S&P Global inspectors arrive in Seoul to conduct annual review SEOUL, March 9 (AJP) - American credit rating agency S&P Global is set to conduct its annual review of South Korea's sovereign credit rating. A delegation led by Kim Eng Tan and Andrew Wood, executive directors responsible for the agency's Asia Pacific region, arrived in Seoul on Monday for a three-day consultation ahead of the upcoming review, the Ministry of Economy and Finance said. They are scheduled to talk with key financial and economic officials including thos March 9, 2026

Asian stocks tumble as oil surge rattles markets; Korea triggers circuit breaker SEOUL, March 09 (AJP) - Asian stock markets fell sharply Monday as surging oil prices and escalating tensions in the Middle East triggered a broad risk selloff across the region, with Korea and Japan among the hardest hit. Korea’s benchmark KOSPI closed at 5,251.9, down 6 percent, after plunging more than 8 percent throughout the trading session and briefly falling to 5,096.2. The sharp drop triggered a Level-1 circuit breaker, temporarily halting trading for 20 minutes. March 9, 2026

Black Monday exposes vulnerabilities of external-reliant Korean economy SEOUL, Mar 09 (AJP) - The Black Monday bombshell in South Korean capital markets has once again laid bare the vulnerabilities of the country’s external-reliant economy, now facing the dreaded triple highs of oil prices, the dollar and interest rates — a classic recipe for stagflation. Crude prices touched above $110 per barrel for the first time since the early months of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, marking one of the fastest climbs since the oil crises March 9, 2026

Black Monday hits Asia on oil price surge; Korean won and bonds also crash SEOUL, March 9 (AJP) — Asian stock markets plunged Monday as fears of a prolonged blockade of the Middle East’s key oil shipping route sent crude prices above $100 a barrel, triggering a broad risk-off selloff across the region. South Korean and Japanese shares suffered the steepest losses in early trading as the prospect of disruptions to energy supplies bound for Asia rattled investors. The benchmark KOSPI dropped as much as 8 percent, retreating to the 5,100 leve March 9, 2026

Seoul issues verbal intervention as won hits lowest since global financial crisis SEOUL, March 09 (AJP) - South Korean authorities issued a verbal intervention Monday as the won weakened to its lowest level since the global financial crisis, with officials warning they would take “appropriate” measures to stabilize financial markets. “The bond yields and the won-dollar exchange rate are showing excessive volatility compared with Korea’s economic fundamentals due to Middle East risks,” Bank of Korea Senior Deputy Governor Yoo Sang-dai March 9, 2026

Seoul stocks and won in freefall on oil price surge SEOUL, March 09 (AJP) - South Korean shares extended a freefall Monday as markets entered the second week of the war in Iran, with the conflict widening after Tehran named the son of slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as the country’s new leader — a move seen as defying the United States and Israel and signaling a prolonged confrontation likely to rattle global energy markets. South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI tumbled 6.65 percent to 5,213.61, while the tech-heavy KOS March 9, 2026

Korean markets hardest hit among key markets in first week of Gulf SEOUL, March 08 (AJP) -South Korea’s financial markets absorbed one of the sharpest shocks among major economies during the first week of the Middle East war, with equities, the currency and bond yields swinging more violently than those of global peers as investors rushed to price in the country’s heavy dependence on Gulf energy supplies. Market data compiled by the Financial Supervisory Service show that Korean assets underperformed most major markets across multiple i March 8, 2026

Asian markets end first war week edgy, KOSPI most volatile SEOUL, March 6 (AJP) — Asian stock markets wrapped up one of their most volatile weeks in recent years as escalating tensions in the Middle East rattled global financial markets and pushed oil prices higher. The wildest swings were seen in Seoul, where panicky selling and frantic bargain-hunting traded places throughout the four-session, war-dominated week. The benchmark KOSPI closed at 5,584.87, down more than 10 percent from a week earlier before the strikes on Iran and March 6, 2026

Asian markets ending the first war week muddled  SEOUL, March 06 (AJP) - Asian markets finishing the first week of a new war became muddled Friday amid mixed messages from Washington and the battlefields in the Middle East about how long the conflict could continue and how large the impact on the global economy. Overnight, U.S. equities returned to declines as geopolitical risks surrounding the Iran conflict weighed on investor confidence. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.61 percent to 47,954.74, while the S&P 500 sli March 6, 2026

Equity issues ground to a halt, bond offerings surge in Seoul in Jan SEOUL, March 06 (AJP) - Stock issues virtually came to a halt in January amid overheat concerns while bond issues — particularly in one- to five-year maturities — surged in Seoul, reflecting fears of borrowing rates going higher. According to the Financial Supervisory Service on Friday, total offerings in Korean equities and bonds in January came to 17.7440 trillion won ($12 billion), down 226.4 billion won, or 1.3 percent, from the previous month. Stock issuance t March 6, 2026