Won rallies to 2-month high as NPS steps in; Views differ on 2026 FX outlook

Won rallies to 2-month high as NPS steps in; Views differ on 2026 FX outlook

The South Korean won strengthened to its highest level in two months against the dollar on Friday, as aggressive government intervention in the fore...

Korea’s commercial property market set for hyper-polarization in 2026: Koramco

Korea’s commercial property market set for hyper-polarization in 2026: Koramco

South Korea’s commercial real estate market is poised to enter a period of hyper-polarization in 2026, with demand and value increasingly conc...

K-beauty’s 2nd wave extends to wellness, lifestyle services: VIG Partners

K-beauty’s 2nd wave extends to wellness, lifestyle services: VIG Partners

No longer confined to skincare and makeup, the K-beauty has evolved into a multi-layered ecosystem spanning fashion items, wellness and lifestyle se...

Korean chipmakers’ equipment outlays to outpace Taiwan in 2026

Korean chipmakers’ equipment outlays to outpace Taiwan in 2026

South Korean chipmakers are expected to increase spending on semiconductor manufacturing equipment by 27.2% to $29.66 billion in 2026 as Samsung Ele...

BOK decides to waive FX levy at emergency monetary meeting to boost dollar liquidity

BOK decides to waive FX levy at emergency monetary meeting to boost dollar liquidity

The Bank of Korea (BOK) on Friday convened its first extraordinary meeting of the monetary policy board in a year, approving a temporary waiver of a...

South Korea bets on AI, power, financials to carry Kospi toward 5,000 in 2026

South Korea bets on AI, power, financials to carry Kospi toward 5,000 in 2026

South Korean stocks are heading into 2026 with strategists betting that leadership will broaden beyond semiconductors to power, financial and infras...

Hana Financial to expand US presence with $100 mn injection into US banking arm

Hana Financial to expand US presence with $100 mn injection into US banking arm

Hana Financial Group is moving to strengthen its presence in the US with a fresh capital injection into its local banking unit, as South Korean comp...

BTS’ Anpanman rises to top of Billboard chart 7 years after release

BTS’ Anpanman rises to top of Billboard chart 7 years after release

Few would have expected a B-side released in 2018 to resurface at the top of a Billboard chart in late 2025. Yet BTS’ Anpanman, long familiar ...

South Korean won weakens past 1,480 per dollar, lowest in 8 months

South Korean won weakens past 1,480 per dollar, lowest in 8 months

South Korea’s won weakened past the 1,480 per dollar in intraday trade on Wednesday, reaching its weakest point in about eight months as forei...

South Korea’s year-end IPO market defies seasonal lull

South Korea’s year-end IPO market defies seasonal lull

South Korea’s initial public offering market, typically subdued at the end of the year, is showing unusual exuberance as newly listed companie...

GEPS seeks brokerage firms for global equities, bonds trading in H1, 2026

GEPS seeks brokerage firms for global equities, bonds trading in H1, 2026

South Korea’s Government Employees Pension Service (GEPS) is seeking brokerage firms to handle overseas asset trading for the first half of 20...

NPS extends strategic currency hedging to end-2026, adds flexibility to stabilize won

NPS extends strategic currency hedging to end-2026, adds flexibility to stabilize won

The National Pension Service (NPS), South Korea’s state-run pension fund and largest institutional investor, has decided to extend its strateg...

After stellar 2025 performance, Kospi’s bull run likely to hit 5,000 in 2026: EpicAI

After stellar 2025 performance, Kospi’s bull run likely to hit 5,000 in 2026: EpicAI

South Korea’s brokerages are growing increasingly confident that the country’s benchmark Kospi stock index will surge toward 5,000 next ...

SK Hynix eyes mass production of hybrid-bonded NAND by 2027

SK Hynix eyes mass production of hybrid-bonded NAND by 2027

SK Hynix Inc. is stepping up its move into next-generation flash memory, setting its sights on mass production of its first hybrid-bonded NAND chip ...

LG to supply AI infrastructure solutions to Microsoft worth billions of dollars annually

LG to supply AI infrastructure solutions to Microsoft worth billions of dollars annually

LG Group’s key units, including LG Electronics Inc. and LG Energy Solution Ltd., signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Microsoft Cor...

Samsung to supply half of memory for Nvidia's 2nd-generation SOCAMM in 2026

Samsung to supply half of memory for Nvidia's 2nd-generation SOCAMM in 2026

Samsung Electronics Co. will supply half of the memory used for Nvidia Corp.’s second-generation SOCAMM in 2026, positioning itself as the lar...

South Korea passes $496 bn budget for 2026, lifts corporate tax by 1 percentage point

South Korea passes $496 bn budget for 2026, lifts corporate tax by 1 percentage point

South Korea’s National Assembly on Tuesday approved a 727.9 trillion won ($496 billion) budget for next year, slightly smaller than the govern...

Zeekr joins Chinese peers BYD, XPeng to push into South Korea's EV market

Zeekr joins Chinese peers BYD, XPeng to push into South Korea's EV market

China’s Zeekr, the premium electric vehicle brand under Geely Automobile, on Tuesday signed its first dealer agreements with Korean companies,...

Seoul sets 30% top rate for dividend income above $3.4 mn

Seoul sets 30% top rate for dividend income above $3.4 mn

South Korea’s ruling and opposition parties have agreed to create a new top bracket for dividends earned from domestic stock, applying a rate ...

BOK signals end of rate cut cycle after holding rates steady

BOK signals end of rate cut cycle after holding rates steady

The Bank of Korea (BOK) on Thursday signaled its rate-cutting cycle is nearing an end, keeping the policy rate unchanged at 2.50% for the fourth con...

BTS sets another K-pop record in Japan as The Truth Untold earns Gold certification

BTS sets another K-pop record in Japan as The Truth Untold earns Gold certification

BTS, who are gearing up for their full-group comeback, has set yet another K-pop milestone in Japan with their 2018 ballad The Truth Untold (Feat. S...

BOK to hold rates steady as won currency tumbles, economy recovers

BOK to hold rates steady as won currency tumbles, economy recovers

South Korea’s central bank is expected to leave interest rates unchanged as the won currency continued to depreciate and Asia’s fourth-l...

SK Group sets early 2026 deadline to complete SK Siltron divestment

SK Group sets early 2026 deadline to complete SK Siltron divestment

SK Group is accelerating its efforts to divest SK Siltron Co., the world’s third-largest semiconductor wafer producer, targeting a deal closin...

SK Hynix to ramp up 1c DRAM production 8-fold in 2026

SK Hynix to ramp up 1c DRAM production 8-fold in 2026

SK Hynix Inc., a crucial supplier of high-bandwidth memory to Nvidia Corp.’s artificial-intelligence processors, is set to boost output of its...

Korea Inc. braces for ‘new normal’ of weak won as majority sees 2026 FX above 1,400 won

Korea Inc. braces for ‘new normal’ of weak won as majority sees 2026 FX above 1,400 won

South Korean companies are drawing up next year’s business plans on the assumption that the foreign exchange rate will remain above 1,400 won ...

NewJeans set to restart activities in 2026; boosting HYBE outlook

NewJeans set to restart activities in 2026; boosting HYBE outlook

After a year of uncertainty, all five members of NewJeans are making their way back to ADOR — a move restoring confidence not only among fans ...

Samsung weighs 2026 Galaxy price hike on global memory shortage

Samsung weighs 2026 Galaxy price hike on global memory shortage

Samsung Electronics Co. is considering raising prices on its upcoming Galaxy S26 smartphones as a deepening global memory chip shortage drives up co...

GM Korea to close company-run service centers amid US tariff pressure

GM Korea to close company-run service centers amid US tariff pressure

GM Korea will shut down its company-operated service centers in South Korea by February 2026, according to people close to the matter on Friday. The...

S&P hints at keeping South Korea’s AA credit rating in 2026 on steady growth, fiscal stability

S&P hints at keeping South Korea’s AA credit rating in 2026 on steady growth, fiscal stability

S&P Global Ratings is expected to maintain South Korea's credit rating at AA in 2026, citing steady economic growth and a manageable fiscal defi...

KPop Demon Hunters Soundtrack Dominates Billboard Hot 100 with 8 Tracks

KPop Demon Hunters Soundtrack Dominates Billboard Hot 100 with 8 Tracks

What started as an animated fantasy has turned into a full-blown K-pop phenomenon. The Netflix film KPop Demon Hunters continues its remarkable ch...

Australia turns to build-to-rent scheme to tackle inner-city housing crunch Won rallies to 2-month high as NPS steps in; Views differ on 2026 FX outlook LG Energy scraps $2.8 bn US contract in 2nd supply cancellation in December SK Nexilis, world's No. 3 copper foil maker, secures $225 million from IMM in unconventional deal Korea’s commercial property market set for hyper-polarization in 2026: Koramco