South Korea's stocks edge up, China and Japan trade flat SEOUL, December 23 (AJP) - South Korea’s KOSPI rose slightly on Tuesday as Samsung Electronics closed at a record high, while Chinese and Japanese markets were little changed. In Seoul, the benchmark KOSPI gained 0.3 percent to finish at 4,117.32, extending its winning streak to a third session. The tech-heavy KOSDAQ fell 1 percent to 919.56. Samsung Electronics rose 0.9 percent to 111,500 won ($75.3), reaching the highest closing price in its history. SK hynix added 0.7 pe December 23, 2025

Korea tightens treasury stock disclosures, lowering threshold to 1% SEOUL, December 23 (AJP) -South Korean listed companies will be required to disclose their treasury stock holdings once they exceed 1 percent of shares outstanding — down from the current 5 percent — under sweeping revisions to capital markets rules, as regulators move to strengthen shareholder protection and curb opaque share buybacks. The amendments to the enforcement decree of the Capital Markets Act were approved at a Cabinet meeting, the Financial Services Commiss December 23, 2025

Santa rally in Asia kicks off on wobbly note SEOUL, December 23 (AJP) - Asian equity markets opened Tuesday on a fragmented footing, as the first session of the traditional five-day “Santa rally” window failed to deliver a uniform year-end surge. With momentum cooling after recent gains, investors across the region adopted a wait-and-see stance. In Seoul, the benchmark KOSPI rose 0.57 percent to 4,129 as of 10:45 a.m., extending gains for a second day after Monday’s 2 percent rally. Foreign and instituti December 23, 2025

Korean won nears annual trough despite all-out defense SEOUL, December 23 (AJP) - The Korean won is nearing its annual trough of 1,487.6 per dollar last seen on April 9, when global markets reeled from renewed risk aversion triggered by Donald Trump’s tariff barrage, despite all-out defensive efforts by South Korean authorities. The dollar closed Tuesday in Seoul at 1,483.6 won, up 3.5 won even as the dollar index eased 0.23 percent to 98.072 and the greenback softened against the Japanese yen — underscoring idiosyncratic w December 23, 2025

South Korean stocks lead broader Asian rally SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - South Korean stocks rallied on Monday, with the benchmark KOSPI reclaiming the 4,100 mark as Asian equity markets advanced broadly. In Seoul, the KOSPI rose 2.1 percent to close at 4,105.93, while the tech-heavy KOSDAQ gained 1.5 percent to 929.14. Foreign investors turned net buyers for the first time in six sessions, helping lift the main index. Institutional investors bought a net 1.6 trillion won ($1.1 billion) worth of shares, while foreigners pu December 22, 2025

Santa rally reaches Asia, led by chip stocks SEOUL, December 22 (AJP) - Asian markets opened the week on signs of a “Santa Claus rally,” as a key overhang — Japan’s long-anticipated rate hike — was cleared last week, reviving risk appetite across the region. Chip stocks led the advance after strong earnings from Micron Technology and fresh optimism around high-bandwidth memory (HBM), reinforcing the global AI-driven semiconductor rally. In Seoul, the benchmark KOSPI was up 1.97 percent at 4,0 December 22, 2025

Asian markets rally as BOJ ends policy uncertainty SEOUL, December 19 (AJP) - Asian equities closed higher on Friday as investors welcomed signs of cooling U.S. inflation and the Bank of Japan’s long-anticipated interest rate hike, which helped clear a major policy overhang across the region. The BOJ’s move allowed markets to look past fears of a disorderly yen carry-trade unwind — at least for now — lifting benchmark indices across Asia. In Seoul, the KOSPI rose 0.65 percent to close at 4,020.55, reclai December 19, 2025

Bank of Korea takes rare moves to boost USD liquidity and defend won SEOUL, December 19 (AJP) -The Bank of Korea (BOK) on Friday moved to shore up foreign-exchange market liquidity to help stabilize the won, announcing temporary regulatory relief and incentives for financial institutions in desperate move to buttress the local currency without direct intervention. At an emergency meeting held Friday, the central bank’s Monetary Policy Board approved a six-month package of measures to be applied from January through June next year. The st December 19, 2025

Korean markets price in Japan's rate hike to 30-year high, yen carry risk weighs SEOUL, December 19 (AJP) - Japan’s widely expected rate hike to 0.75 percent — the highest level in 30 years — delivered a mild upset to Korean markets, pressuring bond prices and the currency while lifting equities as investors positioned for a stronger yen environment. Although still low by global standards — compared with Korea’s 2.50 percent policy rate and the U.S. federal funds rate midpoint of about 3.6 percent — the Bank of Japan’ December 19, 2025

Asian markets in modest gains Friday ahead of BOJ rate decision SEOUL, December 19 (AJP) - Asian equity markets were moderately up early Friday as they await the rate decision from the Bank of Japan. In South Korea, the KOSPI was trading 0.4 percent up at 4,011 as of 10:30 a.m., retracing some of its earlier gains after rebounding 1 percent to track overnight Wall Street rise. Institutional investors led the buying with net purchases of 94 billion won, while retail investors added 33.8 billion won ($23 million). Conversely, foreign investor December 19, 2025