Seoul stocks open lower on Wall Street losses, AI concerns

South Korean stocks opened lower Friday, tracking overnight losses on Wall Street, as renewed concerns over the sustainability of the artificial intelligence boom weighed on investor sentiment. After opening 2.99 percent lower, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index extended its earlier losses to trade lower 228.43 points, or 3.85 percent, to 5,709.23 as of 9:15 a.m. The index fell 1.24 percent in the previous session on profit-taking in heavyweight chip stocks, despite Samsung Electron

2026-10-30 09:42:10:00

S. Korea to open 1st Korean Cultural Center in Malaysia

South Korea was set to open its first Korean Cultural Center in Malaysia with a ceremony Friday. The new center marks the 36th such facility worldwide and the fifth in Southeast Asia. Located across from Kuala Lumpur's Petronas Twin Towers, the biggest tourist attraction in Malaysia, the venue has a 100-seat performance hall, an exhibition room, a cinema, a library and classrooms, according to Seoul's culture ministry. The performance hall on the first floor is equipped with a large LED panel to

2026-10-30 09:41:23:00

Seoul stocks open lower on Wall Street losses, AI concerns

South Korean stocks opened lower Friday, tracking overnight losses on Wall Street, as renewed concerns over the sustainability of the artificial intelligence boom weighed on investor sentiment. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 177.31 points, or 2.99 percent, to 5,760.35 at the opening bell. The index fell 1.24 percent in the previous session on profit-taking in heavyweight chip stocks, despite Samsung Electronics' record quarterly earnings. Overnight, Wall Street shares retre

2026-10-30 09:07:26:00

Sept. industrial output growth hits 15-yr high on chips; retail sales, investment also up

South Korea's industrial output expanded in September from a month earlier at the fastest pace in more than 15 years, led by chips, data showed Friday, with retail sales and facility investment also gaining ground. Industrial production rose 3 percent on-month in September, according to data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics. It marked the sharpest gain since the 3.4 percent increase posted in March 2011. It also marked the first time since June that the three major indicators increased s

2026-10-30 09:00:02:00

US bill seeks to ease transfer of American munitions to Ukraine via S. Korea, allies

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers has introduced legislation that would streamline the transfer of certain US-origin munitions to Ukraine through South Korea and other American allies, congressional records showed Thursday. The House bill, introduced Monday by Rep. William Keating and five other lawmakers, would amend the Arms Export Control Act to establish a preapproval mechanism for third-party transfers of specified defense articles originally sold by the United States. Under the proposed l

2026-10-30 08:36:19:00

Beloved S. Korean TV icon Choi Bool-am dies at 87

South Korean actor Choi Bool-am, widely known as the nation's father figure for his portrayals of paternal characters in popular television dramas, has died, his family said Friday. He was 87. Choi, whose real name was Choi Young-han, died at around 10 p.m. Thursday while receiving treatment at a hospital in western Seoul, according to his family. The actor had experienced difficulties walking after undergoing surgery for a herniated disc in March last year, prompting him to step down as host of

2026-10-30 07:05:12:00

S. Korean defense chief agrees to expand defense cooperation with Singapore, Vietnam

South Korean Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul on Thursday met with his Singaporean and Vietnamese counterparts to discuss ways to expand defense cooperation with the two countries, his ministry said. Kang met with Singapore's Defense Minister Chan Chun Sing on the sidelines of an extended defense ministers' meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the Philippines, according to the ministry. During the talks, the two sides positively assessed their efforts to expand coopera

2026-10-29 22:18:31:00

Tigers captain calls for early offense in pivotal KBO postseason game

With his Kia Tigers gearing up for a pivotal game in the ongoing Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason series, captain Na Sung-bum said Thursday he hoped for some early offense against the Samsung Lions. The teams split the first two games of this best-of-five battle at the Lions' home in the southeastern city of Daegu. The series has now moved to Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in the southwestern city of Gwangju, where the Tigers will try to win two straight games and close out the series.

2026-10-29 17:35:33:00

Hundreds of customers' personal information at Bithumb leaked in hacks

Personal information of hundreds of customers at cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb has been leaked in a recent cyberattack, industry sources said Thursday. Bithumb reported a data breach in its in-house mobile system on Wednesday, but the incident was initially believed to have affected only its employees. After analyzing the scope of the data leak, Bithumb found that personal information of hundreds of customers has also been exposed, according to the sources. Three financial firms -- Daishin Sec

2026-10-29 17:05:05:00

Tigers manager counting on left-handed relievers to bounce back

Kia Tigers manager Lee Bum-ho said Thursday he was counting on his two key left-handed relievers to regain their form in the ongoing South Korean baseball postseason series against the Samsung Lions. With the Lions doling out a left-heavy lineup in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason, led by the 100-RBI trio of Koo Ja-wook, Lewin Diaz and Choi Hyoung-woo, the Tigers have precious few southpaw options to deal with them in high-leverage spots in late innings. Lee Eui-lee pitched 1 1/3

2026-10-29 16:53:20:00