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  SK Square breaks clear of Hyundai as AI rally reshuffles Korea's top-five SEOUL, May 27 (AJP) - SK Square, SK Group's investment intermediate holding company, has surged past Hyundai Motor to become South Korea's third-most-valuable listed company, as a rally in artificial-intelligence shares reshapes the upper tier of the market beneath the two dominant chipmakers and rewards firms tied, directly or indirectly, to the semiconductor boom. As of Monday's close, SK Square ranked third at a market capitalization of 155.8 trillion won ($103.8 bill May 27, 2026
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  KOSPI outshines as Seoul hosts 2 $1 trillion stocks, Nikkei also at record highs SEOUL, May 27 (AJP) - South Korean and Japanese equities surged Wednesday while most other Asian markets moved sideways, highlighting the widening divergence in the region’s AI-driven rally. The KOSPI emerged as the standout performer, briefly topping the 8,400 level a day after entering the new four-digit era, as South Korea became home to two $1 trillion listed companies. As of 11:08 a.m., Seoul’s benchmark index was up 4.29 percent at 8,391.53, while the junior KOSD May 27, 2026
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  KOSPI extends record-setting rally, fueled by memory stocks SEOUL, May 27 (AJP) - South Korea’s main bourse briefly halted Wednesday after the benchmark index tracking the top 200 listed companies surged 5 percent, propelling the KOSPI past the 8,400 mark just a day after breaking into unprecedented four-digit territory. As of 9:30 a.m., the KOSPI had risen 3.63 percent to 8,355.81 after briefly testing above 8,400 shortly after the opening bell, as memory chip giants continued to shatter record highs. Samsung Electronics surged m May 27, 2026
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  Korea's May business sentiment rebounds sharply as fears over external shocks ease SEOUL, May 27 (AJP) - South Korea’s business sentiment improved sharply in May as still-strong exports and a record-setting stock market outweighed lingering concerns over oil prices, exchange rates and Middle East tensions, data showed Wednesday. According to the Bank of Korea, the composite business sentiment index (CBSI) for all industries rose to 98.9 in May from 94.9 in April, marking a 4.0-point increase and the highest level in nearly two years. While the index remain May 27, 2026
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  AJP Focus: 1,500 won per USD holds as capital outflows outweigh C/A surplus SEOUL, May 26 (AJP) - The South Korean won continues to hover near the 1,500-per-dollar mark despite solid economic indicators that would traditionally lift the currency, underscoring what analysts describe as a structural shift in the country's foreign exchange dynamics. The won closed at 1,504 against the dollar on Tuesday, holding sharply weaker than at the start of the year despite bullish readings on the current account, exports, and equities that have more than offset th May 26, 2026
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  Regulators warn of risks over South Korea's first single-stock leveraged ETF SEOUL, May 26 (AJP) - Financial authorities issued an investor warning as South Korea prepares to permit the listing of "single-stock leveraged ETFs and ETNs" for the first time in the domestic market. As these instruments track two times the daily performance of specific individual stocks—Samsung Electronics and SK hynix — the Financial Services Commission (FSC) and the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) warned that they can conversely accelerate catastrophic May 26, 2026
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  KOSPI touches down above 8,000 for first time amid flat Asian market SEOUL, May 26 (AJP) -South Korean stocks closed above the 8,000 mark for the first time Tuesday as investors rushed to compensate for Monday's market holiday and price in the broader Asian rally fueled by hopes for a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and renewed momentum in AI-related shares. The benchmark KOSPI surged 2.6 percent to close at 8,047.50 after climbing as high as 8,131.15 during the session. The index stayed above the 8,000 threshold throughout the day and passed t May 26, 2026
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  BOK to hold rate for yearlong this week and hike growth target SEOUL, May 26 (AJP) - The Bank of Korea is widely expected to hold the benchmark rate at 2.50 percent, unchanged for a year, while sharply raising its 2027 growth outlook to around 2.5 percent from 2 percent to lay the groundwork for eventual tightening against mounting inflationary pressures from elevated energy prices, rising wages and overheated asset markets as the AI boom cushions the economy from the prolonged Gulf crisis. An AJP poll on economists found unanimous expectations May 26, 2026
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  Taiwan overtakes India as world's fifth-largest stock market on TSMC-led AI rally SEOUL, May 26 (AJP) - Taiwan's stock market has edged past India to become the world's fifth-largest, propelled by a surge in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. that underscores how the global rally in artificial-intelligence stocks is reshaping the hierarchy of world markets. Taiwan's market capitalization reached $4.95 trillion as of Monday's close, according to a Bloomberg tally, narrowly surpassing India's $4.92 trillion — a margin of about $30 bill May 26, 2026
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  KOSPI tops 8,000 for first time as oil slump, Asia rally lift Seoul SEOUL, May 26 (AJP) - South Korean stocks broke through the 8,000 mark for the first time on Tuesday as the market reopened from a long holiday to a weekend slide in oil prices and record highs across Asia. The benchmark KOSPI traded at 8,105 as of around 10 a.m., up about 3.3 percent from Friday's close of 7,847.71, while the junior KOSDAQ stood at 1,184.76. It was the first time the index has opened and held above 8,000, after a brief touch on May 15 that ended in a steep sell May 26, 2026