministry of Data and Statistics said Wednesday. It marked the smallest gain May 13, 2026

AI-related policy uncertainty sends KOSPI on rollercoaster ride SEOUL, May 12 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark KOSPI suffered the sharpest decline among Asian markets on Tuesday, reversing sharply after briefly approaching the 8,000 threshold as foreign investors unloaded semiconductor shares amid growing uncertainty over the country's artificial intelligence (AI)-related policies. The index closed down 2.3 percent at 7,643.15 points after swinging between a high of 7,999.67 and a low of 7,421.71. Investor sentiment deteriorated rapidl May 12, 2026