Foreign selling keeps KOSPI lower despite chip rebound SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) - South Korea's benchmark index remained below 6,900 Tuesday morning as foreign investors sold more than 1 trillion won ($762 million) of shares, offsetting gains in Samsung Electronics and other chip stocks. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) stood at 6,859.59 as of 11:15 a.m., down 30.15 points, or 0.44 percent, from Monday's close. The index moved between 6,822.36 and 6,898.36 during the morning session. The KOSPI had fallen 2. September 29, 2026

Banks in South Korea to open at 9:30 a.m. from April 2027 SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) — South Korean banks are set to open 30 minutes later from April 2027, with branch hours changing from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. under a tentative agreement between the Korea Financial Industry Union (KFIU) and the Korea Financial Industry Employers Association. The deal, reached after about five months of negotiations, also includes a 3 percent wage increase and measures aimed at improving work-life balance. It comes as the government p September 29, 2026

South Korea's unequal starting lines for love and connection SEOUL, September 28 (AJP) - Young South Koreans are becoming more homebound and even reclusive, and a new study points to an educational divide in their social connections in a society still heavily preoccupied with university diplomas. Young adults without a four-year university education and those from outside Seoul showed weaker social connections across several measures, according to a National Assembly Futures Institute (NAFI) study based on a nationwide survey of 5,185 people September 28, 2026

NEX-I files for KOSDAQ IPO to raise up to 65 billion won SEOUL, September 28 (AJP) - South Korean cancer drug developer NEX-I has submitted a regulatory filing for a KOSDAQ listing, seeking to raise up to 65 billion won ($47.8 million) through an initial public offering (IPO). The company plans to offer 5 million shares at a proposed price range of 10,500 won to 13,000 won apiece, putting the total offering at between 52.5 billion won and 65 billion won. Korea Investment & Securities is the lead underwriter. Founded in 2021, NEX-I September 28, 2026

Korean bond yields catch up with U.S. and will BOK notice? SEOUL, September 28 (AJP) - How far and how long South Korean bonds follow the U.S. counterparts. and whether the market movement affects the rate-setting meeting next two months are being closely watched after the Korean bonds joined the selloff in the U.S. The three-year Korean government bond yield rose 11.3 basis points to close at 4.119 percent, while the benchmark 10-year yield climbed 14.7 basis points to 4.539 percent. The won weakened 7.6 won to close at 1,365.1 per dol September 28, 2026

Seoul's main index opens post-Chuseok session below 7,000 SEOUL, September 28 (AJP) -The South Korean bourse reopened after last week’s Chuseok holiday in a deeply sour mood, as foreign and institutional investors engaged in a panic-selling spree mostly targeting top chip stocks amid a global bond sell-off. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) fell 2.7 percent to close below 7,000 for the first time in four sessions. Samsung Electronics lost 5.4 percent and SK hynix 5.1 percent, and foreign investors sold a net 3.23 tri September 28, 2026

KOSPI drops below 7,000 as chip shares slide, U.S. yields stay high SEOUL, September 28 (AJP) - South Korean stocks fell more than 1 percent Monday morning, dropping below 7,000 as the market reopened after Chuseok, the traditional Korean Thanksgiving holiday, and foreign investors sold semiconductor heavyweights amid elevated U.S. Treasury yields. The benchmark KOSPI stood at 6,936.34 as of 10:56 a.m. (0156 GMT), down 2.04 percent from its pre-holiday close of 7,080.92. The index opened 0.33 percent lower at 7,057.86 before extending losses and f September 28, 2026

Newlywed debt more than doubles in South Korea as home loans rise SEOUL, September 28 (AJP) — South Korean newlyweds are taking on increasingly heavy debt early in married life amid high housing costs. The median outstanding loan balance for first-marriage couples reached 179 million won ($131,900) in 2024, more than double the 2016 level. The median balance rose 5.0 percent from a year earlier and was 130.1 percent higher than 77.78 million won in 2016, when comparable data were first compiled, according to data from the Korean Statistical September 28, 2026

Korea's single-stock leveraged ETF trading falls below one-tenth after curbs SEOUL, September 27 (AJP) — Average daily trading in South Korean single-stock leveraged and inverse ETFs fell to less than one-tenth of pre-rule levels in the month after tighter cash-deposit requirements took effect, Korea Exchange data showed Sunday. Daily trading value across 16 ETFs tracking leveraged or inverse moves in Samsung Electronics and SK hynix shares dropped to 990 billion won ($729 million) from 12.25 trillion won in the preceding period, according to data subm September 27, 2026

Korea's Q3 profit estimates rise, chip forecasts climb SEOUL, September 27 (AJP) — Third-quarter operating-profit estimates for South Korean listed companies rose over the past three months, with forecasts for chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK hynix revised higher even as nearly half of covered firms saw cuts, FnGuide data showed Sunday. Among 232 companies with third-quarter estimates from at least three brokerages, 127, or 55 percent, had their operating-profit forecasts raised as of Sept. 21, while estimates for 105 compani September 27, 2026