-
Seoul stocks open lower ahead of earnings reports, Fed decision
South Korean stocks opened lower Monday as investors awaited third-quarter earnings from major chipmakers and the US Federal Reserve's monetary policy decision later this week amid rising oil prices. After opening 0.92 percent lower, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index pared its earlier losses to trade down 24.45 points, or 0.46 percent, to 5,524.85 as of 9:15 a.m. The index gained 0.3 percent Friday but lost 2.08 percent for the week amid heavy foreign selling and volatility in semi
Oct. 26, 2026 -
SK hynix weighs $12.1 billion special dividend, newspaper says
SK hynix is considering a special dividend of about 16 trillion won ($12 billion), funded by gains from selling its stake in Japanese memory chip maker Kioxia, South Korean newspaper Dong-A Ilbo reported on Monday. The newspaper said the company could unveil the plan alongside third-quarter earnings on Wednesday. SK hynix could not be reached for comment outside of normal business hours. (Reuters)
Oct. 26, 2026 -
Korean won's nominal effective rate rises to 2-yr high
The Korean won's nominal effective exchange rate rose to its highest level in about two years, data showed Monday. According to the Bank for International Settlements, the won's nominal effective exchange rate stood at 94.83 as of last Tuesday, compared with the previous month's 91.99. It marked the highest level since Oct. 9, 2024, when the NEER was 94.91. The BIS' NEER measures a currency's value against those of major trading partners without adjusting for inflation, serving as a gauge of int
Oct. 26, 2026 -
Osong beauty expo draws nearly $100m in export deals
A cosmetics and beauty expo in South Korea's central city of Cheongju attracted export contracts worth nearly US$100 million during its three-day run, the provincial government said Sunday. The Cosmetics & Beauty Expo, Osong, Korea 2026 was held from Thursday through Saturday in Osong, a district of Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, about 83 kilometers south of Seoul, attracting more than 17,400 visitors. The event brought together 254 domestic and foreign cosmetics companies, 200 invited bu
Oct. 25, 2026 -
From rebuilding lives to shaping futures, Posco's 1% gives back
Posco Group is expanding its employee-funded social contribution programs, providing advanced prosthetic devices to injured veterans and hands-on science education to students as part of efforts to support local communities and future generations. Established in 2013, the Posco 1% Sharing Foundation draws on voluntary contributions from group employees. Its initiatives focus on helping injured veterans regain independence, widening access to science education and encouraging employees to partici
Oct. 25, 2026 -
Mercedes-Benz Korea marks 20 years of technician training
Mercedes-Benz Korea is strengthening its after-sales service capabilities through training as its automotive technician development initiative marks its 20th anniversary. Launched in 2006 as the Automotive Mechatronic Traineeship, or AMT, the program was revamped in 2022 as the Automotive Electric Traineeship, or AET, to address growing demand for electric vehicle maintenance expertise. The AET program combines classroom instruction with practical training to prepare automotive engineering stude
Oct. 25, 2026 -
Why Kospi and Korean won have parted ways
The Korean won is saying goodbye to the days when its fortunes were closely tied to the ups and downs of the local stock market. Stock prices and the won's value have typically moved in tandem. Offshore investors hold roughly 40 percent of the main bourse Kospi's total market capitalization. When they sell shares and convert the proceeds into dollars for repatriation, rising dollar demand puts downward pressure on the won. Conversely, when they convert dollars into won to buy Korean shares, dema
Oct. 25, 2026 -
AIA Life Korea draws 7,000 to K-pop concert in Goyang
AIA Life Korea hosted a K-pop concert in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on Friday, drawing about 7,000 attendees from Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore, according to the insurer. Held at KINTEX under the title “K-Pop Together, Give Together,” the event brought together customers, employees and business partners from five AIA entities across four markets: AIA Life Korea, AIA Premier Partners, AIA Malaysia, AIA Philippines and AIA Singapore. Nearly 900 participants traveled from overseas, joinin
Oct. 25, 2026 -
S. Korea's Q2 current account surplus ranks 2nd on robust chip exports
South Korea posted the second-largest current account surplus among major economies in the second quarter, surpassing the combined surpluses of Germany and Japan, central bank data showed Sunday. The country's current account surplus reached $116.63 billion in the April-June period, trailing only China's $193.72 billion, according to International Monetary Fund data available on the Bank of Korea's Economic Statistics System. Germany ranked third with a surplus of $52.28 billion, followed by Jap
Oct. 25, 2026 -
Nearly half of Koreans experience fatigue, sleep average of 6.3 hours: report
Nearly half of South Koreans surveyed experienced persistent fatigue despite adequate rest, while average nightly sleep fell to 6.3 hours, according to a KB Financial Group report released Sunday. The group’s 2026 Korea Wellness Report found that 49.9 percent of respondents had experienced lingering exhaustion during the previous month. Average sleep duration declined from 6.5 hours in 2024, while the proportion getting at least seven hours dropped 8.8 percentage points to 41.6 percent. Although
Oct. 25, 2026 -
Samsung's Exynos 2700 outscores Qualcomm's top chip by nearly 20%
Samsung Electronics' next-generation Exynos 2700 mobile processor scored nearly 20 percent higher than Qualcomm's top-end Snapdragon chip in an internal multicore CPU test, ahead of its expected debut in the Galaxy S27 series early next year. The results came from recent in-house benchmark tests comparing the Exynos 2700 with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, which powers Xiaomi's 18 Pro Max, according to industry sources Sunday. In Geekbench 6.5, the Exynos 2700 posted a multicore CP
Oct. 25, 2026 -
As Koreans eat less rice, CJ looks overseas to grow Hetbahn
JINCHEON, North Chungcheong Province — For three decades, CJ CheilJedang has honed a seemingly simple recipe for instant rice under its Hetbahn brand, which more often than not stands in for microwavable rice itself in Korea. The nation's first aseptic-packaged cooked rice, debuted in 1996, now holds about 65 percent of the domestic market and has grown into a lineup of multigrain bowls, pot-cooked rice, porridge, cup meals and even rice-studded gelato. Innovation continues at CJ’s smart factory
Oct. 25, 2026 -
Hana Financial posts record 9-month profit of W3.62tr
Hana Financial Group posted a record net profit of 3.62 trillion won ($2.73 billion) in the first nine months of the year, while its share buybacks and cancellations approached 1 trillion won, marking its largest-ever shareholder return. The group said Friday that its consolidated net profit for the third quarter reached 1.22 trillion won, up 2.4 percent from the previous quarter and 7.8 percent from a year earlier. It was the highest quarterly profit since the group merged with Korea Exchange B
Oct. 23, 2026 -
Woori Financial's Q3 profit tops W1tr for second straight quarter
Woori Financial Group reported Friday a cumulative net profit of 2.66 trillion won ($2 billion) for the first nine months of 2026 as underlying income grew, though one-off gains from insurance acquisitions in 2025 mean the figure was down 4.9 percent year-on-year. Excluding bargain purchase gains related to last year's insurance acquisitions, profit rose 18.7 percent. Third-quarter net profit fell 15.7 percent from last year's record quarter, but at 1.05 trillion won, it was its second-highest e
Oct. 23, 2026 -
Seoul stocks end tad higher on bargain hunting
South Korean shares closed slightly higher Friday after plunging more than 3 percent in the previous session, as investors hunted for bargains in major chip stocks amid persistent concerns over investments in the artificial intelligence value chain. The Korean won strengthened against the US dollar. After choppy trading, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index rose 16.53 points, or 0.3 percent, to end at 5,550.30. The index opened 2.36 percent lower, but individual investors, who were ne
Oct. 23, 2026