Seoul shares open sharply lower after US stock plunge

South Korean stocks opened steeply lower Monday as the recent plunge on Wall Street spooked local investors. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) had dropped 29.1 points, or 1.32 percent, to 2,183.45 as of 9:17 a.m. On Friday, the Nasdaq Composite tumbled 3.08 percent and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.34 percent amid woes over higher inflation. The S&P 500 retreated 2.37 percent. In Seoul, market bellwether Samsung Electronics shed 0.53 percent, and chip giant SK

Oct. 17, 2022

[Breaking] Fire at Kakao data center causes servers to go down

A fire Saturday at a Kakao data center in Pangyo, south of Seoul, has led to a server outage affecting the KakaoTalk messenger app, along with other apps such as Kakao T, Kakao Map, Kakao Metro, Kakao Webtoon, Kakao Bank, Kakao-owned portal Daum and music streaming service Melon. The internet connection for the apps has been unavailable since 3:30 p.m. "There has been a fire at SK C&C data center since 3:30 p.m. Work has begun to put down the fire, but we are uncertain when the fir

Oct. 15, 2022

Seoul shares soar 2.3% on Wall Street rally

South Korean stocks rebounded sharply Friday, as investors shook off hotter-than-expected US inflation data and bet price increases would soon peak. The local currency gained ground against the greenback. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 49.68 points, or 2.3 percent, to end at 2,212.55. The index lost 20.29 points, or 0.9 percent, from last week's closing of 2,232.84. Trading volume was moderate at 501 million shares worth 7.01 trillion won ($4.89 billion), with

Oct. 14, 2022

Seoul shares open higher on overnight Wall Street gains

South Korean stocks opened higher Friday, tracking an overnight surge on Wall Street as investors shook off hotter-than-expected inflation data and bet price increases would soon peak. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 34.03 points, or 1.57 percent, to 2,196.90 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, Wall Street made a remarkable turnaround to close higher, after plunging significantly earlier in the session, as investors shrugged off persistently higher-than-e

Oct. 14, 2022

Samsung Electronics top stock held by Yoon officials

Samsung Electronics stocks were the most popular among senior officials serving as vice ministers or in higher positions for the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, according to a local data firm report released Thursday. According to Leaders Index, 67 out of 118 officials revealed in their financial disclosures that they were holding shares of either public or private companies, including stocks held by such immediate family members as spouse and children, as of Friday last week. Samsung Electronics,

Oct. 13, 2022

Seoul shares end lower on recession woes

South Korean stocks finished down Thursday amid persistent concerns that combative monetary tightening policies in major economies could drag the global economy into a recession. The local currency lost ground against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed 39.60 points, or 1.8 percent, to end at 2,162.87. Trading volume was moderate at 781 million shares worth 6.96 trillion won ($4.86 billion), with losers far outpacing gainers 842 to 73. Institutions offload

Oct. 13, 2022

Scandal-ridden SillaJen’s shares surge following trade resumption

Scandal-ridden biotechnology firm SillaJen’s shares surged by nearly 30 percent on Thursday a day after South Korea’s sole bourse operator decided to resume its trading on the secondary index. The firm's shares jumped nearly 30 percent from the previous closing to 10,850 won ($7.58), effectively ending its 29 months of suspension and quickly picking up speed from its opening price of 8,380 won. Though the closing price on the last trading day before its suspension -- May 4, 2020 --

Oct. 13, 2022

S. Korea's fiscal deficit widens by W15.1tr

SEJONG -- South Korea's fiscal deficit increased 15.1 trillion won ($10.5 billion) in the first eight months of 2022 from a year earlier due to spending on vulnerable groups amid the prolonged pandemic, data showed Thursday. The managed fiscal balance, a key gauge of fiscal health calculated on a stricter term, posted a deficit of 85.3 trillion won in the January-August period, larger than a shortfall of 70.2 trillion won a year earlier, according to the Monthly Public Finance report releas

Oct. 13, 2022

Seoul shares open lower amid recession fears

South Korean stocks opened lower Thursday amid persistent concerns over a global economic recession. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index lost 9.21 points, or 0.42 percent, to 2,193.26 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, Wall Street closed slightly down ahead of the release of the September consumer price index, one of the key indicators that would determine the pace of the US Federal Reserve's monetary policy tightening going forward. Minutes from the Fed's Septe

Oct. 13, 2022

KRX resumes trading of SillaJen

South Korea’s stock exchange decided Wednesday to resume trading of the troubled biotech company SillaJen, effectively ending a suspension of over two years to a divided response from the market.   The Korea Exchange’s Kosdaq market committee decided to keep SillaJen listed on the secondary, tech-heavy bourse in a decision that followed an hourslong meeting. It has yet to release a detailed explanation for  its decision, but a KRX official, requesting anonymity, told

Oct. 12, 2022

Kakao Bank, Krafton employees feel pain of bear market

Amid the white-hot stock rally of 2021, they were the envy of all. Those working at the year’s biggest market debutants Krafton and Kakao Bank were given chances to buy stocks in their company at a set price, via employee share ownership plans. However, none of those who bought the employee stocks are seeing profits now, as the shares are currently trading at less than half the price they paid. On Blind, an anonymous workplace community app, a verified Kakao Bank employee revealed a loss

Oct. 12, 2022

Seoul shares open lower ahead of BOK rate decision

South Korean stocks opened lower Wednesday as investors awaited the Bank of Korea (BOK)'s decision on the policy rate later in the day amid woes over a global economic recession. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 7.74 points, or 0.35 percent, to 2,184.33 in the first 15 minutes of trading. South Korea's central bank will decide on whether to deliver another outsized rate hike to combat inflation. The BOK has been lifting its policy rate since August last year

Oct. 12, 2022

Seoul shares tumble 1.83% amid tightening woes, geopolitical risks

South Korean stocks tumbled nearly 2 percent on Tuesday as investors sold off tech, auto and other stocks amid concerns that monetary tightening and geopolitical risks could tip the global economy into a recession. The Korean won also ended sharply lower against the US dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 40.77 points, or 1.83 percent, to end at 2,192.07. Trading volume was moderate at 846.31 million shares worth 7.75 trillion won ($5.42 billion), with losers far

Oct. 11, 2022

Watchdog vows to complete inspection of troubled funds by next year

The head of South Korea’s financial watchdog pledged Tuesday that he will complete an inspection into the troubled funds and products that led to investors suffering hefty losses in recent years. The vow follows public criticism that the Financial Supervisory Service failed to screen and prevent fiascos including Ponzi schemes carried out by hedge funds and local financial institutions in recent years. The FSS has yet to decide on the reimbursement plans regarding the troubled 2019 German

Oct. 11, 2022

Seoul shares open sharply lower on tech, auto losses

South Korean stocks opened sharply lower Tuesday as investors unloaded tech, auto and other issues amid worries that monetary tightening and geopolitical risks could tip the global economy into a recession. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 48.12 points, or 2.16 percent, to 2,184.72 in the first 15 minutes of trading. In Seoul, most shares opened sharply lower, with tech and auto issues suffering heavy downswings. Market bellwether Samsung Electronics tumbled 3.56 perc

Oct. 11, 2022

Naver, Kakao shares lose W63tr of market cap

Naver and Kakao, tech stocks that had moved the market during the COVID-19 pandemic, have recently become big disappointments to investors, having lost over a combined 63.3 trillion won ($44.4 billion) in market value since the beginning of the year. South Korea’s No. 1 search engine operator Naver has fallen 57 percent since the first trading day of the year. Its shares fell from 376,000 won on Jan. 3 to 160,000 won on Friday, pulling its market cap down from 62.9 trillion won to 26.2 tr

Oct. 10, 2022

Seoul shares end 3-day winning streak on rate hike woes

South Korean stocks closed lower Friday, ending a three-day winning streak amid lingering concerns over the Federal Reserve's aggressive monetary tightening and a global economic recession. After volatile trading, the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) shed 5.02 points, or 0.22 percent, to end at 2,232.84. Trading volume was a bit slim at 402.26 million shares worth 6.96 trillion won (US$4.75 billion), with losers outpacing gainers 487 to 370. Institutional investors sold a

Oct. 7, 2022

Apple Pay likely to start Korean services next month

Apple Pay will start its Korean services next month or at least early December, according to recently leaked documents stating terms and conditions for Hyundai Card customers. The screen captures of digital documents labeled “terms and conditions” in Korean said that “the purpose of this document is to regulate the conditions and procedures of the rights between our customers and the company, obligations and responsibility and more for the usage of Apple Pay services provided

Oct. 7, 2022

Seoul shares open lower on US losses

South Korean stocks opened lower Friday, tracking overnight losses on Wall Street amid lingering concerns over the Federal Reserve's monetary tightening policy. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) lost 14.42 points, or 0.64 percent, to 2,223.44 in the first 15 minutes of trading. Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 1.15 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite went down 0.68 percent, as investors await a jobs report for September due Friday (US time), wh

Oct. 7, 2022

Seoul shares rise for 3rd day on tech gains, foreign buying

South Korean stocks made solid gains Thursday as investors picked up big-cap tech shares on hopes for a recovery in a semiconductor industry cycle. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 22.64 points, or 1.02 percent, to end at 2,237.86, extending its winning streak to a third consecutive session. Trading volume was moderate at 631.62 million shares worth 6.67 trillion won ($4.75 billion), with gainers outpacing losers 776 to 118. Foreigners bought shares worth 252.05 bill

Oct. 6, 2022